11 Bombs pretty good
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Let’s Revisit Bryce Harper’s Major-League Debut
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/n...5e6c-370076201
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Mad Bum very solid, his BP was just like a power hitter in MLB.Comment -
Rick Ankiel batted fifth in Harper's debut.
I loved that kid but he was always a strikeout waiting to happen.
Batting AB R H RBI BB SO PA Pit Str PO A Ian Desmond SS 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 21 17 1 2 Steve Lombardozzi 3B 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 15 11 0 1 Jayson Werth RF 5 0 1 0 0 1 5 19 13 0 0 Adam LaRoche 1B 5 1 2 1 0 0 5 20 10 8 2 Rick Ankiel CF 4 1 1 0 0 2 4 20 13 1 0 Danny Espinosa 2B 4 1 1 0 0 3 4 21 15 1 2 Bryce Harper LF 3 0 1 1 0 0 4 16 9 1 0 Wilson Ramos C 2 0 1 1 2 0 4 16 8 12 1 Stephen Strasburg P 3 0 1 0 0 1 3 7 6 3 1 Tyler Clippard P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Chad Tracy PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0 Henry Rodriguez P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tom Gorzelanny P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Team Totals 36 3 8 3 3 9 40 159 102 27 10 Comment -
Bryce Harper is over rated.Comment -
Season would have been 1 month old today.Comment -
Saw Bryce Harper play in person for the first time last season. He'll always be one of the most feared hitters in the game but he strikes out way too much. He strikes out 30% of the time which is typical for a power hitter these days. The Nationals were better off without him and it shows they won it all last year despite Harper moving on to the Phillies.Last edited by jrgum3; 04-28-20, 07:24 PM.Comment -
Averages about 30 homers a season in an era where most everybody hits 30 a year.
.276 BA is ordinary. Very nice OBA though and I'm big on OBA.
Plays a nice outfield though.
One thing that sticks out, he gets thrown out a lot stealing.
Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 2012 WSN 139 597 533 98 144 26 9 22 59 18 6 56 120 0.27 0.34 0.477 0.817 118 2013 WSN 118 497 424 71 116 24 3 20 58 11 4 61 94 0.274 0.368 0.486 0.854 133 2014 WSN 100 395 352 41 96 10 2 13 32 2 2 38 104 0.273 0.344 0.423 0.768 111 2015 WSN 153 654 521 118 172 38 1 42 99 6 4 124 131 0.33 0.46 0.649 1.109 198 2016 WSN 147 627 506 84 123 24 2 24 86 21 10 108 117 0.243 0.373 0.441 0.814 114 2017 WSN 111 492 420 95 134 27 1 29 87 4 2 68 99 0.319 0.413 0.595 1.008 156 2018 WSN 159 695 550 103 137 34 0 34 100 13 3 130 169 0.249 0.393 0.496 0.889 133 2019 PHI 157 682 573 98 149 36 1 35 114 15 3 99 178 0.26 0.372 0.51 0.882 125 8 Yrs 1084 4639 3879 708 1071 219 19 219 635 90 34 684 1012 0.276 0.385 0.512 0.897 137 162 Game Avg. 162 693 580 106 160 33 3 33 95 13 5 102 151 0.276 0.385 0.512 0.897 137 WSN (7 yrs) 927 3957 3306 610 922 183 18 184 521 75 31 585 834 0.279 0.388 0.512 0.9 139 PHI (1 yr) 157 682 573 98 149 36 1 35 114 15 3 99 178 0.26 0.372 0.51 0.882 125 Comment -
On this date, April 29, 2005 exactly fifteen years ago two 300 game winners (Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens) squared off against each other. Maddux and the Cubs defeated Clemens and the Astros 3-2.
The last time two 300 game winners faced each other was 18 years before that in 1987 when Don Sutton and the Angels beat Steve Carlton and the Twins.Comment -
Because of the coronavirus, the Athletics are facing at least one very sad possibility: Shortstop Marcus Semien may never wear their uniform again. Whether or not any kind of season happens, Semien will be eligible to reach free agency next winter. He’ll be among the most coveted players available, and the low-budget Athletics have never been known for splurging on anyone. The largest guarantee they’ve ever given out still belongs to former third baseman Eric Chavez, whom they signed to a $66MM guarantee way back in 2004. And frankly, if any one player on the current A’s is going to exceed that amount sometime soon, third baseman Matt Chapman is probably a better candidate than Semien.
