You can’t spell ‘no big contracts’ without RSN: 2024 regular MLB season thread!

Even the Expos have 4!

https://i.postimg.cc/N0kw0Vwv/IMG-5005.jpg

Incredible promo.

There is an inferior promo at one of the games I’m attending in April.

Miller Lite Happy Hour
Enjoy happy hour pregame at the Miller Lite Landing Bar and other locations for drink specials, games and more from the time gates open until first pitch!

that is beautiful

Happy Valentine’s Day! Most pitchers and catchers report today.

Catcher Keeps Signaling 'I Love You' https://t.co/LNIKAF2m3t pic.twitter.com/Z2SH3KDJ7p

— The Onion (@TheOnion) May 21, 2022

i'm going to be in NYC at the very end of march with my 13-year-old son who is totally uninterested in sports. i'm going to try to convince him that we should go to a mets game (probably not the home opener, more likely their second game).

What is he interested in?

oh you know, art/music/"geek culture" stuff, generally the same things i was into at his age. he'll probably be fine with going to a game if i buy enough snacks

You should tell him basically all the players are gamers and Lindor is probably the most stylish player in the whole leagues if he’s into drip at all

Padres manager Mike Shildt just announced that Xander Bogaerts will move to second base to clear the way for Gold Glover HSK to play short.

“My admiration for Xander went through the roof,” he said.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 16, 2024

you know, rendon isn't *wrong* -- playing baseball is a difficult job that only becomes harder when your body starts to fall apart. i imagine most people in any line of work would say that family and faith were higher priorities than their work

but baseball players are entertainers, and part of the job is at least trying to make the fans happy. and the fans do not want to hear complaints from dudes who made $103 million while playing 148 games (badly!) over the last three seasons. you just sound like an asshole -- and people are going to treat you accordingly. there are no points for honesty in this; just mouth some platitudes a la jeter and go about your day

It’s a bad look when there are journeymen taking 12 hour bus journeys in the minor leagues who dream of making league minimum. It’s a hard game, it’s a grind, but both those things are easier with the big club’s accoutrements and all that money.

Come on, man

“It’s never been a top priority for me,” Rendon said regarding the game. “This is a job. I do this to make a living. My faith, my family come first before this job.”
…

But, he also recognizes he has a certain perception among the fanbase for his lack of on-field production combined with his public comments. Last season, for example, he injured his shin in July, declined interviews for two months, then claimed the Angels doctors misdiagnosed a fractured tibia as only a bruise. That came months after getting suspended for grabbing an Oakland A’s fan in the stands following the first game of the season.

it's fair for Rendon to feel however he wants about baseball, Larry Walker iirc for example was not really Ernie Banks when it came to love of the game, though he did have fun with it and most crucially was a guy who played hard and was putting up excellent numbers til the day he retired. But Rendon has been paid like a Trout-level superstar while delivering the numbers of a decline phase Jeff Blauser.

Rendon probably doesn't even like SpongeBob

You know who does though

“I feel like SpongeBob going into work” - Dugie pic.twitter.com/J21Rk50gaY

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 19, 2024

queuing this one up for gyac:

The catcher hits for .318 and catches every day
The pitcher puts religion first and rests on holidays
He goes into cathedrals and lies prostrate on the floor
He knows the drink affects his speed, he's praying for a doorway
Back into the life he wants and the confession of the bench
Life outside the diamond is a wrench

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXiRbf-4RXc

(Did you know that Stuart Murdoch married a SF bay area gal after spending quite a bit of time here and he became a SF Giants fan whether by proxy or choice?

The first time I saw him live he was wearing a Barry Bonds jersey)

Thank you! I had been linked this song before and I didn’t know that about them.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3oBxgMSxtB/?igsh=dmN0bXEyeXY2dWhz

Teoscar is bringing some of the best vibes you can possible ask for to this team. Contagious smile

Spring training starts tomorrow people. Baseball is just about back!

Buenos días, fanáticos!

We are going to the Dodger-Angels game Saturday. My nephew wants to see Shohei.

Thanks, I hate this

Kodai Senga has a mild strain of his posterior capsule in his shoulder.

He will be shut down until symptoms subside and is expected to begin the season on the IL. pic.twitter.com/N9Ok7eVstW

— SNY (@SNYtv) February 22, 2024

Mets are so fucked

Speaking of, Sheehan has this to say about Pete Alonso

Hitters are losing value earlier and earlier in their careers, as power pitching and designer breaking balls put a premium on eyesight, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. Lose even a tiny bit of that at 31, at 32, and you get run out of the league. Shortstops, center fielders, even catchers can make up for that with baserunning and defense. First basemen cannot.

