2011 MLB Season

[Chalupa]

Jim Thome hit a homie, actually 600 of them!!!

Hopefully he and Omar are HOF-bound, though I suspect it make take awhile for each.

Well, if they keep playing, very true!

two very nice stories on a very nice guy....

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/rumblings110816/jim-thome-truly-real-caring-person

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6847957/road-600-home-runs-memorable-one-jim-thome

Love Thome. My only regret about the 2008 championship was that he wasn't there to be a part of it. I think Thome gets in HOF first ballot. He's only the 8th(okay 5th non steroid) player to get 600 home runs. That's out of 17,000+ men to play in the MLB.

I haven't been able to find the video but the night that he hit #600 Thome went on and on about Charlie Manuel and how he owed his whole career to him. It was amazing.

[BERIGAN]

WOW!! WHAT A COMEBACK BY THE BRAVES!!

Freddie Freeman!

Congrats to Jim Thome on joining the 600 homer club.

Hey! We are rivals! Aren't we supposed to hate each other's teams???

It's funny, but never hated the Phils, like watching them play(Just not against the braves) used to hate the Mets(Mainly their online fans) but heck, I like the way they play these days...

So...who should be the NL ROY??? Freeman? 16 HR's 60 RBI's, .295 BA, .360 OBP, all the while playing as good a 1st base defense as you will see, all at the age of 21....or Craig Kimbrel, with 36 saves, 1.81 ERA, and 94 K's in 59 innings???

Always liked the Braves. I miss not getting their games on TBS anymore. Though I do like to razz their fans about not showing up for playoff games, etc.

RE: ROY. I think it's gotta be Freeman. Kimbrel has been spectacular but Freeman is an everyday player. And that game winning hit he had over the Giants this week sealed the deal me thinks.

Hey, it's Hot down here, even in October!

I go back and forth on ROY...Freeman's numbers at the end of the year I don't think are going to jump out, unless he stays above .300 ... Kimbrel is an everyotherday player, does that count?

[BERIGAN]

Jim Thome hit a homie, actually 600 of them!!!

Hopefully he and Omar are HOF-bound, though I suspect it make take awhile for each.

Well, if they keep playing, very true!

two very nice stories on a very nice guy....

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/rumblings110816/jim-thome-truly-real-caring-person

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6847957/road-600-home-runs-memorable-one-jim-thome

Love Thome. My only regret about the 2008 championship was that he wasn't there to be a part of it. I think Thome gets in HOF first ballot. He's only the 8th(okay 5th non steroid) player to get 600 home runs. That's out of 17,000+ men to play in the MLB.

I haven't been able to find the video but the night that he hit #600 Thome went on and on about Charlie Manuel and how he owed his whole career to him. It was amazing.

some amazing stats I didn't know about him, from those articles...

Stark

Someday, Jim Thome's Hall of Fame plaque will tell the story of a guy who hit 600 baseballs that seemed as if they'd never come down.

Maybe, if he's lucky, it will also mention he had a higher on-base percentage (.403) than Tony Gwynn or Rod Carew.

It might even tell you, as my pal Dave Schoenfield wrote, this fellow scored 100 runs as many times (eight) as Gwynn, Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield combined.

Tim K

Thome's numbers came without flair, flash or controversy, especially involving steroids. But they are Hall of Fame worthy numbers: His on-base percentage is almost 50 points higher than that of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, and his slugging percentage is almost 70 points higher than Jackson's. Obviously, there is no comparison defensively with Ken Griffey Jr., but Thome's slugging percentage is 20 points higher and his on-base percentage is 30 points higher than Griffey's.

[paul secor]

Some surprising stats for Jim Thome. I think of him as a one dimensional ball player, but he's been pretty damn good within that one dimension. I guess if one can speak of a quiet but effective career, his has been that.

Edited August 18, 2011 by paul secor

[Tim McG]

Giants finally win one.

And what is the deal with that stupid "chop" song the Braves have to play every five seconds?

[T.D.]

Nothing more than a curiosity, but Wayne Gretzky's teenage son just signed with the Cubbies.

[Dave James]

Anyone out there familiar with Batting Stance Guy? He's become cyber-famous doing spot-on impressions of current and past baseball players batting stances. He's also gotten into doing impressions of baseball commentators like Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian from ESPN and others from various other networks. Needless to say, he has his own website which, if you're into baseball, is pretty entertaining. Here's a link.

