Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

[GordonGecko]

phillies were almost as overrated as the red sox this year. They don't have any clutch guys, just a bunch of chokers

[Donnybaseball72]

phillies were almost as overrated as the red sox this year. They don't have any clutch guys, just a bunch of chokers

The Phillies had the best record in baseball and were killing teams all season. They just ran into an unhitable Chris Carpenter.

[35Knucklecurve]

The Phillies had the best record in baseball and were killing teams all season. They just ran into an unhitable Chris Carpenter.

Totally agree - it's a cliche that gets used to death, but it is so true that good pitching will beat good hitting. On any given day, almost any pitcher is capable of shutting down the opposition and when you get to the post season, unless someone is injured, you're going to see the front end rotation guys.

[awy]

well, phillies offense is just mediocre. especially howard hitting cleanup is pretty terrible. he is legitimately bad against lefties.

[GordonGecko]

The Phillies had the best record in baseball and were killing teams all season. They just ran into an unhitable Chris Carpenter.

no, they were middle of the pack in hitting, their pitching carried them all year and when facing real talent on the mound their hitters can't hit a ball to save their lives. Same situation last year, Phillies aren't going anywhere until they address their batting problems

well, phillies offense is just mediocre. especially howard hitting cleanup is pretty terrible. he is legitimately bad against lefties.

exactly

[Yankee Tripper]

no, they were middle of the pack in hitting, their pitching carried them all year and when facing real talent on the mound their hitters can't hit a ball to save their lives. Same situation last year, Phillies aren't going anywhere until they address their batting problems

SF won a WS on pitching and crappy hitting that got hot at the right time.

The Philles were easily the best team this year despite a middle of the road offense beacuse they had 4 stud SP, a rookie who came into his own and a solid pen.

While the offense disappeared in game 5, it was their pitching staff that let them down in the DS more than their offense.

But they have numerous holes to fill next year and no obvious fix for them unless they raise payroll.

[machphantom]

Holy Jesus:

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
teams are showing interest in votto. speculation around game is #bluejays will be in mix. hes toronto product. #reds

Bautista and Votto in the same lineup? They would have to be considered serious contenders in the AL East if they had them both, right?

[Jax Teller]

Why would Votto even be on the block?

[Yankee Tripper]

Holy Jesus:

Bautista and Votto in the same lineup? They would have to be considered serious contenders in the AL East if they had them both, right?

Can they pitch?

[nnysiny]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...ng-joey-votto/

[JohnnyEllis]

The Rangers lost Lee and are probably going the win the pennant again.

[Jax Teller]

Weird. This board was so convincing that Cliff Lee guarantees a World Series. Womp Womp.

[awy]

SF won a WS on pitching and crappy hitting that got hot at the right time.

The Philles were easily the best team this year despite a middle of the road offense beacuse they had 4 stud SP, a rookie who came into his own and a solid pen.

While the offense disappeared in game 5, it was their pitching staff that let them down in the DS more than their offense.

But they have numerous holes to fill next year and no obvious fix for them unless they raise payroll.

well, the thing about crappy hitting getting hot is that it is an unreliable model for winning.

[awy]

i kind of like the idea of the jays becoming a force, a big market smart team. because it will force the yankees into being better and actually using their resources and not be content on standing pat, limiting cost.

yankees spending is still rather schizo. when a strong need is perceived such as pre2009, they can spend a ................ load. the market revenue clearly supports that. when things are not going all that badly, the strong desire to dominate isn't there. it is still a short term returns business.

the more rivals the better the product yankees put on the field. everyone wins with the exception of maybe ownership's cut of the profits.

[SatchelPaigeYankee]

the jays GM said that they're willing to make their payroll 120 mil.

[Yankeeah]

the jays GM said that they're willing to make their payroll 120 mil.

I fully expect them to make a serious, serious run at Fielder

[Yankees1962]

I fully expect them to make a serious, serious run at Fielder

If I had the choice between them and Washington, I'll pick the latter.

[Saxmania]

the jays GM said that they're willing to make their payroll 120 mil.

That's interesting, because that's almost double their current payroll, and they're not a bad team for $60m right now (exactly .500 this year). Bautista's already signed for a few more years, although they'll need to pay out for Romero soonish. But they can also get rid of Juan Rivera and the like over the next couple years, and they've got Lawrie looking like a good piece.

Lawrie-Fielder-Bautista would score plenty of runs, with a few other decent hitters mixed in. With $58m/year to play with, they could add Fielder AND a frontline starter to go with Romero, and still have some money left over . . .

I wonder if they'd make a play for Darvish. Doesn't feel like their style, but it might help drive attendance up to announce Darvish and Fielder this offseason. They would have Romero, Lawrie, Darvish, and Fielder all under 28 years old, and Bautista's only 30. Coupled with a reasonable farm system, that team could really turn some heads.

Be seeing you,

Saxmania

[SatchelPaigeYankee]

That's interesting, because that's almost double their current payroll, and they're not a bad team for $60m right now (exactly .500 this year). Bautista's already signed for a few more years, although they'll need to pay out for Romero soonish. But they can also get rid of Juan Rivera and the like over the next couple years, and they've got Lawrie looking like a good piece.

Lawrie-Fielder-Bautista would score plenty of runs, with a few other decent hitters mixed in. With $58m/year to play with, they could add Fielder AND a frontline starter to go with Romero, and still have some money left over . . .

I wonder if they'd make a play for Darvish. Doesn't feel like their style, but it might help drive attendance up to announce Darvish and Fielder this offseason. They would have Romero, Lawrie, Darvish, and Fielder all under 28 years old, and Bautista's only 30. Coupled with a reasonable farm system, that team could really turn some heads.

Be seeing you,

Saxmania

they had the 2nd best bid for Aroldis, if I remember correctly.

But yeah, with a few other guys with high upside on the come up (Snider, Thames, Arencibia) and a top 10 SS in Escobar, they have a chance to do something.

[ArodEra]

Weird. This board was so convincing that Cliff Lee guarantees a World Series. Womp Womp.

And the best part is Lee himself thought so too. Meanwhile the team that he left got invited to the prom instead. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving p@#*. Womp womp.

[ThePinStripes]

pitching is less important in the NL, since you have weaker lineups + a pitcher you can get to for a sure fire out.

Good hitters are important because if they don't get it done, you've got a pitcher coming up soon.

I never understood why the NL focused on pitching while the AL focused on hitting.

[awy]

i think nl clubs are just less well run. even the top teams have filler spots in their lineups. some marginal spending/effort in those areas to plug holes is worth quite a bit.

their elite talent is pretty good, but baseball is more than a few star players.

[pleasepassthesoup]

i think nl clubs are just less well run. even the top teams have filler spots in their lineups. some marginal spending/effort in those areas to plug holes is worth quite a bit.

their elite talent is pretty good, but baseball is more than a few star players.

AL teams need better teams in order to compete because of the Yankees and Sox. Until very recently with the Phillies, no NL team really spent on that level, so you could win with more flawed teams. In the AL, even low payroll teams are deep because they need to be.

[Yankee Tripper]

i think nl clubs are just less well run. even the top teams have filler spots in their lineups. some marginal spending/effort in those areas to plug holes is worth quite a bit.

their elite talent is pretty good, but baseball is more than a few star players.

The AL generally has only one more good player per team than the NL due to the DH. It's pretty simple to see why.

[Jax Teller]

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman



Nothing definite, but most baseball people believe now that it will be hoyer, not byrnes, who goes to #cubs w/ theo. #padres