2021 MLB Season Thread

[NewYorkExpress]

How many plate appearances will Albert Pujols make with the Dodgers?

I say 15 to 20.

Bellinger's still injured, and I'd guess he won't be back before the end of the month. So I'll guess Pujols starts at first until Bellinger comes back, then hangs around the roster until the roughly the Trade Deadline, when the Dodgers pull off some big heist again and need to make space on the roster. So I'll say 100-145.

Okay, so clearly you know jacks**t about the Dodgers' current lineup. Max Muncy is the everyday first baseman; who can also play third, just in case Justin Turner is not available.

So, in other words, Pujols would play first base ,especially if the opposing starting pitcher were a leftie.

Muncy can play, three different positions, if I'm not mistaken?

I'm well aware Bellinger is currently in the outfield, but the Dodgers did just lose Corey Seager to a broken hand. I'd guess Gavin Lux temporarily moves to shortstop, Max Muncy moves to second (he can play second), and Pujols starts at First.

[RosettaStoned]

Possibly, but more likely Taylor would play SS, with Lux at 2B.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Seagar is out this means Pujos will get playing time, Dodgers signed him just in time, let's see what Pujos can do
Seagar will be back for playoffs, but the Marlins know how to throw a pitch, that pitch was a dirty hit

As professional you can make a hit look unintentional, just like the hit on Bryce Harper was dirty pitch, they aren't amateurs, I didn't watch the game, but I know it was dirty, because they hit Seagar, the Wrld Series MVP, not Lux or Betty or Turner

[KaiserDave]

I think it’s probable Pujols will be the starting fitter baseman against lefties

[Donerail]

I am choosing to believe Pujols is the PTBNL in the Tsutsugo trade.

[I’m not Stu]

Is it accurate to describe Max Muncy as a utility infielder?

[Donerail]

Is it accurate to describe Max Muncy as a utility infielder?

No, he is a regular starter.

[I’m not Stu]

Is it accurate to describe Max Muncy as a utility infielder?

No, he is a regular starter.

That’s not what utility player means. A utility player can be a regular starter. It means a player who plays different games at different positions. Muncy plays games at first base, second base, and third base.

[Donerail]

Is it accurate to describe Max Muncy as a utility infielder?

No, he is a regular starter.

That’s not what utility player means. A utility player can be a regular starter. It means a player who plays different games at different positions. Muncy plays games at first base, second base, and third base.

That's not what utility player means. A utility player is a bench player who you can bring in to fill several different positions if the starter is injured, needs a rest day, or matches up particularly poorly with the opposing pitcher. Muncy is a routine starter, not a utility player.

[I’m not Stu]

Is it accurate to describe Max Muncy as a utility infielder?

No, he is a regular starter.

That’s not what utility player means. A utility player can be a regular starter. It means a player who plays different games at different positions. Muncy plays games at first base, second base, and third base.

That's not what utility player means. A utility player is a bench player who you can bring in to fill several different positions if the starter is injured, needs a rest day, or matches up particularly poorly with the opposing pitcher. Muncy is a routine starter, not a utility player.

Should Muncy be called a first baseman, second baseman, and third baseman?

[beesley]

A utility player is simply someone who can play multiple positions at a playable level. Whether it's more common for them to be on the bench or not the strict definition doesn't preclude them from starting. It's also not a term unique to baseball.

[JGibson]

Tigers RHP Spencer Turnbull is the 5th MLB pitcher to throw a no-no, as he no-hitted the Mariners 5-0.


MLB.com:

Right-hander Spencer Turnbull made history on Tuesday night, throwing the eighth no-hitter in Tigers history and the fifth in the Majors this season in a 5-0 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

Turnbull walked just two batters -- rookie Jarred Kelenic to lead off the fourth inning and José Marmolejos leading off the ninth -- in the 50th start of his career. The 28-year-old Turnbull, who took a Major League-high 17 losses in 2019, spun Detroit's first no-hitter since Justin Verlander threw the second of his career on May 7, 2011.

[NewYorkExpress]

Once again, we have to do something to swing the balance of power back towards the hitter.

Do one (or all of) lowering the mound, moving back the mound, eliminating the shift, and increasing the number of strikes required for a strikeout.

[RosettaStoned]

Gavin Lux coming through CLUTCH tonight!! I'm not worried about Corey Seagar being out!!

