MLB

[zeux]

Pffff, Lindor en een starter.... nou ja, we moeten maar denken dat het een aardige hedge is voor 'mochten de cheating Astros de finale halen'.

Het is het hele plaatje hé. :-)

Ze hebben McCann al gehaald (zal nu eindelijk die catcher-positie een keer zijn opgelost...) en naar verluidt zijn ze nog niet klaar, met oa Bauer en Springer (een beetje power in de line-up zou wel fijn zijn) nog op de radar.

Cohen is niet bang om te spenden, zo lijkt het. Worden de Mets eindelijk een echte big market city club. Na de afgelopen tien jaar - waarin de Wilpons door het Madoff-debacle geen kant op konden - is dat wel fijn.

[zeux]

Al die verkiezingen in de VS...

D'r is er natuurlijk maar één écht belangrijk: de Hall Of Fame!!!

Natuurlijk is er weer een excel, waarin wordt bijgehouden hoe tot nu toe -publiek - gestemd is. De uitslag is eind deze maand (26 jan) en het zou zo maar eens kunnen zijn dat niemand wordt gekozen dit jaar. Curt Schilling was aan een goede opmars bezig de afgelopen jaren, maar met 112 bekende ballots heeft hij tot nu twee stemmen verloren (71.7% van de stemmen tot nu toe: hij moet er 75% hebben). Over het algemeen liggen de percentages uiteindelijk lager dan wat de excel met de 'publieke' ballots tussendoor aangeeft. Vorig jaar zo'n 10%. Dat belooft dus niet veel goeds.

Het olijke duo Bonds-Clemens - dat een * heeft door dopegebruik - komt voorlopig geen meter vooruit. Winnen geen stem tot nu toe en ze blijven daarmee hangen rond de 73% in de huidige tussenstand en zullen vast weer terugvallen naar de lage 60%. Ze staan voor de negende keer op de lijst. Volgend jaar voor het laatst. Mogelijk dat ze dan alsnog worden 'in' gestemd.

Tien dagen voor de uitslag. Er zit geen schot in voor Bonds, Clemens en Schilling. Ze verliezen eerder dan dat ze winnen. Schilling kwam vorig jaar 20 stemmen tekort, maar staat nu op -1 tov 2020 met 37% van de ballots bekend.

De 'opmars' zit bij Helton (3rde keer op de ballot), Jones (4de), Rolen (4de) en Wagner (6de)

Ze zitten nog zo tussen de 50% en 65%, maar maken wel progressie en hebben nog behoorlijk wat jaar op het formulier. Rolen zit nu op 64% (maar zal zakken als alle votes binnen zijn).

[Dubbel]

Die hele HOF is met name een oostkust feestje met maar heel af en toe iemand uit LA.
Of vergis ik mij daarin?

[zeux]

Sinds wanneer zijn er buiten de Dodgers volwaardige clubs aan de Westkust? Oh ja, Giants.

Ik denk wel dat je gelijk hebt, dan de HOF erg 'old teams' - baseball royalty - heavy is. Mets hebben ook maar 2 HOF-ers (Seaver & Piazza, Gary Carter is als Expo de Hall in gegaan).

Het is in ieder geval ook big market-heavy.

En het zal ook vast dat de sportjournalistiek - die uiteindelijk over de selectie gaat - in de 'traditionele' steden het meest geworteld is.

Ondertussen lijkt het er op dat geen speler het gaat halen dit jaar. Bonds, Clemens en Schilling halen het al niet bij de publiek bekende vote (44,7% is nu publiek bekend) en die ligt vaak zo'n 10% hoger dan bij de niet-publiek bekende.

En het lijkt er ook op dat niet één van de 'first rounders' de 5% gaat halen. Acht van de elf tot nu toe maar één of geen stem. Alleen Torii Hunter, Mark Buehrle en Tim Hudson zweven nu rond de 5%, maar zullen waarschijnlijk zakken als het normale patroon klopt. Een zwak jaar aan nieuwkomers dit keer.

