Official 2012 MLB thread

[Chi-Town Bully]

Im not looking forward to this season since the White Sox wont be competing this year, my only solace is that the Cubs still suck

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

Pirates get AJ Burnett

All jokes aside, if Alvarez can stay healthy and produce, it wouldn't shock me if the Bucs are fighting for a playoff spot in September.

A's close to sign Manny

Manny works out for A's, could sign soon

PHOENIX -- Oakland's interest in veteran free agent Manny Ramirez is still very much alive, and it appears the club could sign the embattled slugger within the next week.

Baseball sources confirmed to MLB.com that A's officials recently traveled to Florida to observe Ramirez's workouts. If the two sides reach an agreement, Ramirez would earn slightly more than the league minimum of $480,000, according to the Associated Press.

Ramirez would be utilized by the A's as a designated hitter, but not before serving a 50-game suspension stemming from his second violation of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, meaning he wouldn't be paid or allowed to participate in a game until as early as June 2.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120218&content_id=26744182&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[peagle05]

fuck the tigers...

 

[Big_Ev]

couldn't find the thread, so eff it.\

The Met Who Blames Everything on the Wilpons

It’s really sad to see what the Mets have become: A great franchise, on the biggest stage in sports, is now a laughingstock. Ownership is trying to turn the Mets, a big-market franchise, into a small-market franchise. That’s not just sad, it’s disgusting.

You know what I think when I read about the Mets nowadays? We’ve become the Oakland A’s. We’re the Pittsburgh Pirates. Our fans deserve better than that. You can’t possibly build a dynasty when you’re cutting costs left and right. The only way to turn it around is to sell the team.

It hurts me to say this, because I’ve always liked Fred Wilpon. I know in his heart how much he wants the Mets to succeed. He’s always lived and died with the team. But there comes a time when it’s no longer possible to be in charge. Fred doesn’t have enough money to make it work.

People ask me all the time about the Madoff controversy. How much did the Wilpons know? My heart wants to believe Fred wasn’t in on the scheme, that there’s no way he would take that big of a gamble. The part of me that likes Fred thinks he just got taken advantage of. But there’s a flip side that I can’t ignore: No one makes that much money without knowing where it’s coming from.

Either way you look at it, what you have now is a team that feels like it’s bankrupt. Jose Reyes was allowed to walk without even getting an offer? If that’s your plan, you better have someone to replace him with. But the Wilpons don’t.

Reyes and David Wright were the heart of that team. Those were the guys the Mets had to build around. But now that Reyes is in Miami, Wright will be traded by the All-Star break. If they’re going to run this like a small-market team, that’s the way it’s going to unfold. If I’m David Wright, I’d want to be gone.

That’s because it’s going to be a long summer—you’re talking about last place. It’s a tough division all of a sudden. Who do we have that’s going to beat Stephen Strasburg or Cliff Lee? Who’s going to match up against Tim Hudson or Tommy Hanson? We won’t even be able to beat Mark Buehrle. Everyone in the division has at least one big weapon that we don’t have.

I feel bad for the fans because they deserve so much better. But I also feel bad for some of the guys who’ve gotten a raw deal. That’s one thing I can say about the front office—they don’t show a lot of loyalty.

Look at what happened to Mookie Wilson: He just got fired. Mookie went to the wall for the organization, but they still canned him. Look at Ken Oberkfell. Guy puts in twelve years with the organization; next thing you know, he’s been fired. No explanation. Those are the little things that tell you what direction a team is going in. People around the game hear about this stuff. They talk about it: “What’s happening to the Mets?” It depresses the hell out of me because I don’t think it’s going to improve until 2014 at the earliest. It’s going to be hard to ask the fans to sit through two brutal seasons, even though there’s some talent coming through the system.

What makes it worse is being in the same market as the Yankees. Obviously they have more money, but there used to be a time when the Mets and Yankees were equals. Today, it’s totally lopsided. But that’s not to say I have a problem with the Yankees—I don’t. I’m not jealous of them. They’ve given New York a product their fans can be proud of, like it’s supposed to be. I like Derek Jeter, I think he’s a class act. I read some of the good things and the bad things that were said when he was renegotiating, but he ended up having a pretty decent year. Is he overpaid now? Sure, but he earned it when he was younger. The Yankees took care of him, the way you’re supposed to.

