*** OFFICIAL MLB 2022 THREAD ****

[Dan Druff]

So Fangraphs is doing its annual projections of teams individual positions, and CF was today. The Dodgers write up will surely be enjoyed by some here, although they did put them 8th:

At this point, your guess is as good as mine or anyone else’s when it comes to Cody Bellinger. Just two years removed from an MVP-winning campaign, one of the rocks upon which the Dodgers looked to build their future has crumbled. Among players with 350 or more plate appearances last year, his 48 wRC+ was “beaten” only by Jackie Bradley Jr.’s 35. His hard-hit and barrel stats took a dive in 2020 and stayed supine on the floor last year, muttering about a left hook coming out of nowhere. Speaking of left hooks: Southpaws held Bellinger to a .116/.208/.174 line, rendering him a platoon player at best.

There’s a lot wrong here, to put it briefly, and no immediate or obvious fix. Our projections are sunny (or at least less cloudy), but it doesn’t seem like things are getting better: He’s struck out in 17 of his 28 trips to the plate this spring as he continues to tinker with his swing, apparently daily. And while the man himself is taking things in the kind of relaxed stride you’d expect from a dude whose eyes are permanently half-closed, the Dodgers are presumably less chill about their center fielder who hits like a pitcher. There are several options to pick up the slack if Bellinger remains adrift, though each brings their own flaws. Chris Taylor is needed everywhere all at once; Gavin Lux is neither a center fielder nor a right-handed hitter; and Kevin Pillar is literally Kevin Pillar. This group will only go as far as Bellinger can carry them, and right now, it’s an open question as to whether he’s capable.

This is why it was a head scratcher why they dumped the very solid AJ Pollock and got shaky closer Kimbrel in his place.

[Dan Druff]

One great part of the new CBA that gets little press is the rookie promotion incentive, and it appears to be working. More top prospects breaking camp with the club instead of going to AAA to "work on their defense". Maybe that Mariners executive can get his job back, as this year they are having Julio Rodriguez break camp with the team.

Stott in Philly appears to have won the SS job. Hope he has good range to make up for the 7 DH's on the rest of his team.

Who is he replacing? Is Gregorius sitting, or will Bohm? Last I heard, Gregorius was going to be SS and Stott was going to be 3B.

[Dan Druff]

I guess the Padres aren't giving up with competing for the NL West. They got Sean Manaea, giving them 7 starters: Musgrove, Darvish, Nick Martinez, Manaea, Snell, Clevinger, and Paddack.

Clevinger is injured again, though this one may be short term.

[gut]

One great part of the new CBA that gets little press is the rookie promotion incentive, and it appears to be working. More top prospects breaking camp with the club instead of going to AAA to "work on their defense". Maybe that Mariners executive can get his job back, as this year they are having Julio Rodriguez break camp with the team.

Stott in Philly appears to have won the SS job. Hope he has good range to make up for the 7 DH's on the rest of his team.

Who is he replacing? Is Gregorius sitting, or will Bohm? Last I heard, Gregorius was going to be SS and Stott was going to be 3B.

The site I first read that on may have made that leap while it was only an assumption. Sounds like a hybrid platoon type situation. I'm thinking like if 7 games in the week, each of Stott/Bohm/Didi get 5 starts. Bohm with 1 at 1B maybe if Hoskins DH's and etc. Stott is a natural SS, he can play anywhere.

Probably whoever hits the worst this first month gets bumped out. Bohm or Stotts can be optioned, if its Didi he just becomes a very well paid utility IF.

[gut]

My Twins offseason has been fascinating. This team could win a world series or finish in last place.

Only team in baseball to have 0 of their opening day rotation from last season still there. Technically Maeda is still "there", but out for most/all of the year with TJ.

The front office team played this offseason like a kid playing The Show hopped up on mountain dew. TRADES! TRADES THAT LEAD INTO OTHER TRADES! HELP BORAS SCREW OVER CORREA'S OLD AGENT BY SIGNING HIM TO EFFECTIVELY A 1 YEAR DEAL!

