The 2015 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[EmpireMaker]

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was scratched from Saturday's start with shoulder fatigue.
His shoulder didn't need much rest. He entered the game as a designated hitter in the third inning and hit the first pitch he saw for a two-run home run. Three innings later, he added a solo shot.
The outburst gives Bryant six home runs this spring. Not only does that lead the Majors, but he's out-homered five teams.

[EmpireMaker]

Does anyone know where I can find starting rotations for each team

the teams usually announce their starting lineups on Twitter too

[Chi_archie]

the teams usually announce their starting lineups on Twitter too

I took the question to mean where to find the 5 man rotation of starting pitchers that teams will have for the year

here is a site for the lineups of all the games of the day all on one page as they are released

social media is great if you are looking for one particular team/game and you can find the beat writers's twitter, blog, facebook ect.

http://www.baseballpress.com/lineups

[Tatsu]

What do you guys think about Dee Gordon this year, last season he was fantastic and I was able to pick him up on the FA list and I'm trying to determine if I should keep him or what round you believe he should be drafted? We can keep 6 players and I have other potential keepers also like.

Miguel Cabrera
E. Encarnacion
Corey Dickerson
Michael Brantley
Victor Martinez
Buster posey
C. Kimbrel
Matt Scherzer
Nolan Arenado
Jason Heyward
James Shields
M. Tanaka

League is standard 5x5 roto league with 10 teams, also I won the league last season and therefor I have the last pick in every round since we don't use a snake draft.

I have been working so much the past few months and have no real time to dedicate to researching and preparing for my keeper list I am depending on help from all of you to help me make the best of my keepers. So thanks ahead of time for the help....

[Shortstop]

Does anyone know where I can find starting rotations for each team

not on one page but if you go to each mlb teams espn page you can click depth chart and see the rotation as they guess it will look

What Arch said, plus I would recommend visiting the specific teams own website to get more in-depth information.

Although more time consuming, you'll probably get more accurate and updated news.

Good Luck!

[Shortstop]

http://www.baseballpress.com/lineups

An absolute must! Great assist, Arch! HUGH!

[Shortstop]

Spring Training Batting Average Leaders...

1.		Trout, M	LAA	.556
2.		Valbuena, L	HOU	.526
3.		Gose, A	DET	.520
4.		Mayberry, J	NYM	.476
4.		Moore, T	WSH	.476

[EmpireMaker]

Four of the most exciting young arms in Major League Baseball toe the rubber on a must-see Monday in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.
Mets right-hander Matt Harvey (NYM @ BOS, 1:05 p.m. ET) starts the day off against the Red Sox, as he makes his third start of the spring. Harvey, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, looks to increase his workload to four innings and around 60 pitches. The game can be heard live on Gameday Audio.


"I'm always excited to keep going out there and throw some more," Harvey said. "I've never pitched against the Red Sox during Spring Training. I know we play them this year [Aug. 28-30 at Citi Field], so it's going to be good to get over there and get used to their lineup a little bit. It's nice knowing that the pitch counts are increasing and the workload is going up, so that's always a good sign. It's a good sign that we're getting close to the season."
Correa, Appel on 2015, future Astros prospects Carlos Correa and Mark Appel share their goals for 2015 and discuss the exciting young talent in the Minors
Astros right-hander Mark Appel (HOU @ WAS, 1:05 p.m. ET) has had a rough start to his pro career, sporting a 5.93 Minor League ERA after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2013 Draft. He'll make his second spring appearance and, despite experiencing some elbow tightness, says he's ready to go. The game can be seen live on MLB.TV.
"They just want to be overly cautious," Appel said. "It is what it is. The way I see it, I'm either healthy to where I can pitch or I can't pitch and I'm not healthy. I'm healthy and I can pitch. I'm ready to go."
Rodon on start vs. Rangers 3/11/15: White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon and manager Robin Ventura talk about Rodon's performance following a rocky Spring Training start
White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (CWS @ ARI, 4:10 p.m. ET) came to Spring Training looking to make the big club either as the No. 5 starter or as a bullpen arm. His chances to make the rotation heightened with lefty Chris Sale missing time with a foot injury, but Rodon was off the mark in his last start, allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Rangers.
"Felt good, felt strong," Rodon said. "Just fastball command wasn't as good as last time."

