MLB Season 2020

[Matthew]

26 minutes ago, Dave James said:

From Pinstripe Alley, probably the best post-mortem I've come across.  Most interesting is the suggestion that the decision to pull Gerrit Cole in the 6th inning may not have been made by Aaron Boone.

https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/10/11/21510940/yankees-alds-exit-rays-mlb-postseason-2020-gerrit-cole-aroldis-chapman-aaron-boone-mike-brosseau

Is the thinking that the call was made by the GM? I know the Giants operate that way, but the Yankees also? The article just dropped the point after it was made.

Edited October 11, 2020 by Matthew

[Dave James]

Just now, Matthew said:

Is the thinking that the call was made by the GM? I know the Giants operate that way, but the Yankees also?

That would be my guess.  I've heard some speculation that Cashman's job may be in jeopardy.  If it was, in fact, his decision to pull Cole, it would not reflect well on him.

[Brad]

21 minutes ago, Matthew said:

Is the thinking that the call was made by the GM? I know the Giants operate that way, but the Yankees also? The article just dropped the point after it was made.

Many teams operate this way, unfortunately.

The problem with the above analysis is that he’d already thrown 94 pitches. How much he had left is debatable. As I may have mentioned, the Rays, who don’t have superstars, play as a team.  They get the most out of their talent. The Yankees don’t. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Brad

[soulpope]

16 hours ago, Brad said:

Joel Sherman’s article on the future of the Yankees.

Yankees’ crossroad filled with difficult decisions

Interesting read .... thnx for sharing ....

[Dan Gould]

Does no one remember the near home run immediately before he was pulled?

Unless there was a phone call right after, it was Boone's call because he was out there fast.

[ghost of miles]

On 10/11/2020 at 8:11 PM, JSngry said:

Dude, the guy's been to NYC five times in the last three years and it's made him love the team even more. You can't argue with the rationality of that.

 

Genuine appreciation for your understanding that. Getting to actually see a game in person after so many years of watching, listening, and in the early days mostly newspaper box-score following, was also a real joy. I just wish I’d been able to go to a game in the old stadium. Only other MLB stadium I’ve been to was Fenway, as a kid in the 1970s. Still hoping to get in a visit to Wrigley one of these years. The Indianapolis minor league team actually has a really nice downtown stadium—great place to take in a game. 

22 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Does no one remember the near home run immediately before he was pulled?

Unless there was a phone call right after, it was Boone's call because he was out there fast.

Yeah, I don’t think pulling Cole there was an incorrect move. The problem was that there was nobody Boone trusted enough to bring in at that point besides Britton and Chapman. The Rays, OTOH—just look at last night’s game against the Astros. They won 2-1 with Snell going only 5 IP and without using either Anderson or Fairbanks. All the more crucial to have a deeply-developed, high-performing pen that you trust in a postseason where there are no off-days in a series.

Edited October 12, 2020 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

Damn--Joe Morgan has died.  Such an integral part of those 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds teams, which belong on any top 10 list of ultimate powerhouse World Series champions list.  

[catesta]

2 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Yeah, I don’t think pulling Cole there was an incorrect move. The problem was that there was nobody Boone trusted enough to bring in at that point besides Britton and Chapman. The Rays, OTOH—just look at last night’s game against the Astros. They won 2-1 with Snell going only 5 IP and without using either Anderson or Fairbanks. All the more crucial to have a deeply-developed, high-performing pen that you trust in a postseason where there are no off-days in a series.

I'm still a little miffed. Your take on Cashman and his role? Not that I expect it will happen, but maybe it's time for Cashman to go.

Of course, my opinion could be changed if he is able to get Trevor Bauer.

Edited October 12, 2020 by catesta

[Dan Gould]

32 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

Damn--Joe Morgan has died.  Such an integral part of those 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds teams, which belong on any top 10 list of ultimate powerhouse World Series champions list.  