Oh yeah, still need those pesky starting pitchers. Here cheapos in Cinci, take our first rd pick from last year for Sonny Gray. Got a couple young kids who debuted last year. There's 3. Whats on the scrap heap pile? buy-one-get-one-free? Sure bring in Bundy and Archer. Fuck it, we need a 6th....Padres need a closer? Have ours and give us Paddack and Pagan in return.

Twins win o/u is 81.5, which would be so appropriate after all this wheeling-n-dealing if they finish 81-81.

[gut]

Yes, the game has changed. Yes, the Pirates are....the Pirates.

STILL, I can only imagine guys like Vince Coleman and Tim Raines in their recliners watching opening day and they see 6'0", 270 lb DH Vogelbach hitting leadoff for the Pirates, and a single tear runs down their cheeks.

[Sanlmar]

The Boston Red Sox failed to reach contract extensions with Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers before Opening Day, marking an organizational failure.

Remember Money Ball? The final scene between Billy Beane & the hedge fund & math nerd John Henry (Sawks owner)? Beane turned Henry down and the Sawks went on to multiple World Series. Henry had already hired Bill James. He applied his Wall Street quant experience and success to baseball.

Well, John Henry has seen the future again post CBA. Everyone goes to the playoffs. No need to spend Dodger money any more. He already did that during the this just concluded era of baseball.

Smart guy.

He has an oligarch’s yacht that is often moored in front of Rowes Wharf. His wife was a dish too.

[Dan Druff]

Yes, the game has changed. Yes, the Pirates are....the Pirates.

STILL, I can only imagine guys like Vince Coleman and Tim Raines in their recliners watching opening day and they see 6'0", 270 lb DH Vogelbach hitting leadoff for the Pirates, and a single tear runs down their cheeks.

I noticed the Vogelbach thing, and I said WTF.

I also stupidly bet on the Pirates, and you saw the result. My Reds +162 was much smarter.

Dodgers were talking about acquiring Tyler Mahle, which I was very excited to hear. Then it didn't happen. I have a feeling the Reds will ship him at some point this year.

I didn't understand the Pagan/Paddack thing either. There was a brief moment where Paddack was thought to be a diamond in the rough. Then it was learned that he was just cubic zirconia, at best. I don't understand what the Twins think they're getting. A closer downgrade and a new fail starter? Oooooookay.

[Dan Druff]

Also I realize that this is a weird April because of the lockout, but how did they land on a situation where the Dodgers weren't scheduled to play opening day?

There are 3 very popular teams in MLB -- te Sawks, the Yankees, and the Dodgers. MLB couldn't control the Sawks/Yankees rainout today, but they could have played with the schedule to where the Dodgers were in action opening day.

Big time fail. Here there's all this crowing about Freeman and the Dodgers lineup, and nobody gets to see it on the long-awaited Opening Day.

[Dan Druff]

I can't believe I'm making another post about the Reds, but here I am.

For only the third time ever, the Reds are starting the season on the road. It has been a "tradition" for Cincy to start at home, because originally they were the southernmost team, and travel wasn't trivial at that time.

The only exceptions were 1966 (rain) and 1990 (work stoppage). Now a work stoppage did it again. Interestingly, perhaps 1990's road start brought them good luck, because they became the unexpected World Series Champs that year.

Today they started in Atlanta, and were the underdog winners, 6-3. I doubt they will win the World Series this year, or make the playoffs for that matter.

[Dan Druff]

Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who was fired in 2014 but given charity jobs within the organization for the past 8 years, has abruptly quit baseball.

At age 68, he will continue to be a hockey scout for the Sharks, a position he's held since 2019.

https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodger...ll/2022/04/07/


This is kinda weird. Why give up a nice gig with the Dodgers, yet continue his gig as a hockey scout at age 68? A full retirement would make a lot more sense.
My guess is that Ned was bored of his minor role in the organization, and felt he didn't need it anymore. He probably enjoys the hockey scouting (which he started in 2019), so he's probably decided just to do that from now on.

