2020 MLB Season Thread

[Grumpier Than Thou]

0% chance the season finishes as planned imo. But I'm ready to watch some baseball.

[Orwell]

Mad Max vs. Cole is going to be a marvelous matchup, by the end of his career do you guys think Max will be a Hall of Famer?

He's already about one season away from being a No Doubter. I'd argue his accomplishments age age 34 are so strong, that he's already done enough. Especially by the standards of his era, but even by the standards of any person alive today watching the game. Only post-war pitcher with a 'higher peak' not in is Curt Schilling, who a) doesn't have his hardware; and b) is mostly not in because of the Twitter but is still pretty darn likely to get in next year. Every pitcher with 3,000 K's is in (even comparably mediocre Sabathia is considered a virtual lock) and barring career-shortening circumstances that would get him sympathy votes anyway, he will reach that plateau next year.

Who are your 4th and 5th HoF talents? Damon and Inge? (Only kidding on Inge - he has a special place in the hearts of NY Radio). Unfortunately Damon is very short and Maggs is even further (but closer than non-Detrot fans would think?)

Inge as much as he's beloved by the Tigers faithful was never much of a great player, but he still was pretty dang good. I was thinking of Torri Hunter (5x All Star 9x Gold Glover 2x Silver Slugger) and then either Victor Martinez or Prince Fielder though both of them are longshots I think Martinez was a great ball player especially in 2014. He got 2nd in MVP voting as a DH, he had an OBP of .409 and an OPS .984 which is pretty good for a 36 yo DH.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Mad Max vs. Cole is going to be a marvelous matchup, by the end of his career do you guys think Max will be a Hall of Famer?

He's already about one season away from being a No Doubter. I'd argue his accomplishments age age 34 are so strong, that he's already done enough. Especially by the standards of his era, but even by the standards of any person alive today watching the game. Only post-war pitcher with a 'higher peak' not in is Curt Schilling, who a) doesn't have his hardware; and b) is mostly not in because of the Twitter but is still pretty darn likely to get in next year. Every pitcher with 3,000 K's is in (even comparably mediocre Sabathia is considered a virtual lock) and barring career-shortening circumstances that would get him sympathy votes anyway, he will reach that plateau next year.

Who are your 4th and 5th HoF talents? Damon and Inge? (Only kidding on Inge - he has a special place in the hearts of NY Radio). Unfortunately Damon is very short and Maggs is even further (but closer than non-Detrot fans would think?)

Inge as much as he's beloved by the Tigers faithful was never much of a great player, but he still was pretty dang good. I was thinking of Torri Hunter (5x All Star 9x Gold Glover 2x Silver Slugger) and then either Victor Martinez or Prince Fielder though both of them are longshots I think Martinez was a great ball player especially in 2014. He got 2nd in MVP voting as a DH, he had an OBP of .409 and an OPS .984 which is pretty good for a 36 yo DH.

Ah - the early 2010's period rather than just 2010. Yes, the 2013 team was quite fun. I'd vote for Hunter because I love him, but it's clear his stats are not up to par by the lofty centerfield standards. The stats look like a consistently weaker Andre Dawson, who did not have an easy time getting in. Nice counting stats are more similar to Dave Parker (if we can go off-position), except with much better defense at more premium position. And unlike either of those comps, no MVP and not even close. Which is weird because in my youth he did feel like one of the most feared players of the American League, but half the players placing higher were cheats. Sixth string CF in the Hall of Very Good :/

[The Dowager Mod]

I'm not even going to bother with a fantasy team this year. 

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Fantasy teams, they cheat anyways. There are other players that get their friends to bomb the season, so they can get their friends' players in time for the title and win

[JGibson]

Jordan Hicks, who would've been the potential closer for the Cards, is opting out.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Canada has denied the Blue Jays permission to play there this season.

https://apnews.com/72e93f0780cad703e4d6bd1d47ed2aef

I've heard speculation about them playing in their AAA park in Buffalo.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Buster Posey, the Giants Prize isnt playing, staying home with kids. They got Pence reunited with Posey and the duo is not gonna play together.

[The Dowager Mod]

The park in Buffalo isn't up to standards and the one in FL is too scary right now.

