Baseball is Finally Here!!!

[…..]

Is anyone else surprised/impressed with A-Rod's bat speed? I've only seen his highlights but dayum.....dude is a beast.

Go Dodgers!

 

[Dieter the Brock]

 

[Memento]

View attachment 6056

Is that Seager? Or Pederson?

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Is that Seager? Or Pederson?

Brandon McCarthy!!!
Love our new front office

 

[Memento]

Brandon McCarthy!!!
Love our new front office

Ah, McCarthy. I've always liked the guy. He went through a lot to get to where he is today. Hyun-jin Ryu and Kershaw are also favorites of mine. I'll never like Greinke, but I can admit that he's talented.

I like a couple of your players as well. Yasmani Grandal will have a chance to shine with you guys. I'm a fan of Crawford, Pederson, Van Slyke, Kendrick, and Rollins; I honestly think that you guys got better without Hanley and Dee.

Can't stand Gonzalez or Puig, though, but hey, there's even some Cardinals I can't stand at the moment (coughChoatecough).

 

[Memento]

Speaking of which, time to talk about my favorite players on each of the other twenty-nine teams that are worse than mine.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Paul Goldschmidt. Best all-around first baseman at this point who is unfortunately stuck on a horrible team.

Atlanta Braves - Shelby Miller. I always had a soft spot for Shelby, and I will always have fond memories of him as a Cardinal. Andrelton Simmons was also considered.

Baltimore Orioles - Manny Machado. Very exciting young third baseman. Adam Jones was also considered.

Boston Red Sox - Joe Kelly. I just loved that guy so much as a Cardinal. Was very sad to see him go. Dustin Pedroia and Allen Craig were also considered.

Chicago Cubs - Jason Motte. Fear the beard! I'm glad to hear that he's doing well. Other players that I like include Rizzo, Bryant, Soler, and their young prospects (Russell, Baez, Almora, and Schwarber).

Chicago White Sox - Chris Sale. They said he would be out of the league in three years. He's still trucking. Also considered Jose Quintana and Avisail Garcia.

Cincinnati Reds - Oh, God, do I have to? Might as well be Skip Schumaker. I hate all of the rest (although I wouldn't mind having Aroldis Chapman on the Cards.)

Cleveland Indians - Corey Kluber. I love this guy's success story. He's just...wow. Trevor Bauer is also fun to watch.

Colorado Rockies - Daniel Descalso. Former Cardinal, all heart, great success story, etc. If Troy Tulowitzski and Carlos Gonzalez were ever healthy, I might pick them.

Detroit Tigers - David Price. It really was a tough choice between him, Ian Kinsler, and Yoenis Cespedes, but the guy who wanted to be a Cardinal takes it.

Houston Astros - Jose Altuve. How could you not like a guy who's one of the best players in the league at 5'5"? George Springer and - when he comes up - Carlos Correa are also options.

Kansas City Royals - Lorenzo Cain. Late bloomer who shocked the world in the playoffs and is still dominating his position. Salvador Perez is another option.

Los Angeles Angels - Albert Pujols. Tough between him, Mike Trout, and David Freese, but I have to take one of my favorite Cardinals of all time.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Clayton Kershaw. How could I not love that kid? I already included the other options in my previous post.

Miami Marlins - Ichiro. I know, I know, Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Fernandez, and Christian Yelich were all considered, but I have to give it up to the future Hall-of-Famer.

Milwaukee Brewers - Jean Segura. He's the one Brewer that I hope does well, and I wish that we had him. Kyle Lohse is also another one I like.

Minnesota Twins - Trevor May. Almost an impossible choice given that they don't want to win, but you have to respect May's story. He'll probably be replaced by Byron Buxton, if he ever comes up.

New York Mets - Jacob deGrom. Tough between him, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Zach Wheeler, but how can I not pull for a guy whom nobody expected to be this good?

New York Yankees - Carlos Beltran. Another former Cardinal whom I loved to see play. Masahiro Tanaka was also considered, as will be Aaron Judge when we see him up.

Oakland A's - Sonny Gray. Only choice, really, given that the A's are one of the worst run teams in the league.

Philidelphia Phillies - Ben Revere. Revere gets so much crap, even though he's easily the most productive performer on that team. Hard not to root for him.

Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen. Like Segura, I don't even mind when McCutchen does well, and I wish to hell that we had him.

San Diego Padres - Craig Kimbrel. Most dominant closer since Mo. I like Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, and Yangervis Solarte as well.

San Francisco Giants - Madison Bumgarner. Only option that was good. I fucking hate that team, but MadBum is worthy of respect.

Seattle Mariners - Felix Hernandez. King Felix reigns supreme. I like Kyle Seager, though.

Tampa Bay Rays - Tim Beckham. After a 50 game suspension for marijuana of all things (which is not suspension on a 40-man roster) and a torn ACL that cost him his entire 2014 season, he's finally breaking out. Everyone loves a good redemption story. Evan Longoria was also considered.

Texas Rangers - Roughned Odor. Another small player who broke out in a big way. Also considered Martin Perez.

Toronto Blue Jays - Dalton Pompey. How many players in any league apologize to the team and the fans if they're not playing well? He's refreshingly honest, and I hope this kid bounces back. Others include their young players (Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris, Roberto Osuna, Miguel Castro, and Devon Travis.)

Washington Nationals - Max Scherzer. I wish we had him. I wish we took him in the first round instead of Daric Barton. Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann are good as well, but my favorite is the guy who got away.

 

[fearsomefour]

Brandon McCarthy!!!
Love our new front office

We will see. Too early to get excited in my estimation.
The big problem is still the pen. Although getting healthy should help.
Pederson will make Kemp a hindsight very quickly.

