2020 Misc MLB News

[Eye Black]

On today's Effectively Wild podcast they responded to an email from a Phillies fan asking if their team’s percentage of blown leads in games they lost this season was on pace for the major league record (Phillies have had the lead in around 65% of their losses this season).

 

Well it turns out the major league record for the highest percentage of leads in games it lost goes to the 2017 Milwaukee Brewers who led in 50 of the 76 games they lost that season (65.8%). That team missed the playoffs by ONE game.

 

Here is a link to the entire spreadsheet of teams that held the highest percentage of leads in games they lost: Blown Leads Spreadsheet

[trwi7]

I think I figured out why hitters are striking out more. Starters throwing 100-102 with 94-95 mph sliders.

 

[RollieTime]

Just in the limited amount of games I have seen this year, let alone of another team (Angels), Jo Adell has basically given up 3 home runs himself plus another absolutely awful play on a fly ball. One of the home runs went off his head and over the fence, one went off his glove (granted, this one he had to make a pretty good catch), and then tonight he hit a ball over the fence off his glove that wasn’t even going to be a home run.

 

Is he that bad of an outfielder or just having absolutely brutal luck and I just happen to always be watching when it happens? Regardless, to see that many poor plays from one guy when I’m not even a fan of that team and just happen to have them on is pretty incredible.

[adambr2]

Adell is a great prospect, but his season is making Keston Hiura's look like a breakout season.

[jerichoholicninja]

No managers fired the day after the season ended. That has to be a first, right? I guess Roenicke but he technically wasn't fired and it happened on Sunday. Is there even anyone on the hot seat right now?

[TURBO]

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina "have discussed privately the possibility of going elsewhere to play, together."

It's hard to imagine either playing for another team, and a reunion with the Cardinals for both is certainly still possible, if not likely. However, it would appear the veteran battery is keeping their options open. Molina, 38, has expressed a desire to play for two more seasons, and Goold says the Cards "have had discussions about what a return contract would look like." Wainwright, 39, surely would only command a one-year deal.

 

RELATED: Yadier Molina

SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct 4, 2020, 1:06 PM ET

 

 

Reuntied in Milwaukee perhaps?

 

I'd love to have Waignwright for a year. but my hate for Molina is too strong to want him in a Brewer uniform.

[jerichoholicninja]

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina "have discussed privately the possibility of going elsewhere to play, together."

It's hard to imagine either playing for another team, and a reunion with the Cardinals for both is certainly still possible, if not likely. However, it would appear the veteran battery is keeping their options open. Molina, 38, has expressed a desire to play for two more seasons, and Goold says the Cards "have had discussions about what a return contract would look like." Wainwright, 39, surely would only command a one-year deal.

 

RELATED: Yadier Molina

SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct 4, 2020, 1:06 PM ET

 

But how would Chris Carpenter explain this to his son?

[pacopete4]

Weird that they would leave. It’s not like the Cardinals can’t compete next year.

[TURBO]

I think they will stay... Just talk and headlines.

[TURBO]

Athletics general manager David Forst said Friday that the team is interested in re-signing second baseman Tommy La Stella.

 

Forst gushed about La Stella on Friday, telling reporters, "He's the kind of guy who, when you play against him, you think you have a sense of how good he is. Then when you see him every day, you really appreciate the things he does. What he brought to our lineup the last month was critical to where we went." The 31-year-old hit .289/.369/.423 with a homer and 11 RBI in 27 games with the A's following a mid-season trade from the Angels. He then hit .296 (8-for-27) with a homer and two in the postseason.

 

SOURCE: Martin Gallegos on Twitter

Oct 9, 2020, 6:27 PM ET

[Eye Black]

Billy Beane is reportedly going to leave the Oakland A’s in order to work for Red Sox owner John Henry. Apparently he would no longer work in baseball, but instead would assist on other sports ventures including assisting with the Henry owned Liverpool Football Club of the English Premier League. I knew he was into soccer, but sort of a surprising move after a long career in baseball.

[ewitkows]

Billy Beane is reportedly going to leave the Oakland A’s in order to work for Red Sox owner John Henry. Apparently he would no longer work in baseball, but instead would assist on other sports ventures including assisting with the Henry owned Liverpool Football Club of the English Premier League. I knew he was into soccer, but sort of a surprising move after a long career in baseball.

 

There's more money in the EPL than there is in baseball. Despite 10 less teams and less than 400 matches the EPL made 6 billion in revenue. baseball was at 9 billion and doesn't have anywhere near the global reach.

[AKCheesehead]

Not MLB news, but this has just become the next thing I hope to see happen to the cardinals.

 

[LouisEly]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30100016/baseball-hall-famer-joe-morgan-dies-77

 

I had no idea he passed away six days ago.

 

Morgan put up a career bWAR of 100.7 and in his back-to-back MVP seasons of 1975/1976 combined for 20.6 bWAR. Six consecutive seasons of an OBP >.400 including a .466 OBP in 1975 and eight seasons drawing over 100 walks. I enjoyed listening to him in the booth as well.

[sveumrules]

Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price is retiring.

 

The MLBTR article mentions that the next Phillies pitching coach will be their fourth in as many years.

