*** OFFICIAL *** MLB 2021 Thread

[Dan Druff]

Don't look now, but after appearing to be headed to an early career end, Madison Bumgarner is now making his 4th good start in a row.

His first 3 were disasterous, and his 2020 was also horrific.

[Sanlmar]

Kershaw may quit baseball when he sees Ohtani in person tomorrow.

Never selling my Ohtani MVP future

[BCR]

Indians game 0-0 through 8, but they’re being no hit again through 8. Hoping to jinx it. Hitting costs $ obviously. Hold onto those under 5 total hits props. Way live. Only 3 thus far.

Edit-crap. Reds scored 2. Has any team ever been no hit twice in first 30 games? How about and been in first place?

[padre33]

Indians game 0-0 through 8, but they’re being no hit again through 8. Hoping to jinx it. Hitting costs $ obviously. Hold onto those under 5 total hits props. Way live. Only 3 thus far.

Edit-crap. Reds scored 2. Has aGny team ever been no hit twice in first 30 games? How about and been in first place?

It might have been the Mariners a few years back that got no hit a bunch in one season. 2 times in first 30 maybe not.. Don't look now but Manaea from the A's might make two in one night.

[BCR]

Indians game 0-0 through 8, but they’re being no hit again through 8. Hoping to jinx it. Hitting costs $ obviously. Hold onto those under 5 total hits props. Way live. Only 3 thus far.

Edit-crap. Reds scored 2. Has aGny team ever been no hit twice in first 30 games? How about and been in first place?

It might have been the Mariners a few years back that got no hit a bunch in one season. 2 times in first 30 maybe not.. Don't look now but Manaea from the A's might make two in one night.

Yeah, from a quick glance, the Mariners in 2019 and Padres in 2001 both got no hit twice. The Mariners was in a short window like this, not start.

I can’t lie, this somehow endears this team more to me at this point. It’s laughable, but lovable. Sitting tied for first for the moment while being no hit twice in first month.

I don’t any longer, but probably half my buddies make more than like 15 guys on the roster. How can you not cheer for that?

I always cheer for the A’s. They’re poor too. I see he lost his.

[padre33]

It might have been the Mariners a few years back that got no hit a bunch in one season. 2 times in first 30 maybe not.. Don't look now but Manaea from the A's might make two in one night.

Yeah, from a quick glance, the Mariners in 2019 and Padres in 2001 both got no hit twice. The Mariners was in a short window like this, not start.

I can’t lie, this somehow endears this team more to me at this point. It’s laughable, but lovable. Sitting tied for first for the moment while being no hit twice in first month.

I don’t any longer, but probably half my buddies make more than like 15 guys on the roster. How can you not cheer for that?

I always cheer for the A’s. They’re poor too. I see he lost his.

Padres used to cry poor now spend like a drunken sailor. I like Franmil Reyes and would much rather have him over Clevenger who won't pitch this year. He is on the perfect team cause he resembles Serrano of Major League. I need A's and Lakers for a solid day cause Padres can't hit this bum.

[Sanlmar]

Dodgers bullpen getting healthy now. Give a big Dodger welcome to Machine Gun Kelly. Things gonna be fine now.

Kelly vs Ohtani just now was sweet. Double off wall

8-1 Angels

Pollock in left is a defensive disaster.

[Jayjami]

This just in: Joe Kelly sucks balls.

[Dan Druff]

This just in: Joe Kelly sucks balls.

The entire bullpen with the exception of Treinen = joke

[jsearles22]

This just in: Joe Kelly sucks balls.

The entire bullpen with the exception of Treinen = joke

The Royals and Dodgers were the class of baseball. Now they both suck balls. Both have shitty bullpens and under performing offense. Both 1 game over .500. Royals lost 6th straight tonight. My first live event in 18 months though so still enjoyed it

[gut]

The entire bullpen with the exception of Treinen = joke

The Royals and Dodgers were the class of baseball. Now they both suck balls. Both have shitty bullpens and under performing offense. Both 1 game over .500. Royals lost 6th straight tonight. My first live event in 18 months though so still enjoyed it

Welp, Buxton is predictably hurt again, and with Eloy and Robert out for the Sox, the AL central is wide open. This could be a year where an 86 win Royals or Indians team sneaks in and takes it down.

