The 2017 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[stevenash]

Matt Kemp just hit his third homer of the game.
Dude is on fire.

Speaking on fire, Jake Lamb just hammered a pitch that landed someplace in Tuscon, or maybe even Yuma.
Car-Go didn't even move in RF.

Ivan Nova just keeps on amazing.
Nova just pitched a complete game, three hit shutout.
Walked none, he still has only walked one all season.

Nova (W, 3-2)	9.0	3	0	0	0	7	0	95-65	1.50

How come the Yankees can't get a pitcher like that?


Mark Reynolds just broke his bat and still hit the ball out.
Sick power.

[EmpireMaker]

Eric Thames’ agent, Adam Karon, was the driving force behind the now-Brewers’ slugger’s decision to sign with the Korea Baseball Organization in 2013, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “My view was, ‘Look, you’ve always been successful when you’ve played every day, and you’re not going to get the opportunity here,’” Karon said. “He was the last man on the 40-man roster of the worst team in baseball.”
Then a member of the Astros organization and a participant in the Venezuelan Winter League, Thames scoffed at Karon’s suggestion initially. However, he had a change of heart and ended up inking a two-year deal with the NC Dinos. Thames became a sensation in Korea, where he toyed with the KBO’s offspeed-heavy pitchers from 2014-16. He parlayed that success into a three-year, $16MM pact with the Brewers this past winter, and the first baseman has certainly done his part to justify that investment so far. The 30-year-old entered Saturday leading the league in both home runs (11) and ISO (an absurd .506), and he has swung at just 19.8 percent of pitches outside the strike zone – down from 36.3 percent with the Mariners and Blue Jays from 2011-12. There is skepticism toward Thames’ success, though, evidenced in part by the fact that the league administered him a random drug test for the third time in a 10-day span on Friday, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Thames seems more amused than bothered by the testing, but he’s not sure how “random” it actually is, relays Haudricourt (Twitter link).

[Andy117]

Adam Eaton was forced to leave Friday's game against the Mets in the night inning due to an apparent leg injury.

Eaton hustled to beat out an infield single in the ninth inning but immediately collapsed after reaching the first base bag and had to be carried off of the field. He appeared to roll his left ankle on the base as he ran through. He'll undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine the full extent of the injury. Michael Taylor could see increased action in the outfield if Eaton is forced to miss any significant time with this injury. Look for an update on his status from the Nationals on Saturday.

Source: Jamal Collier on Twitter

============================

Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports that the Nationals will recall outfield prospect Rafael Bautista from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday.

He'll take the place of the injured Adam Eaton, who is presumably heading to the disabled list after leaving Friday's game with an ankle injury. Bautista, 24, is hitting .291/.325/.354 with no homers, two RBI and three stolen bases in 19 games at Triple-A Syracuse. He has terrific speed and could be worth a look for speed-starved teams in deeper mixed leagues if he's going to see everyday at-bats in center field while Eaton is sidelined.

Source: MASN Sports

Write Sox @WriteSox

Adam Eaton is the best player at hitting the base awkwardly and convincing you he’s gonna blow an Achilles one day.
12:08 AM - 5 Apr 2016

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[LT Profits]

Write Sox @WriteSox

Adam Eaton is the best player at hitting the base awkwardly and convincing you he’s gonna blow an Achilles one day.
12:08 AM - 5 Apr 2016

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  66 Retweets
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  1919 likes

Nostradamus-like

[koz-man]

ELIAS: Albert Pujols recorded his 1,839th career RBI Saturday; now tied with Ted Williams and Al Simmons for 12th on the all-time RBI list.

Most Wins Above Replacement - OF since'14
1. Mike Trout 29.9
2. Mookie Betts 18.4
3. Kiermaier 17.1
4. Lorenzo Cain 16.2
5. Adam Eaton 15.6

[koz-man]

*Ivan Nova has faced 396 batters since joining the Pirates: He hasn't had a 3-0 count on ANY of them.

*Ivan Nova: since joining the Pirates in August last season, he has more complete games (5) than walks (4)

*Most HR by Rookie in April 2017
Aaron Judge 10 2016
Trevor Story 10 2014
José Abreu 10
Yankees play Orioles today/final April game

*Most HR in National League - Past 4 Seasons
Nolan Arenado 108
Anthony Rizzo 101
Giancarlo Stanton 98

[BigSpoon]

Blue Jays activate Aaron Sanchez from DL, he will start against the Rays this afternoon.

[Chi_archie]

*Ivan Nova has faced 396 batters since joining the Pirates: He hasn't had a 3-0 count on ANY of them.

