Random MLB News And Discussion 2012

[owbc]

I have to give the Twins fans credit, they are still averaging 33,000 per game despite last year's awful team. Many people must have thought 2011 was a fluke and renewed their season tickets! They will probably have a huge attendance drop next year.

[Baldkin]

Vlad Guerrero to the Blue Jays for about 1.3M.

[pebadger]

There is a very slight, if improbable, chance that the Brewers could land Josh Hamilton in free agency if for no other reason than that Hamilton is very close to Johnny Narron

 

Of course, if you put Hamilton anywhere near 'Brewers' in a sentence the snarky comments pretty much write themselves.

[jjfanec]

I have to give the Twins fans credit, they are still averaging 33,000 per game despite last year's awful team. Many people must have thought 2011 was a fluke and renewed their season tickets! They will probably have a huge attendance drop next year.

 

Those numbers seem pretty off base from what I have heard. You can pay 15 bucks and get seat near the infield right now. My uncle told me scalpers actually left tickets on a table for people just to take because no one was buying. Maybe that many people are showing up right now but as someone living in Minnesota it sure doesnt sound like many people are going to the games right now

[Thurston Fluff]

If I remember correctly one league counts tickets sold and the other the number who actually go to the game but can never remember which is which. If the AL counts tickets sold it would explain a lot. They are a traditionally good team combined with a newer park. I could see how that would lead to a lot of season tickets sales.

[dlk9s]

Watching TB/NYY, I just found it pretty funny that the Yankees' announcer used the term "bronx cheer" incorrectly.

[jjfanec]

If I remember correctly one league counts tickets sold and the other the number who actually go to the game but can never remember which is which. If the AL counts tickets sold it would explain a lot. They are a traditionally good team combined with a newer park. I could see how that would lead to a lot of season tickets sales.

 

Yeah from what I read it sounds like those numbers for the Twins are paid tickets not actual attendance. With a 3rd year stadium and it still being early in the season those numbers would make sense. The actual attendance numbers have to be really low

[RightFieldCoder]

The Brewers count tickets sold. There were a lot of games at the beginning of this millennium where there were maybe half the number of people in the stadium to what they listed as attendance.

[jjfanec]

The Brewers count tickets sold. There were a lot of games at the beginning of this millennium where there were maybe half the number of people in the stadium to what they listed as attendance.

 

It sounds like all the teams do that now

[Ennder]

Question. What Brett Lawrie is closer to the one we will see over his career. Both small samples but here are his numbers from his initial call-up and so far this year

 

Last year - 150 AB. .293 BA, .373 OBP, .580 Slug, .953 OPS. 9 HR, 16 BB, 7 SB

This year - 120 AB. .275 BA, .323 OBP, .400 Slug, .723 OPS. 3 HR, 7 BB, 3 SB

 

This year he has been solid but not spectacular as a hitter. His fielding stats have dropped a little this year as well. Know both sample sizes are small and his numbers are not bad this year, but I am wondering where people think he is more likely to wind up as a pro. He hovered a little below an .800 OPS his first couple years in the minors but his power numbers exploded last year. Most thought he was just becoming the power bat he was bound to be since he was so young. Now his power has dropped again. He is still very young - just 22, but i just wanted to get people's thoughts

 

I always saw him as more of a .800 - .900 OPS kind of guy which is really good but more Corey Hart than Ryan Braun. I still think that is where he ends up.

 

 

Probably in between these two extremes. I don't expect him to be a superstar personally but he should be an all star and probably a little better than Hart.

[owbc]

It's tickets sold, they do that in virtually all sports now. And as with all MLB teams, 80-90% of attendance is decided the year before. The Twins will continue to consistently draw crowds of >30,000 the whole year except maybe in September. Despite what announcers and ESPN say, it has nothing to do with the "loyalty" of the fan base, they already bought their tickets and it's too late. Hence the low resale values.

 

It's already easy to predict that next year the Twins will have the #1 drop in attendance. The Marlins will probably be #2 and if the Brewers keep at a < 80 win pace, they will lose several thousand fans per game in 2013 as well. The Angels are also looking like a candidate for attendance problems in 2013. This stuff is easy to predict and I'm sure every front office knows it.

