2021 MLB Season Thread

[JGibson]

The 2021 MLB season is coming shortly with Spring Training and hopefully a 162-game regular season.

Fans in attendance will be limited in stadiums, if they are allowed by the relevant jurisdictions (national, state, county, and city), at least to start the season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series by defeating Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 2 in the COVID-shortened season.


Will the Dodgers defend their World Series crown?

Will the Los Angeles Dodgers keep their run of NL West titles going, or will the Padres or another team end that streak?
Will the Rays maintain the AL East crown?
Will the scandal-tarred Houston Astros get their comeuppance by opposing fans that they didn't really get last year due to COVID restrictions preventing fans from entering stadiums?
Who will be the AL and NL MVPs? Stay tuned.
Will this likely be the final year of a DH-free NL (per reports)?







2020: https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=358637.0

[JGibson]

For the 1st time since 2013, no players will be inducted to the Hall Of Fame. Curt Schilling was the closest at 71.1%.


https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1354208372963291139

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Great to see Rolen over 50% in Year 4 and Vizquel actually losing 3.5% in Year 4!!! The top three clearly have zero momentum. Maybe that will boost the non-controversial 4th place guy enough so we don't go two years without electing somebody. A guy can dream.

I would say disappointing numbers for Sheffield, but Walker had half the votes on his 7th ballot. He could benefit from Schilling, Clemens, Bonds and Sosa coming off the ballot in two years. Of course A-Rod and Papi will start a whole new decade of controversy, but at least they are not outfielders.

Good for Hudson to hang on, but next year's ballot will be four names bigger and might be tough to debate his merits 'a few years down the road'

[NewYorkExpress]

Assuming a 162 game season, my predictions:

AL East:

1. New York Yankees: 101-61

2. Tampa Bay Rays: 90-72

3. Toronto Blue Jays: 81-81

4. Boston Red Sox: 77-85

5. Baltimore Orioles: 59-103

AL Central:

1. Chicago White Sox: 89-73

2. Minnesota Twins: 84-78

3. Cleveland Indians: 80-82

4. Kansas City Royals 70-92

5. Detroit Tigers: 61-101

AL West

1. Houston Astros: 92-70

2. Oakland Athletics: 85-77

3. Los Angeles Angels: 81-81

4. Seattle Mariners: 69-93

5. Texas Rangers: 66-96

NL East

1. New York Mets: 91-71

2. Atlanta Braves: 90-72

3. Washington Nationals: 90-72

4. Philadelphia Phillies: 87-75

5. Miami Marlins: 79-83

NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals: 92-70

2. Milwaukee Brewers: 86-76

3. Chicago Cubs: 78-84

4. Cincinnati Reds: 71-91

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: 62-100

NL West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: 110-52

2. San Diego Padres: 90-72

3. Colorado Rockies: 75-87

4. Arizona Diamondbacks: 69-93

5. San Francisco Giants: 55-107

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Dodgers isn't the same without fans at Dodgers Stadiuk

[NewYorkExpress]

For the 1st time since 2013, no players will be inducted to the Hall Of Fame. Curt Schilling was the closest at 71.1%.


https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1354208372963291139

I'm curious as to which writer gave Barry Zito his lone vote.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The fact that Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens aren't in the Hall of Fame is a travesty.

[JGibson]

3B Nolan Arenado is headed to the Cardinals in a trade with the Rockies.

[Suburbia]

Can new Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa get them to the World Series?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Go Dodgers

[Sestak]

I would say disappointing numbers for Sheffield, but Walker had half the votes on his 7th ballot. He could benefit from Schilling, Clemens, Bonds and Sosa coming off the ballot in two years. Of course A-Rod and Papi will start a whole new decade of controversy, but at least they are not outfielders.

If Clemens and Bonds don't make it next year, then surely there isn't going to be any real controversy here? Would be preposterous for A-Rod to make it but not Bonds.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I would say disappointing numbers for Sheffield, but Walker had half the votes on his 7th ballot. He could benefit from Schilling, Clemens, Bonds and Sosa coming off the ballot in two years. Of course A-Rod and Papi will start a whole new decade of controversy, but at least they are not outfielders.

If Clemens and Bonds don't make it next year, then surely there isn't going to be any real controversy here? Would be preposterous for A-Rod to make it but not Bonds.

Completely agree, but A-Rod has chosen to remain in the spotlight to rehabilitate his public image while Bonds is a pariah. Further, the older voters who are the ones largely opposed to roiders will continue falling off the voting rolls over the next decade. A-Rod should almost certainly surpass Bonds' annual benchmarks for each year on the ballot from turnover alone IMHO. He could easily do 10 percent better in his tenth year.

Clearly the Era Committees will step in to reverse the injustice done to Bonds, Clemens, and Schilling someday. Unfortunately, there is a huge backlog of managers, center fielders and Virtual Lock Fred McGriff so it might take longer than it ought to.

