The 2018 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread.

[EmpireMaker]

So is Didi out for the season???

Gregorius will have his sprained wrist re-evaluated Wednesday, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.
Spin:
Gregorius says his wrist keeps feeling better. He'll field grounders during batting practice Tuesday but won't yet be allowed to throw. Gregorius expects to return before the end of the season.

[EmpireMaker]

I dropped Didi on all of my fantasy teams that are still playing.

[ApricotSinner32]

Anyone here up 5 figures or more playing fantasy sports?

[koz-man]

The Diamondbacks walk it off on Eduardo Escobar's home run off Kenta Maeda in the bottom of the ninth. Frustrating loss for the Dodgers as they go 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position (and 3-for-22 with men on base) and fall to 22-22 in one-run games. The NL West lead is down to a half-game over the Rockies.

[Chi_archie]

The Diamondbacks walk it off on Eduardo Escobar's home run off Kenta Maeda in the bottom of the ninth. Frustrating loss for the Dodgers as they go 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position (and 3-for-22 with men on base) and fall to 22-22 in one-run games. The NL West lead is down to a half-game over the Rockies.

amazing!

[Cross]

National league playoffs getting closer and closer.

[JaimeMiro]

National league playoffs getting closer and closer.

Time flies, can't believe we'll be watching the world series in a few weeks

[yisman]

here's what's left:

Oakland and Yankees battling for home field in play-in game

STL, LAD, and COL fighting for the final NL playoff spots. Two of those 3 will make it.

[BigSpoon]

Blue Jays announce John Gibbons won't return as manager in 2019. He's been a dead man walking since May, not surprised.

[cincinnatikid513]

would love to know what the records are for teams clinching a divison title the game after

[JaimeMiro]

It going to be a wild end to the season; results already getting way too erratic... Will only take the over this point on if I need to make plays

[batt33]

here's what's left:

Oakland and Yankees battling for home field in play-in game

STL, LAD, and COL fighting for the final NL playoff spots. Two of those 3 will make it.

well I'm down to giants ruining the dodgers party .... Ok rooting for the A's also.

[ApricotSinner32]

Good morning gentlemen good luck..

[EmpireMaker]

Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson has been diagnosed with a partially torn ligament in his left hand, the team announced today on Twitter. He’ll receive daily treatment over the season’s last few days before being reevaluated prior to the start of the National League Division Series. It’s the same hand that sent Swanson, 24, to the Disabled List for two weeks this May.
Swanson, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, was in desperate need of a rebound following his disastrous 2017 campaign, which saw him post below replacement-level marks in nearly a full season’s worth of time. For the most part, he eased concerns, upping his ISO from .092 to .157 and posting career highs across the board defensively, where his 11 DRS was good for 6th among all Major League shortstops.
His bat, though, projected by many to deliver perennially above-average marks in the average and on-base departments, has again failed to deliver on its promise. Swanson slumped to a miserable .213/.296/.376 over the season’s second half, struggling mightily against left-handed pitching and striking out nearly 23% of the time. His .283 xWOBA ranks 198th out of 205 players with at least 400 PA in 2018, which certainly doesn’t augur well for seasons to come.
Despite the struggles, though, Swanson has established himself as a legitimate regular in the middle of the diamond for the NL East-Champion Braves, who rode a coterie of hype-exceeding prospects to their first division title (and winning season) in five years. Swanson, to be sure, will be afforded ample opportunity to right the ship, what with his four years of team control remaining and not-too-distant status as a former #1 overall prospect.
In the interim, the Braves will almost surely turn to a mix of Charlie Culberson – he of the startling .279/.330/.484 line this season – and Johan Camargo, whose 117 wRC+ has wildly surpassed any available preseason projections, to man the position, with the other figuring to receive the bulk of the time at the hot corner.