[Chi_archie]

Rodon is key to the sox competing this year

[BigSpoon]

Zach Wheeler has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Tough blow for the Mets starting rotation.

[koz-man]

Does anyone know where I can find starting rotations for each team

http://www.baseballpress.com/lineups

[MexicanStallion]

Zach Wheeler has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Tough blow for the Mets starting rotation.

This is a tough loss for the Mets. Wheeler helped my rotation win the championship last season.

[Andy117]

I hate baseball sometimes.

[Chi_archie]

Zach Wheeler has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Tough blow for the Mets starting rotation.

unreal

[EmpireMaker]

General manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that Wheeler had two offseason MRIs which showed no ligament tear. However, Wheeler did have a PRP injection in November, and experienced some pain in January. Alderson revealed that his latest MRI showed a full tear of the ligament, per Adam Rubin of ESPN and Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
"You're always prepared for bad news, but ... honestly, I have to say this kind of result is not totally unexpected," general manager Sandy Alderson said, per MLB.com.
Wheeler was scratched from Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with elbow tenderness and a blister under his middle fingernail. He downplayed the issue on Saturday before the team brought him in for an MRI on Sunday, which revealed a torn elbow ligament. If Wheeler opts for Tommy John surgery -- which appears likely he'll miss te 2015 season.

[EmpireMaker]

Harvey, Colon, DeGrom, Niese and Gee is still a good rotation, with Snydergaard as a sixth.

[koz-man]

Pirates could have baseball's best OF


BRADENTON, Fla. -- Two longtime scouts are sitting in the stands of McKechnie Field on a balmy spring training morning. Their fun debate: Which team has the best young outfield in baseball?

The first scout takes the Marlins. And it's hard to dispute that Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are all awesome talents. But the second scout has other ideas.

"I'll take the Pirates," he says. "The center fielder [Andrew McCutchen] might be the best player in baseball. And the upside of the left fielder [Starling Marte] and the right fielder [Gregory Polanco] is off the charts. Both those guys could be anything they want to be. If all the upside of those two comes out, nobody can match that."

The best young outfield in baseball. Roll that around your brain for a minute. But then wonder about this: Is it possible the Pittsburgh Pirates are about to trot out the best any kind of outfield in baseball?

Correct answer: Extremely possible.

McCutchen -- a top-three MVP finisher three years in a row. Marte -- a fellow whose .975 second-half OPS was the fourth best in the National League (behind only Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Buster Posey). And Polanco -- whose minor league numbers over the past three years compute to .310/.375/.482, with 94 stolen bases tossed in there just to make your eyes throb.

"Potentially," says a third scout, "you're talking about three perennial All-Stars."
Three perennial All-Stars? So we're talking Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke then? Or Clemente/Stargell/Alou?
[+] EnlargeReinhold Matay/USA TODAY SportsAndrew McCutchen has had a .400 or better on-base percentage in each of the past three seasons.


Well, whatever names you're talking, if that's where these three guys are heading, you're talking something special.

"I'm just happy to be out there with them," says McCutchen. "Hopefully, we can all make a lot of history together.

[MexicanStallion]

Dallas Keuchel has been named the Astros' Opening Day starter.

Keuchel is plenty deserving, as he posted a surprising 2.93 ERA and 146/48 K/BB ratio in 200 innings across 29 starts last season. He'll attempt to build on that success in 2015.

[Shortstop]

General manager Sandy Alderson told reporters that Wheeler had two offseason MRIs which showed no ligament tear. However, Wheeler did have a PRP injection in November, and experienced some pain in January. Alderson revealed that his latest MRI showed a full tear of the ligament, per Adam Rubin of ESPN and Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
"You're always prepared for bad news, but ... honestly, I have to say this kind of result is not totally unexpected," general manager Sandy Alderson said, per MLB.com.
Wheeler was scratched from Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with elbow tenderness and a blister under his middle fingernail. He downplayed the issue on Saturday before the team brought him in for an MRI on Sunday, which revealed a torn elbow ligament. If Wheeler opts for Tommy John surgery -- which appears likely he'll miss te 2015 season.

It's a good thing he didn't take the mound with a torn ligament.

I understand these guys want to play and fight through the pain, but he could have done some severe damage.

