2020 MLB Season Thread

[dead0man]

Cardinals pull off first ever 3-2-8 double play
(that's firstbase to catcher to center fielder)


or How Bad are the Indians at Base Running

[brucejoel99]

Cardinals pull off first ever 3-2-8 double play
(that's firstbase to catcher to center fielder)


or How Bad are the Indians at Base Running

These 2 games have had some of the worst base-running I've ever seen, this one especially. Looking like some little-league stuff out there.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

- Fake Safety Squeeze, Wild Pitch Walk-off (thanks to the back-up catcher)
- Coming from five down with two outs and walking it off in extras
- An extra-inning grand slam by a player hitting .130 for the win

There is nothing like playing the Mets when you need to end a losing streak and have half your team on the DL.

[NewYorkExpress]

San Diego is clearly in win-now mode.

The past week they've traded for Trevor Rosenthal, Mitch Moreland, Jason Castro, Austin Nola, and now Mike Clevinger.

They seem to be the team that improved the most at the trade deadline.

Should the Dodgers be worried about their chances to win the division?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

1. Dodgers
2. Padres
3. Braves

Either of those teams will win the title. I don't care how many games the Yanks won, there is a DH in both leagues right now, so the handicap of the DH is not gonna prevent the NL from winning a title this yr.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

San Diego is clearly in win-now mode.

The past week they've traded for Trevor Rosenthal, Mitch Moreland, Jason Castro, Austin Nola, and now Mike Clevinger.

They seem to be the team that improved the most at the trade deadline.

Should the Dodgers be worried about their chances to win the division?

Dodgers are more worried about the Braves than the Padres who have a great team, but I won't be rooting for the Braves and Baseball refuses to make the Indians or Braves change their name after the Redskins did so, due to the sensitivety of the Native Americans

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29797239/tom-seaver-hall-fame-pitcher-mets-legend-dies-75

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, who led the New York Mets to an improbable World Series victory in 1969, has died at age 75.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Seaver died Monday from complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19.

RIP to Tom Seaver, probably the greatest player the Mets ever had (Nolan Ryan doesn't count because the Mets traded him away when he was still young.)

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29797239/tom-seaver-hall-fame-pitcher-mets-legend-dies-75

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, who led the New York Mets to an improbable World Series victory in 1969, has died at age 75.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced that Seaver died Monday from complications of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19.

RIP to Tom Seaver, probably the greatest player the Mets ever had (Nolan Ryan doesn't count because the Mets traded him away when he was still young.)

You mean it wasn't Marv Throneberry?

As a side note, all Mets fans (or any baseball fans) should read Now Wait A Minute, Casey, Maury Allen's hilarious book about the early days of the Mets (if you can find it).

[Andrew]

Jimmy Breslin’s Can’t Anybody Here Play this Game, about the Mets’ first season, is also a good read.

[JGibson]

RIP Lou Brock.


https://twitter.com/TheUndefeated/status/1302741478117117952

[NewYorkExpress]

RIP Lou Brock.


https://twitter.com/TheUndefeated/status/1302741478117117952

Greatest Cardinal since Stan Musial.

Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio might go down as one of the worst trades in baseball history.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Here's one of those weird baseball oddities: power hitter Freddie Freeman of the Braves had never hit a grand slam in his 10 years in the major leagues -- until last Friday night, when his 233rd career homer was his first grand slam.

Today he hit his 234th career homer -- and his second grand slam.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

If anything, last year tell us, Cleveland Indians in 95, 97, 16 chocked in the Wrld Series and 92, 93, 96, 99 and 19 Braves chocked in Wrld Series and in the Playoffs.  Dodgers are gonna win the title this year and so will the Lakers, for Kobe

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/why-its-time-for-major-league-baseball-to-ban-the-shift/

CBS Sports's Matt Snyder has an excellent opinion piece up explaining why Major League Baseball needs to ban the shift.

Any chance this happens?