Volgend jaar A-Rod!
Kijken of hij de Bonds/Clemens-weg gaat.

[Dubbel]

Wat mij betreft heeft AR iets meer goodwill dan Bonds maar ik weet ook dat sommigen daar heel anders over denken.

[zeux]

Wat mij betreft heeft AR iets meer goodwill dan Bonds maar ik weet ook dat sommigen daar heel anders over denken.

Ja, Bonds zou in Sosa-territory moeten zitten. A-Rod is meer Clemens.

Al was Bonds - eerlijk is eerlijk - ook een fantastische hitter. Het was niet alleen spieren.

[Dubbel]

Ik ken Bonds vooral uit de WS 2002 film en toen was hij wel heel goed. Was dat al in de doping jaren?

[zeux]

Ik ken Bonds vooral uit de WS 2002 film en toen was hij wel heel goed. Was dat al in de doping jaren?

Haha, moest ik ook even opzoeken.

Timeline

Rond 2000 dus. Ik weet dat er foto's zijn dat je Bonds ziet veranderen van schriele speler naar opgepompt lijf.

[zeux]

Geen speler gaat de Hall in, Schilling trekt zich terug.

For the first time since 1960 -- and just the seventh time since the first election in 1936 -- the National Baseball Hall of Fame will not have a new group of electees in 2021. Yet because the Class of 2020’s induction was pushed back a year by the coronavirus pandemic, there will still be entrants welcomed into the hallowed Hall this summer.

The Hall of Fame announced Tuesday night on MLB Network that none of the 25 players on the 2021 ballot reached the 75% voting threshold required for entry. Starting pitcher Curt Schilling, in his penultimate year on the ballot, came closest at 71%, or 16 votes shy, then released a letter to the Hall of Fame in which he asked to be removed from next year’s vote.

This is the first time since 2013 that the Baseball Writers' Association of America did not elect anyone. So with the Eras Committees elections having been postponed until next winter because of the pandemic, 2021 has pitched a shutout.

That leaves the 2020 class -- Derek Jeter and Larry Walker from the BBWAA ballot, and Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller from the Modern Baseball Era Committee vote -- to have its own induction, as would have been the case had the pandemic not intervened.

Induction day is scheduled for July 25, in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Here are the key takeaways from Tuesday’s BBWAA announcement:

1. Schilling comes up short, asks out for 2022

With 216 wins, 3,116 strikeouts, a 3.46 ERA, 127 ERA+ and 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 3,261 career innings in the regular season, as well as a lifetime 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA in 19 postseason starts, Schilling has a compelling Cooperstown case. But his history of inflammatory rhetoric on social media has affected his totals, with some voters going on record to explain that they removed Schilling from their ballots due to his history of offensive, intolerant comments. (It should be noted that Schilling’s recent public support of the U.S. Capitol riot came after ballots were due to be submitted.)

Taking issue with the way the Hall’s character clause has been applied to his case, Schilling recently wrote a lengthy letter to the Hall of Fame in which he declared he will not participate in the 2022 vote. He released the letter to the public in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement.

“I am requesting to be removed from the ballot,” Schilling wrote. “I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player. I don’t think I’m a Hall of Famer as I’ve often stated but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.”

Schilling has seen significant gains in recent votes, rising from 51.2% in 2018 to 60.9% in 2019 to 70.0% in 2020. But he gained just four votes this year.

2. A rare empty outcome

This is just the ninth time that the BBWAA did not elect any players. In addition to 2013, it also happened in 1945, 1950, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1971 and 1996.

But this is a drought that comes after a deluge. The BBWAA elected 22 players from 2014-20.

The six previous years that featured zero new inductees -- either from the BBWAA or a small-committee vote -- were 1940, 1941, 1943, 1950, 1958 and 1960 (in 1940, ’41 and ’43, no elections were held).

Speaking of empty outcomes, 14 of the 401 submitted ballots were left blank. This was a record, and it affected the percentages of all players.

