MLB 2014 season thread

Boy, I hate to follow that post, but ... to baseball. (Please?)

One thing that made last night's game cool was how many position players each team carried and the options they had because of it. I think the Royals had 17 position players and Ned was damn sure gonna get 'em all out there!

Hadn't seen that in the first couple of years of the wild card because the games haven't been very close, but that was pretty fun.

--On that note, the Pirates just announced their roster for tonight. No Liriano or Cole, so if they're in a jam and need a lot of innings from someone, it won't be those guys. (Giants say they're carrying 10 pitchers just for tonight, which seems excessive, but I'm sure last night influenced that decision.)

 

You might be right i.e. Game 2, Steak but Duffy's not had his regular velocity since the injury. His last two regular season starts were somewhat shaky.

I'll say this pertaining to Yost: he is willing to roll the dice. Some decisions work, some don't. Obviously, Ventura didn't. It was annoying he put on a failed sac-bunt attempt in the first inning of a game against Detroit last week. I realize Yost cannot be Earl Weaver and sit around waiting for the 3-run homer but jeez, the first inning?

EDIT: starts.

 

C'mon, LTL. You were offended by that?

 

No, no, no. It was hilarious.

I just couldn't equal it.

 

Ah, the tales we could tell from time spent in Columbia, Missouri. ;D

 

I was joking. There was no Game 2.

 

I will agree there.

Interestingly, though, T-Bakers was apparently done and gone by the fall of 1989 when I arrived. Or I just wasn't aware of it. (Went to Blue Note a few times there before it moved downtown a few months later.)

 

Keri offers Trout as AL MVP, and few will argue Trout's impact on the best team in baseball.

But to leave Nelson Cruz out of the top 10 is flat-out wrong.

159 games, 166 hits, 32 doubles, 2 triples, 40 homers, 108 RBIs -- the bat they needed this season because Davis pretty much sucked (and missed time).

The .859 OPS is low but that's about his only flaw.

AL MVP Ballot
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Corey Kluber, SP, Indians
Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners
Michael Brantley, OF, Indians
Jose Bautista, OF, Blue Jays
Robinson Cano, 2B, Mariners
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Athletics
Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox
Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers
Chris Sale, SP, White Sox

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-awards-2014-al-nl-mvp-cy-young-rookie-of-the-year/

 

Apologies. It flew right by me.

 

Was it a PED thing?

 

He also gave AL CYA to Kluber even though Felix won the ERA title by .30 and set a MLB record of consecutive starts of 7+ >2 ER.

Tried using defensive and park-friendly metrics.

 

I thought that, too. But Keri is a sabermetrics guy. They typically celebrate PEDs. So that's not likely it.