[BCR]

The Royals and Dodgers were the class of baseball. Now they both suck balls. Both have shitty bullpens and under performing offense. Both 1 game over .500. Royals lost 6th straight tonight. My first live event in 18 months though so still enjoyed it

Welp, Buxton is predictably hurt again, and with Eloy and Robert out for the Sox, the AL central is wide open. This could be a year where an 86 win Royals or Indians team sneaks in and takes it down.

Yeah, thank God for the Tigers or it might be an 80 win division champ.

[Jayjami]

Kelly v.Trout last night was classic. The count was 3-1 and a questionable strike two was called. Did Trout get in a hissy fit? No, he just said something to the ump, and promptly hit the next pitch to left, which was misplayed for a triple. That guy is amazing.

[LegalizeMeth]

Im a huge baseball guy but watching a league average of .233 really is abominable. Something needs to give, I thought it was fine last year with the juiced ball but you cant have every guy throw 95+ with filthy movement and not give the offense some sort of equalizer. Also advanced metrics have made the defensive positioning so good guys are routinely hitting rockets right at perfectly designed shifts that make it almost impossible for pull hitters to find gaps, never thought Id say it but might be time to abolish the shift as well

[BCR]

Im a huge baseball guy but watching a league average of .233 really is abominable. Something needs to give, I thought it was fine last year with the juiced ball but you cant have every guy throw 95+ with filthy movement and not give the offense some sort of equalizer. Also advanced metrics have made the defensive positioning so good guys are routinely hitting rockets right at perfectly designed shifts that make it almost impossible for pull hitters to find gaps, never thought Id say it but might be time to abolish the shift as well

The shifts are the bigger culprit. I cheer for any guy who puts a ground ball through the non-existent shortstop, even if it’s against my team, because it seems a lost art. I always wonder if a Gwynn could still do it if he were playing today or if the entire process about where to pitch guys with the shift is too well choreographed. He’d obviously take advantage of guys who miss. Last night the Indians hit like 4 shots I immediately thought were singles up the middle. Every time the shortstop was sitting there waiting for it.


The ball angle is so strange. Guys are still launching it. As San always talks about, swing plane and all that. I know for the Indians it was that one off season where there was some type of international competition. Don’t know if it was WBC or Pan American games or whatever. Lindor and Jose and half the Dominican Republic came back trying to launch homers. These were guys I were sure were always going to be .310 hitters topping out at 18-20 HRs at the peak of their strength, yet they were hitting 30 the next year, but .260

I don’t follow baseball enough to understand. I watch every Indians game if I’m home or out somewhere where it’s on, but don’t follow the game broadly enough to make any conclusions about why it’s changed so much. I don’t read on it much unless it concerns the Central teams. I have no understanding of what is the mechanics of the swing and what’s the ball changes?

The averages though are unreal. Whatever they envisioned if they tinkered, I seriously doubt this is the result they wanted.

Doesn’t help when every team seems to have three pitchers throwing 98+. I find it unreal how hard these kids are throwing. Kids I never heard of. Generally I was aware of the few guys who could flirt with 100. Now it’s so common.

[jsearles22]

Im a huge baseball guy but watching a league average of .233 really is abominable. Something needs to give, I thought it was fine last year with the juiced ball but you cant have every guy throw 95+ with filthy movement and not give the offense some sort of equalizer. Also advanced metrics have made the defensive positioning so good guys are routinely hitting rockets right at perfectly designed shifts that make it almost impossible for pull hitters to find gaps, never thought Id say it but might be time to abolish the shift as well

The shifts are the bigger culprit. I cheer for any guy who puts a ground ball through the non-existent shortstop, even if it’s against my team, because it seems a lost art. I always wonder if a Gwynn could still do it if he were playing today or if the entire process about where to pitch guys with the shift is too well choreographed. He’d obviously take advantage of guys who miss. Last night the Indians hit like 4 shots I immediately thought were singles up the middle. Every time the shortstop was sitting there waiting for it.


The ball angle is so strange. Guys are still launching it. As San always talks about, swing plane and all that. I know for the Indians it was that one off season where there was some type of international competition. Don’t know if it was WBC or Pan American games or whatever. Lindor and Jose and half the Dominican Republic came back trying to launch homers. These were guys I were sure were always going to be .310 hitters topping out at 18-20 HRs at the peak of their strength, yet they were hitting 30 the next year, but .260

I don’t follow baseball enough to understand. I watch every Indians game if I’m home or out somewhere where it’s on, but don’t follow the game broadly enough to make any conclusions about why it’s changed so much. I don’t read on it much unless it concerns the Central teams. I have no understanding of what is the mechanics of the swing and what’s the ball changes?

