Well, I'm on my days off. That means back to Korean baseball.
-
Comment -
Time will tellComment -
When is everyone projected start date now?Comment -
The Giants’ acquisition of Trevor Gott came without fanfare and at virtually no cost; he was acquired from the Nationals last February for cash considerations, part of a seemingly endless churn at the back end of the 40-man roster in Farhan Zaidi’s first season at the helm. Gott might find himself back on the trade market this season (if play becomes feasible), and he’d figure to return quite a bit more than cash this time around.
Gott had a somewhat promising debut with the 2015 Angels, riding a monster 57.2% ground ball rate to a 3.02 ERA in 48 games. He was flipped to Washington that offseason for Yunel Escobar, but his career went off the rails. In parts of three seasons, he compiled a brutal 7.39 ERA over 28 innings with an uninspiring 24:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Quietly, he found a new gear in San Francisco last year, even if his 4.44 ERA wouldn’t suggest it. His strikeout rate spiked to 26.6%, well above his 17.8% mark in Washington and nearly twice as high as that of his time in Anaheim. The 27-year-old also made significant improvements as a strike-thrower. His first-pitch strike rate was up to 60.3%, right around league average. Getting ahead early in counts helped him cut down on walks substantially.
Gott has always been a fastball-reliant arm, but he seemingly changed the shape of his heater. Formerly a sinkerballer, Gott pivoted to heavy use of a four-seam last season, per Brooks Baseball. Predictably, his once elite ground ball numbers vanished, but he more than offset that with a jump in strikeouts. His mid-90’s four-seam fastball doesn’t have the spin and life of the game’s best heaters, but it nevertheless proved a better swing-and-miss offering than his sinker. On the surface, it also seems he had an easier time controlling the straighter offering.
So why was Gott’s run prevention mediocre? Sequencing luck, mostly. Despite holding opposing hitters to a .207/.270/.304 slash, he only stranded 62.5% of baserunners in 2019, an abnormally low mark that figures to rebound. If he can strand runners at something approaching the league average rate of 72.3% (pitchers’ strand rates often vary wildly season-to-season), Gott could be a mid-3.00’s ERA type.
The shortened season and potential expanded postseason would give the Giants a better shot of hanging in contention. Even in this environment, they won’t be considered any kind of favorite, though. Gott would make for a solid, under-the-radar addition to the summer trade market if San Francisco struggles. He comes with three additional seasons of team control, and arbitration salaries for middle relievers are relatively modest.
He wouldn’t return any sort of Godfather offer, but three-plus cheap seasons of an average or better reliever would be plenty valuable to a more immediate contender. Subtle breakthroughs like Gott’s are precisely what Zaidi and the SF front office have hoped to achieve with their constant reshuffling at the back of the roster.Comment -
Korea baseball is worth watching and it does give you something to bet on. Seems the Doosan Bears are my most profitable team to bet on. They won the championship last year so they're favored in most of their matchups but they're still one of the best teams this year so most nights its tough to go against Doosan and they've rewarded me with some winners.Comment -
Crazy that mixed martial arts can be done but no not baseball.Comment -
On this day May 18, in 1996, exactly 5 years ago today, the Marlins replaced fired manager Mike Redmond with GM Dan Jennings.
Oh by the way for those of you keeping score at home and I know you are, the Marlins lost that game too.Comment -
How can ya watch Korea baseball ? Links for streams?
TIAComment -
16 years ago on this day, Randy The Big Unit Johnson, got a perfect game.Comment -
The likelihood of playing a shortened 2020 MLB season without fans in attendance is prompting Major League clubs to explore the sale of tarp advertising on empty seats, according to industry sources.
The move would help make up a percentage of the millions of dollars in ticket and in-stadium revenue to be lost this season. MLB owners say they’ll lose an average of $640,000 per game in 2020 assuming players earn prorated salaries, USA Today reported. In 2019, 11% of the league’s entire revenue was generated by sponsorships.
The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly one MLB team currently working with data and measurement firm Nielsen to price out the inventory. The Reds declined to comment on the team’s sponsorship opportunities.
At the league level, MLB is also exploring selling advertising around tarped seats. However, MLB is not in active communication with Nielsen, league sources said. The strategy is also just one of many options MLB is considering as a means to generate additional revenue this season. The same can be said for Nielsen itself, which in an email confirmed the company is working with multiple professional leagues and teams to explore new opportunities that can generate revenue amid unique circumstances.
“It’s even more critical that we evaluate new opportunities to help our clients adjust to this new normal,” a Nielsen Sports spokesperson said. “While we haven’t formally launched a new service, we are exploring several new concepts designed to help our clients extract replacement value once games restart without fans in stadiums and ballparks.”