I’m waiting for the day when the Mets get back to doing things the right way. In the meantime, it’s a disaster.

http://nymag.com/news/features/insiders/mets-2012/

As a Mets fan this is going to not just a long year but a long couple of years.

 

[TheBossman]

my division winners predictions.

AL West Angels

AL central tigers

AL east orioles (yes orioles)

AL wildcard rangers

NL West diamondbacks

NL central cubs (i think they will be good this season)

NL East phillies

NL wildcard marlins

orioles got a nice lineup, they need one more starting pitcher imo.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

As a Mets fan this is going to not just a long year but a long couple of years.

Despite the perception, we're not destined for 100 loss seasons. Duda and Ike can both hit 25+ homers. Kirk Niewienhius and Den Dekker are both quality CF prospects with range, Dekker has more pop, while Kirk has a better OBP. Tejada is a quality SS. Gee and Niese are both good back-end starters. We're still 2+ years away from being a threat in the division, but our future isn't as bleak. The sooner this financial mess gets cleared up, the better.

orioles got a nice lineup, they need one more starting pitcher imo.

They play in the toughest division, which saw every team(sans Sox) getting better. Plus, they have no front-line starting pitchers. Adam Jones and Wieters are nice, but the rest of the team is mediocre to say the least.

 

[Big_Ev]

As a Mets fan this is going to not just a long year but a long couple of years.

Despite the perception, we're not destined for 100 loss seasons. Duda and Ike can both hit 25+ homers. Kirk Niewienhius and Den Dekker are both quality CF prospects with range, Dekker has more pop, while Kirk has a better OBP. Tejada is a quality SS. Gee and Niese are both good back-end starters. We're still 2+ years away from being a threat in the division, but our future isn't as bleak. The sooner this financial mess gets cleared up, the better.

orioles got a nice lineup, they need one more starting pitcher imo.

They play in the toughest division, which saw every team(sans Sox) getting better. Plus, they have no front-line starting pitchers. Adam Jones and Wieters are nice, but the rest of the team is mediocre to say the least.

I think the financial aspect of it is the main issue. Once the money issue is squared away the team should have a good future.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

The financial situation is the 800-pound elephant in the room, when in reality, we have a weak rotation and had a terrible defense last year. Our pitching should fare better, with having Ike and Wright for an extended period of time, plus getting Torres and having Dekker/Kirk getting playing time.

Let's just say the Mets had money, and resigned Reyes and acquired Edwin Jackson or Darvish this off-season. That's still a fringe playoff team AT BEST. So our main culprit is pitching, improve this rotation, and we'll improve in wins. Hopefully Santana can have a productive season, expect Jon Niese to have a breakout year though.

 

[Big_Ev]

The financial situation is the 800-pound elephant in the room, when in reality, we have a weak rotation and had a terrible defense last year. Our pitching should fare better, with having Ike and Wright for an extended period of time, plus getting Torres and having Dekker/Kirk getting playing time.

Let's just say the Mets had money, and resigned Reyes and acquired Edwin Jackson or Darvish this off-season. That's still a fringe playoff team AT BEST. So our main culprit is pitching, improve this rotation, and we'll improve in wins. Hopefully Santana can have a productive season, expect Jon Niese to have a breakout year though.

Right now I don't have my hopes up too much on Santana getting back to his old self right now. He needs to work himself back to at least a .500 pitcher then work from there.

 

[TheBossman]

Adam Jones

Nick Markakis

J.J. Hardy

Mark Reynolds

Matt Wieters

all over 20 homers last season. orioles got a power lineup, like i said the pitching is a little ways away. but they will make an impact this season.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

@ Bossman

Okay, they do have pop, but they struggle to get on base. What's the point of hitting 20 HR's, if you don't get on base?Also, the Orioles are a poor fielding team, WITH an awful staff. Good pitching and fielding go hand in hand, in that division, pitching is everything(Look at the Rays). Finally, they don't steal too many bases. When you add all these facts up, the O's are mediocre at just about everything(pitching, fielding, base-running, getting on base) in the most elite division in baseball. They will be a 5th place team, unless they over-achieve.

 

[infamous114]

I expect the Marlins to compete for the division. It'd be a disappointment if they don't make the playoffs as the division winner or a wild card spot

 

[TheBossman]

my division winners predictions.

