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

xp obviously not ideal, but putting up 2.9 fWAR while hitting for shit is impressive in its own right

that's a pretty optimistic projection given how many ABs he's already had. he hasn't been particuarly good on the basepaths either (small sample size though lol). rooting for him though.

Francouer was actually my first thought too! but I looked it up and it wasn't too dramatic. he's a weird case though IIRC it wasn't even his "rookie season" it was like his first 150 ABs that were out of this world after which he just became...kind of okay

There's definitely a history of ROY winners whose best season was their first, even if they didn't fall off a cliff. With Carroll I gotta believe it's some kind of lingering injury, last season wasn't exactly fluky or a shallow counting stats kinda year. It was a five tool performance.

Btw Julio was really bad first half of last season, so bad that there was talk of sending him to Tacoma (triple A) and then he exploded in the second half and his numbers looked better as they always do. Don’t rule that out this year either.

J.D. Martinez (ankle, Amazon purchase) is back in the Mets' lineup tonight. Adidas overnighted him three emergency pairs of cleats to hold him over until the larger shipment of 30 or so pairs arrives. (A pair of cleats typically lasts him only around three games.)

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 3, 2024

maybe adidas is also using fanatics as its manufacturer?

heyooo

This rules, all relievers should do this

https://t.co/35va43qWAt pic.twitter.com/8UVJSYD4H5

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 4, 2024

Lol the Nats are so proud of their bullpen cart. Nobody uses it but when a reliever comes in they open up the little door and the cart zooms out and does two laps around the field anyway, just to keep it loose I guess

I think that's Bill Caudill on the Mariners program, bottom right, one of the bullpen saviors the Jays tried before they struck gold with Henke.

It’s sort of dumb that dudes like Heath Bell would sprint to the mound, yeah? Why would you want to elevate your heart rate etc right before you start pitching?

JT Realmuto agrees with you

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

It’s sort of dumb that dudes like Heath Bell would sprint to the mound, yeah? Why would you want to elevate your heart rate etc right before you start pitching?

― brimstead, Thursday, July 4, 2024 9:02 AM (one hour ago)

Have never been a pitcher, but something about recruiting lactate & catecholamines (sp?) into fast twitch muscle fibers in order to boost muscle performance.

src: was a coached by sports physiologist/professor at top university in my country

i just went to a npb game where there was a bullpen car (used multiple times)

lmao mlb, this is such a huge cultural difference for me

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2024/07/red-sox-jarren-duran-on-mlb-warning-over-shirt-a-fine-id-be-happy-to-pay.html

MIAMI — On a column next to Jarren Duran’s locker in the Red Sox’ clubhouse at Fenway Park, a two-page letter from Major League Baseball is posted for everyone to see.

The letter, addressed directly to Duran, is from Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president of on-field operations. It’s an official warning that Duran violated policies by wearing a custom-made undershirt that says “F--- ‘Em’ in a postgame interview with NESN’s Jahmai Webster after Duran hit a walk-off single to beat the Blue Jays in a comeback win June 24. One page of the letter is Hill’s warning that Duran shouldn’t be seen on TV wearing a shirt with expletives on it. The other is the evidence — screenshots of Duran and Webster on the field with Duran donning the shirt.

Duran understands that he broke baseball’s rules. But considering what the slogan means to Duran — and everything he has been through in both his major league career and life — the letter isn’t going to change much.

“I’m not surprised because obviously, it’s bad words and bad language,” he said Thursday before playing the Marlins. “It’s understandable. I’m glad they didn’t fine me. They just gave me a warning. If I ever hit a walk-off again, I’ll just take everything off so I don’t get in trouble.

“But that would be a fine I’d be happy to pay,” he added. “I wouldn’t have a problem paying that fine because it’s just me wearing something that means a lot to me.”

When the Celtics visited Fenway Park to celebrate their NBA championship early last week, Joe Mazzulla liked Duran’s shirt so much that the outfielder gifted him one.