[KaiserDave]

Very disturbed to hear rumors they may keep the runner on second in extras or this preposterous expanded playoffs model. I may be a political progressive, but I am thoroughly reactionary when it comes to baseball.

[Sestak]

The extra inning runner is an abomination of its own horrific category.

Expanded playoffs and the universal DH are awful as well, of course.

[KaiserDave]

The extra inning runner is an abomination of its own horrific category.

Expanded playoffs and the universal DH are awful as well, of course.

The extra inning runner is really an atrocity. Expanded Playoffs are awful, as is the Universal DH (though less so than the previous two), even if the Universal DH would be great for the Mets.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The extra runner in games is due to innings lasting too long going to 20 innings and you have 3 he games. Just like the shootout in Hockey

[100% pro-life no matter what]

I love the expanded playoffs.  I've always been of the belief that, in all sports, the right size for the playoffs is 50% of the league.  It's such a nice distinction that success (making the playoffs) and failure (missing them) are equally likely.

College sports might be slightly different, but only because we're lying to ourselves by pretending that certain conferences are actually on the major level of the sport.

Here are the sizes of the US pro sports' playoff fields (using the standard MLB one for now):

NBA: 53%
MLS: 52%
NHL: 52% (will drop to 50% with the introduction of the Seattle Kraken)
NFL: 44%
MLB: 33% (53% under the 2020 format)

The MLB number sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other sports all hovering around 50% of their leagues.

[Хahar 🤔]

Very disturbed to hear rumors they may keep the runner on second in extras or this preposterous expanded playoffs model. I may be a political progressive, but I am thoroughly reactionary when it comes to baseball.

I didn't watch baseball last year and I don't intend to this year with any of these innovations. The ghost runner is the most offensive of all, and really it's more offensive than I would have thought possible until it was first suggested. Creating a base runner ex nihilo is wrong because only God can create something out of nothing.

[JGibson]

After the MLBPA rejected a proposal from the MLB for a delayed start to the season with a 154-game schedule, the MLB season plans to proceed as normal with a 162-game schedule and likely no universal DH.


Bleacher Report:

Major League Baseball announced Monday night that it intends to start spring training and the 2021 regular season on time after the MLB Players Association rejected a proposal for a revised schedule.

"In light of the MLBPA’s rejection of our proposal, and their refusal to counter our revised offer this afternoon," MLB said in a statement. "We are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols."

[...]

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Monday the MLBPA was likely to reject MLB's proposal "and might not even counter." The union might be amenable to the universal designated hitter or expanded playoffs but consider it too late to change the 2021 schedule.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Kershaw is reported wooing Matthew Stafford, they are buddies from college, that's why he chosed LA from DC and Stafford is sick of the snow

[BaldEagle1991]

The 2021 MLB season is coming shortly with Spring Training and hopefully a 162-game regular season.

Fans in attendance will be limited in stadiums, if they are allowed by the relevant jurisdictions (national, state, county, and city), at least to start the season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series by defeating Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 2 in the COVID-shortened season.


Will the Dodgers defend their World Series crown?

Will the Los Angeles Dodgers keep their run of NL West titles going, or will the Padres or another team end that streak?
Will the Rays maintain the AL East crown?
Will the scandal-tarred Houston Astros get their comeuppance by opposing fans that they didn't really get last year due to COVID restrictions preventing fans from entering stadiums?
Who will be the AL and NL MVPs? Stay tuned.
Will this likely be the final year of a DH-free NL (per reports)?







2020: https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=358637.0

It’s gonna be much harder now with the rumors that the Astros had Chinese government assistance.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-mlbpa-agree-to-2021-protocols-including-seven-inning-doubleheaders-and-runner-on-second-in-extras/

Today is a dark day for America's pastime. They are keeping the 7 Inning Double Headers and the runner on second. Absolute calamity. We should all beg God to forgive us for allowing this to happen. Rob Manfred is a disgrace.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I don't mind the 7-inning doubleheaders, but the ghost runner in extra innings is awful.  Maybe a compromise would be to play N (maybe 2) extra innings without it, and if the game is still tied then start using it.

I've never been in favor of the universal DH, but with the Braves re-signing Marcell Ozuna I might be tempted to rethink it.

[Donerail]

The MLB number sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other sports all hovering around 50% of their leagues.

None of those other leagues play 162 games a season. The purpose of the playoffs is to select the best team; to allow a three-game series to decide who advances makes the length of the season pointless.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

^^^ And best not to forget that the NBA playoffs are too big already too. The only reason it is allowed to persist is because there is almost zero risk of the top 3-4 teams being eliminated in the first round unless they truly aren't a top 4 team. Fortunately baseball worked out for the best last year with the two best teams in the World Series, but it easily could have worked out otherwise.