2023 MLB Season Thread

[JGibson]

This is the thread for the happenings of the 2023 MLB season, from the Cooperstown Ballot on to the World Series. The Houston Astros are your World Series Champions. Scott Rolen was the only one to get inducted into the Cooperstown via the BBWAA ballot. Fred McGriff also got inducted via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot.


Also, during spring training, the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be held. It was delayed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States are your defending champions.
 

The 2022 season was the first to have the NL adopt the DH on a permanent basis, after temporarily adopting it during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. This past season featured an expanded playoffs, where 6 teams per league make it in (3 division winners + 3 wild cards) for a total of 12 teams. That meant that the game 163 tiebreakers are extinct.


The upcoming 2023 season will feature some big rule changes, including the banning of the shift, introduction of the pitch clock (15 seconds with bases empty, 20 seconds with at least one runner on base), a limit of 2 disengagements (aka pickoff attempts) without penalty per plate appearance, and a balanced schedule where every team plays everybody at least one series a season, akin to the NHL.




2022 Thread:  https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=481000.0

[JGibson]

2023 BBWAA ballot update: Scott Rolen barely cleared the 75% mark for induction, and Todd Helton came close. Jeff Kent gets kicked off after 10 years eligible, and his fate lies in the Contemporary Era Committee.


https://twitter.com/baseballot/status/1618025277195526145

[JGibson]

LHP Aroldis Chapman heads to the Royals for one year.

[JGibson]

Chip Caray has been name the Cardinals Play-by-Play voice for Bally Sports Midwest games, replacing Dan McLaughlin. Caray was previously a broadcaster with the Braves.

MLB.com:

Through the years, when Chip Caray would return to his hometown of St. Louis as a visiting broadcaster, he would hit his favorite haunts for toasted ravioli and frozen ice cream. He’d visit his mother who still lives west of the city, and he’d honor as many ticket requests as possible for his many cousins in the area.

[...]

Caray, 57, will get to see the photo tributes to his late grandfather daily during the baseball season after being announced as Bally Sports Midwest's lead play-by-play announcer for the Cardinals on Monday, per the club and network. Caray will take over much of the same duties that Harry held while serving as the radio/TV voice of the Cards from 1945-69. Caray’s late father, Skip, was also a broadcasting icon in St. Louis, serving as play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Hawks before the franchise relocated to Atlanta.

[...]

Caray takes over for Dan McLaughlin, TV voice of the Cardinals for the previous 24 years prior to his December resignation following a third arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Caray called McLaughlin “a dear friend” and someone who is “like a brother to me.” The two spoke often in recent months and Caray said he knows now McLaughlin is on the road to recovery.

While millions of Americans felt they knew Harry on a personal level because of his everyman broadcasting style, Chip did not have such a relationship and they didn’t develop a bond until years later. When Chip took the job to call Cubs games in 1998, plans were in place for him to work with his grandfather, but Harry’s death dashed those dreams. After graduating high school in suburban St. Louis, Chip went to college at the University of Georgia to be closer to his father in Atlanta. When Chip left Chicago for Atlanta in 2005, he did so for the sole purpose of working alongside his father on Braves telecasts.

[JGibson]

The 2023 World Baseball Classic rosters came out last night.

https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-world-baseball-classic-rosters

[GeorgiaModerate]

Chip Caray has been name the Cardinals Play-by-Play voice for Bally Sports Midwest games, replacing Dan McLaughlin. Caray was previously a broadcaster with the Braves.

MLB.com:

Through the years, when Chip Caray would return to his hometown of St. Louis as a visiting broadcaster, he would hit his favorite haunts for toasted ravioli and frozen ice cream. He’d visit his mother who still lives west of the city, and he’d honor as many ticket requests as possible for his many cousins in the area.

[...]

Caray, 57, will get to see the photo tributes to his late grandfather daily during the baseball season after being announced as Bally Sports Midwest's lead play-by-play announcer for the Cardinals on Monday, per the club and network. Caray will take over much of the same duties that Harry held while serving as the radio/TV voice of the Cards from 1945-69. Caray’s late father, Skip, was also a broadcasting icon in St. Louis, serving as play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Hawks before the franchise relocated to Atlanta.

[...]

Caray takes over for Dan McLaughlin, TV voice of the Cardinals for the previous 24 years prior to his December resignation following a third arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Caray called McLaughlin “a dear friend” and someone who is “like a brother to me.” The two spoke often in recent months and Caray said he knows now McLaughlin is on the road to recovery.

While millions of Americans felt they knew Harry on a personal level because of his everyman broadcasting style, Chip did not have such a relationship and they didn’t develop a bond until years later. When Chip took the job to call Cubs games in 1998, plans were in place for him to work with his grandfather, but Harry’s death dashed those dreams. After graduating high school in suburban St. Louis, Chip went to college at the University of Georgia to be closer to his father in Atlanta. When Chip left Chicago for Atlanta in 2005, he did so for the sole purpose of working alongside his father on Braves telecasts.

I'll miss Chip.  He's a good broadcaster.