*Ivan Nova: since joining the Pirates in August last season, he has more complete games (5) than walks (4)

*Most HR by Rookie in April 2017
Aaron Judge 10 2016
Trevor Story 10 2014
José Abreu 10
Yankees play Orioles today/final April game

*Most HR in National League - Past 4 Seasons
Nolan Arenado 108
Anthony Rizzo 101
Giancarlo Stanton 98

pure craziness

[stevenash]

Stop the presses:
Aaron Judge did not homer his first time at bat

[stevenash]

Could this be the firsrt and last MLB start for Mr. De Jong?

C De Jong	2.2	9	6	6	2	1	1	73-40	11.05
C Fien	0.1	2	3	3	1	1	1	18-12	15.00

[El Nino]

The Washington Nationals now have the best run differential in the majors after gaining +18 in their 23-5 bitch slap of the Mets. They are +48, followed by the Yankees at +43, and the Dbacks at +29.

[Andy117]

No team handles injuries worse than the Mets. Expect this to be worse than it sounds.

[Otters27]

Colorado and Arizona end the month of April on top of NL west

[LT Profits]

The Washington Nationals now have the best run differential in the majors after gaining +18 in their 23-5 bitch slap of the Mets. They are +48, followed by the Yankees at +43, and the Dbacks at +29.

Dbacks have been aided by playing home games with roof open at high elevation. They should come back to earth offensively with roof closed more often than not rest of the season.

[stevenash]

Colorado and Arizona end the month of April on top of NL west

And I have 20 bucks riding on Arizina WILL make the playoffs at 4:1 odds.

[LT Profits]

Dbacks have been aided by playing home games with roof open at high elevation. They should come back to earth offensively with roof closed more often than not rest of the season.

Games in Arizona so far this season:

Roof Open - OVER 12-2
Roof Closed - UNDER 3-0

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Will Myers hits the game winning homer in extra innings for the Pads.

[El Nino]

Dbacks have been aided by playing home games with roof open at high elevation. They should come back to earth offensively with roof closed more often than not rest of the season.

Going to be 100 degrees by Wednesday. The roof should be closed from here on out.

[stevenash]

Going to be 100 degrees by Wednesday. The roof should be closed from here on out.

The Snakes/Rox game the other night went to extra innings 0-0.
Think about that for a second, Chase isn't Coor's field, but it's still a launching pad, like the third best hitters park in the majors depending on what metric you use.

You have like I said a launching pad for a park, two very mediocre pitchers, two line ups that feature six all stars, and ten hitters that are all over .280, two of the top five most feared line ups in all of baseball.

You mean to tell me, a game where you have Pollock, Tomas, Lamb, Goldy, Arendo, Blackmon, Car-Go, Trevor Story, and on and on and on, and neither side can push across a run.

I'll go the record here and say this will never happen again.

[BigSpoon]

Blue Jays activate Aaron Sanchez from DL, he will start against the Rays this afternoon.

Sanchez only lasted one inning in his start yesterday before leaving with a split fingernail.

[LT Profits]

The Snakes/Rox game the other night went to extra innings 0-0.
Think about that for a second, Chase isn't Coor's field, but it's still a launching pad, like the third best hitters park in the majors depending on what metric you use.

You have like I said a launching pad for a park, two very mediocre pitchers, two line ups that feature six all stars, and ten hitters that are all over .280, two of the top five most feared line ups in all of baseball.

You mean to tell me, a game where you have Pollock, Tomas, Lamb, Goldy, Arendo, Blackmon, Car-Go, Trevor Story, and on and on and on, and neither side can push across a run.

I'll go the record here and say this will never happen again.

That game was roof closed.

[Cross]

Before Game time, where do you check to see if the roof is closed or not?

[LT Profits]

Check here shortly before the next home stand starts next week:

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/ari/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=roof

[Chi_archie]

Check here shortly before the next home stand starts next week:

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/...p?content=roof

good stuff!!!

[koz-man]

Stop the presses:
Aaron Judge did not homer his first time at bat

Figures. The first time I made a prop bet for a player to hit a homer & its a loser!!!!

[koz-man]

Although the Cubs ranked among the top half of the majors in several hitting and pitching categories for April, the defending champs enter May just two games above .500 -- but still sit atop the NL Central.