[EmpireMaker]

Brothers Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. are set to host a showcase for big league clubs next Friday (Oct. 5) at Marlins Park, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Sanchez adds that right-hander Sandy Gaston will throw for clubs at the showcase as well. All three players are from Cuba, and all have been declared free agents by Major League Baseball.
At this point, it’s widely known that Victor Victor Mesa, the older of the two brothers, is considered to be the top available talent on the international market. He hit .354/.399/.539 with seven homers and 40 steals in just 70 games (290 plate appearances) in his last full season in the Cuban National Series (2016-17). The 22-year-old has drawn significant praise in scouting reports from Baseball America’s Ben Badler, being touted as an elite runner, potential plus defender in center field and a possible top-of-the-order bat.
The switch-hitting Mesa Jr. is considerably further from the Majors at 16 years of age, though he’s previously appeared for Cuba’s 18U National team despite an absence of professional experience to date. Like his older brother, he’s an outfielder that is free to sign with any club, though he didn’t land on MLB.com’s ranking of the top 30 international prospects, nor did he appear on Baseball America’s Top 50 (subscription required). Victor Victor topped both lists.
As for Gaston, he checked in 16th on MLB.com’s list and 24th on Badler’s list at BA. Gaston’s most appealing asset is the eye-popping velocity he’s already shown at a young age — he’s already touched 100 mph, per Badler — though that heat comes with red flags. He’s yet to show that he has any real ability to control his fastball, with Badler’s scouting report noting that he walked 46 hitters in 47 innings in his final season with Cuba’s 18U team. Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel scouted Gaston at the MLB International Showcase in February, tweeting that he hit 97 mph and flashed a pair of potentially average secondary offerings. However, he also hit a batter and threw four pitches to the backstop in that appearance.
All three players are subject to international bonus pools, as none meet the age (25) or professional experience (six years) requirements established in the latest collective bargaining agreement. (More on international signing rules here.)
Sanchez has previously listed the Orioles ($6.5MM), Marlins ($4.3MM), Rays ($3.6MM) and Dodgers ($2.78MM) as the teams with the top available bonus pools at present. Both Baltimore and Miami have been linked to Victor Victor Mesa on numerous occasions, and Miami was at one point believed to be a top potential landing spot for Gaston as well. The fact that the brothers Mesa are holding their showcase at Marlins Park doesn’t figure to do anything to quell the rumors connecting the two sides, though it hardly suggests that the Miami organization is the favorite to sign him, either. And it should be noted that other teams can still swing trades to pad their bonus pools, which could quickly alter the landscape of the market to land the elder Mesa sibling.

[jrgum3]

Looks like St. Louis is fading. I thought they'd make the playoffs because thats what they do but I think Colorado and Milwaukee are simply better than them.

[Otters27]

here's what's left:

Oakland and Yankees battling for home field in play-in game

STL, LAD, and COL fighting for the final NL playoff spots. Two of those 3 will make it.

NL is exciting. Rockies making a surge

[yisman]

Ohtani .930 OPS in 101 games. (22 homers, 9 steals)

Plus his 10 games started (11 K/9).

Impressive rookie season despite the elbow injury.

Surgery scheduled for right after the season.

[koz-man]

Addison Russell's paid leave of absence has been extended through Sunday, the end of the regular season, a source confirmed. Russell was placed on leave last Friday as MLB investigated abuse claims from his ex-wife. That leave, normally for 7 days, can be extended by request of the league, in conjunction with the player's union.

[hotcross]

here's what's left:
Oakland and Yankees battling for home field in play-in game

STL, LAD, and COL fighting for the final NL playoff spots. Two of those 3 will make it.

NL seems ripe for at least one tiebreaker game after 162

[Chi_archie]

addison russell's paid leave of absence has been extended through sunday, the end of the regular season, a source confirmed. Russell was placed on leave last friday as mlb investigated abuse claims from his ex-wife. That leave, normally for 7 days, can be extended by request of the league, in conjunction with the player's union.

he gone

[JMobile]

What a wild end of the season.

[batt33]

What a wild end of the season.

see if the Giants can derail the dodgers...both teams have a history of doing it to each other albeit it has been awhile...

[jrgum3]

see if the Giants can derail the dodgers...both teams have a history of doing it to each other albeit it has been awhile...