[NewYorkExpress]

Those of you who have taken part in our draft the past few years, the draft date is Sunday, March 12 at 7:00 PM.

If you are unable or unwilling to participate this year, please PM me so I can remove you and replace you with someone else.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1626297107471630340

[JGibson]

Albert Pujols is back with the Angels, this time as a special assistant.

MLB:

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Fresh off a Hall of Fame-worthy 22-year career that saw him become the fourth player in AL/NL history to reach 700 career homers, Albert Pujols has rejoined the Angels’ organization as a special assistant to the club.

Pujols arrived at camp on Tuesday and met with the media on Wednesday to discuss his role with the Angels. He said he always planned to honor his 10-year personal services contract he signed as part of his original 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels, even after he was released by the club during the 2021 season.

[JGibson]

The biggest pitch clock causality so far came towards the end of the Red Sox-Braves game yesterday, in which the violation resulted in an automatic strike and thus ended the game in a 3-3 tie. 

Braves SS Cal Conley, batting with the bases loaded on a full count in the bottom of the 9th, got charged with a pitch clock violation to not only strike out but end the game in a 3-3 tie.

https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1629584817623904258

[NewYorkExpress]

Manny Machado signs an eleven year, $350 million extension with the Padres.

It seems likely that Machado will retire a Padre with the signing of this extension.

[7,052,770]

Congress should pass a law forbidding MLB from referring to itself as "baseball" since the shift is now banned. What a disgrace.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Would like to see White Sox win

[JGibson]

The World Baseball Classic has started. The Czech Republic (Czechia) team could be a mainstay in future tournaments.

Top 4 teams in each group automatically qualify for the 2026 edition.

[NewYorkExpress]

Fantasy draft in less than ten minutes!

[JGibson]

Team USA needs to win tonight against Colombia in the WBC.

[vtred]

Edwin Diaz injury is a disaster for the Mets...

[Grumpier Than Thou]

I'm going to do my yearly predictions here:

Division Winners

AL East: Yankees, as much as it pains me to say it.
AL Central: Guardians
AL West: Astros
Wild Cards: Mariners, White Sox, Angels

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Cards: Padres, Mets, Braves

Playoffs

American League

Guardians over Angels
Mariners over White Sox

Mariners over Yankees
Astros over Guardians

Mariners over Astros in 6

National League

Cardinals over Braves
Mets over Padres

Phillies over Mets
Dodgers over Cardinals

Phillies over Dodgers in 5, Dave Roberts is fired after the series

World Series

Phillies over Mariners in 6

Awards

NL MVP: Mookie Betts (LAD)
NL Cy Young: Aaron Nola (PHI)
NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker (STL)
Manager of the Year: Rob Thomson (PHI)

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
AL Cy Young: Logan Gilbert (SEA)
AL Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson (BAL)
Manager of the Year: Scott Servais (SEA)

[NewYorkExpress]

My predictions:

AL East:

1. New York Yankees 96-66
2. Tampa Bay Rays 96-66
3. Toronto Blue Jays 85-77
4. Boston Red Sox 76-86
5. Baltimore Orioles 61-101

AL Central:

1. Cleveland Guardians 88-74
 2. Minnesota Twins 86-78
3. Chicago White Sox 81-81
 4. Kansas City Royals 70-92
 5 Detroit Tigers 55-107

AL West

 1. Houston Astros 91-71
2 Los Angeles Angels 89-73
3 Seattle Mariners 89-73
4. Texas Rangers 74-88
5. Oakland Athletics 50-112

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
AL Cy Young: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (No, I don't have Ohtani winning both awards because he was my top pick in my fantasy league. That would be silly)
AL Manager of the Year: Phil Nevin, Los Angeles Angels

NL East:

1. Atlanta Braves 94-68
2. New York Mets 93-69
3. Philadelphia Phillies 93-69
4. Miami Marlins 81-81
5. Washington Nationals 38-122

NL Central:

1. St. Louis Cardinals 95-67
2. Milwaukee Brewers 93-69
3. Chicago Cubs 70-92
4. Pittsburgh Pirates 59-104
5. Cincinnati Reds 37-123

NL West:

1. San Diego Padres 100-62
2. Los Angeles Dodgers 100-62
3. Colorado Rockies 79-83
4. San Francisco Giants 77-85
5. Arizona Diamondbacks 75-87

NL MVP: Juan Soto, San Diego Padres
NL Cy Young Award: Justin Verlander, New York Mets
NL Manager of the Year, Skip Schumacher, Miami Marlins

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/RandyHolt42/status/1636743226660106240

[JGibson]

The USA came back to beat Venezuela 9-7 to head to the semis against Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, thanks to Trea Turner's grand slam.

[bagelman]

Are they still doing the free baserunner on second rule for extra innings this year? They better not.

[JGibson]

The USA are in the final to defend their WBC crown, as they await the Mexico v. Japan winner.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Well, now the final begins, between the no.1 baseball country vs no.2 baseball country.
I expect a good game.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

US behind Japan 3-1 at start of the 6th inning. I did not expect this.