3. Rolen’s rolling

This was a huge ballot for third baseman Scott Rolen. The eight-time Gold Glove Award winner and seven-time All-Star was selected on 52.9% of ballots in his fourth year of eligibility after being checked on 35.3% of ballots a year ago.

In his first year of eligibility, in 2018, Rolen was selected on just 10.2% of ballots. So he has benefited from a continued study of his case and the clearing of a ballot logjam.

4. Other big gainers

Four other players had at least a 10-point jump:

Todd Helton: 29.2 to 44.9 (3rd year on ballot)
Billy Wagner: 31.7 to 46.4 (6th)
Gary Sheffield: 30.5 to 40.6 (7th)
Andruw Jones: 19.4 to 33.9 (4th)

5. Vizquel loses ground

In last year’s vote, 11-time Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop Omar Vizquel cleared an important threshold by finishing north of 50% (52.6%, to be exact). He had established clear momentum in his first three years on the ballot.

But Vizquel lost ground this year after The Athletic published allegations of domestic abuse made by Vizquel’s ex-wife, Blanca, in mid-December.

Vizquel’s performance case was already hotly debated, as he was a below-average offensive performer for the vast majority of his long career. Now, character questions hang over his case, as well.

6. Bonds, Clemens stuck in neutral

For the seventh straight year, both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens saw their percentages rise. But because of their performance-enhancing-drug ties, the increases have been modest. Bonds was checked on 61.8% of ballots submitted after a 60.7% mark last year. Clemens was checked on 61.6% after a 61.0% mark last year.

Bonds and Clemens are only eligible for the BBWAA ballot one more time.

7. Three first-timers hold on

Players must appear on at least 5% of submitted ballots in order to remain on the ballot the following year. Three first-timers met that threshold in 2021: Mark Buehrle (11.0%), Torii Hunter (9.5%) and Tim Hudson (5.2%). They can continue to have their cases appraised next winter.

Puntje 7 verrast enigszins, omdat percentages meestal zakken als private ballots er bij komen. Nu zijn ze gestegen.

[zeux]

Nou Dubbel, je kunt je lol op.

Mets out of the sweepstakes. Benieuwd wat ze nu gaan doen, want tot Syndergaard terug is deze zomer, lijkt de rotatie nogal shaky.

[Dubbel]

Dodgers zijn letterlijk en figuurlijk in another league....

ANAHEIM -- The Angels solidified their outfield on Thursday, trading for Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Cardinals are also sending the Halos $12.75 million as part of the deal, so the Angels are on the hook for only $1.75 million of Fowler's salary in 2021.

[zeux]

Jackpot!

[Dubbel]

Jackpot!

Het grappige is dat iedereen weet dat we werpers nodig hebben. SP en relief. Er is wel wat gekomen maar nog meer vertrokken. In totaal hebben we echter geen kwalitatieve upgrade en een reliever minder dan we hadden, waarbij de Rule 5 pick zelfs is meegerekend. 2021 exit Pujols en 2022 exit Upton, de albatrossen van dienst. Ik las al op mlb een enthousiast verhaal hoe goed de club (dus....?) in 2023 zal zijn. Alsof ze dan het geld wel goed gaan besteden. Maddon gedraagt zich als Martin Jol door allerlei b-garnituur uit z'n netwerk naar binnen te loodsen. Het is wachten op Kerlon. Arme Mike Trout.

[Dubbel]

ANAHEIM -- The Angels added some versatility on Wednesday, claiming utility man Robel García off waivers from the Mets. The club’s 40-man roster is now at 39.

García, 27, has one season of Major League experience, batting .208/.275/.500 with five homers, two doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs in 31 games with the Cubs in 2019. Angels skipper Joe Maddon was his manager that season.

Tsjakka!

[zeux]

ANAHEIM -- The Angels added some versatility on Wednesday, claiming utility man Robel García off waivers from the Mets. The club’s 40-man roster is now at 39.

García, 27, has one season of Major League experience, batting .208/.275/.500 with five homers, two doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs in 31 games with the Cubs in 2019. Angels skipper Joe Maddon was his manager that season.

