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2019 MLB Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports Forum' started by Unlucky 13, Nov 2, 2018.

  1. TheOne

    TheOne Active Member

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    One team I think that competes for the wildcard is the Cincinnati Reds, I believe the best rotation on the NL is the Mets and in the AL Tampa two teams I also believe compete for wildcard spots. My heart aches for Tampa having a team that can probably beat any NL team in the playoffs but unfortunately reside in the AL east with the Yankees and Red Sox.
     
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  2. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    It'll be hard for the Reds to get the WC when they're clearly the 4th best team in the Central, unless at least two of the clubs ahead of them suffers a big rash of injuries. Plus, they need to fend off Pittsburgh, who's a lot closer to them in talent than they are to the third best team, IMO.
     
  3. Nappy Roots

    Nappy Roots Well-Known Member

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    I have had MLB.tv for many years. I have always loved the experience.
     
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  4. TheOne

    TheOne Active Member

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    Machado got a crazy contract today, but if required I would spend that kind of money on him over Harper.
     
  5. TheOne

    TheOne Active Member

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    The worst team in the NL central could win at least 80 games this year.
     
  6. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its true. A lot will depend on how the teams beat up on one another. As a Cubs fan, I'm hoping that the rest of them split down the middle while we beat up on them. :up:
     
  7. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I still think the NL east is the best division. You could see 4 teams win between 85-95 games. Although that assumes the Phillies sign Harper and/or Kimbrel since they have no pitcher aside from Nola who are worth a poop. I suppose Robertson is ok also but not the same he was 3-5 years ago.

    I really want to see Alonso have a big spring. The less at bats Turd Frazier gets this spring, the better off we will will be. Plus a line up with Alonso’s 80 grade power (it’s the highest on the scouting scale...think Judge/Stanton) is unique to Mets fans like myself. The last time we had a true 80 grade power guy was Carlos Delgado and before that Daryl. Not Beltran, Wright or anyone else has ever had an 80 grade for power in a Mets uniform for the 30 years I have been following this team.

    Nimmo CF
    Lowrie 3B
    Cano 2B
    Conforto RF
    Alonso 1B (vs Frazier)
    McNeil LF
    Rosario SS
    Ramos C
     
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  8. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    And Peter Alonso mashes his 1st spring training homer in his first AB.
     
  9. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Bryce Harper to the Phillies. 13 years, 330 million!!! No opt-outs either. Personally, I think Manny Machado is the better player, but the Phillies are stacked. The NL East should be quite fun this season.

    I keep wondering how much Mike Trout is going to get...
     
  10. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I wonder if they move Hoskins to 1B. Their offense looks pretty powerful, though their defense could be suspect, and they look like they could be pretty slow on the base paths.

    13 years is also so dangerous. What happens if Harper falls off in his 30s, or gets lazy? I'm glad that the Cubs didn't do it. But I'm also worried about what they'll need to do to retain Bryant and Baez now.
     
  11. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Theyre both good and theyre both flawed imo. But phillys lineup is very strong. Their pitching, aside from Nola, is a joke. Arrietta is declining. Pivetta and Eflin could improve based on sabermetrics if you actually believe in their stuff. I dont.

    As far as Trout, he has said publicly that if he played for any other team hed want to play for Philly. I hope the Angels give him 10 years and like 500m.
     
  12. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its funny how two years ago, the NL had absolutely no depth, and half of the clubs basically had no shot at the playoffs. Now, it looks like only the Marlins, Pirates and Giants are really the also rans.
     
  13. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    Good job by the Mets for locking up deGrom. 5 year extension, 137.5 million. Real happy we were able to hammer that out before Opening Day. Now need to extend Syndergaard and Conforto too.

    And only two more days until the opener in DC!
     
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  14. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Compared to the Mets, the Cubs just got a real bargain. They signed Kyle Henricks to a four year extension for 55.6m, starting in 2020, plus a team option with a minimal buyout on the end of that as well. So they have him locked up through his age 34 season at least.

    Henricks may not be the flamethrower that DeGrom is, but he has a career ERA of 3.07 and finished third in the Cy Young voting a few years back.

    Now, they need to work on Bryant, Baez and Rizzo and make them Cubs for life.
     
  15. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Marlins are winning the World Series. It's out secret plan to give our opponents a false sense of security.
     
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  16. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    So, who else is ready to get irrationally pumped or depressed based on the results of a single MLB game tomorrow? :up:
     
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  17. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Being a Reds fan, there's nothing quite like Opening Day in Cincinnati. My wife and I went to the game today. Largest regular season crowd in Great American Ball Park's history, 44,000+. Palpable buzz around the team this year, and they won 5-3 today. Was a very fun game, but somewhat surprising because the Reds 1 through 5 hitters: Jesse Winker, Joey Votto, Yasiel Puig, Eugenio Suarez, and Scott Schebler went a fart noise 1-18 with 2 walks today (Votto got a double in the 1st).