READ MORE: MLB Playoffs Remain Big Draw For Top Brands
Allowing for the placement of logos on tarps is not a new practice, at least for MLB teams. Brands including Reynolds Wrap, Glad, Bounty, and Skittles all advertised on on-field tarps during rain delays in the 2017 season, according to AdAge. The New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds are some notable teams that made ad inventory on field tarps available to sponsors.
MLB teams have already gotten creative in offering static advertising by utilizing the real estate around ballparks, including in dugouts, bullpen areas, and outfield walls.
Assuming teams are able to play out the 2020 season in their own stadiums, many brands would have already secured inventory for television-visible signage. This would present tarp advertising as a more lucrative branding opportunity for new buyers. “My only concern is clutter and broadcast angles,” Steve McNelley, senior vice president of consulting at marketing firm rEvolution, said. “How will different teams, entities, and venues make sure that those signs appear on television?”
READ MORE: Sports Marketers Shift Dollars and Prepare for Compressed Schedules
Existing ad buyers may want to double up on TV signage without fans in attendance, McNelley said. The strategy would garner plenty of impressions, even if the normal interactions with fans in-stadium will be missing.
But some brands may want to spend extra dollars on digital and social media – or even on broadcasts themselves to reach consumers.
“If your objective is not branding. Then I think that you have a lot of questions to answer around whether tarp signage is of value,” McNelley said. “I should say that It’ll be hard for both the brands and the teams to put a value against those assets until we fully understand the new broadcast landscape. Without fans in seats, for example, does that change anything with camera angles or linear versus streaComment -
MLB updates anyone? Fuk is going on?Comment -
I mean there's only so much e-sports I can fathom to watch.Comment -
There is some soccer starting up again, I wish I had a team.Comment -
On this day May 18, in 2013 exactly 7 years ago today, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers blasted three home runs against the Texas Rangers.
Doesn't matter as Miggy's inept, hapless Tigers lost again, 11-8.Comment -
Starlin Marte's wife dies from a heart attack. Dam....Comment -
National League teams didn’t build their rosters with the expectation of a universal designated hitter slot for 2020, but most are capable of filling the job from within. Some teams could really benefit from the anticipated temporoary rule change … among them, the Mets.
The advantage for the New York organization is multi-faceted. It’s not just about stuffing more hitting ability into the daily lineup in the upcoming truncated season, though that’s a factor as well. The DH would also create some important near-term roster flexibility and possibly open additional long-term strategic options.
It really all comes down to two guys: hobbled former superstar Yoenis Cespedes and one-time top prospect Dominic Smith. Without a DH slot, both face questionable roster prospects. Cespedes is working to return from major leg injuries. Nobody really knows how he’ll look at full speed in the outfield grass. Smith is all but fully blocked at first base by emergent star Pete Alonso. The Mets already know how Smith looks in the outfield and would rather not see much more of it.
The Mets are already crossing their fingers with outfield defense. J.D. Davis isn’t exactly a glove-first roster piece. The club will rely upon Brandon Nimmo for most of the action in center field; he’s a palatable but hardly exceptional performer there. Jake Marisnick can cover a lot of ground, but he’ll be a reserve. And Michael Conforto will be an everyday presence in the lineup, so there’s not much space anyway.
Under the circumstances, it’s a bit of a luxury to carry a guy like Smith. But what other choice do the Mets have? He can still be optioned, true, but that’s a heck of a way to treat a guy that turned in an eyebrow-raising .282/.355/.525 batting line in 197 plate appearances over an injury-limited 2019 season. And Cespedes? We don’t know when he’ll be ready, but he has now had ample additional time to work back to full health while the game has been paused. You can safely assume he’ll be clamoring for a return to the MLB roster as soon as possible, particularly with a newly incentive-laden contract and free agency beckoning after 2020.
Somehow fitting both of these guys on the same roster? It’s a bit tough to imagine, but the Mets could possibly make it work since Davis can play in the infield. With a DH slot, it’d at at least be plausible. And that would open the door to a potentially explosive offense, with depth to spare as injuries or performance issues arise. It’s sort of silly to consider these two talented players in a DH platoon, but if it comes to that … well, it’s a first-world problem.
The broader roster management benefits are perhaps even more significant here. Smith needs a full shot at the majors; perhaps the DH will clear a sustainable path for him in the organization or pave the way to an eventual trade. And having that bat-only position to utilize makes it much easier for the Mets to deal with, and even benefit from, the final season of the Cespedes contract.Comment