AL West Angels

AL central tigers

AL east orioles (yes orioles)

AL wildcard rangers

NL West diamondbacks

NL central cubs (i think they will be good this season)

NL East phillies

NL wildcard marlins

orioles got a nice lineup, they need one more starting pitcher imo.

The CUBS? Da fuck

Reds,brewers,cards and possibly pirates>>>the cubs This year

Al west - Angels

Al wild card - Rangers

Al east - yanks

Al central -Tigers

Al wild card 2 - red sox

Nl Central -Reds

Nl west - Giants

Nl -east phillies

Nl wild card - Marlins

Nl wild card 2- cards

damn, thats fucked up i got more faith in cubs than tommy does lol...

and i forgot about the second wildcard team.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

Bryce Harper interview on MLB Network Hot Stove.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=7417714

Say what you want about his cockiness, but this dude has it, and will be a superstar.

New Reliever Rule

Spoiler

MLB tweaks rule to prevent stalling for relievers

A season after the Tampa Bay manager put outfielder Sam Fuld to the mound to warm up for the sole purpose of giving a reliever extra time in the bullpen, Major League Baseball closed the loophole.

MLB has amended Official Baseball Rule 3.05 regarding such shenanigans. The change will "prohibit a manager from sending his current pitcher out to warm up with no intention of having him pitch because a relief pitcher is not ready to enter the game."

The Playing Rules Committee proposed the tweak in the offseason and it was approved by MLB, the players' union and umpires.

Maddon hadn't heard about the change until being asked this week.

"I know this, that all the odd kind of moments that occur during the season regarding umpiring, that they do write them down, and they'll talk about it at the end of the season. So, it doesn't surprise me. And it also indicates that they're on top of things, so I kind of like it," he said at the Rays' spring training camp.

"That was an anomaly. That'll probably never come up again," he added. "The other thing with Sammy. That was just something that we pulled out of our hat, just to try to make sure that we got everybody warmed up and ready to go."

The Rays were playing at Milwaukee last June when the episode occurred. Fuld pinch-hit for reliever J.P. Howell in the top of the eighth inning and Tampa Bay scored three runs to take an 8-1 lead.

Maddon had planned on using reliever Joel Peralta while the game was close. Once the Rays pulled away, Maddon wanted Cesar Ramos to pitch in the bottom half.

But because Ramos wasn't ready, Maddon sent Fuld — who batted in the pitcher's spot but has not actually pitched since high school — to the mound to warm up. Once Fuld was done, Maddon brought in Ramos.

The next day, after the Rays won 8-4, Maddon admitted he'd fudged things and apologized to the umpiring crew.

The rules committee, composed of executives, former players and an umpire, recently made a few other adjustments, none major.

Bats with a scooped end on the barrel can have an indentation of 1¼ inches, up from 1 inch. And the word "baseline" has been replaced in spots by "base path."

Also, the process for appealing an official scorer's ruling has been changed. In the past, a team's public relations employee would often ask the scorer to review a call. Now, a player's agent will work with the union to appeal, then there will be a process between MLB and the union to reach a decision.

Maddon, meanwhile, still had some questions about the reliever rule.

"How do they know the intentions are not to pitch him? How would you know that? You could easily leave him in there for one hitter if you had to," he said.

"My concern would be you could still send out your previous inning's pitcher to warm up and then pull him out of the game before the first batter. That's still OK, correct?"

Maddon was more certain on what to call the new 3.05 rule — as in, don't name it for him.

"Oh! Stay with the number," he said, laughing. "No, make it the Sam Fuld Rule. I'm good with that."

http://www.ajc.com/sports/mlb-tweaks-rule-to-1357530.html

Tony La Russa is in talks to work for MLB
http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...lks_to_work_for_mlb/srvc=home&position=recent

 

[SunflowaSeeds]

Yanks sign Ibanez, not mad at that.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

Hate to say it, but the Yanks are dangerous. I still like the Marlins to win it all, IF Reyes and Josh are healthy. However, the Yanks are one of the most complete teams in baseball, along w/ the D-Backs and Angels. It's crazy how many great teams there are this year, there is no clear cut favorite, about 11 teams that can realistically compete for a championship this year.

 

[TheBossman]

Bryce Harper interview on MLB Network Hot Stove.
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=7417714

Say what you want about his cockiness, but this dude has it, and will be a superstar.

