MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

He’d get the location wrong.

 

That sounds hyperbolic

 

As soon as Rengifo boxed that grounder up the middle, I knew something bad was going to happen to the Angels. It was a pretty easy play for him. Or, if he lets it go, is was only a slightly tougher play for Neto, who was right behind him. Both have really strong arms. Rengifo also has reverted back to swinging at those sliders in the dirt.

It seems that under Ron Washington and all of the new coaches, some Angels have gotten better (Trout, Ward, O'Hoppe, Sano) and some have gotten worse (Drury, Schanuel, Rengifo, Neto, Thaiss, Hicks).

 

Because the surgery isn't a career ender like it used to be, more and more pitchers are getting them and they're getting them younger and younger.

It also speaks to how much more punishment they're putting on their arms compared to the past. You could live on 93 with an 85 slider and change. Now everything has to be north of 90 or pushing 100. Arms weren't meant to do that.

 

I misread it. I thought you meant since the season started.

 

My buddy's kid last pitched in '21, had TJ at probably 26, and is now starting, 2.5 yrs later (1-1). I asked buddy (a doctor) about the surgery and whether pitchers are throwing harder, etc. He just said they blow their arms out with no other explanation.

 

Padres pitched a no-hitter into the 7th and lost.

 

I have heard of instances where a teen-age pitcher, a high schooler, has chosen to have TJ surgery to get ahead of the career timeline. It's that common now.

 

I seem to remember not long ago when agents were pleased when their clients had TJ surgery young to get the inevitable out of the way.

 

I'll freely admit I haven't seen all the closers this year, and it sounds like Mason Miller is looking really good in Oakland, of all places.

But it would be hard to be more dominant than that ol' over-the-hill Craig Kimbrel. A development that I had never even considered. He's even avoiding deficit counts for the most part.

 

Have yourself a series, Cedric Mullins!

 

Thank you, Hunter Renfroe, for your two-strike, two-out HR in the ninth that made my Royals -1.5 stand up.