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HOTLANTA MAN posted:I bet he took paintball way too seriously and tried to set up ambushes and flanking maneuvers The sport of men who truly believe in grit.
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Apr 5, 2015 06:47
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e: nevermind, too loving lazy TheIncredulousHulk fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Apr 6, 2015 |
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Apr 5, 2015 07:38
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I heard y'all wanted to hear about the  Pittsburgh  Pirates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EEuMtotl2I From 1993 to 2012, the Pirates suffered the ignominy of a record-setting 20 consecutive losing seasons. After flashes of competence—and resulting heartbreak—in 2011 and 2012, the 2013 iteration of the club broke through to the playoffs on the back of a core of young hitters and a surprisingly strong pitching staff. The 2014 Pirates followed up with one of the NL's best offenses and more pitching surprises, but again could not get past the Cardinals in the NL Central, nor Madison Bumgarner in the Wild Card Game. Now, with the Cardinals standing strong and the Cubs rapidly approaching, the Pirates need to grasp their chance for the NL Central title and a long playoff run. Unfortunately, Pirates ownership remains embarrassingly cheap. Despite a season and a half of sellout crowds and a team clearly in the midst of a contention cycle, the Pirates payroll is actually shrinking relative to the rest of baseball. This offseason the team had three clear needs: C, 1B, and a staff ace. Results: their star catcher walked in free agency and was replaced via bargain-basement trade; at 1B, they downgraded Ike Davis to a defensively-questionable Pedro Alvarez; and they refused to bid on a legitimate #1 pitcher in favor of mid-order starters Liriano and Burnett (on bargain deals, to be fair). On the plus side, the Pirates have shored up their bench in a big way, in particular via the signing of Korean star Jung-ho Kang. As a consequence, the Pirates will have to rely on their same recipe for success from 2013 and 2014. Andrew McCutchen, the NL's best player in 2013 and '14, must stay healthy and dominant. The Pirates' excellent pitching coaches and advanced defensive shifts must continue to extract maximum value from a pitching staff filled with bargains. Finally, the Pirates season will live or die with the growth of young core players like Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, and Gerrit Cole. pre:Additions & Subtractions – 1B Ike Davis (traded to Athletics for IFA money) – 1B Gaby Sánchez (non-tendered) – SS Clint Barmes (free agent; signed with Padres) – OF Travis Snider (traded to Orioles for LHP Stephen Tarpley + LHP Steven Brault) – SP Edinson Volquez (free agent; signed with Royals) – RP Justin Wilson (traded to Yankees for Francisco Cervelli) – RP Jeanmar Gomez (non-tendered; signed with Phillies) + C Francisco Cervelli (received from Yankees for Justin Wilson) + 1B Corey Hart (signed in FA for 1/$2.5) + IF Jung-ho Kang (signed in IFA for 4/$10.75M + club option for $5.5M; $5M posting fee) + UT Sean Rodriguez (received from Rays for Buddy Borden + cash considerations) + SP A.J. Burnett (signed in FA for 1/$8.5M) + SP/RP Radhames Liz (signed in FA for 1/$1M) + RP Antonio Bastardo (received from Phillies for Joely Rodriguez) + RP Arquimedes Caminero (received from Marlins for cash considerations) pre:Leadership GM Neal Huntington has an A in his first name and two T's in his last. He has also done a pretty good job since taking over from Dave "Baseball executives present at the draft laughed openly" Littlefield (fired in part for his incredibly long nickname) in Sept 2007. I think he's a top-10 GM but not top-5: good enough to make a small-revenue team a frequent wildcard but never a contender. Clint Hurdle, the Bucs' manager, will vex and distress you with his tactical decisions as well as the purple color of his face. He seems like a great guy, he's admirably willing to take communication and feedback from the front office, and he should have been fired years ago. Hurdle is particularly attached to bunts, using gut intuition rather than any sort of sense to set lineups, and allowing left-handed relievers to face right-handed hitters. I would be remiss not to also give mentions to Pitching Coach Ray Searage and Special Assistant Jim Benedict, the two most notable names in the story of the Pirates becoming a prime destination for pitchers hoping to resurrect their careers. These guys, and the rest of the Pirates staff, have extracted great work from A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Vance Worley, and Edinson Volquez, among others. pre:Hitters C Francisco Cervelli (29 years old) 2014 (Yankees): 162 PA; .301/.370/.432 (128 wRC+); 1 SB/0 CS Replacing departed free agent Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli is another example of the Pirates focus on one particular aspect of the catcher position: being a former Yankee. But seriously folks, this guy is supposed to be one heck of a pitch framer and he can maybe hit if he can ever stay healthy. 1B Pedro Alvarez (28) 2014: 445 PA; .231/.312/.405 (103 wRC+) vs RHP, career: .247/.320/.472 (118 wRC+) — vs LHP: .196/.267/.321 (64 wRC+); 8 SB/3 CS A former top-10 prospect in baseball, Alvarez has had a wildly inconsistent career. He's the best power hitter on the club, and tied for the NL home run lead as recently as 2013. But Alvarez has always had trouble laying off breaking balls, particularly in 2-strike counts, and massive strikeout issues have limited his production. Pedro sneakily worked his way down to a 25% K rate in 2014, paired with his first double-digit BB rate, but inexplicably ALSO developed the yips and lost the ability to throw to first base. The Pirates appear to have given in to fate and moved him across the diamond, where he will hopefully platoon with...  1B/RF Corey Hart (33) 2014 (Mariners): 255 PA; .203/.271/.319 (70 wRC+); 2 SB/0 CS vs RHP, career: .264/.318/.471 (107 wRC+) — vs LHP: .290/.361/.504 (130 wRC+) Hart spent most of his career with the hated Brewers, providing a solid bat in RF until missing the whole of 2013 with injury. The Pirates hope that his 2014 line was attributable to same, and that he's recovered enough now to provide at least a platoon partner for Alvarez at first. 2B Neil Walker (29) 2014: 571 PA; .271/.342/.467 (130 wRC+); 2 SB/2 CS He's from here!! Neil Walker has combined being a Pittsburgh native with a solid bat to become one of the Pirates' most popular players. Despite constant buzz about extending him, his age and fragility (hasn't recorded 600 PA in a season since 2011) mean he's probably in his penultimate season in black & gold. Walker possesses no standout tools, but his contact, eye, and power are all average or better. Abominably slow and lacking on defense, Neil is a prime benefactor of the Pirates' shifting strategy. He's also a switch-hitter, though historically he's fared significantly better against RHP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxqU_cBPZcc 2B/3B/SS/LF/RF Josh Harrison (28) 2014: 550 PA; .315/.347/.490 (137 wRC+); 18 SB/7 CS The Draymond Green of baseball. When his parents were killed while walking to first base, Josh Harrison vowed that he would never again take a pitch. Despite his hilarious walk rate and his defense not really playing at SS, J-Hay's outgoing demeanor and unmatched SCRAP and HUSTLE made him a fan favorite even as a utilityman. Thus, his meteoric rise to a no-joke MVP candidate last season was all the more joyous. Harrison tripled his career HR total, juked his way out of not one but two rundowns, sealed wins with diving catches in the OF despite looking mostly lost there, and was generally a source of happy bafflement throughout the summer. Now that he's the Pirates' starting 3B, hopefully the regression won't be too crushing.  