2013 MLB Regular Season running thread

Brandon Beachy is a starting pitcher. If you're not gonna start him, send him down to triple-A. He's not a bullpen guy. I do not think Beachy will spend any time in the bullpen, very little if he does.

Teheran, Minor, Medlen, Beachy, Wood. I'd be fine with that next year. Still, I'd really like to see Hudson stay. It's nice to have a guy like that in the rotation vs. having five very young guys.

 

The problem is, with the injuries to Venters and O'Flaherty, the Braves need bullpen help. And with Beachy coming off Tommy John, it's not the worst thing in the world to use him as a reliever for now.

 

Disagree. Look at the 1927 Yankees roster. Gehrig and Lazzeri, both young players of immense talent who had grown up hearing of Ruth's exploits (and maybe outright admiring him), were swinging for the fences but nobody else on that team was. Take any great team from the early live-ball era you want: Cubs, Tigers, A's, Cardinals. There were one or two sluggers in the lineup, but everyone else was still playing small ball. The offensive explosion that began immediately in 1920 and lasted until World War II was primarily a rise in hard-hit doubles, not towering home runs. See:



(Note: The big rise in 1914-15 is because of the inclusion of the Federal League, whereas the big drop in 1918-19 is because of the shortened schedule. I probably should have eliminated those four seasons from the chart, just to make it clearer.)

However, your original point is that the slider deserves more credit for the drop in run-scoring rates in the 1940s and '50s. But what I see is a big and immediate drop because all the best players left for World War II:

1940: 11,567 runs scored
1941: 11,165 runs scored
1942: 9,993 runs scored
1943: 9,684 runs scored

When the top players returned, scoring soon returned to its normal rates.

1946: 9,944 runs scored
1947: 10,821 runs scored
1948: 11,323 runs scored
1949: 11,417 runs scored
1950: 12,007 runs scored

The biggest difference in gameplay during that era is this: Home run rates skyrocketed after 1949 as offenses began to rely on station-to-station ball and eschewed the running game. A new record high for home runs throughout MLB was set five times between 1949 and 1956. (Records were also set in 1940, and the expansion years of 1961, '62 and '69):



Meanwhile, the stolen-base rate just plummeted to record lows. In fact, the 13 of the bottom 14 in fewest stolen bases in MLB history happened consecutively from 1947-59. The one outlier: 1933, which just beat out 1951 for No. 13 on the list.

Yes, the slider was gaining in popularity in the 1950s. (I see now where Bill James has called it the "pitch of the '50s," too.) But I don't see any reason to believe that's why run-scoring rates were lower. The biggest difference was 1) World War II; and 2) a shift in offensive strategy.

 

You're talking about setup men now, and Beachy is hardly a setup guy. If you want late-inning relief help, then you go get it.

This could be a moot point. Beachy has to come back first.

 

Awesome cap being given away at tonight's Angels-Mariners game in Anaheim:

 

First time watching Esmil Rogers. Great stuff.

And, he's thru 5 ...

 

His sinking fastball is nasty tonight.

 

Rockies are making him look great then.

 

Josh Johnson had them off balance last night too. Rogers has been getting better with every start, seems to be more effective as a starter than he was out of the 'pen.

 

Well, that was interesting ... the Upton brothers just collided in the outfield on a routine fly ball. No one was injured and BJ held onto the ball.

EDIT: In gif form: http://lockerdome.com/media/108188652

 

A's taking it to Yu Darvish. 5-2 in fourth, already his most runs allowed this season. Guess the pitch count won't get too high tonight!