The stove is cold and so are you but here's the 2024 ILBB survey!

Just a bit of fun, mainly prompted by the 2024 Awards discussion about alternate 2024 MVPs.
https://forms.gle/KDH4fUsETyzWrQXn9

This goes a little bit beyond that but hopefully doesn't drag too much. I enabled sign in so you can save responses, but it's not collecting emails.

Have fun?
https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2023/07/29/b955ee4b-e945-4d14-aceb-1354ca2f1684/thumbnail/770x433/5d1d55ce2302df4180c12caa2a8c6370/triston-casas-usatsi.jpg

Filled it out. I boldly voted for Judge and Ohtani.

lol

Some great responses, one of the suggestions to improve the game is all time.

Fuck, I didn’t set an end date to this thing - let’s say five days from now? Already have five responses!

I'm kind of like Posnanski on the MVP; he voted for Judge and Ohtani, and he thinks they're the obvious picks, but he wants someone else--a few someone elses--to send in the quirky and sometimes indefensible ballots that used to show up every year (he cites a few in the full column).

no Cy or RoY questions?!

Nice survey, thanks gyac!

For the FA question -- if Bregman actually gets 10Y/300M then it will be an all-time blunder whichever team is dumb enough to do it. But I don't think he's getting that contract, and I'm really skeptical of Snell's long term health and motivation, so I picked him.

I think that contract was speculation but I think his contract will be bad regardless

no Cy or RoY questions?!

Totally forgot about this, bumping for more responses

I’ve been terrible at, like, everything, but here are the results (except for the question about new rules which I already polled here: Best new rule suggestion for the game by ILBB users

MVP - American League
Not much appetite to revisit this:
https://i.postimg.cc/y89LN1gP/IMG-1245.jpg

Which Jackson will have the best season next year?
https://i.postimg.cc/yxyRDN4M/IMG-1246.jpg
Personally i think you’re too low on Holliday (but Churio and Merrill are already studs so I get it)

National League MVP
https://i.postimg.cc/dtQ6GbH2/IMG-1247.jpg
Not much appetite for revision here either but Lindor gets deserved love.

Who will Juan Soto sign with?
https://i.postimg.cc/x8PShwMG/IMG-1248.jpg

WRITE IN: tell ILBB your favourite underrated player we should watch for in 2025 (no essays needed, just a name)
Interesting spread of answers here:

Brent Rooker
Alan Roden
Tobias Myers
Triston Casas
Jordan Walker
Justin Slaten
Wyatt Langford
Strider back
Yusei Kikuchi

Who will win the American League in 2025?
https://i.postimg.cc/HjGB0nVB/IMG-1249.jpg

Sure they lost Soto but i feel like the Yankees are underrated here, and the Orioles haven’t done as much this winter. As ever, you can’t rule out Houston.

Who will win the National League in 2025?
https://i.postimg.cc/tRr59rk2/IMG-1250.jpg
This poll was taken before the Dodgers signed Sasaki, Tanner Scott etc but I’m still surprised this one was competitive.

OPTIONAL TRIVIA BREAK - 4 left handed hitters have hit home runs off Tarik Skubal since his MLB debut in 2020. Name two of them!

Your responses:

Dude no idea. I bet Triston is one of them you dirty dog
Devers & Ohtani
Soto, Casas
Juan Soto, Triston Casas
Freddie Freeman, Triston Casas
Yordan Alvarez, John Olerud, Willie McCovey, Stan Musial
Idk man

I was watching Tarik Skubal accepting his Cy Young and he was talking about the Tigers keeping faith in him even when he gave up 35 home runs in 2021. Most interesting fact about that statistic? Only one of them was to a left handed hitter.

May 19th 2021 - Kyle Seager (SEA)

https://www.mlb.com/video/tarik-skubal-in-play-run-s-to-kyle-seager

June 7th 2022 - Calvin Mitchell (PIT)

https://www.mlb.com/video/cal-mitchell-homers-2-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-jack-suwinski-s

August 11th 2023 - Triston Casas (BOS)

https://www.mlb.com/video/triston-casas-homers-19-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-alex-verdugo

July 12th 2024 - Freddie Freeman

https://www.mlb.com/video/freddie-freeman-homers-14-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-ivefaj

And yes, the only reason i knew about this was because the Athletic wrote about it (they thought Cora should stop platooning Casas. Moving on!

Which free agent contract will age most poorly?
ILBB and every GM in the league agree on the two most popular options
https://i.postimg.cc/T1YpBrhp/IMG-1252.jpg

OPTIONAL : which stud player does this image relate to?
Responses are not playing ball for copying, so I’ll save you the time and tell you that the picture of the tuning fork was related to Carlos Correa. December 2022 hot stove readers will know!

Which trade acquisition for your team would make you happiest?

Spencer Strider (will never happen)
Rutschman
Bring back home run chub Kyle Schwarber.
Paul Skenes
Yamamoto
Garrett Crochet
Are GMs ever traded?
Miller
Ohtani

SKIPPABLE NONSENSE: which position did Casey from Casey at the Bat have in the lineup?

62.5% said cleanup, 37.5 said leadoff. User 龜 wrote one of the best ilx posts of all time about this here:

things I learned about in baseball this week/how i learned to stop worrying and love baseball

Should the playoffs expand, stay the same, or shrink (number of teams, not games)
https://i.postimg.cc/nVGmTG0K/IMG-1254.jpg

How many Cy Youngs will Paul Skenes win by the time he hits free agency in 2029?

22.2% said two. The remaining 77.8% thought merely one.

"Please don't sign him" - what free agent would you hate to see your team sign?

33.3% - Pete Alonso
22.2% - Alex Bregman
11.1% - Anthony Rizzo
11.1% - Walker (Buehler? Christian?)
11.1% - Jordan Montgomery (he’s not a FA btw)
11.1% - Paul DeJong

And finally

Favourite verb to describe a good hitter?
55.6% - mash
44.4% - rake

cmon explain the tuning fork!!

Carlos Correa repeatedly failing medicals due to an injury that dinged the plate in his leg like a tuning fork

Post by bit high, bitch (gyac) from 2022-23 Hot Stove thread on ILX - 2022-23 Hot Stove thread

wow

well if this falls through, off your earlier comment maybe the philharmonic needs a man-sized tuning fork.

― omar little, Saturday, 24 December 2022 18:01 (two years ago) link

I'm really curious to know what the Twins know (or think they know) such that they're willing to spend $200M on a player with tuning forks for legs who has already failed two physicals.

― NoTimeBeforeTime, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 19:25 (two years ago) link

nice