SS Jordy Mercer (28) 2014: 555 PA; .255/.305/.387 (91 wRC+); 4 SB/1 CS After years of being tabbed as a future utilityman, Jordy Mercer somehow ground his way into the Pirates' starting SS job. His defense isn't great at short...but it was decent last year. He's not a wizard with the stick...but for a shortstop he does well (especially against lefties). Jordy won't ever be a star, but I think he'll be owned in your fantasy league by the end of the year.  OF Starling Marte (26) 2014: 545 PA; .291/.356/.453 (132 wRC+); 30 SB/11 CS; 17 HBP When Starling Marte arrived in the Majors, it was an open question whether his tendency to swing a lot, and miss a lot, would severely curtail his upside. Thus far, they have not: fantastic speed and solid contact have resulted in sustained high BABIP, and the lack of walks has been countered by a skill at drawing HBP. The downside to this, though, is that being hit by baseballs is dangerous, and Marte has yet to be healthy for a full season. He is still one of the Pirates' best hitters, though, and with elite defense from any OF position there is  CF Andrew McCutchen (28) 2014: 648 PA; .314/.410/.542 (168 wRC+); 18 SB/3 CS His name is Andrew McCutchen. He won the National League MVP in 2013 and all he did to follow it up was be the best hitter in all of baseball. Cutch is an unbelievable talent, a joy to watch, and has a heck of a lot of charisma to boot. Hence, he gets called a five-tool player a lot, but those of us who watch Pirates games know otherwise: the Pirates' dirty little secret is that Andrew McCutchen is a major defensive liability. Cutch's route-running is questionable, and he makes decisions as if his bottom-tier arm was in fact above-average. The Pirates will give up multiple runs this season due to their continued refusal to move him to LF for the defensively-superior Marte. And yet, he's still the best player in the league. P.S. this gif is of critical importance. OF Gregory Polanco (23) 2014 (MLB): 312 PA; .235/.307/.343 (87 wRC+); 14 SB/5 CS 2014 (AAA): 305 PA; .328/.390/.504 (146 wRC+); 16 SB/6 CS Entering 2014 as the Pirates' top prospect, Polanco absolutely demolished the International League to the point where the Pirates faced a Kris Bryant scandal in miniature around the Super 2 deadline. When Polanco finally got a shot, he showed flashes of his extraordinary potential but struggled to adjust to MLB pitching and lost playing time to Travis Snider down the stretch. In 2015, Polanco is arguably the most important Pirate, and his maturation may be the difference between contention for a wildcard or the World Series. Also, I have nicknamed him "Gregoire" and will make it stick if it's the last thing I do. Bench & Depth C Chris Stewart (33) 2014: 154 PA; .294/.362/.331 (100 wRC+); 0 SB/1 CS Another former Yankees backup catcher with highly-regarded defense. I was not a big fan of Stewart's glovework in 2014, but he made up for it with a hilarious .364 BABIP. Still, 35 of Stewart's 40 hits were singles, and there's nothing particularly exciting about his K or BB rates, so if he gets significant time this year it will be A Problem. Stewart will start the season on the DL, opening the way for...  C Tony Sanchez (27) Career MLB: 146 PA; .252/.295/.378 (90 wRC+); 0 SB/0 CS 2014 (AAA): 313 PA; .235/.337/.422 (111 wRC+); 0 SB/0 CS In addition to being on the most personable players going, Sanchez was the focal point of the Pirates' 2009 draft, a known reach at 4th overall to save money for a group of since-busted prep pitchers. Originally considered a glove-first catcher, his bat broke out just in time for him to develop a case of the yips and become a defensive disaster. Tony supposedly fixed his defense in winter ball, and between a 1.244 spring OPS and Chris Stewart's balky hamstring, he'll get a chance to work himself back into the Pirates' long-term plans. IF Jung-ho Kang (28) — pronounced Jung-ho Gahng 2014 (KBO): 501 PA; .356/.459/.739; 40 HR; 3 SB/3 CS Folks, that's not an OBP/SLG/OPS slash line, Jung-ho Kang (who is listed as "Jeong-ho" on Baseball-Ref because transliteration is fun) did in fact drop a 1.198 OPS on the KBO last year, from the shortstop position no less. Unfortunately, that league is extremely hitter-friendly, but Kang was in fact the best hitter. He was acquired from Nexen for a $5M posting fee, representing a lot of questions as the first major KBO hitter to make the jump to America. Kang is tabbed as a backup around the infield in 2014; how his skills translate, in the batter's box and the various infield positions, will be a huge story for the Pirates as they look into future seasons. Nicknamed "The King of Peace" in Korea, but I hope "Kang the Conqueror" gets a lot of play as well. UT Sean Rodriguez (30) 2014 (Rays): 259 PA; .211/.258/.443 (99 wRC+); 2 SB/1 CS The Pirates acquired Rodriguez from the Rays in a minor trade to provide a flexible glove and a bat with some pop off the bench. Rodriguez has played at least 40 innings in his career at every position but C. His presence will hopefully prevent a repeat of the horrors of 2014, wherein Michael Martinez and Brent Morel started games together. 1B/LF/RF Andrew Lambo (26) Career MLB: 72 PA; .246/.278/.377 (83 wRC+); 0 SB/1 CS 2014 (AAA): 262 PA; .328/.389/.563 (160 wRC+); 3 SB/2 CS A remnant of the hilariously lopsided Octavio Dotel trade in 2010, Lambo was meant to make the team as a platoon 1B in 2014, but a horrific spring showing resulted in the Pirates careers of Travis Ishikawa and Ike Davis. For a second consecutive season, he made a mockery of IL pitching, but once again he's struggling in Spring Training. Fortunately for him, he's the only credible left-handed option for the Pirates bench. It's about time for Lambo to prove that he's more than a AAAA player or lose his shot for good. SS Pedro Florimon (28) Career MLB: 692 PA; .204/.266/.300 (55 wRC+); 24 SB/7 CS 2014 (AAA): 314 PA; .257/.328/.389 (97 wRC+); 12 SB/2 CS Pedro Florimon is super good at defense and super bad at hitting. He probably won't break camp with the team, in favor of Andrew Lambo, but it would be pretty rad if he made it through waivers.  OF Jose Tabata (26) Career MLB: 1724 PA; .275/.336/.379 (101 wRC+); 47 SB/29 CS Fact: put up a .299/.346/.400 line with 19 steals in his age-21 season in 2010. Fact: his ex-wife once stole an infant and pretended to him that it was their baby. Fact: signed a long-term extension with the Pirates and was set to accompany Andrew McCutchen in the OF for years. Fact: has a neck tattoo of a pair of lips. Fact: got fat and bad, so now his contract ensures that the Pirates can send him down repeatedly with no risk. pre:Pitchers  LHP Francisco Liriano (31) 2014: 162.1 IP; 7-10, 3.38 ERA (95 ERA-), 3.61 SIERA; 9.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9; 54.4 GB% Once the Twins' ace-of-the-future, Liriano has struggled with injury and inconsistency. He joined the Pirates in 2013 after a horrible season in the AL Central and became arguably the team's best pitcher for two seasons. The Pirates re-signed him at a small bargain in free agency, and though he's not an optimal #1 he should provide quality innings. Liriano has absurd stuff, but a tendency to lose his release point at random and start walking everyone. Many Pirates fans/commentators refer to him as "Frank" a lot, which always makes me uncomfortable.  