The averages though are unreal. Whatever they envisioned if they tinkered, I seriously doubt this is the result they wanted.

Doesn’t help when every team seems to have three pitchers throwing 98+. I find it unreal how hard these kids are throwing. Kids I never heard of. Generally I was aware of the few guys who could flirt with 100. Now it’s so common.

How could they swing it back to the offense a bit though? I’m opposed to abolishing the shift. You can’t tell someone how to play that in depth. Is the NFL going to tell a safety they can’t cross the hash mark? It’s profoundly absurd. Maybe move the mound back a foot? Or lower it?

[Sanlmar]

I’m opposed to abolishing the shift too. I’m starting to see batters attack the shift. Very few but it’s available if you abandon three outcome baseball.

and that’s the problem.... Analytics made a case for launch angle and 3 outcome baseball. Look at the Dodgers. As talented as they are athletically they can not advance runners. They leave endless base runners on base. I’ll have to look that up.

Nobody steals... I’m starting to see that pick up. Padres and any Dodgers opponent are stealing. All the small ball stuff might trend again.

I hate to say it but the mound and it’s distance to the plate was designed when the average pitcher’s height was probably 5’9”. Now 6’1” is the absolute minimum for a D1 high school prospect. Pitchers are now 6’4” and 6’6”+ is routine. Throwing sinker slider gas. You have no chance to figure out what is being thrown. The pitcher is physically closer to the plate on release and he’s throwing downhill like never before. The athletes have kinda outgrown the playing field.

Analytics and 3 outcome is the biggest problem. It’s a failure by choice. Analytics teams like the Dodgers think .233 is fine. There will be a team like the forward thinking Royals or Rays that will be forerunners back to small ball. Remember who originated the bullpen game and won a World Series. Royals.

[BCR]

The shifts are the bigger culprit. I cheer for any guy who puts a ground ball through the non-existent shortstop, even if it’s against my team, because it seems a lost art. I always wonder if a Gwynn could still do it if he were playing today or if the entire process about where to pitch guys with the shift is too well choreographed. He’d obviously take advantage of guys who miss. Last night the Indians hit like 4 shots I immediately thought were singles up the middle. Every time the shortstop was sitting there waiting for it.


The ball angle is so strange. Guys are still launching it. As San always talks about, swing plane and all that. I know for the Indians it was that one off season where there was some type of international competition. Don’t know if it was WBC or Pan American games or whatever. Lindor and Jose and half the Dominican Republic came back trying to launch homers. These were guys I were sure were always going to be .310 hitters topping out at 18-20 HRs at the peak of their strength, yet they were hitting 30 the next year, but .260

I don’t follow baseball enough to understand. I watch every Indians game if I’m home or out somewhere where it’s on, but don’t follow the game broadly enough to make any conclusions about why it’s changed so much. I don’t read on it much unless it concerns the Central teams. I have no understanding of what is the mechanics of the swing and what’s the ball changes?

The averages though are unreal. Whatever they envisioned if they tinkered, I seriously doubt this is the result they wanted.

Doesn’t help when every team seems to have three pitchers throwing 98+. I find it unreal how hard these kids are throwing. Kids I never heard of. Generally I was aware of the few guys who could flirt with 100. Now it’s so common.

How could they swing it back to the offense a bit though? I’m opposed to abolishing the shift. You can’t tell someone how to play that in depth. Is the NFL going to tell a safety they can’t cross the hash mark? It’s profoundly absurd. Maybe move the mound back a foot? Or lower it?

I’m not advocating ending it. That’s like telling NBA teams to not shoot 3s. Games evolve and get smarter and telling teams they have to play stupid isn’t ever the answer even if I miss the old ways. I don’t have an answer. I still enjoy the games. I just think the shift is a larger part than the ball. I just don’t see how they’re still flying out of the park yet not making it past the shortstop. Maybe they found some way to make that happen, but it seems more likely guys taking a different plate approach and the shift are why averages are so low.

[gut]

Theo Epstein was just talking about these things yesterday on Simmons podcast.

He basically says moving the mound back would be the best option, which they will be trying in the Atlantic League during their second half of the season. Moving it back by a foot.

[Dan Druff]

I hope Sanlmar didn't fade Kershaw tonight.