Official Major League Baseball Thread

by **Schiltzberg** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Major League Baseball discussion thread! Feel free to drop in and debate and discuss the world's greatest sport. Our discussions range from recent MLB highlights to postseason predictions to the seemingly endless pit of baseball facts and trivia. Feel free to trash talk other members of the discussion, as this is all part of the fun, but do not go too far and do not directly insult anyone or break the site rules in any way. Most importantly, have fun!

Your predictions for:
AL East: Toronto
AL Central: Detroit
AL West: Houston
NL East: New York
NL Central: Chicago
NL West: Los Angeles

Archives:

by **Kaboomlandia** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:04 pm

I'm just waiting for the point where the Jays inevitably plunge like clay pigeons out of the playoffs again.

*bites nails*

by **Eastern Equestria** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:08 pm

I've haven't been following Major League Baseball very closely this season, but I'm really liking Kansas City's chances. They've proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that last season was no fluke. I predict that they'll avenge last year's devastating game 7 loss to the Giants by winning it all this October.

by **Ashlak** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:14 pm

I'm a Dodgers fan, so obviously, I'm rooting for them to win, although I recognize that's somewhat unlikely, though lately we've been playing better than we have been.

Even if we don't win, I'm hoping that at least neither the Giants, Yankees, or Cardinals win either.

by **San Llera** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:15 pm

I'm a bit biased, but my World Series pick would be the Mets. They have maybe the best rotation in baseball, and a solid offense after Cespedes arrived and Wright came back.

by **Maineiacs** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:37 pm

I still have hope that the Twins can pull off a wildcard.

by **Eastern Equestria** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:22 pm

Maineiacs wrote:I still have hope that the Twins can pull off a wildcard.

According to Baseball Prospectus they have a 22.1% chance of reaching the postseason. Hate to say it, but it doesn't appear as though the Twins are gonna be accomplishing much more than squeaking out a marginally positive win/loss ratio. Even with the new second-Wildcard system, that's not good enough to make it into the postseason most years. (Literally the only exception I can think of are the 2005 San Diego Padres). At least you can take solace in the fact that the Twins are on the upswing, because they've been absolute shit for the past 4 years.

by **Schiltzberg** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:37 pm

Eastern Equestria wrote:
Maineiacs wrote:I still have hope that the Twins can pull off a wildcard.

At least you can take solace in the fact that the Twins are on the upswing, because they've been absolute shit for the past 4 years.

This is coming from a Royals fan. LOL. And I know that they are good this year and they were good last year, but before that...

by **Eastern Equestria** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:46 pm

San Llera wrote:I'm a bit biased, but my World Series pick would be the Mets. They have maybe the best rotation in baseball, and a solid offense after Cespedes arrived and Wright came back.

New York Mets + having a more successful season than the Yankees = the natural order of the universe has been upset

In all seriousness, good for you guys. I root for NY teams in general (except when they're playing each other). The Mets are having a more exciting season than the Yankees have had since 2009. Every year since then the Yankees have simply been a constant. We've generally been good enough to coast into the postseason, but have had just enough glaring roster flaws to know deep down inside that we weren't going much further than that. "Boo-fucking-hoo for you", you're probably thinking to yourself. It just gets kinda tiresome is all I'm trying to say.

Schiltzberg wrote:
Eastern Equestria wrote:
At least you can take solace in the fact that the Twins are on the upswing, because they've been absolute shit for the past 4 years.

This is coming from a Royals fan. LOL. And I know that they are good this year and they were good last year, but before that...

Ummm......

Yeah, not a Royals fan. They're just my World Series pick.

by **Schiltzberg** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 9:41 pm

Eastern Euestria wrote:
Schiltzberg wrote:This is coming from a Royals fan. LOL. And I know that they are good this year and they were good last year, but before that...

Ummm......

Yeah, not a Royals fan. They're just my World Series pick.

Oops, sorry then. I just wanted to point out that your pick was not too different from his pick, but I guess this year the Royals are much better than the Twins. Realistically, I think that the Cardinals are going to win the NL pennant and either the Royals or the Blue Jays will win the AL pennant, probably the Royals. I think that that series is too close to call. St. Louis has been doing kind of shitty lately, so I would think that the Royals would probably win if it was this week, but trends are bound to change. If not St. Louis for the NL pennant, I'm thinking probably Los Angeles. I don't know though.