 

[fearsomefour]

"Oakland A's - Sonny Gray. Only choice, really, given that the A's are one of the worst run teams in the league."

In terms of consistently putting together a play off team with serious financial handcuffs I would say Oakland is one of the better run teams in the league. I wish the Rams FO had some of Beanes ability to find values.

 

[Memento]

"Oakland A's - Sonny Gray. Only choice, really, given that the A's are one of the worst run teams in the league."

In terms of consistently putting together a play off team with serious financial handcuffs I would say Oakland is one of the better run teams in the league. I wish the Rams FO had some of Beanes ability to find values.

The guy does fire-sale after fire-sale. He'll probably trade off Gray next for more mid-level prospects. They dealt Addison Russell - a consensus top ten prospect - to the Cubs for a guy whom they traded to an AL foe the very next year.

Beane isn't a good general manager because he tends to get lesser value from his fire-sales and doesn't keep the players he should.

 

[LazyWinker]

How about Bryan Price's rant? I'm not a Reds fan but the Reds shouldn't waste any time and terminate his contract immediately. Not because of the 88 "bad words" but because they've played about a dozen games and he's already defeated and defensive. I think it's safe to say Price isn't going to build a winning culture over there.

 

[fearsomefour]

The guy does fire-sale after fire-sale. He'll probably trade off Gray next for more mid-level prospects. They dealt Addison Russell - a consensus top ten prospect - to the Cubs for a guy whom they traded to an AL foe the very next year.

Beane isn't a good general manager because he tends to get lesser value from his fire-sales and doesn't keep the players he should.

....and yet has a playoff team many years. His hands are tied with finances....which has more to do with a cheap owner than the team being that strapped. An extra $40M would do wonders for what he could do. The reason I say they are a well run organization is they know what they are looking for and they develop players. A team that was cheap for years, letting good players walk to save money, but, never competed was San Diego. They are trying to be a mini Dodgers now, we will see how that works out.
But, I think Beane does a pretty remarkable job given the handcuffs he is put in. Sonny Gray is all but gone when they lose control of him. They cannot pay one player $20M a year there. Scott Kazmir is a perfect example of Beane finding value when no one else wanted the guy. The A's develop most of their pitchers however. There are more down in the minors waiting to come up.

 

[PA Ram]

How about Bryan Price's rant? I'm not a Reds fan but the Reds shouldn't waste any time and terminate his contract immediately. Not because of the 88 "bad words" but because they've played about a dozen games and he's already defeated and defensive. I think it's safe to say Price isn't going to build a winning culture over there.

Here's Lee Elia's rant:

NSFW!!!

 

[Memento]

How about Bryan Price's rant? I'm not a Reds fan but the Reds shouldn't waste any time and terminate his contract immediately. Not because of the 88 "bad words" but because they've played about a dozen games and he's already defeated and defensive. I think it's safe to say Price isn't going to build a winning culture over there.

Utterly classless. The guy in the media was just doing his job: reporting Reds news. As for the guy who got sent down, Price should've told him before the media broke it loose. If Price doesn't like one of the core things of being a manager (handling the media properly), he can go work at the local McDonald's. Who knows? You could probably get some guy from McDonald's who could maybe do a better job than Price.

 

[Memento]

....and yet has a playoff team many years. His hands are tied with finances....which has more to do with a cheap owner than the team being that strapped. An extra $40M would do wonders for what he could do. The reason I say they are a well run organization is they know what they are looking for and they develop players. A team that was cheap for years, letting good players walk to save money, but, never competed was San Diego. They are trying to be a mini Dodgers now, we will see how that works out.
But, I think Beane does a pretty remarkable job given the handcuffs he is put in. Sonny Gray is all but gone when they lose control of him. They cannot pay one player $20M a year there. Scott Kazmir is a perfect example of Beane finding value when no one else wanted the guy. The A's develop most of their pitchers however. There are more down in the minors waiting to come up.

And yet he has never even gone to a World Series, much less won one. Andrew Friedman's hands were tied with finances as well with the Rays, and he was far more successful in his tenure than Beane has been in his. Better drafting, better player management, better outside-the-box-thinking, less chewing through managers every three years no matter how they do (which is the main reason why Beane hasn't won anything), etc. They made a movie about him when it could've easily been about Sandy Alderson (his much-more successful mentor and another GM who has done more with less with the Mets, of all teams).

 

[fearsomefour]

Alderson hasn't done anything with the Mets. The A's have consistently been a playoff team....or contending for the playoffs.
Rays did a great job, agreed.
Potato potaato I guess.

 

[Athos]

Could be a long offensive season....again, for the Cardinals.

Relying on pitching again for another season is gonna put a strain on our guys.

Heyward is looking awful and Adams isn't far behind.

Not enough power to make up for not having enough speed on this team.

 

[fearsomefour]

Here's Lee Elia's rant:

NSFW!!!

There are a bunch of good rants out there....Earl Weaver has a few classic ones....Lasorda has a few...."Bevacqua...."

 

[Memento]

Cardinals are still pouring it on. 10-4 record, first in the NL Central. They've won all but one series (the Cubs, where they tied and one game was postponed). This is awesome.

Go Cards!

 

[howski3318]

The Cards pitching has been awesome so far but I'm hoping the bats will wake up for some of the players over these next seven games against struggling teams. But 32 runs against in 14 games... That's crazy

 

[…..]

Oh the humantity......Giants break out the brooms on my Blue Crew. Sheesh

My room mate is a Giants fan...think I'm gonna go get a hotel for 5 or 6 weeks just to avoid him.