The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

Dude these Apple announcers are going to hurt themselves trying to make the stretch that the Giants have a playoff chance.

And even as a Giants fan, I think the slurping of Gabe Kapler is a bit much.

 

The Rays? Playing fast and loose with MLB rules? In this economy?

I remember contenders used to recall injured minor leaguers, place them on the 40-man roster and then shelve them on the 60-day DL right around Sept. 1 so they'd have some roster spots to play with. There was a guy named Billy Martin (not that one) who never came close to appearing in the majors but got recalled by the Mets around Sept. 1 in 1999 or 2000 b/c he was injured at just the right time.

 

Also, is the real AL MVP Aaron Judge? I'm not seriously arguing he has a chance but the Angels fully suck with or without Ohtani. Judge hit three dongs tonight and almost single-handedly beat the Diamondbacks. The Yankees are 54-44 when he starts (an 89- or 90-win pace over a full season, which would have them in the thick of the wild card race) and 24-32 when he doesn't (a 92- or 93-loss pace over a full season). This probably goes back to the whole idea the award should be named the Most Outstanding Player.

 

This has been my argument about MVPs for a while. But I’m resigned to such arguments not gaining much momentum.

 

Yeah, I don't expect anything in a few weeks other than Ohtani winning in a landslide (maybe Corey Seager steals a first-place vote or two if the Rangers make the playoffs). If I had a vote, I'd probably vote for Ohtani just for the sheer historical nature of his season. But was he the most valuable to his team? Probably not. Along these lines, I also think the Mets falling apart in the second half of 2021 should have enhanced Jacob deGrom's case not for the NL Cy Young, but for the MVP.

 

If you can see Freddie Freeman’s catch in foul ground, do yourself a favor and watch it. Good god.

 

Oh, NOW they’re gonna play like a 92-win team again.

 

Why couldn't "Most Valuable" mean "based on this season, who gets the MOST VALUABLE contract if all these players are free agents?"

Sure seems like a less nebulous definition than trying to calculate "value" in wins and losses on a roster with four dozen players coming and going over six months.

 

The biggest reason is, regardless of what definition you offer, there will be a faction of voters who will reject that definition. The voters, especially being journalists and contrarian by nature, will never play under the same set of rules.

See: Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

That's what it means this year!

 

It appears that Caminero replaced an injured player, Luke Raley.

 

Exactly what it should be named. There are still people who think Ohtani can’t win because of that loser organizations record. As if it’s his fault they are incompetent. I would love to know what more he could possibly do.