RHP Gerrit Cole (24) 2014: 138.0 IP; 11-5, 3.65 ERA (103 ERA-), 3.34 SIERA; 9.0 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9; 49.2 GB% Along with Gregoire Polanco, Cole is one of the most important Pirates in 2015. He has the arsenal to make you drool: a 4-seamer in the upper 90s, a low-90s 2-seamer, a slider and change both in the upper 80s, and a curve around 80. But it has never quite come together, whether it's a confusingly low K rate or too much good contact. My working theory is that Cole still is wont to overthrow, losing his command and straightening out his stuff. He should be at least a solid starter, and he's just 24; there's still time for the true ace that Pirates fans have been fantasizing about since 2011.  RHP Charlie Morton (31) 2014: 157.1 IP; 6-12, 3.72 ERA (105 ERA-), 3.73 SIERA; 7.2 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.5 HR/0; 55.7 GB% Literally as I typed Charlie's name into the Wordpress text box, the Pirates placed him on the DL to continue his rehab from hip labrum surgery. Morton is my favorite player in baseball, but I have serious concerns about his ability to ever be both healthy and effective again. He was acquired as an youngster with Electric Stuff from the Braves for Nate McLouth, then transformed his delivery into a carbon copy of Roy Halladay. This transformed him into "Ground Chuck," and his devastating sinker led to ground ball rates as high as 62.9% in 2013. Reliance on that same sinker gave him a terrible platoon split, though, and his repeated health issues have derailed him whenever he seems ready to become a complete pitcher. But though my faith has been tested, I still believe in Charlie Morton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct3x8MFJfx8 RHP A.J. Burnett (38) 2014 (Phillies): 213.2 IP; 8-18, 4.59 ERA (126 ERA-), 4.00 SIERA; 8.0 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9; 50.9 GB% Burnett was acquired from the Yankees in a salary dump prior to the 2012 season. He experienced a career Renaissance in Pittsburgh, providing 400 excellent innings over two seasons. Not only was his pitching a welcome addition, but Burnett's gruff country attitude resonated with Pirates fans. He became a fan favorite, especially after telling Hanley Ramirez to "sit the gently caress down" after a 2012 strikeout. Perhaps due to being snubbed for a decisive 2013 playoff start, Burnett chose to play in Philadelphia last season, but was willing to take a $4M discount this year to finish his career with the Pirates. Healthy, and with the benefit of the Bucs' defensive strategies, I expect a solid bounce-back season. RHP Vance Worley (27) 2014: 110.2 IP; 8-4, 2.85 ERA (80 ERA-), 3.68 SIERA; 6.4 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9; 49.4 GB% There's a solid case to be made that Vance Worley was the Pirates' best starter in 2014; there's a solid case to be made that he will be their worst in 2015. This is because Vance Worley is a mystery. "Vanimal" has one of the worst swinging-strike rates in all of baseball, and yet he appears to have some repeatable ability to bamboozle hitters into taking called third strikes. Add that to excellent command and the ability to induce a lot of weak contact, and you get a nice mid-rotation starter. Put the smallest crack in that foundation, and he may not be an MLB pitcher anymore.  LHP Jeff Locke (27) 2014: 131.1 IP; 7-6, 3.91 ERA (110 ERA-), 4.07 SIERA; 6.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9; 50.5 GB% 1st half, 2013: 21.5 — 2nd half, 2013: 6.12 — 1st half, 2014: 2.89 ERA — 2nd half, 2014: 4.66 Another acquisition from the Nate McLouth trade, as a prospect Locke was billed as a solid back-end starter. In practice, though, he's been frustratingly inconsistent, bouncing between great results and terrible ones every half a season. Frankly, I don't have the first clue how to predict which Jeff Locke the Pirates will get in 2015. In this analyst's opinion, he looks like a dang bird. Bullpen -- The "Shark Tank" CL: RHP Mark Melancon (30) 2014: 71.0 IP; 33 SV, 1.90 ERA (54 ERA-), 2.07 SIERA; 9.0 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, 0.25 HR/9; 57.4 GB% "Mark the Shark". Came from the Red Sox in the lopsided Joel Hanrahan trade. Has great control and one of the nastiest cutters in MLB. Owns a lot. Bad meme: "dancin' with Melancon". SU: LHP Tony Watson (30) 2014: 77.1 IP; 34 HLD, 1.63 ERA (46 ERA-), 2.39 SIERA; 9.4 K/9, 1.75 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9; 47.7 GB% Looked for all the world like a LOOGY, then inexplicably turned into a lights-out reliever in the middle of 2013. Bad meme: "elementary". LHP Antonio Bastardo (29) 2014: 64.0 IP; 12 HLD, 3.94 ERA (108 ERA-), 3.17 SIERA; 11.4 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9; 30.2 GB% Came from Philadelphia this offseason. Could be a LOOGY, but has very little career platoon split. Extreme flyball tendency is unusual for the Pirates, but should play well in PNC. Good meme: "Tony No Dad". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlrrP7ZnKQ RHP Jared Hughes (30) 2014: 64.1 IP; 13 HLD, 1.96 ERA (55 ERA-), 3.25 SIERA; 5.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9; 64.6 GB% Always sprints from the bullpen all the way to the mount. Makes terrifying faces. May have used a racial slur on Brandon Phillips once. Possesses a mystical ability to induce double plays and generally not allow runs even though he can't strike people out. Bad meme: the idea that he's actually a good reliever.  RHP Arquimedes Caminero (28) 2014 (AAA): 63.0 IP; 10 SV, 4.86 ERA; 11.3 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9 Minor acquisition from the Marlins this summer, but has blown up this spring to the tune of 21 K and 1 BB in under 14 innings. 80 name tool. Good meme: "eureka". RHP Radhames Liz (31) 2014 (AA+AAA): 61.0 IP; 3-2, 2.95 ERA; 6.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9 Last pitched in the Majors in 2009 with Baltimore, Liz was signed by the Blue Jays out of Korea and pitched in the minors for them in 2014. Tabbed to serve as a long reliever/swingman and possible rotation depth. Bad meme: none...yet. RHP Stolmy Pimentel (25) 2014: 32.2 IP; 0 HLD, 5.23 ERA (148 ERA-), 3.45 SIERA; 10.5 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9; 27.8 GB% Acquired along with Melancon in the Hanrahan trade, Pimentel came to the Pirates at exactly the wrong time for his career. An SP prospect with some promise but no options left, the Pirates no longer have the luxury of giving him rotation time just to see what they have. So he continues to languish, too promising to risk on waivers and too unproven to get meaningful playing time. Bad meme: doesn't pitch enough. RHP John Holdzkom (27) 2014 (AAA+MLB): 30.2 IP; 3 SV, 2.35 ERA; 12.0 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9 This time last year, John Holdzkom was hoping to find a roster spot in independent ball. His career as a Mets prospect had been derailed in 2010 by horrible control and a bad attitude. By the end of 2014, he was getting high-leverage work for a contending MLB team down the stretch, striking people out left and right. Holdzkom's fastball is legit nasty, and his story is fantastic, but he's currently going to AAA because Liz and Pimentel have to stay in the Majors. Bad meme: can't wait to find out. pre:Minor League Depth 1B/LF Josh Bell (22) — big-bonus switch-hitter being moved to 1B to fill the hole 2B Alen Hanson (22) — 2012 breakout prospect with questionable defensive focus IF Mpho "Gift" Ngoepe (25) — fast South African with a great story but bad bat OF Jaff Decker (25) — JAFF OF Mel Rojas Jr. (25) — potential 4th OF, put up a solid 2014 OF Keon Broxton (25) — one-time D-backs prospect resurrected his career in 2014 LHP Clayton Richard (31) — former promising pitcher hoping to revitalize career LHP Bobby LaFromboise (29) — LOOGY whose last name means "the Raspberry" RHP Jameson Taillon (23) — top prospect returning from TJS RHP Nick Kingham (23) — solid mid-rotation prospect RHP Casey Sadler (24) — depth starter or future middle relief RHP Adrian Sampson (23) — see Casey Sadler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RenOUsGvS90 Mornacale fucked around with this message at 08:59 on Apr 5, 2015 |
