Official 2016 MLB Season Thread

Saw there wasn't a thread yet so I decided to create one.

It's baseball season once again! Definitely happy to have baseball back.

I find it funny, the "experts" have been shitting on the Tigers after having ONE singular bad season that had major injury issues.

Now the major players (Verlander, V-Mart, and Cabrera) are healthy and on top of that they went and MAJORLY improved the bullpen along with upgraded the starting rotation a bit, yet the so-called "experts" have given this team no chance and keep placing them to finish in the bottom of the division again (because the Twins, White Sox, and Indians are so good right? Just like they were hyped up last year, right?).

Welp even with a good number of injuries (Maybin, A. Wilson, and Daniel Norris are all on the DL to start the season) the team has enough depth this season that they are STILL coming out strong.

They just handed Jose Fernandez his first ever home loss in spite of him racking up an insane 13 strike-outs. They just look great after two games and I see them definitely making the playoffs if not making a run at the world series. This team just seems way more stable than last year IMO.

Anyways what teams are everyone rooting for and how well do you realistically expect them to do?

I'm rooting for the braves and I hope they do good.

@LostProphetFLCL:

What did you think of all the "bat flip" conversations.

Bryce Harper says Baseball is a tired sport and show embrace emotion from players to appeal to younger fans like the NFL/NBA does.

Old players like Goose Gossage and Johnny Bench dislike it.

I have apparently missed out on the convo. I will say that while I am all for players being able to show emotion and rile things up a bit, bat flipping can be a bit dangerous so there is some concern there.

Baseball does need to evolve though. I get worried that it could fall out here in the US as it seems like less younger folk are embracing the sport. It is my fav sport personally and I hope it sticks around, but if they don't find ways to keep future generations interested the sport could die in time.

@LostProphetFLCL:

My favorite sport as well....I can trace the beginning of baseball's downslide to the beginning of free agency in the mid -70's.

As a kid it was great seeing most of the players on your favorite team stay together for a good length of time and not be given over to free agency. As a Red Sox fan Carl Yaztremski was my favorite player, he ended up playing his entire career with the Sox.

Baseball would be a more popular sport if each team played 80, 81, or 82 games a year....but baseball purists would cry foul and it would throw statistics off. Baseball season could start in early June and run thru all of July and August, before the playoffs in September. No competition with other American sports.

While the danger thing is a bit of a problem, I don't think it's a huge issue in terms of the bat flip.

Goose Gossage and his ilk should just shut up about the bat flip. Pitchers are the biggest hypocrites out there in terms of emotion. They are allowed to stare down batters and other theatrics after a meaningless strike out in an April game and they face no retaliation. But if a batter, in the same meaningless game, flips his bat after a homerun, that's the worst thing in the world and is liable for retaliation in terms of a intentional hbp. Don't get me wrong, hitters can go overboard in their celebration, but if you're going to say that bat flipping is the most evil thing in the world, apply the same logic to pitchers and tell them after a strikeout, just stand there and wait for the ball.

I wouldn't be opposed to a shortened season, but 80 games would be too drastic of a cut. Perhaps take 20-30 games off the reg. season to have the playoffs start in September.

I don't feel bat flipping is the end of the world either. As long as no one is getting hurt by it then it's all good.

The seasons should definitely be shorter though. 162 games is just insanity. No other major US sport comes even CLOSE to playing that many games. They should cut the season down and start it LATER. Why we try and start the season when plenty of places can still be experiencing snow. We already have how many cancelled games this year? I know my Tigers got one to make up against the Yanks already...

@Ring_of_fire: "I wouldn't be opposed to a shortened season, but 80 games would be too drastic of a cut. Perhaps take 20-30 games off the reg. season to have the playoffs start in September."

MLB/NBA/NHL will never reduced the regular season. Loss revenue if they do that.

And going back to your batt flip comment, yeah, pitchers are egotistic.