Tsjakka!

Never heard of.

[Dubbel]

Han Urbanus overleden. Die naam is wel echt Dutch baseball royalty. RIP.

https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/6114948/ ... leden.html

[zeux]

Han Urbanus overleden. Die naam is wel echt Dutch baseball royalty. RIP.

https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/6114948/ ... leden.html

Zonder meer! Door de generaties heen.

[Dubbel]

ANAHEIM -- The Angels avoided arbitration with two-way star Shohei Ohtani by signing him to a two-year contract worth $8.5 million, the club announced Monday.

Shohei tekent dus in elk geval bij. De lengte en hoogte van het contract weerspiegeld een beetje de twijfel over wat voor een speler hij post TJ zal zijn. Hij gooide voorheen FB (94mph) en Slider (79mph), mixing in een Splitter (86mph) en Curvebal (72mph). Kan hij al die pitches blijven gooien na de operatie?

[Dubbel]

Iedereen heeft wel een reden om een hekel aan de Dodgers te hebben.

Trevor Bauer addressed Mets fans on Sunday to apologize for the merchandise glitch on his website that led people to believe he was signing with the Mets shortly before he agreed to a deal with the Dodgers.

"Mets fans, I owe you an explanation and apology," Bauer posted in a Twitter thread. "My intention was never to mislead your fan base, nor was it to troll you in any way."

On Friday, a link for Mets merchandise went live on Bauer's Linktree page on Instagram, and a page for a Bauer-signed Mets hat giveaway went live on his website, TrevorBauer.com. Fans who signed up for the cap giveaway received an email saying "I can't wait to take the mound in New York!"

https://www.mlb.com/news/trevor-bauer-a ... -mets-fans

[zeux]

Mets is dus wel serieus in beeld geweest. De webshop was al ontwikkeld...

[zeux]

Goeie manager hebben jullie Dubbel:

MLB is deadening baseballs to liven up the game. Pitchers and managers approve

Joe Maddon loves a good hit-and-run play, a timely stolen base, a well-executed sacrifice bunt, a choke-up-on-the-bat, two-strike bloop hit to shallow right field.

The Angels manager may have gained notoriety for his new-age motivational techniques and early embrace of analytics, but when it comes to baseball’s on-field product, he is old school to the core.

That’s why Maddon, 67, welcomed recent news reports that Major League Baseball had slightly deadened the ball this season amid a six-year surge of home runs.

The changes are so subtle that they may result in fly balls traveling only one to two feet shorter when hit more than 375 feet, but if that pushes baseball one small step toward its more traditional roots, it would be one giant leap for the game, in Maddon’s eyes.

“I’m hoping it impacts the game a lot,” Maddon said. “We’ll see how it works out this year, but if, in fact, the ball doesn’t travel as far, it will change the analytics of the game, and a lot of things will change off that.

“Strategically speaking, it will put more emphasis on speed, on hitting the ball the other way, especially with two strikes, on contact. Strikeouts will be more disdained, like they were in the past. Pitchers might challenge hitters more because they want the ball in play, and they won’t walk as many guys.” (LA Times)

I love small-ball!

[Dubbel]

Dus als ik het goed begrijp dan zijn de ballen dit jaar zachter zodat er minder kan worden gescoord uit de home runs waardoor men minder op de 3 run HR gaat mikken en het spel veelzijdiger wordt? Ben ik niet op tegen als dat het resultaat gaat zijn, eerst maar eens zien waar het toe leidt. Best kans dat het vooral tot meer fly-outs leidt en dan zag ik liever de homer.

Stove rumours. Heel slim weer van de Angels, wachten totdat alle goede pitchers al ergens hebben getekend en daarna op zoek gaan naar pitchers.... Afijn, we zijn dus op zoek naar een ace en een bull pen leider. Lukt dat dan hoeft Maddon misschien niet helemaal in lachen uit te barsten bij het uitspreken van de ambities om PS te halen.