New Reliever Rule

Spoiler

MLB tweaks rule to prevent stalling for relievers

A season after the Tampa Bay manager put outfielder Sam Fuld to the mound to warm up for the sole purpose of giving a reliever extra time in the bullpen, Major League Baseball closed the loophole.

MLB has amended Official Baseball Rule 3.05 regarding such shenanigans. The change will "prohibit a manager from sending his current pitcher out to warm up with no intention of having him pitch because a relief pitcher is not ready to enter the game."

The Playing Rules Committee proposed the tweak in the offseason and it was approved by MLB, the players' union and umpires.

Maddon hadn't heard about the change until being asked this week.

"I know this, that all the odd kind of moments that occur during the season regarding umpiring, that they do write them down, and they'll talk about it at the end of the season. So, it doesn't surprise me. And it also indicates that they're on top of things, so I kind of like it," he said at the Rays' spring training camp.

"That was an anomaly. That'll probably never come up again," he added. "The other thing with Sammy. That was just something that we pulled out of our hat, just to try to make sure that we got everybody warmed up and ready to go."

The Rays were playing at Milwaukee last June when the episode occurred. Fuld pinch-hit for reliever J.P. Howell in the top of the eighth inning and Tampa Bay scored three runs to take an 8-1 lead.

Maddon had planned on using reliever Joel Peralta while the game was close. Once the Rays pulled away, Maddon wanted Cesar Ramos to pitch in the bottom half.

But because Ramos wasn't ready, Maddon sent Fuld — who batted in the pitcher's spot but has not actually pitched since high school — to the mound to warm up. Once Fuld was done, Maddon brought in Ramos.

The next day, after the Rays won 8-4, Maddon admitted he'd fudged things and apologized to the umpiring crew.

The rules committee, composed of executives, former players and an umpire, recently made a few other adjustments, none major.

Bats with a scooped end on the barrel can have an indentation of 1¼ inches, up from 1 inch. And the word "baseline" has been replaced in spots by "base path."

Also, the process for appealing an official scorer's ruling has been changed. In the past, a team's public relations employee would often ask the scorer to review a call. Now, a player's agent will work with the union to appeal, then there will be a process between MLB and the union to reach a decision.

Maddon, meanwhile, still had some questions about the reliever rule.

"How do they know the intentions are not to pitch him? How would you know that? You could easily leave him in there for one hitter if you had to," he said.

"My concern would be you could still send out your previous inning's pitcher to warm up and then pull him out of the game before the first batter. That's still OK, correct?"

Maddon was more certain on what to call the new 3.05 rule — as in, don't name it for him.

"Oh! Stay with the number," he said, laughing. "No, make it the Sam Fuld Rule. I'm good with that."

http://www.ajc.com/sports/mlb-tweaks-rule-to-1357530.html

Tony La Russa is in talks to work for MLB
http://news.bostonherald.com/sports...lks_to_work_for_mlb/srvc=home&position=recent

i saw that about 1 hour before i did my first baseball draft and picked up harper in like the 19th round.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

Funny, because he's going to be bad for the first half, if he starts Opening Day. If the Nats are smart, they'd give Harper a full year to mess up when he starts for the Nats.

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

CJ Wilson break-dancing
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a8a8d5d6f6/can-a-baseball-player-breakdance

Don't call Albert hombre...

Spoiler

Pujols unhappy with Angels' 'El Hombre' billboards

The Angels succeeded this offseason in getting Albert Pujols out of St. Louis, but getting St. Louis out of Albert Pujols is a different proposition.

The superstar slugger voiced his objections Wednesday to a series of 20 billboards around southern California that depict Pujols in an Angels uniform next to the words "El Hombre," Spanish for "The Man." Pujols, who signed a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Angels in December after 11 seasons in St. Louis, believes the phrase "The Man" should be reserved for Cardinals Hall-of-Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, whom Pujols got to know during his time with the Cardinals.

"I prefer not to use that," Pujols told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...ert-pujols-cardinals-hall-of-famer-billboards

 

[Cosmic_Cannon]

NL Central is a 3 horse race. The Bucs; Cards, and Brewers can all compete for the division crown. Outside of the NL and AL East, this is one of the most toughest divisions in baseball.