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Apr 5, 2015 08:56
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Mornacale posted:I heard y'all wanted to hear about the My best friend since I was 3 years old is a Pirates fan so I've followed them by association forever. Excellent write-up. Only missing the true AJ Burnett gifs:  
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Apr 5, 2015 15:02
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Fine, I'll do a quick and dirty one for the Jays Last Year: 83-79 (.512): The Jays had a winning year and finished third in their division, ahead of the Red Sox, and only one game back from the Yankees. If this was still the mid-2000s, fans would pat themselves on the back and consider last season as a "win". Instead, the former offseason champs of 2013, have had a lot of criticism directed their way, as they continue to miss the playoffs despite their HUGE moves. Notable losses from 2014: Brett Lawrie: The wunderkid burst onto the scene in 2011, after the Jays traded Shaun Marcum for him, and the hopes were always incredibly high for him. However, his injury troubles, hot-headedness, and Red Bull & rear end addiction kind of took over the narrative. The Jays moved him from second to 3B, back when Aaron Hill manned the base and the Jays had no one at third, and he played some great defense there. However, his bat never came together like it did in 2011, so there was always an air of disappointment with Lawrie. He is still young, and in a healthy season, he could probably do some damage. Hopefully it happens for him in Oakland. Melky Cabrera: Coming off a year where he was busted for PEDs in 2012, he got injured early in the year and hobbled to a bad 2013 (watching him play LF was awful). He rebounded in 2014, and had the year everyone expected (although, it was a one-year delay). He was a strong bat 2nd in the order, as long as you can take him not walking often. Colby Rasmus: Perhaps the most decisive player on the Jays roster in the past few years. He was one of those AA deals that seemed like magic at the time (Yunel Escobar being the other), that have only lost their magic because Rasmus didn't become the player everyone expected. He had a really good first half of 2012 (which was then marred by an awful second), but put it all together a shortened, great 2013 (one of the few shining stars on the Jays in 2013). In 2014, he had one great skill -- power -- but didn't do much other than that (he put up a .225/.287/.448). There were a lot of rumours that he wasn't happy in Toronto, not so much because of Toronto itself, but that he was tired of playing baseball. Someone on the Jays roster, and I can't remember who, purposely named Rasmus in an offseason interview as someone they were glad to have gone (y'know, cuz of the clubhouse culture and all of that). Still, I love the goofy bastard, and I am gonna miss him. Adam Lind: Was he the longest serving Jays player? He was a homegrown talent who Gibbons reinvented by only having him as a platoon hitter. He was kept away from left-handed pitching, and he just mashed against RHP. Apparently Milwaukee is going to try him out as their everyday 1B, and I hope it works out (it won't. His career average against LHP is awful -- .212/.257/.331). Anthony Gose: A former prospect with a great glove and speed that never learned to hit. Juan Francisco: Beware the small sample size! By the end of May, Juan had a .275/.365/.596 with 9 HRs in 126 PA, and believe me, Jays fans were ecstatic for this guy. Unfortunately, he kept playing, and was a terrible hitter for the rest of the year (who could have guessed?). This is another one of those guys who got significant ABs for the Jays last year, who really shouldn't have been getting those ABs, but did because who else was there? J.A. Happ: Made a hilarious amount of money compared to his actual abilities, but still managed to be a decent #5 starter. Casey Janssen: Another long-serving homegrown talent who was bad last year and now has a shoulder injury. Brandon Morrow: Oh right, ANOTHER one AA's magic deals that didn't pan out exactly as hoped (now that I think about it, AA actually has four such deals, I forgot about how great the Lawrie one was, although I think that was criticized slightly at the time). Morrow put it together for one great half year, where he was pitching well enough for Cy Young consideration, but then spent the next two years in an injury-plagued nightmare. Dustin McGowan: Any fan of the Jays in the mid-00s should have gotten misty eyed when he left the team. A hard-luck story of injuries, and battling back. The Sad Ballad of Marcus Stroman: Stroman entered last season as the Jays top prospect, but all signs pointed to him earning the closer spot at some point. Why? Critics said he's too small to be a starter. But in his limited work as a reliever, he got blown up badly twice in a row, and was sent back to the minors. Two weeks later, because of an injury to Morrow, the Jays recalled him as an emergency starter, and he did very well. In 130.2 IP, he put up a 3.65 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, and Jays fans salivated at the thought of what he could do this year. Unfortunately, the injury god decided to strike him down as he fielded a bunt, and depending on who you talk to, the Jays season officially ended with Stroman's injury. The line-up: C: Russell Martin The Jays spent big money on Martin, one of the valour saints of pitch framing, and while hoping that he can replicate his bat from last year is a pretty tall order, just having a great defensive catcher with a league average bat play for 3/4 of the games is something the Jays haven't had in a while. 1B: Justin Smoak Oh, so we are really doing this, huh? Everyone knows Smoak's story, so I don't need to tell it again. Who knows how long he will actually stay as the Jays 1B? 2B: Devon Travis Was the piece the Jays got for Gose, and he's a 24-year old rookie who hasn't gotten a chance yet. It's going to be interesting to watch 2B this year (well, depending on if you consider a tire fire interesting), but his only competition is Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis. SS: Jose Reyes Jose Reyes has had a great career, and while his bat is still great for his position, he is a realllllllly bad defensively. The fear with Reyes is always injuries, so who knows what he does this year? He can still hit, so let's hope he continues to do that, injury-free, this year. 3B: Josh Donaldson The piece the Jays got for Lawrie (and Sean Nolin and other players), and he's coming off two back-to-back MVP-worthy years. The Jays are hoping he can maintain those numbers. LF: Michael Saunders He is currently injured, although it's not as bad as originally diagnosed. A young guy with something to prove, or so I have heard. CF: Dalton Pompey A rookie who the Jays hope can step in and perform. I think he can, but that's also my offseason optimism talking. RF: Jose Bautista The best player in a Toronto-based sports team uniform since (wait for it...) Roy Halladay. An absolute beast, and I still can't