Now, saying Oakland will probably prioritize Chapman isn’t a knock on Semien. But Semien’s a couple years older – his 30th birthday is in September, while Chapman just turned 27 today – and the A’s have less time to lock him up with a potential trip to free agency looming.
Should Semien walk, he’d be an enormous loss for the club. Originally acquired from the White Sox in a 2014 trade, Semien has gradually evolved into an elite shortstop. He was a decent player for the A’s from 2015-18, a four-year, 2,311-plate appearance stretch in which he accumulated 9.1 fWAR, but was only a league-average hitter throughout.
Semien truly turned a corner last season during a near-American League Most Valuable Player effort. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs and 10 stolen bases en route to 137 wRC+, the second-highest number among all full-time shortstops (only Boston’s Xander Bogaerts fared better). And while Semien’s work at short drew criticism in his younger days, 2019 represented his second straight resoundingly successful year as a defender. He put up 12 Defensive Runs Saved and managed a 6.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. The entire package was good for 7.6 fWAR, the fifth-highest amount in the majors and one that helped him to a third-place finish in AL MVP balloting behind Mike Trout and Alex Bregman.
It’s just about impossible to immediately replace what Semien brought to the table last season, but Oakland may soon have to make the attempt. The question is: How? As mentioned, the A’s aren’t big spenders. That said, it doesn’t seem crazy to think they could at least make an effort on Andrelton Simmons or Didi Gregorius, the next best free-agent shortstops in the upcoming winter’s class, if they only command short-term contracts. The rest of the market should be decidedly less inspiring at the position, but Oakland could plug in someone like Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglesias as affordable stopgaps capable of offering roughly league-average WAR totals. As for trades, would the A’s dare be aggressive enough to push their chips to the table for someone like Francisco Lindor of the Indians or the Rockies’ Trevor Story, free agents-to-be after 2021 who would surely be rentals for them?
Alternatively, there’s the chance of adding a second baseman via trade or free agency and shifting an in-house player to short. The trouble is that the A’s, Semien aside, don’t have any proven shortstop options from within their ranks. Franklin Barreto was once a premium middle infield prospect, but he hasn’t panned out so far, and he didn’t play much short in the minors from 2017-19. Sheldon Neuse appeared in all of nine minor league games there last season. Jorge Mateo has quite a bit of minors experience in the spot, but he hasn’t inspired at the plate. Vimael Machin’s a Rule 5 pick, and seldom do they turn into valuable performers. Prospects like Nick Allen or Logan Davidson could eventually be the solution, though neither has even gotten to Double-A yet.
Every team is in a difficult position as a result of the pandemic, but Oakland ranks near the top. The Athletics are a back-to-back 97-win team who, as constructed, could compete for a World Series championship. Semien’s an important part of that, though, and nobody knows whether he’ll play for the club again. But regardless of whether a season happens, the A’s may be mere months away from facing the unenviable task of trying to replace a player who has become a star in their uniform.Comment -
Trey Mancini has penned a must-read post for The Players’ Tribune in which he discusses his shocking colon cancer diagnosis and ongoing outlook. His uplifting attitude is most welcome in these difficult times.
As baseball tries to get back to the field in 2020, Mancini is sorting out the complicated logistics of treatment in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He discloses that he has been diagnosed with Stage III cancer, which will require six months of bi-weekly chemotherapy.
As Mancini acknowledges, that timeline makes it rather unlikely he’ll suit up for the Orioles in 2020, if indeed there is a season. As he puts it, “I just want to make sure that I am physically fine before I go out there and start trying to perform again at a major league level.”