    Fortunately, Luis Castillo was dealing (8ks in 5 & 2/3) and the two Reds non-roster players in Spring Training, Jose Iglesias and Derek Dietrich, came up with clutch hits. Dietrich had a pinch-hit 3-run HR in his first-ever Reds at bat.

    Baseball's funny. Fortunately, the Reds always have a scheduled off day after Opening Day so I have until Saturday to recover.

    This is the Reds Block Party after their traditional Parade. This is outside the stadium before they open the gates.

    [​IMG]

    Angle from across the street.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    It is fun! I was in Cincy for the first three games of the 2004 season and had a good time.
     
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  19. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Dont forget Wheeler. His last 1/3rd of the year was equally as Degrominate as Degroms! (See what i did there?) If we can get Wheeler on a similar deal to Nate Eovaldi we absolutely should.

    Nice win yesterday. Jake looked awesome and Cano looked like the Robbie Cano we watched as a yankee.
     
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  20. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Never realized we had so many Mets fans on here. Two of my college roommates were both Mets fans. How do you all feel about their chances in 2019?
     
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  21. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I think at least half of our regular posters are fans of the NY or Boston teams.
     
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  22. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    We are everywhere...and just like mold we never go away :evil: lol

    I think the mets, braves, philthies and gnats are all 85-95 win capable and their win totals are going to depend on how well they mask their flaws or how well they handle their perceived weaknesses. For the mets that means offense, fielding and bullpen cause we know that if healthy their starting pitching is elite if Matz and Wheeler carry over their momentum from strong finishes last year. Wheeler imo could be a top 5 cy young candidate (seriously, if you play fantasy look at his last 12 or so starts last year).

    Offensively its funny but i think their best lineup doesnt include Cespedes right now but that only works if McNeil, Alonso, and Nimmo hit. Mcneil and Alonso i have little doubt as Alonsos power is a true 80 on many scouts reports which is the highest you can go. McNeil is a Murphy clone. Nimmo had a fantastic year and a top 20 WAR amongst NL OF. But he also had bad LHP/RHP splits OPS wise with a 200 point difference. If Nimmos consistent, the offense will be really good imo. The strength of the lineup is its depth 1-8 as theres 5 good OF (once Cespedes gets back) with contrasting offensive styles. Conforto and Cano are probably the 2 most indispensible pieces. But Lowrie, Rosario, McNeil, Alonso, Ramos are capable imo and possibly really good if Rosario and Alonso are what myself and many others think they can be. Turd Frazier needs to sit on the bench and babysit Alonso or go back to Cincy. Hes been bleh.

    Im not sure the bullpen will be top 5 or even top 10 but getting a good closer in Diaz and using Familia as a strong set up man could work. Justin Wilson and Luis Avilian could prove sneaky good pickups. Imo this is the area to watch. Did they do enough? Not sure. If they win, itll be because they did.

    I think BVW did a good job raising the teams floor and safeguarding vs injuries with position players which will help. Theres potential for a WS imo. Theres a downside of 4th place as well. I tend to be bullish on this group even in fantasy (where i truly never go full homer with money on the line)
     
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  23. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I'll always appreciate what the Toddfather did while with the Reds, but he wasn't the same ever since winning the HR Derby. And now, with Suarez at 3B, we couldn't be happier.
     
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  24. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I agree. There's a lot of excitement about the Reds this year. Rightfully so given how bad they've been since 2014. I look at this season as a double-edge sword. If the moves don't pan out, they can unwind a lot of what they did and still have their top 6 prospects in the pipeline.

    If the moves work out, then you've got to figure out a logjam in the OF...if you can re-sign Puig. Even then you're still facing Alex Wood and Tanner Roark being free agents next year.
     
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  25. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Its interesting to me that from 2020 onwards, nearly all of the Reds payroll commitments are to Votto, Suarez, Iglaseaz and Gray. It'll be interesting to see if they can and will keep payroll up for the rest of the roster.
     
  26. Rocky Raccoon

    Rocky Raccoon Greasepaint Ghost Staff Member

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    I am so damn excited about Pistol Pete Alonso. Dude hit a BOMB last night for his first career home run. His natural power is insane. There are a good number of young bats in this lineup along with veterans like Cano and Ramos that I think this could end up being one of our best offenses in years.
     
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  27. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    Braves get Acuna for 8 years and $100 million. That's going to look like a steal in the not too distant future. The Mets have had the pitching for a while, but the three teams in front of them are just much better offensively. I know the Mets have improved offensively but if you go through the lineups of the other teams you've got MVP caliber players all over the place.
     
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  28. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Well, they basically bought out three years of dirt cheap team control, three years of arbitration, and then his first two years of free agency. Its a smart move on both sides, but I think that unless he becomes Mike Trout, the gamble is more on the Braves side than Acuna's. But getting guys locked up beyond the CBA is smart in general.
     