Sad to hear though my respect for Morgan declined due to his idiotic commentary and disrespect for any sort of more intelligent use of stats to judge players but most of all, his dismissal of Rhyne Sandburg as a worthy hall of famer made him an a-hole to me. As I recall he always showed up at the Hall ceremonies, but boycotted Rhyno. Dick move by an egomaniac.

[Matthew]

44 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

Damn--Joe Morgan has died.  Such an integral part of those 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds teams, which belong on any top 10 list of ultimate powerhouse World Series champions list.  

That is sad, RIP to a great player. I was lucky enough to see the Big Red Machine in person many tines in San Diego, and that was an amazing team, with Morgan especially playing a style of game that you rarely ever saw. Plus, who can forget his homer as a Giant that put the nail into the Dodgers pennant hopes. RIP Joe.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Matthew

[ghost of miles]

Just now, Dan Gould said:

Sad to hear though my respect for Morgan declined due to his idiotic commentary and disrespect for any sort of more intelligent use of stats to judge players but most of all, his dismissal of Rhyne Sandburg as a worthy hall of famer made him an a-hole to me. As I recall he always showed up at the Hall ceremonies, but boycotted Rhyno. Dick move by an egomaniac.

Yeah, I fortunately missed out on most if not all of his post-player career in that regard, though I certainly heard about his subpar commentary and the Sandberg business.  Great player, though, and though I'm not sure that 1971 trade was quite as lopsided against the Houston Astros as it's generally portrayed (Lee May did have several pretty good years for Houston iirc), it was still quite an overall haul for the Reds.  

[ghost of miles]

20 minutes ago, catesta said:

I'm still a little miffed. Your take on Cashman and his role? Not that I expect it will happen, but maybe it's time for Cashman to go.

Of course, my opinion could be changed if he is able to get Trevor Bauer.

Not sure what to think of Cashman's role.  I am of the school of thought that he inherited the work of Gene Michael, Bob Watson and others when he came on board in 1998 and doesn't deserve all that much credit for the late-90s run of championships.  All of the core 4 and other homegrown players like Bernie Williams, the guys they'd picked up in trades like Paul O'Neill--that was all pre-Cashman's arrival.  He and/or the people working for him have made some great trades in recent years, a la Gio Urshela and Luke Voit, position players who bloomed with the Yankees.  But we seem to be way behind the curve in developing and improving pitchers, using analytics in the smartest/most effective ways possible, etc.--at least compared to Tampa Bay and Houston.  And the AL East is only going to get tougher, with Toronto coming on, Boston having Chaim Bloom (Rays connection again!) in place to rebuild the Red Sox, and the Orioles seemingly on the upswing as well.  So yeah, we might be better off with a younger wizard like Bloom running things, but agreed that it's unlikely Cashman will get the boot.  And he has put a competitive team on the field nearly every year.  Biggest priority this off-season, besides resigning DJ (which should be a no-brainer, unless he wants 5-6 years) should be beefing up the pitching.  I doubt we'll see Bauer in pinstripes, though, despite the attractiveness of his claim to wanting only a one-year deal.  He and Gerrit Cole would have to smoke the mother of all peace pipes for that to come to pass.  And while I find him an entertainingly provocative athlete, not sure the Yankees would want to chance the possible drama of having him aboard... we're still not that far removed from the A-Rod era, after all.   Lots of questions around the pitching, though.  How effective will Severino be coming back mid-season after having hardly pitched for 2.5 years?  Will Montgomery become a more consistent backend starter?  Should they resign an aging Tanaka?  Can Garcia or Schmidt bust out as a starter?  They probably let Paxton walk, which is too bad... a highly-effective pitcher when he's healthy, but that's the catch. Domingo German is another question mark as he returns in 2021. I'm hoping that Matt Blake can work some wonders with the current staff and prospects in the pipeline.  

[Dan Gould]

Cashman has no championships forever and has built a roster of free swingers who aren't as great against better playoff pitching. Of course he should go ... whether he will who the hell knows?