believe people were talking about trading him last year. Bautista and his perfectly groomed beard is my spirit animal. DH: Edwin Encarnacion The major talk is that they will be moving EE to primarily the DH position. EE, more than Bautista, has the weird career arc. He always hit for power, but this was a guy who was affectionately nicknamed E5 for his horrid defense at 3B. He was sent ot the minors in 2010, then claimed off of waivers by the A's in the 2011 offseason, but non-tendered, so the Jays signed him again. The Jays were apparently close to releasing him in June 2011, even though by this point, he was a 1B/DH, and luckily didn't, because he started to mash in the second half. Well, not just mash -- he developed an all-around game at the plate and hit .291/.382/.504 over 255 PA. In 2012, he proved this was no fluke, and continued to hit very well, and become the second part of the Jays heavy attack. Honestly, as I sit here and write this, I really can't believe EE managed to turn it all around. He has just put up three (and a half) relatively close seasons in a row, so he's as real as it gets. ???: Dioner Navarro I feel bad for Navarro. He was signed last year, after the terrible saga of J.P. Arencibia ended, and he put up a good year at the plate. He's not signed for big money, and signed with the Jays, presumably, for a chance. Then AA went out and signed the Good Ol' Canadian Boy Russ Martin, and now no one knows where to fit Navarro. The assumption was that AA would trade him for pitching help, especially now that Stroman is out, but who knows? I'd be happier with Navarro in the line-up, then I would be with Smoak, though. WHAT ABOUT THE BENCH?! The less said, the better. Rotation: 1. R.A. Dickey Was one piece of the huge deal between Toronto and the Mets a few offseasons ago, and while Dickey hasn't replicated his Cy Young-winning season, he has still provided the Jays with lots of value (a lot of innings pitched and decent numbers) that is overlooked because of the price the Jays paid for him and how many times he gives up the long ball (especially past the sixth inning) 2. Mark Buehrle Like Dickey, in the sense that he provides a lot of value (a lot of innings pitched and decent numbers), and continues to do so despite his increasing age. Buehrle's pitching strength is his consistency. He is never injured and he pitches a lot. 3. Drew Hutchison Came back from TJS last year, and had an up-and-down season. The Jays are hoping he can make the next step this season. He has been named the Opening Day Starter. 4. Aaron Sanchez One of the Jays top prospects coming into last year, and dominated in relief. The Jays are hoping he can performing well as a starter. 5. Daniel Norris The bearded man who is really only in the rotation because of the injury to Stroman. Along with Sanchez, who knows how they will actually perform like this year (again, offseason optimism is telling me they'll be GREAT!). The rest? A bunch of guys you've heard of toiling in AAA waiting for one of the kids to gently caress up. Bullpen: This took me a long time to write. A lot longer than I expected. I have to go, but I will type a few words here: The Jays bullpen is a huge question mark, cobbled together with a bunch of arms that no one really knows how to project. The Jays are bringing two rookie pitchers into their bullpen. Miguel Castro, a 20-year old whose highest experience is in in A+, has looked dominant in ST. With Brett Cecil penciled in as the closer, there's a lot of speculation that Castro, if he does well, could earn the closer duties as soon as April. Roberto Osuna is another 20-year old whose highest experience is in A+, but again, he did very well in ST. Each reliever can throw the ball hard, and they represent, along with Sanchez, Norris, Pompey, and Travis, the wave of youth that has infiltrated this roster. I know my write-up got less detailed as it went on, and for that, I apologize. The AL East is as open of a division as it's ever been, and every team has some serious question marks. The hope for the Jays is that they can overcome those question marks, avoid serious injuries to their top guys, and have some of the rookies perform decently. Who knows? Hope to see you in October! Twin Cinema fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Apr 6, 2015 |
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Apr 5, 2015 19:31
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The Jays are the perfect combination of hope and despair that I, as a casual fan, love to follow. This years team is the real life attempt at recreating the roster from the movie Major League.
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Apr 5, 2015 20:16
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I like how the NL West has 3 teams with good to great pitching in pitcher-friendly parks. And then you have the two worst rotations in baseball and they play in the Rocky Mountains and a freaking desert. What a schizophrenic division.
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Apr 5, 2015 22:57
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Your two thousand fifteen Colorado Rockies:  2014 Record: 66-96. 4th place in the NL West 2014 runs scored: 755 2014 runs allowed: 818 The Rockies loving finally had co-GMs Dan O’Dowd and Bill Geivett leave the organization. They were replaced with 37 year old Jeff Bridich, who has been with the organization since 2004. Bridich’s first job with the organization was in charge of the team’s overall minor league operations, then the senior director of player development. Bridich graduated from Harvard in 2000 and was on their college baseball team. I like what I’ve seen in the first few months of him being in charge; like getting rid the exec that was in charge of public relations, who was a noted atrocious dick. Getting the co-GMs office out of the locker room is going help the morale in the clubhouse as well, as from what I’ve heard, it was atrocious last year. (Yes, O’dowd and Geivett thought it would be a brilliant idea to have a GM office directly next to manager Walt Weiss’ office in the clubhouse)  2015 is going to be an important year for the organization. If they fail to be even competitive, this could be the last season that CarGo and Tulo are with the team. No one expects them to compete for a division or even a wild-card this year. Although if they have everyone healthy for a full season (LOL), they should be at least around .500. With the guys they have in their farm system, the next big round of guys coming up for full time MLB roles would be in 2016. If the team is bad this year, trading Tulo and/or Cargo would definitely help the club from 2016 forward. Manager: Walt Weiss 2013: 74-88 2014: 66-96  Yes Walt, we’ve all felt like doing that after watching Rockies games the past few years. Walt seems like a very smart baseball guy. Having the GM office out his clubhouse and not breathing down his neck about his every move should definitely help him. The front office has said they want Walt to have more freedom in day to day lineups and on the field decisions. (YOU MEAN HE DIDN’T HAVE THIS BEFORE?!?!?!!?, YOU loving IDIOTS) Position players locked in to start: LF: M. Corey Dickerson http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v35617907/miacol-dickersons-shot-ties-the-game-in-the-9th Corey made his statement about being a regular starter last year, hitting a triple slash line of .312/.364/.567 with 24 homers and 76 RBI. He should be expected to be the regular left fielder this year, with the occasional days off against LHP and filling in a few games in center field or right field. He’s not going to play amazing levels of defense, but if he just remains competent with the glove, he will be fine. RF: Carlos Gonzalez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNaYq-898AY CarGo only appeared in 70 games last year, hitting .238/.292/.431. He played through a lot of nagging injuries last year and had to be completely shut down at the end of the season to have his knee cleaned up. He first had a “fatty mass with tentacles” removed from his hand, then had his knee tendonitis cleared up. quote:It looked like a cheeto.  