I have 30 seconds to post this thread: The 2023 MLB thread

[strummer]

Love how the Mets did nothing to improve their offense this off season. Acting like it wasn't putrid for long stretches last season.

Think Kamala is right that this team is going to massively disappoint this season.

(Last season I thought they'd be much better. Not 101 wins but way better so not just being negative for the sake of being negative)

Two months later and it's probably worse than I thought. Lol. Total sewer franchise

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Today’s Oakland As update…they have won seven straight games (against first place teams no less)!

 

[Hawk 34]

You’ll have to start talking about the Royals now

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

If the A’s win the reverse boycott game (and Royals lose to Reds) then yes, I think they will pull ahead of KC for 2nd to last place!

Kind of crazy how bad those two teams are. Nationals are 3rd worst team and they’ve won eight more games!

 

[alkeiper]

Through 68 games the A's are no longer on pace for the worst run differential. Getting Paul Blackburn back and into the rotation seems to have helped. The pitching is bad. the offense isn't the worst in the league. Brent Rooker and Ryan Noda are good and Esteury Ruiz has stolen 31 bases.

 

[Brocklock]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...exual-assault-allegation-arizona/70319689007/

 

[909]

I never doubted it for one second

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Time for a bunch of Kansas City Royals posts!

 

[alkeiper]

The Royals are only historically bad in the minds of long suffering Royals fans who've experienced two seasons of joy in the last 35 years.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

It feels like more than eight years ago when the Royals won the World Series (and won back to back AL Championships).

Their owner ALSO wants to build a new stadium. MLB ownership is a grift.

 

[Hawk 34]

Well, Kauffman is pretty old so it’s at least more justified than some other current franchises but yes, it doesn’t appear to be a decrepit poop flooding relic like Oakland Coliseum.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I love the look of Kaufman Stadium but it’s not in the middle of an urban center (and it is 50 years old) so I guess it must be destroyed.

 

[alkeiper]

It's not enough to get a new stadium. Today's owner requires adjecent real estate as well!

Never realized how obnoxiously far out of town the KC stadiums are though. It's ridiculous to keep replacing these things but it's not like they're going to help the homeless or anything.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I kind of feel like these cutesy urban oasis ballparks are now almost as cookie cutter as the multisport monoliths that they replaced.

A lot of (most?) baseball teams have very suburban fanbases. Atlanta Braves realized this and as much as I hated them leaving the actual city of Atlanta ATT, they now have one of the best reviewed ballpark experiences in the league.

 

[alkeiper]

Every new ballpark puts high priced seats close to the field and then restricts the working class fan to behind a moat, chopping off 10,000 or so of those seats for good measure. For all the criticism of Oakland Coliseum it comes off as the most exciting place in the world when it's at 2/3rds capacity or better.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Host of the NESN pregame show just called Jackie Bradley Jr an old school Red Sox player.

 

[alkeiper]

The Las Vegas legislature passed a stadium funding bill so the Athletics moving to Las Vegas looks far more likely.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Just needs to get the Governor’s signature and MLB Owners approvals. All over but the crying in the East Bay.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1669412384723677184

 

[alkeiper]

Let's do an All Stars by WAR update.

AL
C: Adley Rutschmann
1B: Yandy Diaz
2B: Marcus Semien
SS: Wander Franco
3B: Matt Chapman
OF: Luis Robert
OF: Alex Verdugo
OF: Kevin Kiermaier
DH: Shohei Ohtani

Best Oakland A: Ryan Noda. 19th in WAR (among AL position players), 2nd among 1B
Best KC Royal: Maikel Garcia. 71st in WAR.

NL
C: Will Smith
1B: Freddie Freeman
2B: Ha-Seong Kim
SS: Dansby Swanson
3B: Ryan McMahon
OF: Robert Acuna Jr.
OF: Corbin Carroll
OF: Fernando Tatis Jr.
DH: Jorge Soler

I'll note that some of these are really close. Will Smith in particular is ahead by less than 0.1 WAR.

Ha-Seong Kim, the formula gives him +16 runs from fielding compared to 0 for Luis Arraez. All respect to sabermetrics but in an All-Star game I want the guy hitting .378.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I Was Supposed to Write About Elly De La Cruz Today

It's never a good sign when Rob Manfred is the story.

blogs.fangraphs.com

The real victims are @Dandy and the Reds fans who don’t get to read a fun column about Elly De La Cruz and have to read about Rob Manfred screwing over Oakland again.

 

[Smues]

Who is Robert Acuna Jr. and how did he shoot up the WAR leaderboard so fast?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1668723524863684609

Wrestlers Baseball players used to drink, pop pills, and chase skirts after games! Now all these kids want to do is play dang video games!!!

 

[Smues]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1670125357557768193

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1670154529851965443

Dorkiest franchise in sports.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1670761114886348800

 

[Dandy]

Joey Votto returns and crushes. Three balls left the bat over 102 mph. Homer and two-run single.

YOUR Cincinnati Redlegs are now in first place in the NL Central and winners of nine in a row.

 

[geniusMoment]

America's team.

 

[alkeiper]

Five winning streaks of 5+ in the National League right now. Not a lot of predictable outcomes outside of the Atlanta Braves (as far as winning teams).

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Hey hey The Red Sox have a five game winning streak of their own in the AL too.

On Father’s Day, MLB had their best attendance on a Sunday too since 2008 too. Baseball is back!