As my Cubs are most likely going to be in the wild card game, I'd like to think that the winner of that game would have a legitimate chance to beat St. Louis in the NLDS, but I don't know. Both are statistically better than the Dodgers and the Mets, but they obviously are not better than the Cardinals. Like I say, the Cards have been doing pretty shitty lately, so things could go my way. I think that a Cubs/Pirates matchup would be close, but I think that the Cubs are favored to win, even if it is in Pittsburgh, just because the Cubs have Jake Arrieta, and is on fire lately. Against the Cardinals, I would tend to think that the Cubs would lose the series, but it is possible that they could beat them. In NLCS, I think that the Cubs could easily beat the Mets, because they are 7-0 against them in the regular season, but the Dodgers would be trouble. The Cubs struggle against teams with heavy offense. The Dodgers are such a good team all around. Anyway, I am just hoping that the Cubs win the Wild Card Game at this point, but I would like to see them go farther than that. Maybe they will, but I just don't think that they will. It will be interesting to see how this team is in the playoffs, because none of the players are still on the team from the last playoff run in 2008.

The Cubs' biggest struggle lately has been the bullpen, as they have blown a few games late recently. I am hoping that that improves when Jason Motte comes back off of the disabled list. It will be nice to have Soler back too. The starting pitching is pretty good, but the obvious weak link is Kyle Hendricks. I don't know why everyone thinks that he is so good, because I cannot remember the last time that he pitched where he did not either get a loss or a no-decision because the Cubs won the game after he gave up the lead early. Jason Hammel is okay, but not great. Dan Haren has taken a little bit to adjust to the new team, but he is getting better. Same with Lester, he has done great lately, even though the numbers don't always show it. This goes without saying, but Arrieta is a beast. I know that the Cubs hit a fair amount of home runs, but I still feel that they could improve offensively. They are a young team, so low averages and lots of strikeouts, but still, the top batting average on the team is somewhere around .280, which is pretty bad if he is the best on the team. Anyway...

by **Eastern Equestria** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:07 pm

Schiltzberg wrote:
Eastern Euestria wrote:
Ummm......

Yeah, not a Royals fan. They're just my World Series pick.

Oops, sorry then. I just wanted to point out that your pick was not too different from his pick, but I guess this year the Royals are much better than the Twins. Realistically, I think that the Cardinals are going to win the NL pennant and either the Royals or the Blue Jays will win the AL pennant, probably the Royals. I think that that series is too close to call. St. Louis has been doing kind of shitty lately, so I would think that the Royals would probably win if it was this week, but trends are bound to change. If not St. Louis for the NL pennant, I'm thinking probably Los Angeles. I don't know though.

Honestly, the MLB playoffs are a total crapshoot. This is demonstrated by the fact that the team with the best regular season record has only won the World Series two times in the last seven years (2009 Yankees and the 2013 Red Sox). Five to seven game series truthfully aren't the best ways to determine which teams are superior. A shitty team could easily outplay a powerhouse one over such a small sample of outings. I know it sounds cliche, but the team that ends up winning it all will simply be the one that got on a good October roll. That could be anyone. Fuck, that's been the case with all 3 of the Giant's recent championships. None of those squads were exceptional. They just happened to play well during the playoffs.

~snip~

The Cubs are an up-and-coming club with lots of young talent, but they aren't quite contenders yet. However, under the helm of baseball's best manager (in my opinion) and one of it's shrewdest general managers, I'm sure they'll get there.

by **FutureAmerica** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 12:51 am

It's going to be Cardinals vs Royals.

by **Maineiacs** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 6:20 am

Eastern Equestria wrote:
Maineiacs wrote:I still have hope that the Twins can pull off a wildcard.

According to Baseball Prospectus they have a 22.1% chance of reaching the postseason. Hate to say it, but it doesn't appear as though the Twins are gonna be accomplishing much more than squeaking out a marginally positive win/loss ratio. Even with the new second-Wildcard system, that's not good enough to make it into the postseason most years. (Literally the only exception I can think of are the 2005 San Diego Padres). At least you can take solace in the fact that the Twins are on the upswing, because they've been absolute shit for the past 4 years.

Well, they now say 25.4% and we have the good fortune right now to be facing the White Sox but the rest of the way out is tougher, and our pitching is still suspect. Still, the 83-79 record they're projecting is a big improvement, and hey, if the Cubs can do it, so can we. Maybe next year.

by **Maineiacs** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 6:21 am

FutureAmerica wrote:It's going to be Cardinals vs Royals.