Just talking with friends about something related last night, though the opposite of what you're saying: how, post-Trump, "fuck" is all over CNN now, even early in the evening. Bill Maher uses it liberally and they leave it in. I swear like a truck driver, but, irrational though it may be, I don't like hearing it on a news network. I guess that's the teacher in me.

it's due to the FCC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words

I'll probably get grief from someone for "swears like a truck driver." My dad drove both milk and bread trucks at various points. Just an expression.

I swear like a truck driver

I do! Especially behind the wheel, but pretty much all day long. Mostly to myself, and mindful of who's listening.

Anyway I understand a blanket prohibition but I guess curious about the blanket policy even if the word is partially redacted as it is here. Someone pointed out during the Jays series in Toronto that Sportsnet (?)had a closeup of Duran at the plate and they quickly cut away when they realised his wrist wraps(https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Op7q9OfpB/) were in full view lol

intrigued by perry's ice cream

Another solid start by Skenes. He's obviously a cinch for the ASG, right?

i’m happy duran is doing well and playing well, but honestly needing to wear stuff emblazoned with ‘fuck ‘em’ because ‘it means so much to’ him is kinda pathetic

you read the thing about this being his personal mantra against the times he was suicidal right

12 straight hits!

https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-miranda-consecutive-at-bats-hit-streak

Calling all math majors: please calculate the probability of a .300 hitter (where he was when the streak started) getting 12 consecutive hits.

1 in 1,881,676

INCREDIBLE

what did Joe Ryan just do pic.twitter.com/8qaFMA9V4s

— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) July 9, 2024

gave himself urethral cancer?

He shouldn’t be at risk if there’s no powder to dick contact right, like if he’s just dusting his upper thighs? Assume that’s where baseball uniforms chafe most in heat

i think he's de-moisting skin-to-skin zones in the groin area. you're right as long as it's only powder-to-skin contact should be OK.

https://i.imgur.com/dg5AALu.jpeg

After 11 starts, Skenes is fourth among NL pitchers with 3.1 bWAR (Greene leads with 3.5).

Skenes is going to start the All-Star game, only the fifth rookie to ever do so -- Nomo, Valenzuela, Fidrych, and Dave Stenhouse. I had to look Stenhouse up, he's not a hidden gem, had a solid first half in his rookie year of 1962 but nothing spectacular, and was out of the majors after 1964.

I suspect Skenes is going to wind up being the best draft pick in our fantasy league in terms of value relative to where he was chosen.

so much pulled pork this year for pitchers, kind of worried already for Skenes

Nomo, Valenzuela, Fidrych

Sounds about right: the media coverage of him this summer and the fan interest are very comparable to what those three experienced.

i read all the stuff about how skenes didn't really start pitching until college and i remember what the tommy john doctors said about the UCL developing until age 24 so i'm hoping that skenes will be alright for awhile since his UCL doesn't have as much wear on it as your average rookie arm does

also hope that he's a genetic freak

He seems much more likely to last being built the way he is, for example what happened with Spencer Strider seemed like an absolute inevitability.

also i have it on good authority he never pitched his team to the championship game in summer koshien, so he’s got that going for him too

I suspect Skenes is going to wind up being the best draft pick in our fantasy league in terms of value relative to where he was chosen.

2nd pick in the last last round! hats off to that mad flier of a pick.

oof i was gonna pick him next (i swear it, i do)

did not have the a's beating ranger suarez tonight

everybody could use an (all star) break

I jinxed him this morning.

https://i.postimg.cc/gJMWyXRj/grid.jpg

what the heck is going on with rece hinds

in AAA this season his OPS was .698

Tarik Skubal has allowed 67 home runs in his career (495 IP). Only four have been to left handed batters. Reminded of this by seeing Freddie Freeman hit one off him.

I'm thinking that the two best pitchers in MLB this season are Tarik and Sale, right? I'd really love to see the latter continue on and have a full healthy season, get that nice number of 20 wins and that long overdue Cy Young award.

I would never in a million years guessed who the best pitchers were going to be this season