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Dodgers as long as they have Betts aren't endangered of losing anyways, that's why he was signed long term to a deal for 10 yrs

[NewYorkExpress]

Corey Kluber no-hits the Texas Rangers for the Major Leagues's sixth no-hitter this season.

New York Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber threw the sixth no-hitter this season in Major League Baseball on Wednesday night, striking out nine in a 2-0 win against the Texas Rangers.

When is Major League Baseball going to admit their pitchers are too good!

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Baseball is obviously broken this year.

[DINGO Joe]

Corey Kluber no-hits the Texas Rangers for the Major Leagues's sixth no-hitter this season.

New York Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber threw the sixth no-hitter this season in Major League Baseball on Wednesday night, striking out nine in a 2-0 win against the Texas Rangers.

When is Major League Baseball going to admit their pitchers are too good!

It's kind of freaky that of the six no-hitters it's only been three teams that have been no-hit, Seattle, Texas and Cleveland, each twice.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Users constantly look past the Dodgers or Giants, either one are awesome enough and will win the World Series

We got future Hall of Famers Posey and Betts

[Lambsbread]

It's clear that the balls have been deadened, but I think this is indicative of a wider issue with baseball as a whole. The game is no longer fun and the extraordinary has become ordinary. Between the La Russa/Mercedes blowup, the constant no-hitters, and the umpires becoming a hindrance on the game, we're about to see a reckoning in major league baseball. If I was Rob Manfred, I would begin to put forth ideas to radically change the game. Just a few ideas I have that are both never going to happen but also would probably make baseball more fun and more accessible to wider audiences:

-Shorten the game to 7 innings or shorten the season to ~100 games
-Robot umps NOW.
-Fix the damn baseballs
-Ban the shift
-Harsh penalties for retaliatory throws/encourage players to have fun/let dudes batflip when they hit monster tanks whether it's off a position player in a blowout or a walkoff to win the World Series
-MARKET YOUR STARS. Seriously. Baseball has the most marketable class of young talent it has ever had (Trout, Tatis, Betts, Degrom, Bellinger, Robert/Jimenez, Flaherty, Devers/Bogaerts, etc) and no one knows who they are outside of the core fans. Mike Trout should be on every billboard in every corner of the country. He is arguably the most talented player in baseball history.
-Players Weekend more than once a year, but improve the jersey concepts because the past two years have looked like they were designed by children. The nicknames on the jerseys is cool though.
-I would like to see the league sponsor more initiatives in inner cities and minority-heavy areas so we can engage children of color in the game. Baseball is the 2nd whitest pro sport behind hockey and there's no reason for that because baseball has always had black superstars. More of that would be great.

Just spitballing and this is not a fully comprehensive list, but even doing a handful of these would markedly improve the game. This has been a very weird baseball season and it's been making me think excessively.

[KaiserDave]

It's clear that the balls have been deadened, but I think this is indicative of a wider issue with baseball as a whole. The game is no longer fun and the extraordinary has become ordinary. Between the La Russa/Mercedes blowup, the constant no-hitters, and the umpires becoming a hindrance on the game, we're about to see a reckoning in major league baseball. If I was Rob Manfred, I would begin to put forth ideas to radically change the game. Just a few ideas I have that are both never going to happen but also would probably make baseball more fun and more accessible to wider audiences:

-Shorten the game to 7 innings or shorten the season to ~100 games
-Robot umps NOW.
-Fix the damn baseballs
-Ban the shift
-Harsh penalties for retaliatory throws/encourage players to have fun/let dudes batflip when they hit monster tanks whether it's off a position player in a blowout or a walkoff to win the World Series
-MARKET YOUR STARS. Seriously. Baseball has the most marketable class of young talent it has ever had (Trout, Tatis, Betts, Degrom, Bellinger, Robert/Jimenez, Flaherty, Devers/Bogaerts, etc) and no one knows who they are outside of the core fans. Mike Trout should be on every billboard in every corner of the country. He is arguably the most talented player in baseball history.
-Players Weekend more than once a year, but improve the jersey concepts because the past two years have looked like they were designed by children. The nicknames on the jerseys is cool though.
-I would like to see the league sponsor more initiatives in inner cities and minority-heavy areas so we can engage children of color in the game. Baseball is the 2nd whitest pro sport behind hockey and there's no reason for that because baseball has always had black superstars. More of that would be great.