CarGo was dealing with a big off the field issue too, his wife spent most of the summer in the hospital while pregnant and gave birth to twin girls. During that time last season, whenever the Rockies were at home, CarGo was spending his nights sleeping in their hospital room and dealing with all the related stress of going through something like that. Now that he’s got that personal ordeal over, I would look for him to return to something close to what we’ve seen before from him. If the season goes bad quickly, look for him to be moved if he’s playing anywhere close to what we’ve seen in the past. 3B: Nolan Arenado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkKirx14lS0 He’s like really really really good with the glove. Like really really good. The NL third base gold glove winner the past two years. Hit .287/.328/.500 with 18HR and 61 RBI in 2014. No reason he shouldn’t be just as good this season. He missed a few weeks in the middle of the season after sliding into second base in Atlanta and breaking a bone in his finger. I would expect Nolan to be around a .300/25HR guy that gets into the 45-50 total in doubles if he plays 145+ games. He may not have the full power ability to hit 35HR a season right now, but his ability to make contact should keep him growing as the best third baseman in the NL. SS: Troy Tulowitzki  Tulo….Tulo….Tulo…..Where to begin? Tulo is one of the best two or three players in baseball, when he is on the drat field. Had surgery at the end of the season to fix an issue with a hip labrum. He has played a total of 264 games over the past three seasons. He seems to have just had a lot cumulative freak injuries. (breaking a rib diving for a ground ball, getting hit in the hand with a pitch a couple of years ago, etc) There were a ton of rumors about him being traded in the off-season, and if the season goes south early, he could definitely be traded. In order for the team to have any success this year, Troy is going to have to stay healthy and on the field for 135+ games (or be traded for some guys that fill other holes). I would definitely be in favor of trading him if the team can get back two or three top level prospects (as what the rumors were in the off-season). If he has a great year, Bridich really does need to look at moving him and seeing if he can rob some other team. Although he is signed for another 5 years, if Troy can bring back two or three great players for 2016 and beyond, the team has to do it. (Boston didn’t win the world series in 2004 with Nomar on their roster either) As long as he’s on the roster: As Tulo goes, so do the Rockies….. 2B: DJ Lemahieu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mxEf205z90 Another really really good defender. The NL 2B gold glove winner last year. As long he’s on the field, he will have value to the team, just based on his glove alone. If the can maintain another a .265 avg/.315 obp year, it will be fine for him. He’s here for his glove, not for his bat. With him locked in as the opening day 2B, it will be the first time since 2000 and Mike Lansing that the Rockies have had the same guy making consecutive starts as the opening day second baseman. 1B: Justin Morneau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1p9kFoPt6Y Oh look, a guy who’s really good with the glove. (I’m sensing a theme here) The Rockies signed Morneau after the 2013 season. (to fill the 1B spot left by a retiring Todd Helton) After coming back from his concussion injuries the prior few seasons, he won the NL batting title last year hitting .319. I would expect him to stay around a .300 average and hit 15-20 home runs. He (like Todd Helton did) really helps out Arenado, Tulo, and LeMahieu picking them up when they are off on a throw to first. Expect him to sit a bit more this year against LHP now that Wilin Rosario shows he can locate his rear end with a map while at 1B. Morneau is a guy that should have been traded last year, but for some weird-rear end reason the team held on to him. Expect him to be one of the first guys traded by the Rockies this year if things go to poo poo. C: Nick Hundley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2hx97K8nNI Nick Hundley was signed as a free agent to a 2 year deal this off-season to be the team’s primary catcher. His addition moves Rosario off full time catcher duties, which should help out the pitching staff immensely. Expect his .238 career average to increase this year with full time duties and half his games played in Denver. Expect the pitching staff to improve as well, with Hundley's defense and game calling light years above what Rosario was. Other bats: DH: Wilin Rosario http://m.mlb.com/video/v36392051/must-c-clutch-wilin-rosario-blasts-a-walkoff-homer With the signing of Nick Hundley, Rosario is moved off his full time role as a backup C: Mike McKenry McKenry did well in his role last year as the primary backup catcher and should serve in the same role this season. I hope the team keeps him as the backup, as he seems like a really smart player and working with an even better catcher in Hundley, maybe they can figure out this whole “our pitching was poo poo last year” thing. CF/OF: Drew Stubbs Saw regular playing time year when CarGo went down. Stubbs can play any OF position and is at least adequate out there. Drew should be in a platoon with Charlie Blackmon as the team’s primary CF this year (although he has like a 50% K rate this ST, so he may be swinging his way to a smaller spot on the team). He should also fill in if Dickerson or CarGo needs a game off. Another guy likely traded if the season goes bad quickly. CF/OF: Charlie Blackmon Charlie was the team’s regular CF last year, but can play any OF position as well. He hit like .350 in April and .260 the rest of the season. Blackmon rode that hot April to an all-star appearance. He should be in a platoon with Stubbs playing against LHP. IF: Daniel Descalso Descalso was signed as a primary backup infielder in the off-season. Look for him to spell the regular infield starters throughout the season. IF: Rafael Ynoa Will be in an IF backup role. Can play any infield position and can even handle a few innings in the OF if necessary. Pitchers:  Starters SP: Jorge De La Rosa Jorge will start the season on the 15 day DL. He has a groin strain that prevented him from making the last couple of starts in ST. He is expected to miss less than a handful starts and should be ready in May. Jorge is the best Coors Field pitcher the team has ever had up to this point. He has a 45-14 record and 3.98 ERA in Denver. The team needs Jorge back within a few starts to be competitive this season. SP: Kyle Kendrick Kendrick was signed to a 1 year $5.5M deal in the off-season. He was signed to just eat innings so that other guys were not rushed to the big leagues. As long as Kendrick pitches even close to his career norms he should be what the team expects, a guy that’s going to go out there for a full season and get to 6 innings a start. I’m not expecting anything more from him other than being a league average guy that’s going to get to about 190 innings again SP: Tyler Matzek Rockies first round pick in the 2009 draft. Matzek was the