[DHonks]

Given what we know about Lawrie, I could see him playing on several teams, having occasional great years, like Gary Sheffield. We know from the comments that he thinks the universe revolves around him.

[brewmann04]

that is a very true statement.

[GormanHarvey]

Seems like every time I turn on MLB Tonight/Quick Pitch, Hardy is hitting another HR. No real point, just an observation of sorts.

[Roderick]

I would agree with that, but the problem is that he'll get paid a lot more than DH money. The Rangers will likely keep him though. I don't see how they can let him go as you said.

 

Sal is that you? I know what you mean regarding value and demand vs. supply - but when you have a guy that is that good a hitter, I would have no problem paying him as an elite positional player.

[monty57]

It's tickets sold, they do that in virtually all sports now. And as with all MLB teams, 80-90% of attendanc

It's tickets sold' date=' they do that in virtually all sports now. And as with all MLB teams, 80-90% of attendance is decided the year before. The Twins will continue to consistently draw crowds of >30,000 the whole year except maybe in September. Despite what announcers and ESPN say, it has nothing to do with the "loyalty" of the fan base, they already bought their tickets and it's too late. Hence the low resale values.

 

It's already easy to predict that next year the Twins will have the #1 drop in attendance. The Marlins will probably be #2 and if the Brewers keep at a < 80 win pace, they will lose several thousand fans per game in 2013 as well. The Angels are also looking like a candidate for attendance problems in 2013. This stuff is easy to predict and I'm sure every front office knows it.[/quote']

 

It would be interesting to see a study of this. While I get your point and understand that winning and losing have a lot to do with attendance, it's far from the only factor. We just need to look to the Packers to see that teams can have down periods and not see a drop in ticket sales. I'm a believer that how moves are "spun" to fans and how much they believe it has a big effect on whether or not they'll show up to games. The Cubs will be an interesting case study. They knew they were going to be bad, so they got Epstein and sold the fans on the concept that he was the guy who turned the Red Sox into the World Series champs, so they just needed to have faith and they'd win. If the fans buy into this, they will continue to buy tickets.

 

In the past, we were told the a group of prospects (Fielder, Hardy, Weeks, etc) would turn the franchise around, and we bought into it. Ticket sales went up before we were a winning team. I think that if we continue to falter this season fans will understand "selling" if the Brewers market it correctly. Conversely, fans could turn on the team if we end up .500 and lose a bunch of guys "for nothing" at the end of the season. I'd be more apt to go to a game to see a stud prospect we just traded for play his first game as a Brewer before I'd go to a game to see Grienke or Marcum pitch his last meaningless outing in a frustrating season before bolting for free agency.

[MJLiverock]

I think attendance is down for the Cubs this season by quite a bit. The reported numbers may still be up there due to brokers buying them but they sell pretty cheap on Stub Hub from what my Chicago friends have said. I seem to remember the "Lets Go Brewers" chant being pretty audible on one of the televised games from there as well this year.

 

Last year actual attendance was down as well according to this article.

http://www.bleachernation.com/2011/07/18/no-surprise-attendance-at-wrigley-field-is-down-considerably-this-year/

[Thurston Fluff]

I heard the lets go Brewers chant as well. Luckily I happened to be next to a Cub fan and made a comment about how I didn't understand why everyone went to Miller park south when the northern one was so much nicer.

[bullox]

Dana Eveland brought up from AAA to start for the Orioles tonight against the Rays.

[owbc]

Josh Hamilton just hit HR #16. He's on pace for 79. It would be interesting if he could make a run at 61 this year.

[3and2Fastball]

Hamilton now has 17 HR's and 40 RBI's with a 1.336 OPS! In 30 games played. On pace for an 83 HR 196 RBI season

[Thurston Fluff]

I just read the letter Axford wrote for reporters last night. Cliche, cliche another cliche may be the funniest thing I've read from a baseball player ever. He is awesome.

[dlk9s]

He seriously needs to be a Brewer for life. I've never seen someone enjoy baseball and success as much as him.

[bullox]

Hamilton now has 17 HR's and 40 RBI's with a 1.336 OPS! In 30 games played. On pace for an 83 HR 196 RBI season

 

Another jack today. 9 in 7 days.

[owbc]

Bill Hall homered for the Orioles tonight!