[EmpireMaker]

Following the loss of Adam Eaton for what could be the remainder of the season, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan touched on the possibility of a Royals/Nationals trade in his latest Ten Degrees column. The Nationals, according to Passan, expressed interest in Lorenzo Cain this offseason before they acquired Eaton in the first place. While the two sides obviously didn’t line up on a deal at the time, Passan notes that the combination of Cain and closer Kelvin Herrera, whom FOX’s Ken Rosenthal tied to the Nationals over the weekend, could present the Nats with the ability to fill two needs with one trade. While multiple reports have suggested that the Royals aren’t yet ready to sell, Passan notes that Kansas City’s 7-15 record and -37 run differential are both the worst marks in baseball, which means that even a strong performance in May might not be enough to turn their season around entirely.
A bit more from the NL East…

• Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News spoke to a pair of sports orthopedists about the partial tear of Noah Syndergaard’s right lat muscle, discussing the ways in which it can be treated and the potential absence Syndergaard could face. While all of those factors are dependent on the severity of the tear, neither medical expert suggested that surgery was likely. Ackert offers quotes from both Dr. Anthony Maddalo and Dr. Kenneth Mautner (the latter of whom is a team physician with the Braves), with each going into detail on the nature of lat injuries. While a platelet-rich plasma injection isn’t a standard treatment for a torn lat muscle, both said it could theoretically help accelerate the healing process. Rest, rehab and stretching were also suggested as possibilities, with a program along those lines taking potentially up to six weeks, Ackert notes. There’s still no official word on a timeline from the Mets, though Sandy Alderson will address reporters at 4pm ET.
• Syndergaard’s injury is obviously a severe problem for the Mets, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that the injury is symbolic of a greater problem for baseball as a whole. The increased emphasis on velocity continues to put pitchers at risk, Rosenthal suggests, as young arms focus more on overpowering hitters than prioritizing durability. Rosenthal spoke extensively with Hall of Famer and current broadcaster John Smoltz on the matter. “(In the past), each pitcher was given the opportunity to learn what kind of pitcher they were going to be,” said Smoltz. “Now they’re all robots. … We’re getting dangerously close to every pitcher red-lining when he doesn’t really have to. They’re not preparing to learn how to pitch like it’s a six-gear car. They’re always in sixth gear. Never in fourth or fifth.”
• Marlins skipper Don Mattingly spoke to Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel about the importance of right-hander Jose Urena and lefty Jarlin Garcia to his bullpen. Mattingly suggested that even after Urena was roughed up in his most recent appearance on Friday, the righty has been vital in terms of keeping other relievers fresh (a point that righty David Phelps also emphasized to Healey). Asked if Urena could be a starting pitcher in the long run, as he was in the minors, Mattingly wouldn’t commit to a role for a long-term role for the 25-year-old. As for Garcia, Mattingly offered plenty of praise on the 24-year-old rookie, who made his MLB debut last month. “I think he thinks he’s ready to be here,” said Mattingly, “and that’s always really important for the younger guys. They believe that they can pitch here. Sometimes that takes a little while, gut Jarlin seems to think he belongs here.” Mattingly noted that having multiple southpaws would be preferable, though as Healey notes, the front office emphasized overall effectiveness over handedness this winter.

[Andy117]

• Syndergaard’s injury is obviously a severe problem for the Mets, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that the injury is symbolic of a greater problem for baseball as a whole. The increased emphasis on velocity continues to put pitchers at risk, Rosenthal suggests, as young arms focus more on overpowering hitters than prioritizing durability. Rosenthal spoke extensively with Hall of Famer and current broadcaster John Smoltz on the matter. “(In the past), each pitcher was given the opportunity to learn what kind of pitcher they were going to be,” said Smoltz. “Now they’re all robots. … We’re getting dangerously close to every pitcher red-lining when he doesn’t really have to. They’re not preparing to learn how to pitch like it’s a six-gear car. They’re always in sixth gear. Never in fourth or fifth.”

Smoltz has a good point although his analogy needs some work. Pitching has become all about max velocity rather than just getting guys out.

[El Nino]

The Snakes/Rox game the other night went to extra innings 0-0.
Think about that for a second, Chase isn't Coor's field, but it's still a launching pad, like the third best hitters park in the majors depending on what metric you use.

You have like I said a launching pad for a park, two very mediocre pitchers, two line ups that feature six all stars, and ten hitters that are all over .280, two of the top five most feared line ups in all of baseball.

You mean to tell me, a game where you have Pollock, Tomas, Lamb, Goldy, Arendo, Blackmon, Car-Go, Trevor Story, and on and on and on, and neither side can push across a run.

I'll go the record here and say this will never happen again.

