• Registration is disabled due to constant spammers. Email [email protected] and we will temporarily re-enable registration for you.

2019 MLB Thread

GatorTD

Male
Mod Alumni
Fangraphs podcast this week was talking about how Colorado road splits being worse isn't just due to balls travelling further at Coors. Something about how the pitch itself acts differently. I found it interesting.

Cameron also discussed one podcast that the Rockies could also look at pitchers who are flyball pitchers but have a low percentage of hard hit balls.
The park is also fucking huge which plays into more ground for balls to fall.
 

Wooly

Well-Known Member
It's really really hard to be a Rockies fan. Mabye I should go back to my boyhood team of the Red Sox.
 
Last edited:

bruin

Well-Known Member
Dodgers resigned Howie Kendrick the other day to a two year deal. I dig it.

Weird market for him. Wonder what that was about?
 

osick87

Well-Known Member
Community Liaison
Dodgers resigned Howie Kendrick the other day to a two year deal. I dig it.

Weird market for him. Wonder what that was about?

The Qualifying offer probably killed a lot of his market. Desmond probably is more interesting to some teams since he can play SS as well.
 

Wolfman21

Well-Known Member
Braves holding a private workout for lazarito. Dude listed as a 16 year old but looks like a college linebacker.
 

Mr. Radpants

Trog Five Standing By
@Gooksta

Life at the Margins

The Case Against Hiring A Smart Person

by Rian Watt
Yesterday, the Dodgers announced that Greg Maddux, formerly of the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, and Padres, and lately of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, will be joining the L.A. front office as a “Special Assistant” to the President of Baseball Operations. He’ll be joined in this capacity by Raúl Ibañez.

Maddux and Ibañez will, soon enough, join a dizzying collection of front office talent in the Chavez Ravine. A brief rundown, so we can get our bearings (feel free to skip ahead if you’re familiar with the particulars):

  1. President & CEO Stan Kasten, who formerly served in a similar capacity for both the Nationals and the Braves (and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks).
  2. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, who formerly served as G.M. of the Rays.
  3. General Manager Farhan Zaidi, who formerly served as Assistant G.M. to Billy Beane in Oakland.
  4. Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Josh Byrnes, formerly the G.M. of the Padres and of the Diamondbacks.
  5. Vice President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos, lately G.M. in Toronto.
  6. Senior Advisor Ned Colletti, formerly G.M. of the Dodgers (which must be somewhat awkward, at times).
  7. Special Advisor Gerry Hunsicker, formerly G.M. of the Astros for a decade.
  8. Special Advisor Tommy Lasorda, a Dodgers legend and another former franchise G.M.
That’s a helluva C-suite lineup coming together out west. But is spending money on premier front office talent the wisest possible allocation of resources for Los Angeles? I’m not so sure that it is.

The generally accepted principle around BP is that dollars spent on front office talent are probably among the best dollars teams can spend anywhere. I agree with that. It’s plausible to say that Theo Epstein, at $3 million a year, is worth far more than whatever you can get on the free agent market for the same price, which last year was … LaTroy Hawkins.

So my beef isn’t with hiring Theo Epstein for many millions of dollars. I’m on board with that. Heck, pay Epstein $10 million or $15 million a year and I’m probably still on board with it, though I might need to think about it a little longer.

My problem is with hiring ten Theo Epsteins, and that’s what the Dodgers have done. That’s because part of the value of an Epstein (or a Zaidi, or a Friedman, or any of your Fill-in-the-Blank-Top-Executives) is that these transformational executives can lead and transform a team of more-junior partners to define and then achieve a vision for their organization.

It’s called transformational leadership, and one of the things about it is that it’s only really helpful when there’s fertile ground for transformationhttp://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28361#_edn1. And one area of particularly infertile ground, in general, is when there exist multiple visions for the future of the organization:

If members of an organisation are influenced by different leaders with competing visions, the result will be increased role ambiguity and role conflict. Leaders who build strong identification with their subunit and its objectives can improve member motivation, but excessive competition may arise among different subunits of the organisation[ii].​

Now, I can’t say for sure that “different leaders with competing visions” is a description that appropriately applies to the Dodgers’ front office, as it’s currently constructed. It’s possible that somewhere in that network of leaders in L.A.—including, of course, ownership—there’s the leader, and that person is currently transforming the Dodgers’ organization with the assistance and dutiful support of nine or 10 other guys who’ve previously been the leader somewhere else.