It goes without saying that Mancini’s recovery is of primary importance. He says he hopes to remain active, but he’ll first need to beat the disease before he’s able to build back toward professional athletics. Additionally, added care is warranted to ensure that Mancini does not become exposed to COVID-19, as his diagnosis and treatment put him at greater risk of serious complications.Comment -
Yes, cancer patients have even more to worry about right now. People are so brave!Comment -
Because of the coronavirus, the Athletics are facing at least one very sad possibility: Shortstop Marcus Semien may never wear their uniform again. Whether or not any kind of season happens, Semien will be eligible to reach free agency next winter. He’ll be among the most coveted players available, and the low-budget Athletics have never been known for splurging on anyone. The largest guarantee they’ve ever given out still belongs to former third baseman Eric Chavez, whom they signed to a $66MM guarantee way back in 2004. And frankly, if any one player on the current A’s is going to exceed that amount sometime soon, third baseman Matt Chapman is probably a better candidate than Semien.
Now, saying Oakland will probably prioritize Chapman isn’t a knock on Semien. But Semien’s a couple years older – his 30th birthday is in September, while Chapman just turned 27 today – and the A’s have less time to lock him up with a potential trip to free agency looming.
Should Semien walk, he’d be an enormous loss for the club. Originally acquired from the White Sox in a 2014 trade, Semien has gradually evolved into an elite shortstop. He was a decent player for the A’s from 2015-18, a four-year, 2,311-plate appearance stretch in which he accumulated 9.1 fWAR, but was only a league-average hitter throughout.
Semien truly turned a corner last season during a near-American League Most Valuable Player effort. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs and 10 stolen bases en route to 137 wRC+, the second-highest number among all full-time shortstops (only Boston’s Xander Bogaerts fared better). And while Semien’s work at short drew criticism in his younger days, 2019 represented his second straight resoundingly successful year as a defender. He put up 12 Defensive Runs Saved and managed a 6.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. The entire package was good for 7.6 fWAR, the fifth-highest amount in the majors and one that helped him to a third-place finish in AL MVP balloting behind Mike Trout and Alex Bregman.
It’s just about impossible to immediately replace what Semien brought to the table last season, but Oakland may soon have to make the attempt. The question is: How? As mentioned, the A’s aren’t big spenders. That said, it doesn’t seem crazy to think they could at least make an effort on Andrelton Simmons or Didi Gregorius, the next best free-agent shortstops in the upcoming winter’s class, if they only command short-term contracts. The rest of the market should be decidedly less inspiring at the position, but Oakland could plug in someone like Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglesias as affordable stopgaps capable of offering roughly league-average WAR totals. As for trades, would the A’s dare be aggressive enough to push their chips to the table for someone like Francisco Lindor of the Indians or the Rockies’ Trevor Story, free agents-to-be after 2021 who would surely be rentals for them?
Alternatively, there’s the chance of adding a second baseman via trade or free agency and shifting an in-house player to short. The trouble is that the A’s, Semien aside, don’t have any proven shortstop options from within their ranks. Franklin Barreto was once a premium middle infield prospect, but he hasn’t panned out so far, and he didn’t play much short in the minors from 2017-19. Sheldon Neuse appeared in all of nine minor league games there last season. Jorge Mateo has quite a bit of minors experience in the spot, but he hasn’t inspired at the plate. Vimael Machin’s a Rule 5 pick, and seldom do they turn into valuable performers. Prospects like Nick Allen or Logan Davidson could eventually be the solution, though neither has even gotten to Double-A yet.
Every team is in a difficult position as a result of the pandemic, but Oakland ranks near the top. The Athletics are a back-to-back 97-win team who, as constructed, could compete for a World Series championship. Semien’s an important part of that, though, and nobody knows whether he’ll play for the club again. But regardless of whether a season happens, the A’s may be mere months away from facing the unenviable task of trying to replace a player who has become a star in their uniform.
