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Otto von Ballpark

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Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    Well, his overall MLB sample size is pretty small too, but that didn't stop Nick from saying "Hildenberger single-handedly changes the outlook of the bullpen going forward dramatically." I think it's fair to pump the brakes a bit on that. I don't want the team to say "the bullpen is just fine with minimal changes" yet again this winter...
  2. Otto von Ballpark
    With expanded rosters, no reason you can't start Colon but have Slegers or Gee or whomever ready as a backup starter. Same might go for Mejia too...
  3. Otto von Ballpark
    But how much of the 2017 improvement is only improvement coming after the 2016 regression? Multi-year, Molitor might only be neutral at best.
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    I think most wanted Garver up earlier to get him experience and to see if he could help in situations like this. They didn't necessarily just want to throw him into the fire.
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    At least the Angels lost to the Twins sleeper agent Andrew Albers.
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    Yeah. We talked about how the players reacted, but I am pretty sure Molitor opposed the Kintzler trade too.
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    Thanks for doing the work, I was just thinking about this myself.
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    Sanguillen was a catcher, so I'd guess it didn't matter as much that his approach may have limited his offensive ceiling (career 102 OPS+). Also his career K rate was only 6.2%, so he was more of a contact guy, even for his era.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    At the same time, though, elimination at the hands of the Yankees again would sting even more...
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    FWIW, Hicks has been notably better vs RHP than vs LHP each of the last 2 seasons, which is 43% of his career PA so far. Even including his last Twins season, his wRC+ is virtually equal vs RHP and LHP over the last 3 seasons, and that covers 67% of his career PA to date. It's possible his early Twins career was not a representative sample in terms of his platoon splits.
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    Not directly analogous is too kind. The defense positioning itself wherever is using strategy, probability, prediction etc. within the game of baseball. The runners going wherever is a game of tag.
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    A lot of marginal guys look good if you take only their best stretches. Mike Pelfrey had a 4.19 ERA after 16 starts this year too, and a 4.24 across 15 starts last summer. Gibson himself had a 4.54 after 13 starts last year, etc. Problem is, you almost certainly get bad stretches too, and you can't predict them. Overall, Gibson and Pelfrey have been almost the definition of replacement level starters the last couple years. I don't have any particular issue with keeping Gibson in the mix for the 5th spot next year, at this point, but I wouldn't lock him into a spot or let his presence dissuade me from other rotation upgrades either.
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    It's WAR, but it is a relative ranking among catchers. Is it your claim that Mauer in 2009, in just 109 games caught, was racking up more of those "many things" (catching intangibles) than fellow catchers Bench, Posey, etc.? Or do you have 3-4 catcher seasons in your all-time top 10?
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    By a catcher, no less. Maybe it was professional courtesy for the opposing team catcher?
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    Rosario has almost doubled his walk rate this year, cut his K rate by about 30%, and posted a career high isolated power. And the sum total of that is a 110 wRC+. Definitely usable / functional but probably nothing to get too excited about long term. Probably nothing worth trading though either...
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    Those are 2016 stats. Pressly is at 32% inherited runners scored this year - not great, but basically league average.
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    I believe the poster was referring to Pressly, not Boshers.
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    A little uneasy about calling 2017 a meaningful "renaissance" for Mauer. He basically had the same OPS in mid-August last year, in only about 20 fewer PA than he has this year. He is definitely doing better than some of his lower post-concussion points, but I am not sure it is that drastic of an improvement. Do love the lower K rate, hopefully he can maintain that. Otherwise he seems likely largely the same player, and his improved 2017 numbers are more of a function of sample timing / end points.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    By Fangraphs WAR, it is actually 8th all time just among catchers: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=c&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2017&month=0&season1=1901&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=22,d Within a half win of #4, though. #2 among catchers in wRC+ (offense only), but remember, Mauer only caught 109 games that year. Obviously a great season, but you'd have a very hard time to justify it as top 10 overall among all players, unless you want 3-4 catcher seasons among your top 10. (Especially difficult if you include pitchers too.)
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    Just you wait -- watch how this 9th inning will fire up the rest of the team!
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    Upton has an opt out after this season, so it is essentially an expiring contract. They "dumped" ~$3 mil for a meaningless month. That has no bearing on Verlander's situation.
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Verlander wasn't really "legitimately trade-able" as a pure salary dump. The Tigers could (and likely would) eat some cash to get back talent/prospects, but they were never going to let him go for salary relief alone. No one is apparently willing to meet that price of talent/prospects, but I don't think that means no one was willing to take Verlander and his contract "for free" -- it simply wasn't an option. (Heck, with Verlander's no-trade clause, he probably was never going to consent to a pure salary relief deal either.) I think the default position for teams on August waiver claims is, if no one has much of a shot of making a deal, you pass. And for all the bluster around Verlander, Stanton, etc., no one has been particularly close to a deal on them. And I don't blame the Twins for not pursuing him either, given the apparent costs (beyond his contract).
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    That fact doesn't mean that at all. Bryce Harper also cleared waivers. Far more likely, they both cleared because teams knew they weren't getting moved without significant talent/prospects going back in return.
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    And Hildenberger is the first out of the pen today, pitching for the 3rd straight game, and 5 out of 6. Would Kintzler have helped us spread it around a bit?
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    Different teams, of course, but Hildenberger has recorded 2 losses since the trade, Kintzler zero. (Kintzler blew one game into a tie, but never let the other team take a lead.) Not that I would have cut Hildenberger -- those two are not mutually exclusive. Hildenberger was already on the team, and just pitched in a high leverage spot the day before Kintzler was traded. Buddy Boshers was also on the team, and could have just as easily been the roster casualty for whomever they needed to add (looks like Dillon Gee was added August 1st).
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