[emailking]

That's dumb. If they put the shift on you, bunt or try to swing early. I'd rather move the mound back half an inch than do that.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Its very clear to me now, after all these years, that the Tribe and Braves were in it together, to keep the Indigenious People's name of Indians and Braves, that's why John Rocker, whom became a Brave after he was an Indian, was less polarizing than he was with the Tribe, when he was surrounded by Bobby Cox.

Redskins did the honorable thing to change its name from Native Americans while Blackhawks, Indians and Braves live in the Dark Ages, still.

But, pressure will be placed on Tribe and Braves to change its name when we change Columbus day to Election day holiday and Okoberfest as Halloween and Indigenious people day, when we get a D admin and a D trifecta

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Now that I am actively cheering for Aaron Boone to fail, onto the awards races as my primary focus. The AL MVP race is sparse...Trout has all the momentum but is still behind Lowe and Jose Abreu on the odds. The BA is nearly at the .300 mark, and he's inching towards the OPS+ lead. He's just got to seal the deal. Bieber might be a bridge too far.

Looking like Tatis will hold off Betts in the NL, but big proportion of season to go!

While AL Cy Young is mostly locked up, the NL Race is supremely tight! Yu Darvish is just ahead of Max Fried on the board, but I'm look for deGrom or a dark horse to come around next month!

e: And with that Max Fried goes on the DL the next day. Yu a solid favorite now.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Braves just scored 11 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Braves just scored 11 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

The game wound up being the first ever MLB game to finish 29-9, marking the first time in 21 years that a never-before-seen final score was recorded.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Braves just scored 11 runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

The game wound up being the first ever MLB game to finish 29-9, marking the first time in 21 years that a never-before-seen final score was recorded.

Wildest game I've ever seen. 

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-playoff-bubble-mlbpa-league-agree-to-neutral-site-locations-for-2020-postseason-per-report/

Major League Baseball's 2020 postseason bubble plan has been approved by the MLB Players Association, MLB announced Tuesday. The Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series will all be held at neutral-site ballparks where players will be set up in nearby one-location bubbles.

A bubble approach for MLB would help minimize the risk of another coronavirus outbreak. Shortly after the 2020 season began, there was a major coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins. The St. Louis Cardinals also suffered from a team-wide outbreak and both put the MLB season in jeopardy. All in all, the league has been forced to postpone 43 total games on the schedule due to positive COVID-19 cases.

Here are the specific bubble locations for the expanded playoffs:

NLDS: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas and Minute Maid Park in Houston
ALDS: Petco Park in San Diego and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
NLCS: Globe Life Field
ALCS: Petco Park
World Series: Globe Life Field

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

David John made two more balls go long gone last night to re-insert LeMahieiu into LeMVP debate and arguably straight to the top. He appears to lead the American League in OPS+ (trailing only Nelson Cruz unweighted) and is tied for the batting title at .373 with 11 games to go. What a completely wide open race. Seriously how do you rank these seasons?

1) DJ LeMahieu, NYY
2) Mike Trout, LAA
3) Jose Abreu, CWS
4) Nelson Cruz, MIN
5) Shane Bieber, CLE
6) Luke Voit, NYY
7) Tim Anderson, CWS
8) Anthony Rendon, LAA

Too bad Brandon Lowe and Kyle Lewis fell off their early pace. But I think there is a very strong case for the above, perhaps minus Rendon.

And with Tatis falling off s cliff in the NL and Freddie Freeman coming on strong, there is quite an open race there too.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Mookie Betts, Kuzma and Lebron have dedicated season to Bryant. Lakers and Dodgers are too good for competition now that Mookie Betts is playing like he supposed to

[brucejoel99]

And with tonight's loss against the Marlins, the Washington Nationals are now 19-31 through their first 50 games for the 2nd year in a row, so it's confirmed: the Washington Nationals will be the 2020 World Series champions

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Red Sox, since Mookie Betts whom havent won titles during the Dustin Pedroia era is now a futility team and will be very much like the Cards when Pujos and LaRussa left, never winning a title but could make playoffs

We are now like in NBA, in the Los Angeles era and Rams can win as well since Brady, Rodgers and Brees are in same Conference