A rematch of '85? Quite possibly.

by **Warrenstone** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 6:40 am

As a London-resident Mets fan, this season has just been insane for me - it's been worth staying up until 2-3am sometimes, and it's been a long time coming. Every time the Mets have won the WS, it's always been some variant of the "Miracle Mets", coming from absolute obscurity to take it, and this season has a similar feel to it. Cespedes is hitting beautifully, having Wright back is huge, and there's just something about this year that is feeling really fucking good.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:59 am

Eastern Equestria wrote:The Cubs are an up-and-coming club with lots of young talent, but they aren't quite contenders yet. However, under the helm of baseball's best manager (in my opinion) and one of it's shrewdest general managers, I'm sure they'll get there.

I agree, and I hope that they will get there soon.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:01 am

Interesting fact: if the Cardinals win the NL pennant this year, than they will continue the late trend of St. Louis winning every odd year and San Francisco winning it every even numbered year since 2010.

2010: SFG
2011: STL
2012: SFG
2013: STL
2014: SFG
2015: STL?

by **The Serbian Empire** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:45 am

Warrenstone wrote:As a London-resident Mets fan, this season has just been insane for me - it's been worth staying up until 2-3am sometimes, and it's been a long time coming. Every time the Mets have won the WS, it's always been some variant of the "Miracle Mets", coming from absolute obscurity to take it, and this season has a similar feel to it. Cespedes is hitting beautifully, having Wright back is huge, and there's just something about this year that is feeling really fucking good.

It just isn't Wright that his career was in due to spinal stenosis.

by **Ashlak** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 12:44 pm

Schiltzberg wrote:Interesting fact: if the Cardinals win the NL pennant this year, than they will continue the late trend of St. Louis winning every odd year and San Francisco winning it every even numbered year since 2010.

2010: SFG
2011: STL
2012: SFG
2013: STL
2014: SFG
2015: STL?

If that happens, I might just cry.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:27 pm

Ashlak wrote:
Schiltzberg wrote:Interesting fact: if the Cardinals win the NL pennant this year, than they will continue the late trend of St. Louis winning every odd year and San Francisco winning it every even numbered year since 2010.

2010: SFG
2011: STL
2012: SFG
2013: STL
2014: SFG
2015: STL?

If that happens, I might just cry.

Why do you say that? Are you for or against the Cardinals this year?

by **Ashlak** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:48 pm

Schiltzberg wrote:
Ashlak wrote:
If that happens, I might just cry.

Why do you say that? Are you for or against the Cardinals this year?

I'm a Dodgers fan, so obviously, against them. They beat us in the postseason last year, and have done well against us in this year's regular season, so feelings towards the Cardinals are rather salty at the moment.

I also don't like anything that involves the Giants winning.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:54 pm

Ashlak wrote:
Schiltzberg wrote:Why do you say that? Are you for or against the Cardinals this year?

I'm a Dodgers fan, so obviously, against them. They beat us in the postseason last year, and have done well against us in this year's regular season, so feelings towards the Cardinals are rather salty at the moment.

I also don't like anything that involves the Giants winning.

The Cubs will get the Giants out of the way for you. No problemo.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:10 pm

These are my predictions for the MLB Postseason, assuming that the standings stay where they are at today.

NL Wild Card: Cubs beat Pirates
NLDS 1: Cardinals beat Cubs
NLDS 2: Dodgers beat Mets
NLCS: Cardinals beat Dodgers

AL Wild Card: Yanks beat Rangers
ALDS 1: Royals beat Yanks
ALDS 2: Blue Jays beat Astros
ALCS: Royals beat Blue Jays

World Series: I'm torn on this matchup. It could really go either way.

by **Schiltzberg** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:14 pm

Milwaukee is officially eliminated from the National League playoffs, following a Cubs 5-1 win over the Phillies.

by **Eastern Equestria** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:41 pm

Annnnnnnnd Mark Teixiera is gone for the rest of the year with a leg fracture. Fan-fucking-tastic! Whatever chances the Yankees had of having an interesting postseason are completely dashed. And we can just forget about winning the division.

I'm looking towards the future, and all I see is an uneventful first-round exit.

Official Major League Baseball Thread

Official Major League Baseball Thread

Who is online