Well the Giants are really trying to stick it to the Dodgers the best they can. MadBum made sure that he was pitching in this series and with Derek Rodriguez and Andy Suarez pitching I think the Giants have a good chance to take 2 out of 3 so the Rockies have to feel good about taking the division if they just take care of their business.

[cincinnatikid513]

astros rockies world series please

[BarkingToad]

Ohtani .930 OPS in 101 games. (22 homers, 9 steals)

Plus his 10 games started (11 K/9).

Impressive rookie season despite the elbow injury.

Surgery scheduled for right after the season.

He should get Rookie of the year

[cincinnatikid513]

just saw that piece on espn about khris davis, crazy how he hit .247 3 years in a row and he is right around there with 3 games left this year and his career spring training avg is .247

[Chi_archie]

.247 the magic number

[Otters27]

Looks like we will could easily have a play in game in the National League

[EmpireMaker]

Sept. 26: Rosenthal announced on Twitter that his showcase will be held October 3rd in Irvine, CA.
Aug. 14: Former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal’s progress from Tommy John surgery appears to be progressing nicely, as the right-hander took to Twitter today to announce that he’s planning an October showcase for interested clubs. Rosenthal has tweeted a few clips of himself pitching over the past month and included another with today’s announcement.
Details of his showcase aren’t yet clear, but it stands to reason that virtually every team in the Majors will at least have a scout on hand to watch the former All-Star. By the time October rolls around, Rosenthal will be 13 months removed from the operation he underwent late last August — closer to 14 months if he waits until the end of the month. He’ll be a full 18 months removed from surgery by the time pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training next February.
Rosenthal had multiple options in free agency this past offseason. Some hurlers in similar situations of late have inked modest two-year deals, locking in some earnings but also leaving plenty of upside on the table. Instead, Rosenthal will pursue much the same route that fellow closer and fellow Scott Boras client Greg Holland took after having Tommy John surgery late in the 2015 season. Holland sat out the 2016 campaign entirely and signed a one-year, $7MM deal with heaps of incentives and a vesting player option.
Unlike Holland, who was 29 when he had his surgery and 31 by the time he signed with the Rockies, Rosenthal will have relative youth on his side. He underwent surgery at the age of 27 and won’t turn 29 until late next May, so he’ll be considerably younger than Holland was. Rosenthal was also on the upswing at the time he was hurt, whereas Holland had struggled and lost velocity while evidently pitching through injury.
Still, the Holland contract could serve as something of a barometer when trying to gauge Rosenthal’s earning power this offseason, and it’s likely encouraging for Rosenthal’s camp that in spite of last year’s free-agent freeze, relief pitchers as a group were generally still well-compensated. It seems likely to expect that, if all goes well at his showcase, he’ll be in position to command a big league deal with a fairly significant salary in addition to performance incentives. If Rosenthal shows the same stuff he did in 2017 — when he averaged 98.8 mph with his fastball and generated a 15.9% swinging-strike rate — then there could be a bidding war.
Rosenthal’s track record will obviously also be a factor. While his tenure with the Cardinals had its ups and downs, his collective body of work in St. Louis was unquestionably impressive. In 325 innings out of the Cardinals’ bullpen, Rosenthal pitched to a 2.99 ERA and racked up 121 saved. Along the way, he averaged 12.1 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 and 0.47 HR/9 with a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate. Rosenthal’s fastball averaged 97.4 mph in his time with the Cardinals, and he generated a healthy 13.1 percent swinging-strike rate and a 30.3 percent chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone.

[yisman]

He should get Rookie of the year

I would agree. He missed some games but he was easily more impressive than Andujar or Torres.

[koz-man]

Didi Gregorius (wrist) and Aaron Hicks (hamstring) make their returns to the Yankees' lineup for the opener of the regular season's final series:

McCutchen LF
Judge RF
Hicks CF
Stanton DH
Voit 1B
Gregorius SS
Andújar 3B
Sánchez C
Torres 2B
Happ SP

[ApricotSinner32]

Good luck tonight boys

[BigSpoon]

Cards look like they are done.

[JMobile]

Cards look like they are done.

Unless they can win all the leftover games.