Just spitballing and this is not a fully comprehensive list, but even doing a handful of these would markedly improve the game. This has been a very weird baseball season and it's been making me think excessively.

Don’t kill baseball, thanks

[Lambsbread]

It's clear that the balls have been deadened, but I think this is indicative of a wider issue with baseball as a whole. The game is no longer fun and the extraordinary has become ordinary. Between the La Russa/Mercedes blowup, the constant no-hitters, and the umpires becoming a hindrance on the game, we're about to see a reckoning in major league baseball. If I was Rob Manfred, I would begin to put forth ideas to radically change the game. Just a few ideas I have that are both never going to happen but also would probably make baseball more fun and more accessible to wider audiences:

-Shorten the game to 7 innings or shorten the season to ~100 games
-Robot umps NOW.
-Fix the damn baseballs
-Ban the shift
-Harsh penalties for retaliatory throws/encourage players to have fun/let dudes batflip when they hit monster tanks whether it's off a position player in a blowout or a walkoff to win the World Series
-MARKET YOUR STARS. Seriously. Baseball has the most marketable class of young talent it has ever had (Trout, Tatis, Betts, Degrom, Bellinger, Robert/Jimenez, Flaherty, Devers/Bogaerts, etc) and no one knows who they are outside of the core fans. Mike Trout should be on every billboard in every corner of the country. He is arguably the most talented player in baseball history.
-Players Weekend more than once a year, but improve the jersey concepts because the past two years have looked like they were designed by children. The nicknames on the jerseys is cool though.
-I would like to see the league sponsor more initiatives in inner cities and minority-heavy areas so we can engage children of color in the game. Baseball is the 2nd whitest pro sport behind hockey and there's no reason for that because baseball has always had black superstars. More of that would be great.

Just spitballing and this is not a fully comprehensive list, but even doing a handful of these would markedly improve the game. This has been a very weird baseball season and it's been making me think excessively.

Don’t kill baseball, thanks

Killing baseball more than having star pitchers constantly need TJ? Killing baseball more than having 3 hour games because the pitch clock and mound visit counters do nothing? Killing baseball more than umpires regularly missing blatantly obvious calls and replays failing to correct those calls? I understand all of that is supposed to be part of the game, but baseball is inherently a slower sport than basketball and football and if it wants to compete with those sports, you're gonna need to give people with short attention spans more incentive to watch. You and I might be cool with watching a 3 hour pitching duel where the score ends up being 1-0, but not a lot of people are going to want that. Hell, soccer is on pace to overtake baseball in popularity in the states and if that happens, pack it in. MLB won't be able to turn a profit once that happens.

I'm willing to try whatever it takes to make the game more fun and more appealing. I like the tradition and the purity, but you can only have a tradition for so long before it becomes a fossil.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Here's a really radical idea that would undoubtedly juice up offense in baseball: eliminate the force out, i.e. require runners to be tagged out before reaching base.

[Lambsbread]

Here's a really radical idea that would undoubtedly juice up offense in baseball: eliminate the force out, i.e. require runners to be tagged out before reaching base.

Yeah, nothing will make baseball more fun like watching dudes get spiked on routine ground balls.

[NewYorkExpress]

My proposals to fix baseball (and keep some balance between the pitcher and hitter)

-Eliminate Extra innings, and reinstate tie games.
-Make any play that results in a hit, baserunner or out reviewable by video
-Ban the shift
-Increase the number of strikes required for a strikeout from three to five.
- Slightly juice the ball consistently
-Hold the World Series in a neutral venue every year.
- Foul Balls would no longer be counted as strikes
- Limit Home Runs to inside the park Home Runs only. All other balls hit out of play are treated as Foul Balls.
- Market stars better
- Market the game better in inner cities. Apply a similar rule to the NFL's Rooney Rule at all levels of professional baseball, including players.
-Eliminate the Wild Card Round, reduce the playoffs to eight teams.
-Expand Inter-league Play. Every team should have at least one series with every other team every season (with two for traditional rivals, such as Red Sox/Yankees, Dodgers/Giants and Cubs/Cardinals)
-Expand overseas play. There's no reason there shouldn't be multiple series every season in Japan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba (when relations with the United States improve) and South Korea.