  29. Nappy Roots

    Nappy Roots Well-Known Member

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    Well the guy OPS'd over 900 as a 20 year old. Was set to become a free agent at 26. Buying out three years of arbitration is irrelavent because he likely would of gotten more money by the third year of arbitration. Even if he isn't Mike Trout, at 26, in this market, you have to think he would be getting paid more more than twice what hes making now a year.

    $12 a year for a solid player is the norm. Acuna isnt a solid player. Acuna's agent should be fired.
     
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  30. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The strength of the Mets lineup isnt 1 star player. I completely agree. Aside from Cano or MAYBE Conforto, theres no one who is good enough right now to contend for a top 5 vote in the MVP race and both those guys have very real questions as well such as health and age (Cano) and consistency (Conforto). Theres a handful of younger players with upside in Nimmo, Rosario, McNeil, Alonso, Dom Smith and the aforementioned Conforto but the strength of the lineup is its depth and ability to fill out a lineup card that 1-8 will not have any easy outs. Theres a bunch of good, professional hitters, not 1 or 2 boppers. Where as the Braves (Acuna), Phillies (Harper) and even the Nats (Soto...who i think is very much for real) to a degree have a lot riding on 1 lineup player, the mets dont. Cano and Conforto are probably the lynchpins and neither is expected to contend seriously for an MVP. If either went down for a month, the mets offense would not suffer the way the other teams would if they lost their star players.
     
  31. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    From what I've read, Acuna told his agent to take that deal. Given his humble background in Venezuela I can see 100 mil. guaranteed being hard to pass up. But, yeah, he would have made more, maybe a whole lot more. No player in the league is likely going to become the next Trout. Trout will be mentioned along with guys like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, etc. But if you had to bet on one current player doing it, Acuna wouldn't be a bad choice. The plate discipline at his age is pretty impressive. He's got all the tools and even at 20 the moment was never too big for him.
     
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  32. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    I do agree on the Mets having good depth in their lineup. I'm not sure I agree that the Braves and Phillies don't also have that. For example, the Braves dropped 9 on the Cubs last night (granted their bullpen has been bad) with Freddie and Acuna basically doing nothing. Philly was killing us in the opening series out of the 7 and 8 spots even though their stars did show later in the series. I think the Nats will have a lot riding on Soto and Rendon, I don't see them having as deep a lineup as some people do but maybe I'm wrong.
     
  33. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The braves lineup would be a lot scarier if Josh Donaldson was the 2015 version and Brian McCann was the 2013 version and Nick Markakis was the 2010 version. These guys were all better 5-7 years ago. Phillies linup is very top heavy. Kingery is not good with the bat, at least right now and Mikael Franco has a lot of holes in his swing. RF is an abyss unless you think Nick Williams is legit, which so far he basically had an ok half year at the end of 2017 but wasnt good last year. You cant point to a position in the Mets lineup like that and say they dont have a professional hitter there, except MAYBE Amed Rosario but hes still a baby and has shown flashes (coming off a strong 2nd half and still developing power).
     
  34. RoninFin4

    RoninFin4 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Checking in to see if this is where one can buy runs...

    Reds pitching has been pretty good, but they've been woeful on offense so far.
     
  35. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    I don' think Nick Markakis should be mentioned here. Are you talking about the Nick Markakis who's averaged 173 hits a season over the past six years? These guys in the Mets lineup are all professional hitters, but Markakis is not? Anyone who tries to blow off Nick Markakis (Braves fans do it too, I guess he doesn't hit enough HRs to be taken seriously) can easily be proven wrong. Yes, his WAR isn't eye popping, though last year he beat Bryce Harper's WAR. He collects hits and he gets on base. But he's not the star, nor do they need to him be. He's a quality, professional bat in the order. That's my story and i'm sticking to it LOL.

    Donaldson has been disappointing, but he barely played in the spring so we'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks or so. McCann is a reserve player at this point in his career. I think he was brought in mostly to help with all of the young pitchers. He strained his hamstring last night so we won't see him again for a little bit. I'd rather they spent the Donaldson money on pitching.
     
  36. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Eh i guess you can make the argument Markakis will hit his 280 with his 10 homers but ya theres no power and the average has some fluctuation. Fair enough.
     
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  37. muscle979

    muscle979 Season Ticket Holder

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    I feel like a lot of teams right now are in the opposite situation. They have some potential trade partners out there.
     
  38. adamprez2003

    adamprez2003 Senior Member

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    Wow Sanchez with three homers today and our our latest baby bomber big red clint Frazier hit his 2nd home run.
     
  39. Nappy Roots

    Nappy Roots Well-Known Member

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    Go Rays btw. We are a problem.
     
  40. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Play Brandon Lowe every day please. My fantasy team could use a 20hr 2b :knucks:
     

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