[AndyHogan14]

They should have paired the Blue Jays up with one of the other teams in the east (NL or AL) with the expectation that this might happen. For example, say they are paired up with the Mets...every Mets home game would take place when the Blue Jays are on the road and vice versa so they would have a Major League quality stadium to temporarily play in (kind of like what happens in the NFL with the Giants/Jets and in baseball with the Angels/Dodgers way back in the day). I saw this coming a mile away, so baseball should have seen this coming.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Freddy Freeman got Covid 19, another star of MLB affected by virus

[The Dowager Mod]

Get ready for the whiny petulant tweetstorm! lol
https://twitter.com/karentravers/status/1285312267312148485

[NewYorkExpress]

Get ready for the whiny petulant tweetstorm! lol
https://twitter.com/karentravers/status/1285312267312148485

Trump would be right in this instance. It's really inappropriate for Fauci to be throwing the first pitch at a Nationals Game, and he should know better than that.

[Andrew]

He’s a Nationals fan, and he was invited.  Nothing inappropriate here.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

It'll be an extreme bummer if we do not finally get the Yankees-Dodgers World Series after all this, and not just because they are my favorites. I honestly can't ever recall so much stockpiled depth in line-ups. The Yankees literally have 14 batters who you would feel great about at the plate (useful because I would probably pinch hit for Sanchez and Urshela (and maybe Stanton, if he starts) in October with Ford, Frazier, Andjuar or Tauchman). The Dodgers may only have 8-10 such guys, but there is even less reason to be concerned with any of them, barring injury.

I hadn't realized trades were still permitted this season, but I wonder which team might be able to pick up that one last pitcher to up the odds (if anyone is indeed selling in a month....) I don't trust Paxton as the #3 starter for New York, and I think Los Angeles could use another arm in the pen.

[Orwell]

It'll be an extreme bummer if we do not finally get the Yankees-Dodgers World Series after all this, and not just because they are my favorites. I honestly can't ever recall so much stockpiled depth in line-ups. The Yankees literally have 14 batters who you would feel great about at the plate (useful because I would probably pinch hit for Sanchez and Urshela (and maybe Stanton, if he starts) in October with Ford, Frazier, Andjuar or Tauchman). The Dodgers may only have 8-10 such guys, but there is even less reason to be concerned with any of them, barring injury.

I hadn't realized trades were still permitted this season, but I wonder which team might be able to pick up that one last pitcher to up the odds (if anyone is indeed selling in a month....) I don't trust Paxton as the #3 starter for New York, and I think Los Angeles could use another arm in the pen.

Didn't LA bring in that reliever from Minnesota in the Betts trade?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

It's good to have baseball back, but the crowd noise is the best part of the game and it's not there

[RI]

Happy Opening Day!

[Andrew]

It's good to have baseball back, but the crowd noise is the best part of the game and it's not there

The crowd isn’t there, but the crowd noise is. They’re using recorded crowd sounds.  I watched some of the summer training games, and not all the teams were using it yet.  It really made a difference In the feel of the game.

[Orwell]

Tigers are actually looking pretty dang good so far, they took the series against the Reds 2-1, and the pen has looked solid. It's likely a fluke series, but I was still impressed by what I saw from Jacoby Jones and Gregory Soto. The bats looked good against the Reds bullpen, CJ Cron hit 2 home runs during the series and he had some great defensive saves. I still definitely doubt this team, but I am sure that we have a bright future in the motor city.

[Donerail]

Just witnessed Ji-man Choi flip around to hit right-handed in the middle of an at-bat, ultimate mind game

[brucejoel99]

Tigers are actually looking pretty dang good so far, they took the series against the Reds 2-1, and the pen has looked solid. It's likely a fluke series, but I was still impressed by what I saw from Jacoby Jones and Gregory Soto. The bats looked good against the Reds bullpen, CJ Cron hit 2 home runs during the series and he had some great defensive saves. I still definitely doubt this team, but I am sure that we have a bright future in the motor city.

Technically equivalent to a 5 (& a 1/2) game winning streak!

[Orwell]

Tigers are actually looking pretty dang good so far, they took the series against the Reds 2-1, and the pen has looked solid. It's likely a fluke series, but I was still impressed by what I saw from Jacoby Jones and Gregory Soto. The bats looked good against the Reds bullpen, CJ Cron hit 2 home runs during the series and he had some great defensive saves. I still definitely doubt this team, but I am sure that we have a bright future in the motor city.

Technically equivalent to a 5 (& a 1/2) game winning streak!

Imagine a 20 game winning streak this season that'd be like winning 50 in a regular year

[Spark]

Think my Phillies will win at least 34 games I'm hopefully optimistic. Had very high hopes for Girardi this season despite the COVID..

[brucejoel99]

The Marlins & Orioles will face off tomorrow as the first-place teams in the NL & AL East...

What a f**king world we live in. Then again, the more I think about it, the more 2020 just feels like a Marlins World Series type of year.