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MadBum needs to hit more dingers.Comment -
Always kind of liked Marcus Semien's game. He will help some other club win most likely because the A's are too cheap to keep him around.Because of the coronavirus, the Athletics are facing at least one very sad possibility: Shortstop Marcus Semien may never wear their uniform again. Whether or not any kind of season happens, Semien will be eligible to reach free agency next winter. He’ll be among the most coveted players available, and the low-budget Athletics have never been known for splurging on anyone. The largest guarantee they’ve ever given out still belongs to former third baseman Eric Chavez, whom they signed to a $66MM guarantee way back in 2004. And frankly, if any one player on the current A’s is going to exceed that amount sometime soon, third baseman Matt Chapman is probably a better candidate than Semien.
Now, saying Oakland will probably prioritize Chapman isn’t a knock on Semien. But Semien’s a couple years older – his 30th birthday is in September, while Chapman just turned 27 today – and the A’s have less time to lock him up with a potential trip to free agency looming.
Should Semien walk, he’d be an enormous loss for the club. Originally acquired from the White Sox in a 2014 trade, Semien has gradually evolved into an elite shortstop. He was a decent player for the A’s from 2015-18, a four-year, 2,311-plate appearance stretch in which he accumulated 9.1 fWAR, but was only a league-average hitter throughout.
Semien truly turned a corner last season during a near-American League Most Valuable Player effort. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs and 10 stolen bases en route to 137 wRC+, the second-highest number among all full-time shortstops (only Boston’s Xander Bogaerts fared better). And while Semien’s work at short drew criticism in his younger days, 2019 represented his second straight resoundingly successful year as a defender. He put up 12 Defensive Runs Saved and managed a 6.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. The entire package was good for 7.6 fWAR, the fifth-highest amount in the majors and one that helped him to a third-place finish in AL MVP balloting behind Mike Trout and Alex Bregman.
It’s just about impossible to immediately replace what Semien brought to the table last season, but Oakland may soon have to make the attempt. The question is: How? As mentioned, the A’s aren’t big spenders. That said, it doesn’t seem crazy to think they could at least make an effort on Andrelton Simmons or Didi Gregorius, the next best free-agent shortstops in the upcoming winter’s class, if they only command short-term contracts. The rest of the market should be decidedly less inspiring at the position, but Oakland could plug in someone like Freddy Galvis or Jose Iglesias as affordable stopgaps capable of offering roughly league-average WAR totals. As for trades, would the A’s dare be aggressive enough to push their chips to the table for someone like Francisco Lindor of the Indians or the Rockies’ Trevor Story, free agents-to-be after 2021 who would surely be rentals for them?
Alternatively, there’s the chance of adding a second baseman via trade or free agency and shifting an in-house player to short. The trouble is that the A’s, Semien aside, don’t have any proven shortstop options from within their ranks. Franklin Barreto was once a premium middle infield prospect, but he hasn’t panned out so far, and he didn’t play much short in the minors from 2017-19. Sheldon Neuse appeared in all of nine minor league games there last season. Jorge Mateo has quite a bit of minors experience in the spot, but he hasn’t inspired at the plate. Vimael Machin’s a Rule 5 pick, and seldom do they turn into valuable performers. Prospects like Nick Allen or Logan Davidson could eventually be the solution, though neither has even gotten to Double-A yet.
Every team is in a difficult position as a result of the pandemic, but Oakland ranks near the top. The Athletics are a back-to-back 97-win team who, as constructed, could compete for a World Series championship. Semien’s an important part of that, though, and nobody knows whether he’ll play for the club again. But regardless of whether a season happens, the A’s may be mere months away from facing the unenviable task of trying to replace a player who has become a star in their uniform.Comment -
We’ve seen two of the brightest young offensive stars in baseball emerge in the National League East over the past couple years. The Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Nationals’ Juan Soto have been enormously successful since they made their debuts in 2018, and the outfielders have played important roles in helping lead their clubs to prominence. The Braves have taken the division in each of Acuna’s two seasons, while Soto was among the reasons the Nationals won their first-ever World Series last fall. The two look as if they’ll be franchise cornerstones for the long haul, but if you can only have one, which player would you pick?