 

So it kinda looks like spending money hand over fist & cycling through coaches all willy nilly doesn't really guarantee any kind of success.

[Roderick]

Brett Maverick Phillips added to Rays WS roster. I'm sure everyone was guessing that when he was traded to KC.

 

Of course they have extra room on the roster for his arm.

[brewcrewdue80]

Brett Maverick Phillips added to Rays WS roster. I'm sure everyone was guessing that when he was traded to KC.

 

Of course they have extra room on the roster for his arm.

 

Actually think he's brought in for Pinch running. I hope TB wins because he's gotta have one of his epic laugh meltdowns in that locker room if any reporter tries talking to him.

[nate82]

I expect the whole league to cut payroll how much payroll that I am not sure about.

 

According to the article below MLB has lost somewhere between $2-3 billion this season. With more layoffs coming in MLB the next to be hit will be payroll.

 

MLB is also uncertain on how many fans and how long next years season will be. There could be no or a very small percentage of fans and a shortened season. I don't think MLB will play a full season next year if there are no fans allowed.

 

I believe for a full 162 game season to be played capacity will have to hit about 40%. I doubt the teams will take another hit financially so 40% would be about the number the teams would have to hit for a 162 game season and be profitable. If it is less than 40% I think we are looking at another 60-100 game season.

 

https://theathletic.com/2160374/2020/10/26/mlb-owners-lay-off-hundreds-as-revenues-plummet-drastically-changing-the-sport

[tmwiese55]

Anyone think this all could finally lead to the shortening of the season for good? They've been set 162 for so long but I think even the most diehards could get behind that being trimmed down a bit. Basically, say they do some kind of 130-140 season next year and realize it's better and then meet in the middle at about 150 games going forward. I would assume some kind of playoff change to make up for lost revenue as well.

[TURBO]

Anyone think this all could finally lead to the shortening of the season for good? They've been set 162 for so long but I think even the most diehards could get behind that being trimmed down a bit. Basically, say they do some kind of 130-140 season next year and realize it's better and then meet in the middle at about 150 games going forward. I would assume some kind of playoff change to make up for lost revenue as well.

 

Gosh, I hope not...

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Anyone think this all could finally lead to the shortening of the season for good? They've been set 162 for so long but I think even the most diehards could get behind that being trimmed down a bit. Basically, say they do some kind of 130-140 season next year and realize it's better and then meet in the middle at about 150 games going forward. I would assume some kind of playoff change to make up for lost revenue as well.

 

162 games can certainly be a grind, especially if your team isn't especially competitive, but I think it's important, especially in baseball, to give teams the opportunity to jell through the highs and lows of a long season. If you shortened the season to 150 games, it is possible, if not likely that the 2018 and 2019 Brewer squads who got insanely hot in September wouldn't have even made the playoffs without the modified playoff format you mention. I've always thought that that last few weeks of the season in September is when good teams are fortified, and where watching the standings really gets exciting. It would be a shame to lose that excitement to immediately jump to expanded playoff baseball because MLB wants a money grab.

[brewmann04]

agreed

[tmwiese55]

Yea I'm not a huge fan of expanded playoffs as baseball is supposed to be the one like you say that shows the best teams over the long haul. Yet somehow each time they've done it I've ended up liking it after the fact. Changing from 162 down to 150 or 154 isn't going to change much on the regular season vibe of now.

 

Not sure I'd call it a money grab in this case as it would just be an attempt to make up for lost money of the hundreds of lost games. Heck they might lose money unless they do a huge expansion of playoffs (which I couldn't get behind). If you expanded playoffs a bunch while leaving the 162 games yet it would be shameless money grab and it for sure would have the other negative effects Ron just said. A small playoff change though you might just move up that good September stuff you mention up a bit quicker. A really small tweak that would bring in money is make the Division series 7 games instead of 5. Another could be still have 5 teams but a 3 game series somehow for the WCs. Yea if you get to 16 teams its a mess though.

 

Regardless, I wasn't really even meaning to get into what we'd prefer or like. Though I guess it's not a bad dead time discussion to have. Heck I guess as Brewers fans we actually should think a bigger playoff and more of a crapshoot format helps our chances vs big markets (even if we know it's not what we think is right). I just meant on wondering if this all could lead to it.

[nate82]

I wonder if instead of playing less games if it would be better to play less innings? Go from 9 innings to 7 inning games instead which would in turn make the games go faster. I would also keep the extra innings rule which I thought was stupid but I actually like it when it was played. It created some excitement having a runner already on base and could create some unique strategies going forward.

 

I think you could possibly play as many games by decreasing the amount of innings played in a shorter time span along with playing double headers here and there. Ultimately I think if nothing changes that a 100-130 game season would be best.

 

I would like to see the DH stay in the NL and also for the extra innings rule to stay.

[monty57]

It might not mean a lot to some people, but a shortened season would make it a lot tougher to hit milestones, like a 50 HR season, or 200 hits. Also, over a long career, 12 games a year would take over a season's worth of games off a player's career, making things like 3,000 hits that much harder to reach.

 

Plus, I like having Brewer baseball on every night. Taking 12 games off that just makes the offseason two weeks longer.