Perhaps career-ending damage...

The Mets have a black cloud hovering over them!

[Shortstop]

I hate baseball sometimes.

[ATTACH]79535[/ATTACH]

Baseball is definitely a funny game...

[Shortstop]

Pirates could have baseball's best OF


BRADENTON, Fla. -- Two longtime scouts are sitting in the stands of McKechnie Field on a balmy spring training morning. Their fun debate: Which team has the best young outfield in baseball?

The first scout takes the Marlins. And it's hard to dispute that Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are all awesome talents. But the second scout has other ideas.

"I'll take the Pirates," he says. "The center fielder [Andrew McCutchen] might be the best player in baseball. And the upside of the left fielder [Starling Marte] and the right fielder [Gregory Polanco] is off the charts. Both those guys could be anything they want to be. If all the upside of those two comes out, nobody can match that."

The best young outfield in baseball. Roll that around your brain for a minute. But then wonder about this: Is it possible the Pittsburgh Pirates are about to trot out the best any kind of outfield in baseball?

Correct answer: Extremely possible.

McCutchen -- a top-three MVP finisher three years in a row. Marte -- a fellow whose .975 second-half OPS was the fourth best in the National League (behind only Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Buster Posey). And Polanco -- whose minor league numbers over the past three years compute to .310/.375/.482, with 94 stolen bases tossed in there just to make your eyes throb.

"Potentially," says a third scout, "you're talking about three perennial All-Stars."
Three perennial All-Stars? So we're talking Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke then? Or Clemente/Stargell/Alou?
[+] EnlargeReinhold Matay/USA TODAY SportsAndrew McCutchen has had a .400 or better on-base percentage in each of the past three seasons.


Well, whatever names you're talking, if that's where these three guys are heading, you're talking something special.

"I'm just happy to be out there with them," says McCutchen. "Hopefully, we can all make a lot of history together.

This just may be my favorite post of all time!

[Andy117]

It's a good thing he didn't take the mound with a torn ligament.

I understand these guys want to play and fight through the pain, but he could have done some severe damage.

Perhaps career-ending damage...

The Mets have a black cloud hovering over them!

It's been difficult to be a Mets fan lately.

[Shortstop]

It's been difficult to be a Mets fan lately.

I think you all will be alright this year.

Just make sure to beat up on the NL Central, minus Pittsburgh of course!

[EmpireMaker]

It's been difficult to be a Mets fan lately.

I'm a Mets fan too, and I think that they are finally getting close to being a serious contender. I think this will be a good year for them, Wheeler going down hurts but they still have solid starting pitching. It has taken them a long time to build up a good team but I think they are very close.

[EmpireMaker]

Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday, according to the Star-Telegram. The procedure was done by Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Darvish missed the final weeks of the 2014 season due to elbow inflammation, and experienced tightness in his right triceps on March 5 before an MRI revealed a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. After multiple options from different doctors, Darvish and the Rangers opted for surgery, ending his 2015 season.
Darvish went 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts, tossing two complete games and one shutout last season. He is 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 680:218 K:BB ratio over 83 MLB starts (545 1/3 innings).

[Chi_archie]

Pirates could have baseball's best OF


BRADENTON, Fla. -- Two longtime scouts are sitting in the stands of McKechnie Field on a balmy spring training morning. Their fun debate: Which team has the best young outfield in baseball?

The first scout takes the Marlins. And it's hard to dispute that Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are all awesome talents. But the second scout has other ideas.

"I'll take the Pirates," he says. "The center fielder [Andrew McCutchen] might be the best player in baseball. And the upside of the left fielder [Starling Marte] and the right fielder [Gregory Polanco] is off the charts. Both those guys could be anything they want to be. If all the upside of those two comes out, nobody can match that."

The best young outfield in baseball. Roll that around your brain for a minute. But then wonder about this: Is it possible the Pittsburgh Pirates are about to trot out the best any kind of outfield in baseball?

Correct answer: Extremely possible.

McCutchen -- a top-three MVP finisher three years in a row. Marte -- a fellow whose .975 second-half OPS was the fourth best in the National League (behind only Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Buster Posey). And Polanco -- whose minor league numbers over the past three years compute to .310/.375/.482, with 94 stolen bases tossed in there just to make your eyes throb.