My link

[Quincy]

It might even tell you, as my pal Dave Schoenfield wrote, this fellow scored 100 runs as many times (eight) as Gwynn, Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield combined.

I'm a big fan of Thome but this is a goofy one. Gwynn was injury prone in his 30s so he rarely got the counting stats, especially as he played on some bad Padre teams (of course he also got to 2 World Series with them.) The '94 strike cost him a 3rd 100 R season. Kirby of course had a short career, out of the game around age 35. Dave & Tony also hit the 99 R mark. Meanwhile Thome walked a ton (none of the above did at his rate), knocked himself in a ton, and also had some firepower in the lineup with Cleveland, so it's not surprising he scored 100 runs as much as he did. Again I'm not knocking him, it's just sometimes writers make strange cases for people, namely taking the worst characteristics of a hall of famer and then comparing someone else's best against it.

Do you remember Lee May? He was cursed with RBI, twice getting 98, twice getting 99. Hence why I was half expecting to see more 99s in the threesome.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Quincy

[BERIGAN]

It might even tell you, as my pal Dave Schoenfield wrote, this fellow scored 100 runs as many times (eight) as Gwynn, Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield combined.

I'm a big fan of Thome but this is a goofy one. Gwynn was injury prone in his 30s so he rarely got the counting stats, especially as he played on some bad Padre teams (of course he also got to 2 World Series with them.) The '94 strike cost him a 3rd 100 R season. Kirby of course had a short career, out of the game around age 35. Dave & Tony also hit the 99 R mark. Meanwhile Thome walked a ton (none of the above did at his rate), knocked himself in a ton, and also had some firepower in the lineup with Cleveland, so it's not surprising he scored 100 runs as much as he did. Again I'm not knocking him, it's just sometimes writers make strange cases for people, namely taking the worst characteristics of a hall of famer and then comparing someone else's best against it.

Do you remember Lee May? He was cursed with RBI, twice getting 98, twice getting 99. Hence why I was half expecting to see more 99s in the threesome.

Well, semi goofy. Kirby and Tony could steal bases when they were younger, Winfield too. Kirby and Tony should have done it more times just cuz they were leading off... Thome didn't score more than 100 after the age of 35, either. And seeing he has 19 career stolen bases, I guess he was never a speed merchant???

Of course I remember Lee May, and remember reading his stats in my handy Dandy Baseball Encyclopedia. Always felt sorry for guys that just missed 100 RBI's

Which of course leads me to...Ted Simmons. Remember him??? Have I ever mentioned his name before???

On top of the 3 seasons he drove in more than 100 RBI's , he also had seasons of 91, 96, 95, 98, and 97. 87 RBI's in 1979, when he only played 123 games because of a broken wrist. I've wondered if instead of 3 100 RBI years, folks saw 7 or 8 100 RBI years, if this catcher would be in the Hall now...

Thanks, haven't mentioned Simba in quite some time!

[Chalupa]

How about dem Phillies? First team in the majors this year to record 50, 60, 70, and now 80 wins. If they play.500 ball the rest of the way they will get 100 wins. They also had their 200th straight sell out last night.

[Quincy]

Well, semi goofy. Kirby and Tony could steal bases when they were younger, Winfield too. Kirby and Tony should have done it more times just cuz they were leading off... Thome didn't score more than 100 after the age of 35, either. And seeing he has 19 career stolen bases, I guess he was never a speed merchant???

It's mostly that 2 of the guys were Padres and the other's career ended prematurely. In 7 full seasons in SD Winfield only played for 1 (barely) winning team. There wasn't enough talent in the lower part of the line up to knock him in and Jack Murphy wasn't a power hitter's park. As a Yankee for a few years he relied on the likes of Pags, Cerone, Wayne Tolleson, Gary Ward and Kittle to knock him in. (I just caused our Yankee fans to throw up in their mouthes a little.)

Gwynn only topped only played 140 games or more from age 30 on twice. It's possible he would have played more than that in '94 & '95 but games were lost due to the strike. All of the greats who played in '94 & '95 end up getting cheated in these "stat fact" sort of lists, with Greg Maddux being hurt greatly as he had phenomenal seasons in the strike years. I'll admit I was surprised how few times Gwynn scored 100 R.

Thanks, haven't mentioned Simba in quite some time!

Who is this Simba you speak of? If Disney had made the Lion King in the '70s it probably would have given him just enough extra attention to push him into the Hall of Fame.

