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MLB 2018 Discussion


Deuce7

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It is a lot of money but 3 years isn't bad and I don't see him falling off a cliff production wise in the next 2 years so it wouldn't be a bad signing imo but the Cubs have a lot of depth in their rotation so it was probably best for them to move on.

 

Arrieta losing 4-5 mph off his fastball since his cy young year was probably the clincher for the cubs passing on him. Rumor had it that he had an extension on the table for more money/years but rejected it before last season. He was pretty bad last year in the first half but turned it around around the break.

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Arrieta losing 4-5 mph off his fastball since his cy young year was probably the clincher for the cubs passing on him. Rumor had it that he had an extension on the table for more money/years but rejected it before last season. He was pretty bad last year in the first half but turned it around around the break.

 

Damn 4-5 mph is really a lot I hadn't realized it was so much. Did he have any major injuries?

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Damn 4-5 mph is really a lot I hadn't realized it was so much. Did he have any major injuries?

 

He has had a few, but most of those were before his dominant years. Most of his arm troubles last season were called "arm fatigue". If you look back on his career, he has only thrown 180+ innings twice (2015 & 2016), so it may have really been fatigue.

 

For a good look at how much his velocity dipped from 2015-2017 go here. It shows the average mph for all five of his pitches.

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He has had a few, but most of those were before his dominant years. Most of his arm troubles last season were called "arm fatigue". If you look back on his career, he has only thrown 180+ innings twice (2015 & 2016), so it may have really been fatigue.

 

For a good look at how much his velocity dipped from 2015-2017 go here. It shows the average mph for all five of his pitches.

 

That's pretty amazing to see a guy go from hitting 95+ regularly to struggling to get it there just a couple seasons later. But it looks like he found success with the lowered velocity in the second half maybe he just needed some time to adjust to a different style of pitching.

 

Arm fatigue could very well be a big factor when you also consider 2 deep playoff runs for both those years. He's a gamble but I think he has enough upside still for him to be worth the contract.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Tampa doesn't deserve a baseball team. Rays "fans" can't even sell out their stadium when they are a playoff team. Then again that stadium is a shit hole, so maybe that's the problem. Who knows?!

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Tampa doesn't deserve a baseball team. Rays "fans" can't even sell out their stadium when they are a playoff team. Then again that stadium is a shit hole, so maybe that's the problem. Who knows?!

I always thought it was Florida fans in general because the marlins have a very similar problem. Not as bad as the rays but considering they had Giancarlo and a brand new stadium I thought the attendance would be much higher. Idk Miami fans will always receive resentment from me after so many walked out during the nba finals with their team on the brink of elimination.

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  • 1 month later...

The Cubs finally get a strong start from darvish today. He wasn't nibbling, he was actually challenging the hitters and looked good. I was worried that he was Heyward redux in terms of bad FA signings. Darvish's stuff still looked good, but he seemed to be pitching scared. Now if quintana can get back to form they might have something.

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The Cubs finally get a strong start from darvish today. He wasn't nibbling, he was actually challenging the hitters and looked good. I was worried that he was Heyward redux in terms of bad FA signings. Darvish's stuff still looked good, but he seemed to be pitching scared. Now if quintana can get back to form they might have something.

 

Quintana looked good in his last outing, given it was a shitty Reds lineup.

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It was probably the most interesting HR derby they've had in the last 15-20 years. The new format is much better as it leads to a much more exciting faster pace. It was pretty lame that the last minute or so of Harper's final at bat they no longer influenced the rule about the pitch not being thrown until the last ball hit had come to rest.

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It was probably the most interesting HR derby they've had in the last 15-20 years. The new format is much better as it leads to a much more exciting faster pace. It was pretty lame that the last minute or so of Harper's final at bat they no longer influenced the rule about the pitch not being thrown until the last ball hit had come to rest.

15-20 years? Thats a really long time. I have always enjoyed the HR derby. Some more than others obviously due to the star power and the format but there have been a few derbys that were pretty darn good. Last 5-6 years have been great imo.

 

I will say that I think MLB has the best all star weekend by far. The derby usually has far more star power than the dunk contest or 3pt contest and the game itself is also way more competitive than the nba or nfl version.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Javy Baez isn't the best player in baseball, but he's the most exciting. He's fast becoming my favorite player ever.

He really is sensational to watch. If he was on the Diamondbacks he would easily be my favorite player.

 

Trade deadline came and went and nothing really big or shocking happened. Arizona traded for Escobar and with Lamb out for the season that's a nice get but I'm not very excited about the relievers we picked up. I think management is just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks at this point with the bullpen. I would have liked if they picked up a good and reliable starter but I don't know if there was much out there for cheap. This team is a solid contender but injuries have been rampant. If we get healthyish I think we can win the division.

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He really is sensational to watch. If he was on the Diamondbacks he would easily be my favorite player.

 

Trade deadline came and went and nothing really big or shocking happened. Arizona traded for Escobar and with Lamb out for the season that's a nice get but I'm not very excited about the relievers we picked up. I think management is just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks at this point with the bullpen. I would have liked if they picked up a good and reliable starter but I don't know if there was much out there for cheap. This team is a solid contender but injuries have been rampant. If we get healthyish I think we can win the division.

Agreed, and I think the Cubs are in the same position, like all the good NL teams.

I'm glad the Cubs didnt trade away what few minor league assets they have for a frontline starter. I dont think there was one out there for a decent price, one the cubs could meet with out stripping some solid young mlb hitters. I think the NL is pretty much a crapshoot when the playoffs happen. Any of the teams that get there are pretty capable of getting hot and riding that the the WS. It's just not the year to go all in for a championship.

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  • 2 months later...

Who do you guys have winning the World Series?

 

I got Boston winning in 5. Dodgers offense has been bad and their starting pitching isn’t very reliable. Not to mention they taxed the bullpen quite a bit against the brewers.

 

The playoffs have been fun but one thing I miss a lot is a frontline starter being able to take over a game or even a series. Haven’t seen that since Bumgarners legendary 2014 run. Idk if it’s that the starters aren’t up to the task or the managers and their increasingly shorter leash or a mixture of both but I’m just tired of seeing a starter pitch well, give up a run in the 3rd and get pulled.

 

Brewers have been the worst at this. Chacin pitched into the sixth in game 3 and hadn’t given up a run and look good enough to me to give him another inning or two but counsell decided to pull him and unnecessarily tax the bullpen even more. Same thing happens with Miley in game 2. Sixth inning, had the lead and two outs but got pulled. Bullpen blew that game. Sometimes I feel like these pitchers gotta be throwing a perfect game just to stay in the game past the 4th inning because god forbid they give up a hit.

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