first time the team had drafted a high school pitcher in the first round. He was able to get past a ton of issues in minor leagues, with his control, delivery, all sorts of weird things. Matzek appeared to start to finally put everything together toward the end of last season. As long as he continues to grow from what he did the end of the season, he should be one of the top guys on the pitching staff. SP: Jordan Lyles Lyles was having a pretty good year last year, until he broke his left hand when he was slid into on a play at the plate. (thanks Rosario  ) Expect him to be in the middle of the starting rotation through the entire year, barring another weird injury.SP: Eddie Butler Eddie was rushed to the big leagues last year and made three not-so-good starts. He didn’t have an injury but, from what the rumors are, he never got enough development to understand how his shoulder should feel from being on a 5 day pitching rotation. How the team hosed that up so bad is beyond me. He should have stayed down the entire season last year. He’s going to the team’s #3 starter to start the season. Butler is one of the guys the team is counting on for 2016 forward. SP: Chad Bettis: Bettis was awful in his role as a relief pitcher last season. He needs to be starting, whether that is in Denver or in Albuquerque as he has been a much better pitcher as a starter. He is one of the guys likely to fill in until De La Rosa or Hale comes back or one of the minor league guys is ready. SP: Christian Bermgan Below average starter. Bergman was filling in the starting rotation last year, until he broke his non-pitching hand on a pitch hit back up the middle. Don’t expect anything but at most league average results from him. Another guy that is filling in until the minor league guys get here or De La Rosa and Hale are back. SP: David Hale Was acquired from the Braves in the off-season. Will start the season on the 15 day DL with a strained oblique. Should be the team’s #4 or #5 starter when he’s back healthy. Has a greater than normal groundball %, and should fit in well with the defense the team has behind him. Bullpen  RP: LaTroy Hawkins Should start the year as the team’s closer. 41 years old. Hopefully doesn’t fall off too much from last season. If he declines in the closer’s role at all, expect Ottavino to be the first to replace him. RP: Rafael Betancourt A 40 year old that is coming off of TJS. Excelled enough to make the team out of spring training. Hope it carries over to this season. Not expecting anything from a 40 year-old coming off TJS. RP: Boone Logan Left handed specialist that was injured most of last season. He’s paid a lot for his specific role. He appears to be fully healthy again. Should be able to have a bounce back year this season. RP: Christian Friedrich Former Rockies first round pick that was moved to the bullpen at the end of last season. Should be the teams primary long reliever out of the pen and can be used to get left handed guys out as well if Logan is not available for any reason. RP: Adam Ottavino The best pitcher in the Rockies bullpen last year. Will likely be the best bullpen man this season as well. Expect him to take over the closer role if Hawkins has any issues. RP: Brooks Brown Appeared in 28 games last season, was good in his SSS with the team. Will be in a relief role with the MLB team to start the season. RP: John Axford Was signed as a FA in the off-season. Will start the season in a middle-late inning role. Had a scary thing happen at the end of spring training, his son was bit by a rattlesnake. Axford missed a few games, but is ready to go. His son is going to be okay. Minor league guys likely to see the show this year: OF: Brandon Barnes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZs5kWxH4zo&feature=player_detailpage#t=105 Barnes was optioned to AAA at the end of the spring. He can play any OF position. Should be back up at some point in the season in a 4th/5th OF role. RP: Rex Brothers Something weird happened to Rex last year. He had some struggles early in the season, the FO tried messing with his mechanics and it screwed him up all year. He was optioned to AAA this spring and hopefully can figure it out and get back to the guy that throws in the high 90’s. SP: Jon Gray Gray is the best pitcher the Rockies have ever had come through their minor leagues. Gray’s fastball sits in the mid to upper 90s and can hit 100 with it. His numbers were down a bit in AA last season, but that appeared to be mostly due to him regularly working on his secondary pitches. Gray is maybe about 90 to 95% ready to be on the MLB team, not at 100% ready yet. He is going to start the year in AAA and if he breaks the door down, he will be in Denver sooner rather than later. Is going to own face and make Rockies fans really really happy. IF: Charlie Culberson:  If the team sees any more of this guy it will be too soon. Got in enough playing time to manage a 44 OPS+ in 233 PA. Filled in around the infield when Tulo and Arenado were injured, has even played some in the outfield Will start the season on the 15 day DL. Hope to never see his face again. OF/1B: Kyle Parker Rockies 1st round pick in the 2010 draft. Parker will start the season in AAA Albuquerque. He should be the first call-up if there is an injury or a trade of a corner OF or Morneau. SP: Tyler Anderson Rockies 1st round pick in the 2011 draft. Anderson put together a full healthy season in AA last year, then suffered a stress fracture in his elbow during a AA playoff game in Tulsa. As long as he’s fully healthy, he will start the year in Albuquerque and should be in the Rockies rotation by the end of the season. RP: Jairo Diaz Was acquired in the off-season in the trade of Josh Rutledge. Will start the season in AAA. Can regularly throw near 100 mph. He needs the time in AAA to learn a bit of control of his stuff. If he can figure it out, he'll be in MLB by the end of the season. will_colorado fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Apr 6, 2015 |
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Apr 6, 2015 00:37
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The only question mark in the Jay's bullpen is how hard Miguel Castro owns. The answer is a whole bunch.
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Apr 6, 2015 00:50
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Dickey is getting up there on age, but I hope this isn't his retirement season.
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Apr 6, 2015 01:09
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Should be noted that Mike McKenry's nickname is "The Fort" which helpfully rhymes with "The Chort" because he is literally The Cheat from Homestar Runner.
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Apr 6, 2015 02:30
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Twin Cinema posted:Fine, I'll do a quick and dirty one for the Jays EDWIN! He's dreamy as hell and mashes the ball a long way. We mustn't forget him. Also Dioner Navarro.
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Apr 6, 2015 07:11
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Ratedargh posted:EDWIN! He's dreamy as hell and mashes the ball a long way. We mustn't forget him. Towards the end, I looked at the time and realized I had to leave for Easter dinner, so I started to rush. I looked at the line-up card today, and realized I stupidly forgot about Navarro and EE. I am the worst. Okay, I am going to add some more and elaborate on a few. Also, great avatar.
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Apr 6, 2015 15:23
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Twin Cinema posted:Also, great avatar. 