[Dave James]

Long time baseball fans will recall with fondness, the antics of Browns, White Sox and Indians owner, Bill Veeck. What has to be his most famous stunt occurred 60 years ago today when he sent Eddie Gaedel to the plate as a pinch hitter in a game against the Detroit Tigers. For his one time appearance, Gaedel, who was all of 3'7" tall and weighed 65 pounds, sported the number 1/8 on the back of his St. Louis Browns jersey. Needless to say, he walked on four straight pitches. Here's a little trip down memory lane.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6875533&categoryid=2378529

[paul secor]

Long time baseball fans will recall with fondness, the antics of Browns, White Sox and Indians owner, Bill Veeck. What has to be his most famous stunt occurred 60 years ago today when he sent Eddie Gaedel to the plate as a pinch hitter in a game against the Detroit Tigers. For his one time appearance, Gaedel, who was all of 3'7" tall and weighed 65 pounds, sported the number 1/8 on the back of his St. Louis Browns jersey. Needless to say, he walked on four straight pitches. Here's a little trip down memory lane.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6875533&categoryid=2378529

More about Eddie Gaedel. A.L. president Will Harridge voided his contract after that game. I wonder if there would be a lawsuit charging discrimination if this happened today. Unfortunately for major league baseball, there's no Bill Veeck around today.

Check out the end of the Wikipedia article for intesting info on Eddie Gaedel's grandnephew.

[Chalupa]

Does anyone want to win the NL West?

[ghost of miles]

Another excellent start for the Yankees' Phil Hughes tonight, and Derek Jeter's batting average is almost within winking distance of .300. If NY had simply managed a split of their matchups against Boston so far, their W-L record would be 79-43, or just one game off the Phillies' impressive mark. On a more negative note, Bartolo Colon may be running out of gas--and per the previous sentence, NY can't seem to beat Boston this year, which doesn't bode well for the playoffs (though Texas won't be a doorstop for anybody either and could easily end up in the WS again).

[Chalupa]

Jesus H. Christ.

Madson just surrendered a walk off grand slam. That is what happens when you use your closer 3 days in a row.

38 pitches tonight alone.

[JSngry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy7luN3SbNc

[Tim McG]

Does anyone want to win the NL West?

Don't get too smug, JH.

Lots of 100 game winners choke in the playoffs.

Besides, as I have stated numerous times before, the NL West is a very competitive division. May I further remind the NL West has had teams in the WS five times in the last 15 years...and won it all, twice? Add to that the WC has come out of the NL West several times in that same time span.

It ain't over yet, my friend.

To wit:

[From the Hot Stove thread]

The NL West teams have to play each other, too. The records simply do not reflect the quality ballclubs they really are. Like I said, this is a very competitive division; not a slouch among them.

But let's take a look at the number of times the NL West has either been in or won the WS, been the Wild Card and/or made the playoffs:

Since 1995, a NL West team has:

Been in the NLDS- 21 times

Been in the NLCS- 8 times

Been in the WS- 5 times [sD in 1999; AZ in 2001; SF in 2002; COL in 2007; SF in 2010]

Won the WS- 2 times [AZ in 2001 and SF in 2010]

Been the WC [which would place TWO NL West teams in the playoffs]- 6 times [COL in 1995; LA in 1996; SF in 2002; LA in 2006; COL in 2007; COL in 2009]

From where I stand, that is a pretty impressive record for a division people love to call weak for some strange reason.

Edited August 20, 2011 by GoodSpeak

[Chicago Expat]

Jim Hendry is gone, which, if nothing else, gives reporters yet another opportunity to blame Steve Bartman for the Cubs 2003 collapse. Pathetic.

[Quincy]

Besides, as I have stated numerous times before, the NL West is a very competitive division. May I further remind the NL West has had teams in the WS five times in the last 15 years...and won it all, twice? Add to that the WC has come out of the NL West several times in that same time span.

And the NL East has 8 pennants and 4 titles in that span. I'm not sure why you're getting so defensive over a simple remark "does anyone want to win the NL West?" as the "does anyone want to win..." part is a common saying when the contending teams in a division both are experiencing short losing streaks or losing in dramatic fashion.

Btw, it's the NL Central that doesn't do much in the playoffs since the realignment. Just 1 title and 3 pennants.

[ghost of miles]

Jesus H. Christ.