Going by production, there hasn’t been a huge difference in their careers so far. The 22-year-old Acuna’s a 9.3-fWAR player through his first 1,202 plate appearances and a .285/.365/.532 hitter with 67 home runs, 53 stolen bases and an excellent wRC+ of 133. The righty masher fell just shy of a 40/40 effort in 2019, when he smacked 41 dingers and swiped an NL-high 37 bags. Furthermore, Acuna has fared respectably as a defender thus far – including as the Braves’ primary center fielder last year – with 16 DRS and a minus-0.6 UZR to this point.
By measure of wRC+, Soto has been an even more effective hitter than Acuna. Soto, who only became old enough to legally drink as last year’s World Series was going on, owns a jaw-dropping 143 mark in that category. The lefty swinger’s a .287/.403/.535 batter with 56 homers and 8.5 fWAR through 1,153 PA, though he doesn’t come close to Acuna in terms of stolen bases (17). Acuna’s overall defensive output has also been better, but Soto did make strides in that area last season. After putting up minus-6 DRS and minus-4.2 UZR as a rookie in left field, he improved to zero and minus-0.7 in those categories as a sophomore.
The overall numbers Acuna and Soto have managed at such young ages have been astounding. But you can’t just consider production when comparing the two. One of the key facts about Acuna is that his team has already locked him up for the foreseeable future, as the Braves extended him to an eight-year, $100MM guarantee after his first season. With $17MM club options for 2027 and ’28, the deal could keep Acuna in place for almost the whole decade. That’s a lengthy commitment and a lot of money, but it has nonetheless always come off as a no-brainer move from Atlanta’s perspective.
The Nationals would surely love to sign Soto to a similar pact, but it’s hard to believe they’ll get him on such a team-friendly deal. At the very least, though, they do still have the right to control the Scott Boras client for the next half-decade, including one more pre-arbitration year if a season does take place in 2020.Comment -
Mike Trout Still Best overall player?Comment -
Trout is on another level, not really human.Comment -
Let's just say Trout's career so far has had no clouds hanging over it.
Sad thing is Bonds was going to the Hall without the 'alleged'steroid use.
Trout has tested clean every season so far, which is remarkable because his body is chiseled.
I'm discounting the 2011 season where Trout was a mid summer 19 year old call up and had only 123 regular season at bats.
His first eight full seasons are mind boggling, blows the most hardened baseball minds
Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ 2012-2019 1159 5138 4217 883 1297 245 46 280 736 196 36 794 1088 0.308 0.422 0.587 1.009 179 Average 145 642 527 110 162 31 6 35 92 25 5 99 136 per 162 games 162 718 589 123 181 34 6 39 103 27 5 111 152
Once again I'm omitting the year 2011.
In 2017 Trout missed 48 games with that thumb injury where he couldn't hold a bat no less swing one and still wound up finishing fourth in the MVP voting.
In the seven full seasons that he's played in at least 139 or more games he's won the Rookie of the Year, been an All Star all seven of those seasons, won the Silver Slugger Award all seven of those seasons, and in those seven seasons finished first or second in the MVP voting all seven times (three time MVP winner and four time MVP runner up)
Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ Awards 2012 139 639 559 129 182 27 8 30 83 49 5 67 139 0.326 0.399 0.564 0.963 168 AS,MVP-2,RoY-1,SS 2013 157 716 589 109 190 39 9 27 97 33 7 110 136 0.323 0.432 0.557 0.988 179 AS,MVP-2,SS 2014 157 705 602 115 173 39 9 36 111 16 2 83 184 0.287 0.377 0.561 0.939 168 AS,MVP-1,SS 2015 159 682 575 104 172 32 6 41 90 11 7 92 158 0.299 0.402 0.59 0.991 176 AS,MVP-2,SS 2016 159 681 549 123 173 32 5 29 100 30 7 116 137 0.315 0.441 0.55 0.991 172 AS,MVP-1,SS 2017 114 507 402 92 123 25 3 33 72 22 4 94 90 0.306 0.442 0.629 1.071 186 AS,MVP-4 2018 140 608 471 101 147 24 4 39 79 24 2 122 124 0.312 0.46 0.628 1.088 198 AS,MVP-2,SS 2019 134 600 470 110 137 27 2 45 104 11 2 110 120 0.291 0.438 0.645 1.083 185 AS,MVP-1,SS Comment