Ned's tenure with the Dodgers was mixed. He drafted Clayton Kershaw. He signed Hyun-Jin Ryu. He took Tim Wallach's word that fellow CSUF alum Justin Turner, who was labeled a clubhouse cancer and non-hustler, would be a good fit for the team, despite no other team wanting him. He traded problematic Milton Bradley for the soon-to-be-beloved Andre Ethier, who was then an unknown. He signed the exciting Yasiel Puig, who gave the 2013 failteam a much needed "kick" and came back to win the division. He grabbed (roided) Manny Ramirez for essentially nothing in mid-2008, who carried the Dodgers into contention and then into the NLCS. Julio Urias was signed as a 16-year-old under Colletti's watch in 2012, and look how he was 9 years later in 2021.

However, Ned was bad with money. There were many dumb moves. He's credit with the Adrian Gonzalez trade, but that was a boon for the Red Sox, not the Dodgers. Oh, sure, Adrian was productive, but the Dodgers took on an insane amount of junk salary (and Adrian's full hefty salary as well) just to get him. This relieved the Red Sox of the finanical burden of their terrible contracts to Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. That money could have been used elsewhere for the Dodgers, instead of essentially paying $60m/year for Adrian!! The Sawks subsequent World Series win in 2013 was thanks to Ned Colletti. Prior to that trade, they looked fucked for years to come.

There were the bad contracts of Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones -- which seemed like bad ideas at the time, and indeed were. There were the huge contracts given to Ethier and Matt Kemp which looked excessive, and indeed were.

Ned wasn't a horrible GM, but he wasn't a great one, either.

[Dan Druff]

Daly posted some futures for MLB players. Moved it to the betting thread, but you can find them here: https://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/sh...=1#post1029708

[MrTickle]

So, Apple TV is broadcasting Mets-Nats. The score bug is nice and the graphics are awesome, and the camera quality is better than anything I've before, but the commentators are absolutely brutal. Worst thing I've ever sat through – they barely even talk about the game, talk about a random assortment of topics and never shut up for a single second. Shockingly bad

[herbertstemple]

I can't believe I'm making another post about the Reds, but here I am.

For only the third time ever, the Reds are starting the season on the road. It has been a "tradition" for Cincy to start at home, because originally they were the southernmost team, and travel wasn't trivial at that time.

The only exceptions were 1966 (rain) and 1990 (work stoppage). Now a work stoppage did it again. Interestingly, perhaps 1990's road start brought them good luck, because they became the unexpected World Series Champs that year.

Today they started in Atlanta, and were the underdog winners, 6-3. I doubt they will win the World Series this year, or make the playoffs for that matter.

The tradition up until at least the 70's was the Opening Day opening pitch was always in Cincinnati because Cincinnati was the first professional baseball team. Do not know when that tradition began, probably since the second professional baseball team started playing.

BTW Druff, good to see you are still alive.

[Dan Druff]

I bet on the Angels today. Was my only pick.

They're down 5-2 in the 7th. Doesn't look good.

Amazes me how this team sucks year after year, despite who they have. Two of the best hitters in MLB, plus Rendon if he ever comes back to be himself, and they can't even make the wildcard (or come that close).

Pitching just blows, year after year. The surrounding cast also sucks. Management just signs big names for huge money, and hopes everything else will magically work out. They're the Mets of the west coast.

When you have Trout and Ohtani, you need to find a way to at least make the postseason. Anything short of that is an embarrassment. Only the 2nd game, but I see lots of disappointment in this team's 2022.

[Sanlmar]

Speaking of closers.

I was lucky enough to catch Father Time, Craig Kimbrel, in a Dodgers uniform. He is Kenley Jansen in white face. Good luck with that.

I was wondering if his stuff just doesn’t play at altitude (Colorado) but I think I know the answer in my heart.

Dodgers and their bullpen. I find comfort in familiar things.

None of this matters now. Except the Dodgers won’t fix it later either.

[Sanlmar]

I saw a lot of Ohtani in promos and advertisements. He picked up some English. Frankly, that’s big news. We will monitor for further development.

[Dan Druff]

I saw a lot of Ohtani in promos and advertisements. He picked up some English. Frankly, that’s big news. We will monitor for further development.

If the Angels keep pitching like they did today, you won't see much more development.

[lol wow]

Are the doyers good again todge ill pretend to watch baseball if i can bandwagon a title this year

[lol wow]

rofl also kenley jansen gave up like 3 homeruns tonight getting rid of him was the goat doyer move