MLB 2018 regular season thread

That is not a bad comparison for Davis in terms of power and when he developed, though Bautista is a more patient hitter and his peak years were better than anything Davis has done so far. Bautista drew over 100 walks four times in his career, including 132 in 2011, and he has been over 80 in two other seasons. Davis has gotten a little better the last two seasons, drawing 73 walks in 2017, but he still has career on-base percentage nearly 40 points lower than that of Bautista.

 

He’s already 30 years old. I question whether he can maintain that pace beyond 4 years.

Interesting that his productivity ballooned after he went from Milwaukee, though. Great trade for the A’s, not so much for the Brewers.

 

Indeed. Was talking more about the amount of home runs from Bautista. His on-base is not even comparable.

 

Just finished "City of Dreams: Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles." Great story on O'Malley's last years in Brooklyn, and the battle to get Dodger Stadium built between 1957 and 1960, when construction finally started.

The more time goes on, and the more documents are researched, it's pretty clear O'Malley wanted to stay in NY. As more and more years go by, Robert Moses' absolute refusal to work with him in a public/private partnership benefiting both parties grows as a huge, expensive mistake for NYC.

Had WO'M been able to build in Brooklyn, the Dodgers would still be there, as one of MLB's premier franchises. Instead of a privately-owned, tax-paying stadium with no public monies spend on construction (beyond small infrastructure improvements, which generally benefit everyone, not just the team owners) and upkeep, NYC taxpayers got stuck with the abomination of paying for Shea, and now Citi Field; never-ending maintenance costs, and the disaster that has been/is the Mets.

Dodger Stadium is 56 years old, and still an absolute gem, from all accounts (I've never been there). Shea lasted from 1964-2008 and was pretty much universally despised.

 

How the Rockies didn't claim Murphy is mind boggling.

 

Harper, Murphy, Wieters, Gio, Madson, Shawn Kelley, Matt Adams, Jeremy Hellickson and Mark Reynolds are the best of the potential free agents.

Based on 2018 performance, Harper, Murphy, and maybe Madson, Adams and Reynolds are the only ones with any sort of value.

 

Kelley was already traded to Oakland.

 

The power was developing in Milwaukee. He hit 27 home runs in only 440 plate appearances his final season with the Brewers. I don't think it was injuries, either. They just didn't seem to fully commit to him as a starter.

Davis had 170 more plate appearances his first season with Oakland, when he hit 42 home runs. When you take the increase in opportunities into account, the home run spike isn't quite as drastic. His 27 home runs in 440 plate appearances in 2015 with the Brewers had him on pace for 37.4 home runs if he had reached 610 plate appearances, which he did during his first year with the Athletics. Then he started taking more walks last season, which probably helped him stabilize his overall gains. Even some improved selectivity at the plate theoretically got him more good pitches to hit.

 

Whoops. .... my level of "care" has plummeted in the last month, when it comes to the Nats. Just wait 'til next year!