2017 MLB Season Thread

[Douglas]

It's not like Chris Davis has come out of nowhere. He was always regarded as a power prospect, hitting 17 and 21 HRs in his first two seasons (with limited ABs) before struggling to find ABs in his next couple of years on a stacked Texas team. Arriving in Baltimore last year and getting his first full season of 400+ ABs he hit 33 HRs. Now he's 27, the typical breakout year for baseball players, and he's on a tear. I don't think anyone expected this big a year, but 40 HRs has always been within his ceiling. Baseball probably will always have a steroid cloud over it, but there's no more reason to suspect Davis than anyone else in the league.

The truth is Yankee fans are just miserable people.

 

[Douglas]



Today's Detroit Free Press had an interview with '68 Tiger pitchers, Denny McClain and Mickey Lolich:

So how would those two Tigers greats pitch to the best hitter in the game today, Miguel Cabrera?

“I’d knock him on his ass,” McLain said. “That’s first. I would show him that he does not own the inside part of the plate, that’s No. 1. And then I would throw nothing but one fastball after another and let him try to hit it. But fastballs in, because if you extend it, you extend the fastball outside of the inside part of the plate, he’s probably going to hit it somewhere.

“I don’t want him hitting the ball up the middle. Not if I’m pitching.”

And Lolich would heed the advice of former pitching coach Johnny Sain — two of the first three pitches strikes — but wouldn’t dare throw last year’s Triple Crown winner a first-pitch fastball.

“Why anybody’d throw a first-pitch fastball to Miguel Cabrera is stupid,” Lolich said. “He’ll hit it 9,000 feet. I wouldn’t throw him a fastball on the first pitch."​

I loved this!

Cabrera hit a HR off Miguel Gonzalez the other night that was 5 inches inside the plate.

 

[bdeuce22]

He hits them anywhere within a foot of the plate

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/miguel-cabreras-ridiculousplate-coverage/

 

[lawyerdad]



He hits them anywhere within a foot of the plate

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/miguel-cabreras-ridiculousplate-coverage/

Ha, I remember watching Vlad Guerrero when he was with the Angels. He would swing at the most ridiculous pitches and crush them.

 

[Douglas]

it's too bad he couldn't stop the O's from taking 2 of 3 from the Tigers!

That Friday night game when they came back off Valverde was one of the awesomest games I've seen.

 

[clarinetplayer]

45 years ago, Denny McClain had the cockiest attitude in baseball, and he hasn't changed a bit in all this time. His life, after baseball, has been one tragic moment after another. A true rascal.

 

[Steve B.]



That makes it not cheating?

You're a lawyer and know better than I but isn't a matter like this merely HEARSAY without PROOF.

Today's Detroit Free Press had an interview with '68 Tiger pitchers, Denny McClain and Mickey Lolich:

So how would those two Tigers greats pitch to the best hitter in the game today, Miguel Cabrera?

“I’d knock him on his ass,” McLain said. “That’s first. I would show him that he does not own the inside part of the plate, that’s No. 1. And then I would throw nothing but one fastball after another and let him try to hit it. But fastballs in, because if you extend it, you extend the fastball outside of the inside part of the plate, he’s probably going to hit it somewhere.

“I don’t want him hitting the ball up the middle. Not if I’m pitching.”

And Lolich would heed the advice of former pitching coach Johnny Sain — two of the first three pitches strikes — but wouldn’t dare throw last year’s Triple Crown winner a first-pitch fastball.

“Why anybody’d throw a first-pitch fastball to Miguel Cabrera is stupid,” Lolich said. “He’ll hit it 9,000 feet. I wouldn’t throw him a fastball on the first pitch."​

I loved this!

This

It's not like Chris Davis has come out of nowhere. He was always regarded as a power prospect, hitting 17 and 21 HRs in his first two seasons (with limited ABs) before struggling to find ABs in his next couple of years on a stacked Texas team. Arriving in Baltimore last year and getting his first full season of 400+ ABs he hit 33 HRs. Now he's 27, the typical breakout year for baseball players, and he's on a tear. I don't think anyone expected this big a year, but 40 HRs has always been within his ceiling. Baseball probably will always have a steroid cloud over it, but there's no more reason to suspect Davis than anyone else in the league.

The truth is Yankee fans are just miserable people.

And this.

45 years ago, Denny McClain had the cockiest attitude in baseball, and he hasn't changed a bit in all this time. His life, after baseball, has been one tragic moment after another. A true character.

My first year truly to become conscious of baseball. Sorta remember Yaz and (especially) Gibson from the year before. Between Gibson and McClain a couple of incredible years.

I wish I could stay up on it like you guys do...

 

[lawyerdad]



You're a lawyer and know better than I but isn't a matter like this merely HEARSAY without PROOF.

You're basically, right, although in strictly speaking, in law-talking terms it's not merely hearsay (which has a technical meaning that's specific to the judicial process) . But it might be fair to characterize it as speculation or innuendo, neither of which are generally considered acceptable forms of proof. But the process of drawing (or urging others to draw) a reasonable conclusion from the available circumstantial evidence (even in the absence of any direct evidence) is certainly acceptable.

But that's really a different point than I was making (to the extent I was making one at all). Whether or not you're cheating (or selling crack, or stealing money from the collection plate, or whatever) is a completely separate question from whether you've been caught and/or whether sufficient evidence exists to convict you beyond a reasonable doubt. The fact that he hasn't been caught might be due to the fact that he's not cheating, or it might be due to the fact that he hasn't been caught even though he is cheating.

 

[Douglas]

Where's our New Jersey friend now that ARod is facing a 100 game suspension and Chris Davis is not???

 

[BDC2823]

Puig!!!!!

 

[edinatlanta]



You're basically, right, although in strictly speaking, in law-talking terms it's not merely hearsay (which has a technical meaning that's specific to the judicial process) . But it might be fair to characterize it as speculation or innuendo, neither of which are generally considered acceptable forms of proof. But the process of drawing (or urging others to draw) a reasonable conclusion from the available circumstantial evidence (even in the absence of any direct evidence) is certainly acceptable.

But that's really a different point than I was making (to the extent I was making one at all). Whether or not you're cheating (or selling crack, or stealing money from the collection plate, or whatever) is a completely separate question from whether you've been caught and/or whether sufficient evidence exists to convict you beyond a reasonable doubt. The fact that he hasn't been caught might be due to the fact that he's not cheating, or it might be due to the fact that he hasn't been caught even though he is cheating.

You're a lawyer?

 

[Steve B.]

Does that cover his DL time? Without pay? Is MLB re-testing Braun?

 

[whiteslashasian]



Where's our New Jersey friend now that ARod is facing a 100 game suspension and Chris Davis is not???

A-Rod isn't the only player affected by the Bio-Genesis scandal. Also he and several others have been linked to PED's before.

It usually takes quite a while before someone who gets hot to come under more scrutiny or eventually screws up and gets flagged for PED's anyways.

 

[Douglas]

Ah, look, all the Yankee fans are coming out now.

 

[LawrenceMD]



Ah, look, all the Yankee fans are coming out now.

I quickly read over the list... (and noticed no Red Sox players on it) and was like: GOOD JOB MLB! KEEP IT UP AND CLEAN UP THIS SPORT!