Taildragger8791

I don't think a few months in age makes that much of an impact for a kid that just turned 18 two months ago. I'd weight overall experience far more and they all had basically the same amount when entering pro ball. Having an entire professional offseason to develop, train, and mature prior to going to single A is a significant preparation advantage over a few months of age difference.

Can you explain how horizontal angle would come from that? I'm not seeing it. Also, the slicing nature seems like it would add to the catch difficulty but not be reflected by the probability metrics. That ball started out to Buxton's right then crossed way back over him. Definitely not just a 3 star catch in my book.

Before someone interprets that to be a racial thing, even basketball doesn't have nearly as many problems despite largely drawing from the same talent sources. Baseball sources its talent from all over the world, often at much younger ages in 3rd world countries, and doesn't have these pervasive problems either. There's something in the culture of football that allows these behaviors to persist and fester.

I agree Mauer is the best we've got at 1B for now, and he's not a liability by any means, but I think some people really undersell how ineffectual he is. We've lowered our standards to what we call "good" play at 1B. Watching the bottom of the order get on base and the top of the order repeatedly do nothing about it is pretty darn frustrating. Continuing the status quo 4 months into the season is just punting on the problem. The options aren't great but I'd like to see the baseball professionals use a little creativity to find a solution. Maybe work out a platoon split, although Mauer and Vargas have both been much worse against lefties. Garver eats up lefties, maybe getting him up here offers some flexibility. Something has to be tried, because to this point they've made no attempt to try something new to create actual offense at 1B/DH.

Slashing .250/.368/.350 is a pretty good month for a first baseman?

...this year he has?

I've found this to be especially true as I've gotten older. Weekends are precious and I no longer want to spend all day watching a game or games that will likely only stress me out and leave me in a bum mood. If I have nothing else to do and will be home anyways, or it's a big game and I get together with friends...then sure. But going out of my way to watch every game or watch all day is a thing of the past. Fantasy football is more of a chore and exercise in frustration than anything else too. I have a couple leagues that we limp along for the cameraderie and that's about it. I'd happily stop playing otherwise. The game is hard to watch anymore anyways, for so many reasons: Primetime matchups are usually trash or are lopsided affairs. Penalties kill the flow. I don't see an easy solution to this either, the game has been designed for passing to dominate and this leads to constant penalties with holding, pass interference and variations thereof, QB and defenseless receiver hits, etc. The focus on passing also means the lack of a great QB makes the rest of the roster worthless, and there are only a few of those QBs in the game. Great defense, great RB, decent WRs, but no QB? Too bad. No chance you'll even get one without a stroke of luck either. The game is so over-the-top in-your-face commercialized. Commercials are out of control, every single moment or situation has a "sponsor", half-time performers have to PAY the NFL to perform for them, NFL Sunday Ticket being locked to Directv, replacement refs, constant threats of team relocation to squeeze money out of communities then returning the favor by charging exhorbant prices on everything (and adding PSLs on top), the blackout policies that only just now ended after Congress started taking notice, etc. All while demanding fan loyalty. The NFL manages to showcase their greed in new and imaginative ways every year. Inconsistent application of their own rules, both on and off the field. Heavy-handed punishment of players while following trumped up policies and procedures and conducting shady "investigations". Manufactured drama and embelleshed narratives dominate the discussions instead of actual analysis of what's happening on the field.

I don't really get the angst about anyone on the list other than Garver. Reed has had health problems and still hasn't been able to pitch on consecutive days this year. Curtiss has moved really quick through the system for a 6th round pick, getting through 7 levels in less than 3 years of playing time. Slegers is basically a non-prospect. The Garver thing is frustrating and inexplicable, other than he won't get any catching time in MLB with Gimenez around. I won't get upset about the others until September passes by.

I assumed he meant Colon.

I was hoping to see Jake Reed out there in the last couple days. It looked like they were finally building him up towards a promotion this season when finally he pitched on one day's rest, even going more than one inning at a time. Did he not feel rebound well from that?

It's a little more believable when he's the second twins player this year with a streak that bad. Buxton's start to the year was equally as ugly.

Roy with the audible "UGGGHHH" seeing that hanging curve halfway to home plate.

I'm pretty sure he was rooting around in the catcher's pockets and giving the home plate ump a hotfoot while waiting on the pitch.

I thought he was going to try and steal home for sure. He could have gotten a 40 foot leadoff.

Opportunity for redemption here for Dozier. And no option to bunt this time. Hopefully he doesn't complete the sh*t cycle going 0/4 with 2 runners on base.

Not sure it was an intentional sacrifice, looked like he was bunting for a hit since it went up the 3rd baseline. I think Dozier just got gunshy after blowing 2 straight at-bats with runners on 2nd & 3rd. Didn't want to blow the next at-bat with runners on 1st & 2nd.

Bottom four of the lineup is doing their job getting on base, going 6 for 9 with 2 walks and a strikeout. All the top of the lineup has done is draw walks and fly out. This is a strong example of why having on-base guys at 1B and DH instead of run producers is killing rallies.

Against a wild pitcher I don't mind drawing the walk, but yeah he definitely had a couple foul-offs there that could have been driven somewhere.

And with what BBREF calls "late and close" he's .173/.271/.346 in 59 PA. And in what BBREF classifies as high leverage situations he's .190/.311/.365. in 74 PA. The really crazy difference is looking at his leadoff numbers. Leading off the game he's slashing .295/.330/.516 and when you expand it to just leading off an inning he's hitting .277/.339/.535. That lends credence to what others have claimed which is that Dozier strongly prefers to lead off because it plays into his chosen hitting approach. Much more likely to get a meaty fastball with empty bases and no outs.

1) Why can't anybody on this team hit a cutoff man? 2) Dozier isn't quieting any criticism regarding his hitting with RISP tonight.

Hitting with RISP doesn't depend on the hitters in front of him, as far rate stats go. That's all on Dozier.

Since they added the 2nd wildcard, what has the success rate been for the 2nd team?

OBP is important but for 1B/DH you should look to get more than an on-base machine, especially when those players are regularly hitting in the 3-5 spots. You need a few guys that can drive in runners and not just draw walks and slap singles. Grossman barely has 100 RBI for his career. Mauer and Grossman combined will barely break 15 HR and 100 RBI this season. Who's going to compensate for that? Nobody else on this team projects to be a slugger.

Wasn't it Napoli?

In MLB he's 11th for wRC+, 12th for wOBA, and 13th in Fangraphs WAR (1.5). He's adequate defensively but nothing remarkable. So overall an average to slightly above average player but also still outside the top ten. The thing these cumulative stats can't show is his streakiness at the plate. I'd argue that's a valid criticism of Dozier that you won't easily find in aggregate metrics like that. Consistency and situational performance directly affects wins/losses. You aren't helping your team by going on hot streaks and binges when it doesn't matter.