 

 

[Dave James]

Sorry to hear about Joe.  I had no use for the Rose-Bench-Foster era Reds, but you had to admire Morgan's grit and hustle.  As a hitter, his signature left arm twitch was unique. 

First Whitey and now Joe.  It's been a sad and somber week for baseball.  

[JSngry]

[Brad]

6 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Cashman has no championships forever and has built a roster of free swingers who aren't as great against better playoff pitching. Of course he should go ... whether he will who the hell knows?

 

 

I’m of the same mind, having seen them up close and hearing the fans on a daily basis. After being in the same place for many years, sometimes a change is needed, just to bring a fresh perspective. This applies to any organization, not just baseball. 

[JSngry]

7 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

(Lee May did have several pretty good years for Houston iirc)

the Oilers?

[ghost of miles]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

the Oilers?

Eh? 

Very respectable years, actually (1972-74):

Lee May stats--Baseball Reference

I think the first baseball card I had of him was as an Astro (1974 set), though he landed with the Baltimore Orioles not long afterwards.  He was still an Astro on the 1975 Topps card:

Edited October 13, 2020 by ghost of miles

[JSngry]

Oh, THAT Lee May, yeah, he was good to have on the team. Sorry, I was thinking about Lee Maye, whose years as an Astro were like Dick Allen's with the Phillies, only without any of the excellence.

[HutchFan]

Braves won again last night.  Still undefeated in the post-season.   

Long way to go, of course.  But so far, so good.

[Dave James]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:16 AM, Dan Gould said:

Cashman has no championships forever and has built a roster of free swingers who aren't as great against better playoff pitching. Of course he should go ... whether he will who the hell knows?

 

 

Over the last decade, Cashman has had more roster autonomy and access to more money than any other General Manager in baseball history.  In eleven years, his teams have not won a World Series.  No other Yankee GM has gone as long as Cashman without winning a championship.  Point being, in spite of all the tools he's been given, he has little to show for it.  If it was up to me, he'd be gone, but since it's up to Hal Steinbrenner, I'm sure he'll be back. 

[catesta]

On 10/12/2020 at 10:16 AM, Dan Gould said:

Cashman has no championships forever and has built a roster of free swingers who aren't as great against better playoff pitching. Of course he should go ... whether he will who the hell knows?

 

 

That's my take. Like Ghost, I think his earlier successes were residual from previous management. I'm not saying he has not done a lot of good, but Cashman had no problem pinning shit on Girardi but yet he continues on as if he doesn't get involved with the day to day on the field.

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by catesta

[Brad]

2 hours ago, catesta said:

That's my take. Like Ghost, I think his earlier successes were residual from previous management. I'm not saying he has not done a lot of good, but Cashman had no problem pinning shit on Girardi but yet he continues on as if he doesn't get involved with the day to day on the field.

 

At their season ending news conference broadcast today on WFAN, both Cashman and Boone said that the manager makes all the on the field decisions. Cashman insisted it’s been this way ever since Torre was the manager. 

[ghost of miles]

3 hours ago, catesta said:

That's my take. Like Ghost, I think his earlier successes were residual from previous management. I'm not saying he has not done a lot of good, but Cashman had no problem pinning shit on Girardi but yet he continues on as if he doesn't get involved with the day to day on the field.

 

Ironic, isn't it, that in the last four years the NY team that got closest to the World Series was Girardi's 2017 swan song--and in a season when they weren't expected to be competing at that level.

In the present-day postseason, I'm not shocked that the Rays are rampaging over the Astros... but I am mildly surprised that the Braves are handling the Dodgers with such ease so far (outside of L.A.'s furious near-comeback in the 9th last night).  Would a potential Atlanta-Tampa Bay matchup be the first all-southern MLB World Series?  

[Dave James]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

... but I am mildly surprised that the Braves are handling the Dodgers with such ease so far (outside of L.A.'s furious near-comeback in the 9th last night). 

 

Good pitching beats good hitting.  Atlanta has some kids on their staff who are lights out.