@PSP107:

Yes, I never would expect them to shorten the season for the reason you listed, but I personally think it would stir up more excitement for baseball.....well, after the purist backlash.

Players would have to take salary cuts as well, not gonna happen.

@AFBrat77: "but I personally think it would stir up more excitement for baseball....."

Oh no question it would bring more excitement.

"well, after the purist backlash."

I think all would adjust?

People have adjusted to the 2nd Wild Card (and the first, for that matter), the DH, the Posey rule, so I think they would adjust quickly

@Ring_of_fire:

Oh no question. But, taking away 82 games means would be a huge adjustment. Owners wouldn't like that. Especially how(correct me if I'm wrong) Baseball feeds off revenue sharing.

I think the most the game can shorten the season would be about 30 games, which still will be a lot of money lost, but it would still keep the foundations of the sport.

Baseball revenues do live off revenue sharing, I believe, but TV contracts have exploded so it might take the immediate sting off losing 30 games of revenue but that is no guarantee. They probably would find a way to make up the money in a few years, anyways.

The issue with baseball is that they added more postseason games, and it pushes the season on longer in direct competition with the NFL. A game the MLB can't win at the moment. If they can somehow get the WS to early october, I think it would really be beneficial ratings wise.

Tigers are gonna be last!

@still_vicious: "Tigers are gonna be last!"

Thank God.

Not in a division with the Twins, lol.

Right now The White Sox are running away with the division, but I expect them to come down to earth and then it is going to be a very intense 3-way battle between the Tigers, Royals, and White Sox.

@LostProphetFLCL:

"but I expect them to come down to earth"

Yeah we needed a good start as that was are downfall last year.

"and then it is going to be a very intense 3-way battle between the Tigers, Royals, and White Sox."

I hope not but I will settle in for a WhiteSox vs Royals. The real hope is the Sox just winning the Division easily.

We shall see what happens. The Tigers have been playing like absolute shit lately so you might just get your wish...

@LostProphetFLCL:

Yeah what's wrong with J.D. Martinez this year? He needs to get going.

I am more concerned about Justin Upton. Paid him all that money for him not to amount to shit.

Mccann is the worst though. Besides being injured, he has only hit like .100 when he has been around...

@LostProphetFLCL:

You're blaming the wrong Justin. Verlander has been atrocious. And it's that girl he supposedly dating/marrying is the blame. He's not focus on Baseball.

He's been the second best starter on our team actually. He has had maybe one or two bad starts, but has been dominant in others.

Should have another win but when he kept the Indians to only two runs our team only managed one damn run...

@LostProphetFLCL:

His ERA over 5.00 and been inconsistent for the last few seasons.

He's still our second best starter, and he was actually AMAZING for most of last season. He struggled for some starts after coming back from injury, but was lights out the rests of last year.

He was honestly one of the most overlooked players last year. He still got outshined by some God tier pitching by the likes of Arrieta (who is on another fucking planet currently), but he was definitely a top-tier pitcher most of last year.

Sad that he has had some shaky starts this year as I felt he had finally figured things out.

@LostProphetFLCL: "he still got outshined by some God tier pitching by the likes of Arrieta (who is on another fucking planet currently), "

Arrieta is on steroids =(

I am pretty sure he has been experiencing one of the greatest stretches in pitching history since last year. How anyone goes 131 innings with only letting in 8 runs is fucking beyond me.

PEDs

Braves fired Fredi Gonzalez. I can't seem to understand why fire him now, unless there was an off the field issue that hasn't been reported. The horrid start (and finish) is 90% due to the FO, rather than the manager. It's not like the Braves were expected to be WS contenders and got off to this stunt. The Braves were expected to be bad.....Any other expectations would be delusional.

^The only thing I can think of is that they were going to fire him anyway, and they believe they have the best excuse to fire him now. I thought they would let him ride until the end of the season, but if it's going to happen anyway, why wait? If the Braves end the season on a 10 game winning streak (laughable, I know), then the organization will look stupider for firing him then.