Is he saying Alonso is already not ageing well? He’s projected to hit over 40 next year. Or is he suggesting this is why they haven’t extended him?

i'd be slightly wary about extending him, just due to the fact that while he's a good guy to have, i think he's not as good as the counting stats might indicate. he's more a Schwarber than a Judge. ftr i like Pete, but maybe not at whatever he'll eventually get paid.

he hit .217/.318/.504 with 3 war in his age 28 season. the homers are lovely, but yeah that's edging into schwarber territory. i'd pay him a fair bit of money on a four-year deal, but i'm sure he'll want 8+

not to be all 'wahh, boras' but boras' clients almost never sign extensions before hitting the market. and considering the deals he's gotten bogaerts and kris bryant and eric hosmer, that seems pretty effective! it only takes one sucker

if being a met means that much to alonso, i'm sure they can get a deal done -- boras works for him, after all. but they're all just posturing now

I was looking at this looking for parks that are friendly to right handed pull hitters who might be looking for a first baseman whose main skill is hitting it out, and I didn’t realise Citi field is actually so unfriendly to Alonso!

Also, now I understand why Alex Cora is always trying to get his left handed hitters to go oppo. Had no idea Fenway was that difficult for lefties.

yeah it’s a vast prairie out there in right for the most part

Unless you’ve got like 70 or 80 power or are lucky enough to reach the pole, I guess? I was surprised that Ted Williams claims he only had four oppo homers there.

Anyway, Alonso could do well in St Louis maybe? Goldy is still good but he’s a free agent at the end of 2024 at the age of 37, and they’d be able to pay Alonso if they want to.

so are they going to fix the uniforms?

word on the street is that of universal concern is the pant

word on the street is that of universal concern is the pant

there is spring training baseball on tv!

New statement on the pants from an MLB official: “The uniform pants have the same material and thickness as the uniform pants used last season. There were changes to the fabric of the jersey, not the pants.”

i.e. design and sizing changed but not the material, per the league. https://t.co/1km20Q3U3E

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) February 23, 2024

They’re going to be laughing on the other side of their faces when there’s a rainy game at Citi or Fenway and having to see Kenley or Pete Alonso exposed to the eyes of children. Otoh maybe players will finally start wearing cups again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqEFzxpGQx0

Baseball.
On at Australian prime time.
Only 10 hours away?

We are so back

First AB of the 2024 MLB season ends with a pitch clock violated walk. Didn't have that on my bingo card

atmosphere sucks

Facts

Omg I love Ohtani

Look at his happy mother! Wholesome 🥰

Oof this padres catcher. Not quite the cannon arm is it?

I feel like Manny Machado's ears get even more elvish as the years go on

commentators keep going on about the passion of the fans in korea but all we see on tv are bored millionaires in half-empty leather seats looking at their phones

Tbf, that's the case behind homeplate for most games

maybe in LA lol

exactly the right pitch from darvish there

Well, they're full in la, and the bleachers make up for it.

Hyunjin ryu spotted. King

AJ Pierzynski isn’t a great listen, I’ll tell you that for free

When in the UK #LondonSeries ⚽️

(Cut4 x @CoronaUSA) pic.twitter.com/esgARUOtjC

— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 8, 2024

Pierzynski’s mic wasn’t working in their first link and he had to use someone else lmao, he was very rattled

I fell asleep. Just woke up lol. Good game?

It wasn’t very competitive.

Anyone up? 😴😴😴

Kiké Hernández committed an error during an in-game interview on Friday night. Asked after the game if the interview impacted him on the play, the Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman said, “Maybe a little bit.” Subsequently asked if he’d reconsider being mic’d up during a game, he replied “No, because we’re getting paid.”

According to the Associated Press story that quoted Hernández, “Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement calls for a player to receive a $10,000 stipend for wearing a two-way microphone for at least one inning of a regular-season game. The amount rises to $15,000 in the postseason.” The story went on to say that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wasn’t aware that his third baseman was being interviewed while on the field.

if you listen to the broadcast of that he says something cool

what'd he say? i'm almost always amazed that they don't yell "shit!" the second the ball is put into play

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1dauyo9/ball_hit_my_penis/

He said on some interview I watched that he doesn’t wear a cup either

Phillies-Mets London series second game:

Pluses:
- what a fucking game! How many games do you get a blown save, a bases loaded 2-3(!) double play to end the game and a home run robbery
- Alvarado‘s song was a banger but obviously the Phillies weren’t expecting him to shit the bed that badly. They had to hastily warm a guy up and throw him on to get out of the inning.
- I never have to see that FUCKING STUPID London series ad with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhinney again
- Phillies fans lived up to the reputation, one guy in front of us turned and pointed “HA! HA! HA!!!!” when Dahl homered
- Mets turned several great double plays including the game winner
- HBP is objectively one of the funniest ways to get a go ahead run
- Fun facts on the scoreboard still rule
- Bryson Stott & his walk up song got one of the biggest cheers when he pinch hit. He ground out on one pitch.

Minuses:
- So many pitching changes, damn. Really offset the pacing gains of the clock.
- Francisco Lindor didn’t get a hit
- I think the gloomy weather and claggy air turned most things into warning track outs

Walk up songs of note:

- Francisco Lindor’s is My Girl
- Bryce Harper alternated between three British choices: Wannabe, Here Comes the Sun and ?
- Both Brett Baty & Christian Pache both walked up to Million Dollar Baby

Shirt watch: mostly Harpers and Lindors but saw one Burrell(!), one Lincecum (❤️), a few Ohtanis, one Yamamoto. Tons of Nolas

Sounds like a good time and crazy last three innings.