De Starter

Luis Castillo broke into the majors in 2017 and has done nothing but improve, throwing 70 innings to the tune of a 3.21 ERA in the shortened 2020 season. In addition, 11.44 strikeouts per nine innings and 0.64 home runs per nine proves he has elite stuff that spins a lot and keeps hitters guessing, something that cannot be said about any of the Angel’s current arms.

The Angels are in need of an ace to lead their staff; that has been clear for the past five-plus years.

Who would the Angels turn to in an AL Wild Card game to match up against Chris Sale, Lucas Giolito, or Tyler Glasnow?

As it stands right now, the Angels would likely turn to Andrew Heaney or Dylan Bundy, both of which would be no better than a No. 3 or No.4 on any of those three teams.

De Reliever

The Angels performed a complete bullpen overhaul this offseason, letting go of long-time Angels relievers Cam Bedrosian, Keynan Middleton, and Justin Anderson, in addition to losing Hansel Robles, Matt Andriese, and Jacob Barnes.

Retooled with some new and consistent faces, the Angels are still missing a piece or two to make their bullpen one they can rely on. The perfect piece to fill that gap could be Royals pitcher Scott Barlow.

Barlow’s 4.20 ERA in 2020 certainly won’t make any heads turn, but his whiff and strikeout rates, along with exponential growth since 2018, certainly will. Barlow posted a 37.6 percent Whiff and 31.2 strikeout rate in 2020, both career highs. This was all while dropping his walk rate down to 7.2 percent.

https://halohangout.com/2021/02/23/2-tr ... ostseason/

[Dubbel]

Albatros van 240 miljoen blijkt Pterodactylus!

Tjonge jonge jonge, en het was al zo'n kut contract.

Former MLB executive says Albert Pujols was lying about his age when he signed a $240 million contract with the Angels
Albert Pujols is not the age he says he is, according to one former MLB team executive.

David Samson, who served as the Miami Marlins' president from 2002 to 2017, said no one in baseball believed Pujols was telling the truth about his age when he signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 season. Samson made the comments during an appearance on "The Dan Le Batard Show."

"There is not one person in baseball, not one executive, who believes Albert Pujols is the age that he says he is," Samson told Le Batard. "The amount of fraud that was going on in the Dominican back in the day, the changing of names, the changing of birthdays, it would blow your mind."

Samson said he knew Pujols was not the age he said was when the Marlins tried to court the three-time NL MVP in free agency in December 2011.
"We knew when we did the calculations for that deal that we didn't care about 2019, '20, or '21. It was so far in the future that it didn't matter," Samsom said, recalling his negotiations with Pujols. "We knew he'd be unproductive. We knew that he was not the age that he said he was. We had all the information."

Pujols hails from the Dominican Republic, a nation with a proud history of baseball talent and a slight history of birthday fraud among that talent. One instance of a Dominican player lying about his age occurred in 1999 with the former pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was 19 at the time and threw in the mid-80s, which was hardly impressive for young Dominican prospects. But Rodriguez found a way to boost his profile among MLB scouts by not only lying about his age but also taking on a new identity, Jose De Jesus Ortiz of The Houston Chronicle reported.

Rodriguez "borrowed" the identity of his friend Eny Cabrera, who was two years younger than Rodriguez. A mid-80s fastball for a 17-year-old was suddenly more attractive to MLB scouts, and he signed a contract with the Houston Astros.Rodriguez later acknowledged his true identity to the organization but still went on to pitch in the majors for 10 years, from 2005 to 2015.

Another example was with the former shortstop Miguel Tejada, who also lied about being 17 when he was 19 to land a contract with the Oakland Athletics in 1993, according to ESPN.

This coming baseball season could be Pujols' last in the majors, as he is entering the final year of his contract with the Angels. Pujols' wife, Deidre Pujols, hinted at the slugger's retirement after this season in an Instagram post last month but clarified it was not an official announcement.

https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/n ... 302008.cms

[zeux]

Hoe oud is ie wel? 53?

[Dubbel]

Hoe oud is ie wel? 53?