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Apr 6, 2015 18:38
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The Crappy, Low-Effort Introduction To My Employer! oh and there's a basedball team too Welcome to another MLB season! The air is crisp, the grass is wonderfully green and the homeless still haven't dared to encroach upon the one-block buffer imposed upon Comerica Park by the MLB and Detroit Police Department! Today, I'm going to be writing about the Detroit Tigers, otherwise known as That Fantasy Lineup That Looks Good On Paper But Wouldn't Win You poo poo In A Real-Money League. The Detroit Tigers are a franchise that dates back to the beginning of the American League in 1901, but were, in fact, in existence prior to that. They've had stars such as Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Hal Newhouser, Virgil Trucks, Mickey Lolich, Denny McLane, Al Kaline, Mickey Stanley, Kirk Gibson, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander... There are lots of other players that I could name that have left an impact on the MLB, but that should give you a good look into the depth this franchise has. The Tigers currently play their home games in Detroit, zip code 48201, at Comerica Park. Comerica holds 41,501 (I know wikipedia has a different number, but I'm going by what my boss told me as official information to give to fans I take on tours), and is in the middle of another renovation to give fans a new high-class restaurant called The Corner Taphouse, which will contain memorabilia from the Tigers' last home, Tigers Stadium. Why should you root for the Tigers? If you only need one reason, it's this guy.  Miguel Cabrera Miggy is simply one of the most talented hitters in history when healthy. He's the only player to win the Triple Crown accolade since 1967, which means he led the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBIs). He possesses an extremely solid knack for knowing if a pitch is a ball or strike, and will go out of his way to hit any pitch he wants. For example, he has hit a ball meant as an intentional walk for an RBI single. The ball was 8 inches or so in the OTHER BATTERS BOX. Cabrera hits for power, hits for average, and plays average defense at first base. He's not fast, but has a great instinct for baserunning and will steal a base or two when you're not looking. And he's FUNNY. HE MAKES BASEBALL FUN TO WATCH. Other players say he's one of their favorite players to be around because of his good-natured personality. He's Miggy, and he's the franchise superstar that will be in the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot invitee. There are definitely more reasons to root for the Tigers, though. Since I'm getting tired after working Opening Day, though, I'm just gonna go through the current roster. Pitching Starters: David Price, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Alfredo Simon, Shane Greene. DP is the Tigers' replacement for their departed free-agent ace, Max Scherzer. Price is a tall, lanky left-handed pitcher who throws 3 different types of fastballs, a change-up and a new curve ball taught to him by a teammate at Vanderbilt University, Oakland A's pitcher Sonny Gray. Price led the league in innings pitched and strikeouts last season, and is a threat to win a Cy Young almost every year. Justin Verlander is the seasoned veteran of this team, having burst onto the scene in 2006 after a cameo appearance in 2005, and leading the Tigers to a World Series appearance just 3 seasons after losing 119 games. He won the 2011 Cy Young AND MVP and hopes to bounce back from a full off-season of rest and banging Kate Upton. Verlander has thrown a 2 and 4 seam fastball, a curve, slider, and changeup. He also has a cut fastball that he's working on, but rarely throws. Anibal Sanchez probably has the best pure "stuff" on the staff. He led the league in ERA (earned runs allowed) in 2013, and threw a no-hitter his rookie season. His pitches range between 68 and 94 MPH, with two changeups, a fastball, a curve and slider in his arsenal. Alfredo Simon (Big Pasta) and Shane Greene are new to the team this season, having been acquired from the Reds and Yankees, respectively. I don't know much about them. Relievers: Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, Al Alburquerque, Ian Krol, Tom Gorzelanny, Bruce Rondon, Angel Nesbitt, Joba Chamberlain. Nathan is one of the best closers of the modern era, although if you look at his previous season's results with the Tigers, you wouldn't know it. Who would've thought a 40 year old pitcher would suffer a dropoff? Regardless, he's the closer until the front office says otherwise. Joakim Soria is slated to be the setup guy first, and the backup closer if/when Nathan fails. Soria is still good, though. Bruce Rondon and Joba Chamberlain are the main right-handed options for the Tigers. Rondon hits 103 MPH with his fastball but struggles to stay healthy. Joba hits buffets with his favorite fork and kidnaps Princess Leia when healthy. Krol is a young, hard-throwing lefty with command issues. Gorzelanny has a 70 name tool, left-handed release and a proven track record of mediocrity. Nesbitt is a surprise out of the Tigers' farm system. He's a power righty with 4 different pitches that he can actually command for strikes. He won the job out of spring training, beating out such names as Joel Hanrahan (released for a 2nd Tommy John surgery), Rafael Dolis (who?) and Joe Mantiply (Joe Multiply!). Hitting First Base: Miguel Cabrera. See above. Second Base: Ian Kinsler. Scrappy second baseman in his early 30s who is still putting up league-leading defensive stats and a limitless supply of pop flies. Actually hits pretty well for having such a weird swing. Lots of hustle. Shortstop: Jose Iglesias. Probably the second best defensive shortstop in the league behind Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves (until they trade Simmons for a prospect and a sack of magic beans). Just search Jose Iglesias top plays on Youtube and prepare to be amazed. Third Base: Cardboard Cutout. Sorry, I mean Nick Castellanos. He was a rookie last season, had a decent offensive performance with a .255 batting average and 11 home runs. Had a miserable defensive performance last season, earning the dubious distinction of being the worst defensive-rated starter in MLB. Left Field: Yoenis Cespedes. Another Youtube sensation, 3 seasons in the MLB with 20+ homers. Highlight reel arm, great range, great power, can't take a walk to save his life. Massive upgrade over Torii Hunter. Center Field: Rajai Davis/Anthony Gose Two defense-first platooners, both with excellent range to cover Comerica Park's massive center field. Davis can't hit RHP, Gose can't hit LHP. Both have lots of speed. That's about it. Right Field: J.D. Martinez. So, here's a story about LOLASTROS. They have this kid, he's a pull hitter at the time, but he's struggling. Instead of letting him work out his issues, they release him outright. They knew he had spent his offseason re-tooling his swing, they just didn't care. The Tigers picked him up, and he went on to hit like Miguel Cabrera once he arrived in the majors. I bet the Astros wish they had kept him now. Designated Hitter: Victor Martinez. Former catcher for Cleveland and Boston, Victor came to Detroit as protection for Miguel Cabrera. Last year, he finished 2nd to Mike Trout in the MVP voting. As a designated hitter. He was so good with the bat alone, he could've won had it not been for Mike Trout the phenom. But yeah, most players don't suddenly discover their power stroke at age 35. It was a fluke. Martinez the elder is looking to prove me wrong this season. Catcher: Alex Avila. Daddy's boy. Al Avila is the assistant GM for the Tigers. But Alex is no silver spoon. He hits for moderate power when healthy, draws walks A LOT, and is one of the better game receivers in the majors today. He can't hit LHP or avoid concussions, though. Still, if healthy, he's an underrated star. Bench: Andrew Romine, Hernan Perez, James McCann. 2 utility guys in Romine and Perez with light bats, but the ability to cover almost every fielding position well. McCann is the Tigers' catcher of the future. Right handed bat with moderate power and high contact, decent if not outstanding speed, and a great IQ for handling pitchers and game situations. He'll get a lot of at-bats this year to see if he lives up to the hype. There you have it. Any questions about the franchise, the stadium, or anything about baseball in Detroit, feel free to ask me via PM or this thread. And if you're in Detroit, come visit me during a game or schedule a tour through Comerica Park and I might just be your guide. -Colin cbx fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Apr 7, 2015 |
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Apr 6, 2015 19:30
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Twin Cinema posted:Towards the end, I looked at the time and realized I had to leave for Easter dinner, so I started to rush. I looked at the line-up card today, and realized I stupidly forgot about Navarro and EE. I am the worst. Okay, I am going to add some more and elaborate on a few. It's all good, the Reds forgetting about EE's talent is what got him to Toronto in the first place! They should be able to get something passable for Navarro, right? I mean, he may be built like Mr. Stay Puft but dude can swing a bat pretty well.
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Apr 7, 2015 09:18
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Here's a high level write up for the Red Sox: Offense The team is gonna rake. Should be a top-5 MLB offense. Barring injuries, it's a 700+run team with an outside shot at 800. The question marks are in the outfield other than LF, at SS with Bogaerts, and at C with Ryan Hannigan. Ortiz is 39 and it remains to be seen if he can sustain his production. Pitching hey look a bunny!
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Apr 7, 2015 14:28
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Here's a high level write up for the Red Sox: Correction, pitching for Boston description should just be #I'mTheAce #He'sTheAce
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Apr 7, 2015 16:18
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Here's a high level write up for the Red Sox: lmao
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Apr 7, 2015 16:30
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