"Potentially," says a third scout, "you're talking about three perennial All-Stars."
Three perennial All-Stars? So we're talking Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke then? Or Clemente/Stargell/Alou?
[+] EnlargeReinhold Matay/USA TODAY SportsAndrew McCutchen has had a .400 or better on-base percentage in each of the past three seasons.


Well, whatever names you're talking, if that's where these three guys are heading, you're talking something special.

"I'm just happy to be out there with them," says McCutchen. "Hopefully, we can all make a lot of history together.

I hope Polanco starts to figure it out this year right from the start

[koz-man]

This just may be my favorite post of all time!

I was going to note that the scouts were probably drunk when they came up this.. ..lol

But got to give the Bucs props.

[EmpireMaker]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- If Masahiro Tanaka has any lingering issues from the elbow injury that cut short his 2014 season, he sure hasn't shown it this spring.
The Yankees' ace was dominant for the second time in as many outings on Wednesday night, striking out three batters while allowing two hits over 3 2/3 shutout innings in a 12-5 win over the Braves. This, of course, came after Tanaka retired all six batters he faced in his spring debut -- also against the Braves -- last Thursday.


"I'm pleased with the way he's throwing," manager Joe Girardi said. "Since Day 1 of Spring Training, we've been happy with what we've seen. ... He appears to be healthy, he's throwing the ball, so just keep running him out there and keep building him up."
Tanaka was cruising along vs. Atlanta, having faced the minimum, before serving up a hard-hit, two-out double to Freddie Freeman in the fourth inning that ended the right-hander's night. Still, Tanaka has retired 16 of the 18 batters he's faced this spring, while allowing only two of those hitters -- Freeman on his double and Zoilo Almonte on a third-inning flyout -- to hit the ball out of the infield in the air.
The other hit allowed by Tanaka came on a seeing-eye single up the middle by Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski. Tanaka, however, quickly erased that hit by inducing a double-play ball -- one of the six grounders he induced -- one batter later.
"Nothing special," Tanaka said through an interpreter, when asked if he was focusing on anything specific. "I just wanted to look and see how everything was working, how everything was coming out of my hand. I think it was all good."
As for when Tanaka's next start will come, Girardi said nothing is set in stone yet. This most recent start came on five days' rest, as the Yanks have been handling Tanaka's workload with caution this spring after he missed 2 1/2 months last season due to a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.
"I think it was a plus," Tanaka said of the extra rest. "I've been able to build up pretty well so far, so I think it has helped me."

[Chi_archie]

A.J is still playing?

[Shortstop]

A.J is still playing?

Haha! I thought the exact same thing as I read the article...

[Shortstop]

Spring Training RBI Leaders:

1.		Davis, C	BAL	10
1.		Ramirez, A	CWS	10
1.		Trout, M	LAA	10
4.		Bryant, K	CHC	9
4.		5 others tied		9

[d2bets]

Spring Training RBI Leaders:

1.		Davis, C	BAL	10
1.		Ramirez, A	CWS	10
1.		Trout, M	LAA	10
4.		Bryant, K	CHC	9
4.		5 others tied		9

Bryant is slugging 1.304. Crazy.

[koz-man]

Alex Cobb won't start Opening Day

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb has tendinitis in his right forearm and will miss his planned Opening Day start against Baltimore on April 6.


Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman made the announcement before Wednesday's game against Toronto, a day after the 27-year-old right-hander was removed after throwing three perfect innings in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia. Cobb had an MRI after the game.
AP Photo/Tony GutierrezAlex Cobb has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right forearm.




"It's never easy to know you have to take a step back," Cobb said during a telephone conference call. "The whole situation could be a lot worse."
Silverman hopes Cobb will return in mid-to-late April.

[MexicanStallion]

Alex Cobb won't start Opening Day


DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb has tendinitis in his right forearm and will miss his planned Opening Day start against Baltimore on April 6.

Who is going to fill out the Rays rotation. So many injuries. I know Colome should be penciled in the back end, but was late and sick. He's been behind.

[EmpireMaker]

Who is going to fill out the Rays rotation. So many injuries. I know Colome should be penciled in the back end, but was late and sick. He's been behind.

Mike Montgomery might be the guy that they use. He was AAA last season.