Honestly, Frediot was crap and at this point it doesn't really matter who the manager is, so I don't care. Even when the Braves had talent, he wasn't good. Two terrible late season collapses, and then making the playoffs and not knowing that it'd be a good idea to bring in your elite closer for a 2-inning save against the Dodgers for an epic fail of the year. I'd be interested in seeing Chipper become manager, or someone young and fiery take the position next season.

@GamerForca: @Ring_of_fire:

Thoughts on the Odor Punch to Baustia?

@PSP107:

Looked like the punch Canelo knocked Hahn out with.

But he didn't knock him out. Lol.

I don't moan the firing of Fredi, but it came at the wrong time. They should have fired him after the second collapse, because he had talent (flawed talent, but was in a better position than the Braves are in now) and he failed to take advantage. But now? It's just bad timing. I think the Braves owed him at least until the end of the season, and perhaps give him one last chance with a real team (but with a very tight leash). I don't think he was a great manager, but I don't think he is as bad as a lot of Braves fans think.

(I am in the minority, but I don't think the decision to not bring in Kimbrel was all that bad. If I recall correctly, he never attempted a 2 inning save in the regular season. I'm not sure if the first time to do it would be an elimination game. It's all hindsight anyways. Regardless, of his bad decisions, that wouldn't be near the top.).

@PSP107, the whole thing is a mess. If the Rangers wanted to retaliate for the Bat flip (which they should have got over it), they should have done it on the first At bat of the first meeting, not in the last meeting of the year. The slide was late, but it wouldn't have happened if the Rangers didn't handle it atrociously. Odor should feel lucky that he only got 8 games suspension. I think he should have at least got 15 games, especially because of his history. That has no place in the game.

@Ring_of_fire: "Odor should feel lucky that he only got 8 games suspension. I think he should have at least got 15 games, especially because of his history. That has no place in the game."

To be fair, Baustia squared up so naturally Odor reacted to it.

Baustia should of just pushed him back and call it a day like how all Baseball brawls end up.

@Ring_of_fire: I disagree about Kimbrel. I'd seen him enter in the 8th inning before, not for a full two inning save, but it wouldn't have been his first time entering a game in the 8th. I also think that in a playoff game, you throw the guy most likely to give you the win, no matter what. And that guy was Craig. Maybe I'm just mad because I remember thinking that Kimbrel was a lock to enter in the eighth, and then I had to sit there and scratch my head as Carpenter trotted out, wondering wtf Fredi was doing right before the blown save. IIRC, Kimbrel had barely been used in the series up to that point.

But maybe it's not one of his worst decisions. What jumps to mind about Fredi is all the times we've had a starter dominating in a close game, then being pulled with 80-90 pitches for a pinch hitter who strikes out. He's done it this season too. In the end, I thought he should've been given the rest of the season, and I'm never a fan of firing a coach mid-season, but I just don't care.

Dbacks optioned Shelby Miller to the minors....

Do they have anything else to trade to the Braves?

Its almost playoff time.

The Jays are on to the next round.

@GameboyTroy:

Shouldn't you be worried about Raptors training camp? =(

jk =)

Anyway, the main topic for the Jays/Blues game would be Odor vs Baustia.

Bautista is in decline.

Red Sox / Cubs world series

The Jays are leading 2-0 against the Rangers in this series.

The Rangers and the Red Sox are eliminated.

@GameboyTroy:

Even though I hate the RedSox, I wanted them to win this series as I hate the Indians.

Anyway, 2 sweeps in the ALDS.

I don't like the Red Sox and I'm neutral with the Indians. Shapiro and Atkins have that former Indians connection.

I'm surprised that the ALDS had 2 sweeps.

What do you think will take the championship. What are your impressions?

Love it.

I will agree that the tigres have done an excellent job of squandering talent over the past decade.

The teams are set for the World Series. Cubs vs Indians.

The Indians are collapsing in this series so far.