One last minus: I still have Tracer Hands comb

Himself: I liked the guy who just showed up, hit a dinger and left. (David Dahl, who pinch hit for Rojas in the 7th and who was in turn pinch hit for by Pache to play centre field).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPqDZ5RWAAAuPvy.jpg:small

Fuck MLB for pushing sports gambling, and fuck these lowlifes.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/06/09/mlb-players-starting-to-fear-for-their-safety-from-gamblers/74028741007/

It has become so appalling that fans are now requesting payment from players for their lost wages in bets.
"Fans used to just say normal things like, 'You’re a bum,’" said Chapman, a seven-year veteran. "Now, that they have all that money on us, fans will talk a lot of (expletive) to us. I’ll even have fans Venmo requesting me for money. I had to change my Venmo."
Said Giants veteran reliever Tyler Rogers: "I had to make my Venmo private because I’d blow a game or something, and people would find me on Venmo, and they’d send me requests. 'Hey, you cost me $1,500. You better pay me back.'

Still, despite the inherent danger, not only to players but to the potential integrity of the game, Major League Baseball endlessly promotes gambling websites.
"You cannot watch one set of commercials between innings without a gambling commercial," Sewald said. "FanDuel. DraftKings. MGM. Caesars. We’re promoting the hell out of this, and then to say, 'Oh, I don’t know what guys are gambling'?"

Totally agree with you, and even more appalling to me is when players sign on to do commercials. Don't know if this a problems with baseball yet, but I've seen famous hockey and basketball players (some retired, but I don't think all) promoting gambling site.

"sites"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q45L0wPTB8I

nice writeup gyac

listening to the game on the radio the mets booth was mentioning how the field was way bouncier than parks in the states

watching the replays and yeah, that's a bouncy and fast green

Yeah there was some play towards the end of the game where a ball hit the turf at the end and went SPROING that was hilarious. But there weren’t too many moments like that that impacted scoring. Also, Tracer Hand stood up and shouted ¡Vamanos, Vientos! in the worst Spanish I’ve ever heard in my life right before he drove in the tying run

the play at the plate where torrens missed the catch - definitely seemed like the ball bounced a bit higher than he was expecting

also bohm fumbling that vientos chopper

guess it all evened out in the end!

I think Bohm is kind of fraudulent because of stuff like that and I’ve seen him misplay balls like that even in non-circus turf situations

Was just skimming this year's players poll...For most overrated (which players were reluctant to answer, so a smaller sample size), Juan Soto and Yordan Alvarez both received votes, but Vlad didn't. Maybe someone can explain that to me. (The most obvious answer, I guess, is that Vlad isn't thought highly enough anymore to be considered overrated.)

I read the initial piece and two things in reference to your question:

1) the survey was taken in spring training before the season began
2) one of the Jazz comments references his MLB the Show cover. Literally it’s not a great analysis, it’s probably some player with their then current copy of the game saying it.

Now, based on that logic, you should expect to see Vladdy show up in next year’s survey. The Soto comment was dumb as well:

On Soto:

“Could be a spite pick, to be honest. I feel like all he does is walk and hit singles, and doesn’t hit for power like he’s portrayed. Also not a good fielder.”

That would explain it, thanks. I was going to post the Soto quote too--singles hitter with a lifetime slugging pct. of .531.

Buster Olney got hacked

Shohei Ohtani has been banned for life from the MLB, in connection to charges with gambling. His trial is on August 28th, it is speculated he could get life in prison

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) June 10, 2024

I Hate METS

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) June 10, 2024

lol

Who was that kid who was in the tor system with the huge lower half

Oh holy shit… he came over in the halladay trade iirc

I was close. The jays traded Michael Taylor (the other Michael Taylor), whom they had gotten in the halladay deal, to the A’s for him. Brett Wallace.

YES

I feel like I'll enjoy this Braves-Orioles series a lot more if I just switch allegiance now before first pitch.

Hope you listened to your best intentions

How bout these O’s huh

They're pretty good, and the barves are pretty bad.

skenes being v. slightly outdueled . . . by miles mikolas!

The Houston Astros released first baseman José Abreu. He is owed more than $30 million on the free agent deal he signed last year.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 14, 2024

oof but he's been so so bad

even (a little) worse than fellow former white sox star tim anderson

That organisation seems deeply cursed

don't worry i might be seeing them at candlestick in june - that'll be the turning point for a long slow slide back below .500

well they didnt need to wait for me it looks like

Braves are just getting one bad break after another. Honest miracle they haven’t gone full-on Mets yet.

I feel like that team generally has a horseshoe up their ass

This is cute af, however
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQNj0HzbQAAXhyL?format=jpg&name=large

Craig’s son