Blackmon, LeMahieu, Arenado, Cargo went 1-22

[EmpireMaker]

The latest installment of “Knocking Down The Door” includes Eric Hosmer’s possible heir apparent, a pair of Double-A pitchers looking to make the jump to an MLB rotation, a dominant Triple-A starter who could be facing off against the Red Sox this weekend, and the lone player from the big December 2012 trade between the Rays and Royals who has yet to reach the big leagues.
Here’s a look at five Minor Leaguers who are currently “Knocking Down The Door” to the Major Leagues.
Jose Berrios, SP, Minnesota Twins (Triple-A Rochester)
With a current opening in the Twins’ rotation—Adalberto Mejia was optioned to Triple-A after his last start—it’s likely that a Triple-A pitcher will be called up later this week. One glance at Berrios’ stats (1.09 ERA, 33 IP, 18 H, 8 BB, 35 K) after his latest gem—he pitched two-hit ball over eight scoreless innings on Sunday—and he appears to be the obvious choice. But this might not be the “slam dunk” it appears to be.
The 22-year-old Berrios has been dominating Triple-A hitters since 2015. It just didn’t carry over to the big leagues during his rookie season (8.02 ERA in 14 starts), which is why the Twins will want to be extra cautious before calling him up again. If they feel that he’s made the proper adjustments that will allow him to succeed and remain on the MLB roster for good, there’s a good chance he’ll be pitch against the Red Sox this weekend.
Twins Depth Chart

Patrick Leonard, 3B/1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (Triple-A Durham)

The lack of production against left-handed pitching from platoon players Peter Bourjos, Daniel Robertson and Rickie Weeks Jr. and a nagging foot injury to Evan Longoria—he’s out of the lineup on Monday—could have the Rays on the lookout for some help in the near future. They could find it down in Triple-A where Leonard, a right-handed hitting third baseman who has also played first base and the corner outfield spots, is putting up huge numbers.
In the midst of a nine-game hitting streak (17-for-36), the 24-year-old Leonard has his slash line up to .412/.474/.553 with two homers, six doubles and five stolen bases. He was names the “International League Player of the Month”. An MLB call-up would top that honor.
Rays Depth Chart

Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds (Double-A Pensacola)
Part of a rebuilding team’s plan should be, and often is, to stock up on inexpensive veteran arms to eat up innings at the big league level while young prospects develop down on the farm. The Reds did not make that a strong priority in the offseason and the injuries to Anthony DeSclafani and Brandon Finnegan have only exacerbated the issue. As a result, at least two rotation spots could continue to be revolving doors throughout the season and any pitcher in the upper minors can force themselves into the mix.
Pitching a perfect game, as the 22-year-old Mahle did on April 22nd, should have placed him squarely on the Reds’ radar. He followed that up by throwing six shutout innings in last start, lowering his ERA to 0.55 with an astounding 0.52 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. While Triple-A Louisville would seem to be a more likely next destination for Mahle, the Reds could opt to ride the hot hand and find out if he’s ready to help out now.
Reds Depth Chart

Andrew Moore, SP, Seattle Mariners (Double-A Jackson)
It was Chase De Jong who was given the first crack at Felix Hernandez’s rotation spot and, based on the results (2.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 H), he might not get another start anytime soon. There are some decent options in Triple-A with MLB experience, including Chris Heston and Christian Bergman, but their best answer for some rotation stability could be a level below.
Since a promotion to Double-A Jackson last May, Moore has allowed more than two earned runs in only six of 24 appearances (23 starts) and has pitched at least six innings in fourteen of those games. That rare combination of consistency, durability and efficiency is why the 22-year-old right-hander could make a successful jump into the Major League rotation.
Mariners Depth Chart

Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Kansas City Royals (Triple-A Omaha)
Despite nine straight losses and an MLB worst 7-16 record, it’s probably a bit too early to write off the Royals and deem them “sellers” in early May. Even if they were, they’d have a difficult time finding a good deal for struggling first baseman Eric Hosmer, who has two extra-base hits—one double and one triple—and a .573 OPS. That doesn’t mean it’s too early to get a look at his possible successor, O’Hearn, who had a .312/.361/.571 slash line, five homers and 10 multi-hit games in April.
Brandon Moss has shown some signs of life as of late (4-for-12, 2 HR in last three games), but he’s been a disappointment with a .617 OPS and 24 strikeouts in his first 68 plate appearances. Signed to a two-year, $12MM deal in the offseason, he’s not in danger of losing his roster spot, but he could lose at-bats to the left-handed hitting O’Hearn until Hosmer is traded.

[Chi_archie]

cubs starters gotta be close to turning it around, no?

[koz-man]

Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds (Double-A Pensacola)

Pitching a perfect game, as the 22-year-old Mahle did on April 22nd, should have placed him squarely on the Reds’ radar. He followed that up by throwing six shutout innings in last start, lowering his ERA to 0.55 with an astounding 0.52 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. While Triple-A Louisville would seem to be a more likely next destination for Mahle, the Reds could opt to ride the hot hand and find out if he’s ready to help out now.
Reds Depth Chart

This is encouraging news as a Reds fan!!!!

[Cross]

Cubs bats still struggling a bit too. Their relief pitching is very good so far.

[stevenash]

Chatwood on the road tonight fellas in Petco.
I hit the Rox pretty hard.

[El Nino]

Rockies offense going stale. Coming back to Earth. NL West leading Dbacks say, Thanks.