But the type of person who’s been the leader somewhere else often gets to that point because he or she is able to effectively articulate a vision for the organization, then share that vision with others. And because it’s their vision, it’s likely idiosyncratic, and born of the cumulative weight of their life and experiences. That’s a tough thing to share with others, and (one imagines) a tougher thing to give up.

But the ability to define and articulate that vision is also, I imagine, some rather large percentage of the value returned to teams who bring on transformational executives like Epstein, Friedman, and their ilk. And once it’s done, it can’t (or, really, shouldn’t, unless something has gone wrong) be done again, meaning that hiring two or more people who can do it—at the prices they command, at that level—doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

Sure, the nine or 10 subordinate execs aren’t sitting around doing nothing. I’m sure they’re contributing something (likely in the form of relationships, and new ways of thinking about things), and probably that something is worth a fair bit of money. But their marginal value has got to be lower each time another top executive comes aboard. And in Los Angeles, that’s happened nine or 10 times.

And that suggests to me that perhaps a qualifier to the usual logic is needed: that dollars spent on front office talent are probably among the best dollars teams can spend anywhere, unless they’re spent excessively at the top of the market, and especially when they’re spent at the bottom of the market.

“Wait,” you say. “I get the first part, because that’s what you’ve been arguing this whole time (even if I don’t agree with it). But what about that second italicized clause?”

Here’s the thing. If I had $6 million to spend on executives, I’d spend $3 million of it to hire a Theo Epstein type, and the other $3 million to hire 50 of the best and brightest young guns straight out of grad school at $60,000 a pop. Think about what Mark Shapiro had in Cleveland in the 2000s: a clear organizational structure, with him at the top, and a bunch of future GMs below him buying into that vision, and wildly underpaid for their talent (because they were early in their career).

If you spend too heavily at the top of the executive market, in other words, you risk clouding your organization’s vision for the future, and that can actually have a negative impact on your team’s ability to succeed. Spending on front office talent at the bottom of the market, however, still gives you a wide pool of smart people upon whose ideas you can draw, but saves you a messy organizational chart and competition at the top of your organization. That, to me, seems like the smart way to go.

It’s not what Los Angeles has chosen to do. I think that might be a mistake. But hey, they have lots of money, and lots of smart people around to help them make those choices for them.



http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28361
 

John Locke

Well-Known Member
Congrats to Jenrry Mejia on getting 3 PED suspensions in less than 1 year. Now permanently suspended from MLB.
 

atlbraves

Well-Known Member
MejiaGloveSlam041114.0.gif
 

John Locke

Well-Known Member
Ho lee fuk. I assume the next step for him is to go play in Japan or Korea? Is that allowed?


From Adam Rubin:

"MLB suspensions are honored by affiliated leagues in other countries, such as in Japan, South Korea and Mexico. However, suspended players are allowed to compete in winter leagues, such as in Jenrry Mejia's native Dominican Republic. Independent leagues are not compelled to honor MLB suspensions but may choose to do so."
 

Carolina Blue

Well-Known Member
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

http://www.milb.com/news/article.js...d=164361790&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t494&sid=t494

"A Tribute to Space Jam Night" with Muggsy Bogues on Tap for August 21

Charlotte Knights
02/12/2016 2:00 PM ET

muggsy_space_jam_full_40lw2y3t_3nl1rrhq.jpg


(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) -- Muggsy Bogues, who shined in the NBA for 10 seasons as a fan-favorite with the Charlotte Hornets, will meet fans and sign free autographs at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday, August 21 as the Knights pay tribute to the 20[sup]th[/sup] anniversary of the iconic basketball movie, Space Jam. Bogues, who was one of a number of talented NBA players to appear in the hit basketball film, will also throw out a ceremonial first pitch on "A Tribute to Space Jam Night" at BB&T Ballpark.

Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 21 and fans will have a chance to meet the former Wake Forest University and Hornets standout before the team's 5:05 p.m. game against the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays). Single-game tickets for this game, as well as all 72 Charlotte Knights home games for the 2016 season, will go on sale to the general public beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 20. Single-game tickets will then go on sale online and by phone starting at 12 noon on February 20th.

A native of Baltimore, MD, Bogues finished his four-year college basketball career with the Demon Deacons as the ACC career leader in steals and assists. During his final game of his senior year, Wake Forest University retired his number 14 jersey. He was drafted by the Washington Bullets with the 12[sup]th[/sup] overall pick in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft.

Standing at just five feet, three inches tall, Bogues -- the shortest player in NBA history - made his NBA debut on November 6, 1987 with the Bullets. The scrappy point guard went on to play 15 seasons in the NBA with the Bullets (1987-1988), Hornets (1988-1998), Golden State Warriors (1997-1999), and Toronto Raptors (1999-2001). During his 10-year stint with the Hornets, Bogues made a true impact on the game. Along with teammates Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, the Hornets were one of the most popular teams in the 90's. He retired ranked 16[sup]th[/sup] in the NBA in career assists.

Released theatrically by Warner Brothers on November 15, 1996, Space Jam opened at number 1 at the box office and later became the highest grossing basketball film of all-time. NBA players Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and actor Bill Murray, joined Bogues in the hit movie. The Knights will pay tribute to the film's 20[sup]th[/sup] anniversary on August 21 at BB&T Ballpark. More details surrounding the night's festivities will be announced at a later date.

Bogues joins National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers and baseball legend Lou Piniella on the team's list of distinguished guests during the epic 2016 All-Star season at BB&T Ballpark. Fingers will sign free autographs at BB&T Ballpark on Wednesday, May 18, while Piniella will sign free autographs on June 1. The Knights will announce their full promotional lineup on Thursday, February 18. Season tickets, as well as partial season ticket plans for the 2016 season, are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the BB&T Ballpark Ticket Office, online at CharlotteKnights.com, or by phone at 704-274-8300. Uptown Knights Are Better Than Ever!
 

Wolfman21

Well-Known Member
Pumped that its looking more and more like the Braves will sign Lazarito and Kevin Maitan in the IFA period this season. Those would be two big time pickups.
 

Wolfman21

Well-Known Member
Apparently the white Sox brass didn't want Adam Laroche's son in the locker room as much as he was. So Laroche retired...lol
 

atlbraves

Well-Known Member
Does LaRoche think he's punishing the White Sox by retiring? LOL this is a coup for them. "Don't want me to bring my kid around? Fine, then you don't get to pay me the rest of my albatross contract"
 

Mr. Radpants

Trog Five Standing By
It's obvious that Kenny did this to get LaRoche to quit. It's called managing out. Kenny didn't have a problem with agreeing to let his son in the clubhouse until he struggled last year.
 

GatorTD

Male
Mod Alumni
This is where it gets pointed out playing baseball is not a real job. Kids are around the clubhouse/game all the damn time. Rad has it down. Kenny Williams is just an asshole.
 

Mr. Radpants

Trog Five Standing By
PHOENIX -- Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale accused executive vice president Ken Williams of lying to players Friday, and says they have demanded a meeting with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf over the sudden retirement of teammate Adam LaRoche.

“We got bold-faced lied to,’’ said Sale, “by someone we were supposed to trust.

“This isn’t us rebelling against the rules. This is us rebelling against B.S., plain and simple.’’

Sale, who walked into the clubhouse Friday to find autographed jerseys with personal messages inscribed by LaRoche and the first baseman's 14-year-old son, Drake, says players have an issue with only member of the White Sox organization: Williams.

“Somebody walked out of those doors the other day,’’ Sale said, “and it was the wrong guy. Plain and simple.’’
 
Top