Madson just surrendered a walk off grand slam. That is what happens when you use your closer 3 days in a row.

38 pitches tonight alone.

J.H., I haven't been following the Phillies closely enough--how are Oswalt and Hamels doing, health-wise and otherwise? Any vulnerabilities that concern you as the team heads towards the playoffs?

[Chalupa]

Jesus H. Christ.

Madson just surrendered a walk off grand slam. That is what happens when you use your closer 3 days in a row.

38 pitches tonight alone.

J.H., I haven't been following the Phillies closely enough--how are Oswalt and Hamels doing, health-wise and otherwise? Any vulnerabilities that concern you as the team heads towards the playoffs?

Good question. Oswalt is still getting his strength back after missing almost 2 months. He is the big question mark for the Phils' staff. He will need back surgery after the season. Sadly he's become the forgotten man in the rotation. However, if he can regain his early season form - and it's starting to look like that could happen - look out. I think if the season ended today the Phillies rotation would be Doc, Hamels, Worley, and Cliff. Hamels has been the #2 pitcher on the staff this season but strained his shoulder sometime in his past two starts. He had an MRI on Monday - no structural damage but some inflammation - and he's skipping his next start as a precaution. I think he'll be fine. Hitting wise, the main vulnerability for the Phillies is that they have a lefty heavy line up that does very poorly vs. left handed pitching. Overall they don't hit off speed pitchers(whether lefty or right) very well. Then there are some major concerns w/ Planco. He's battling a sports hernia and said he will have surgery after the season. The Phils truly miss his bat. For the season he's batting about 40 points lower then his usual average. Ibanez is another question mark. He's very streaky. John Mayberry's bat might force Cholly to platoon the both of them in LF. Lastly, the bench is bit thin. They could really use another lefty bat off the bench. Ross Gload was filling this role admirably before he got injured. He really should be on the DL right now. There has been some talk of picking up Thome in a waiver trade. I'd liked to see them get Matsui.

Otherwise, they look pretty good. Utley is healthy and playing great. Pence has been as good to better than advertised. Victorino is having another great season. Rollins and Howard are starting to heat up. The starting pitching has the lowest era in the majors. The bullpen has been a big surprise. The two biggest surprises have been two rookies named Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo. Stutes has been very good and Bastardo has been lights out. Look for him to take over the closer's role from Ryan Madson when he signs elsewhere after this season. Despite last night's blemish Madson has been great. Only two blown saves this year. After missing the first 2.5 months of the season Bradley Thomas Lidge has been unexpectedly great. Oh shit forgot to mention Vance "The Vanimal" Worley. The rookie took over for the injured Joe Blanton and has been outstanding as the 5th starter going 8-1 w/ a 2.76 ERA. Cholly is another question mark. From all accounts he's real player's manager. Brain McCann and Thome love him because of his loyalty to his players. But sometimes his loyalty gets in the way. He should have benched Ibanez earlier this season but he stuck with him even as his avg. dipped below .160 at one point in June. He's also been accused of over using his starters too. Doc, Lee, and Hamels are, depending what day it is, 1,2,3 in innings pitched this season. Earlier this week Cholly left Doc in to start the 9th when he was @ 105 pitches. He hadn't used his bullpen in 3 days and Bastardo was ready to come in but he stayed w/ Doc. That decision came back to bite him in the ass. Last night he brought Madson in for the 3rd night in a row(when he had other options) and he got pounded. Some people say that it was no coincidence that Jimy Williams was the bench manager in 2008 when the won the whole thing.

So if they can stay healthy and catch a break or two I like their chances. But as we've said many times before in this folder - October is a crap shoot. Winning a 100+ games is great and all but it don't mean a thing if you ain't got no ring.

Edited August 21, 2011 by J.H. Deeley

[ghost of miles]

Thanks for the extensive rundown. I still think it's going to be a Philadelphia-Boston WS, and I'd give slight odds to the Phillies at this point. Halladay and Lee squaring off twice against Lester and Beckett in a seven-game series would be something to see.

Dan: looking good for Wakefield finally picking up #200 tonight?

On the Yankee front, another disastrous outing from A.J. Burnett that may well lead to Boston's being back in first place at the end of the night. His final line: 1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 ER. To top it off, he evidently got testy with Joe Girardi when Joe took him out (the unmitigable gall!). Sweeny Murti tweets:

On 6/29 Burnett's ERA was decent 4.05. It's gone up 9 starts in a row, currently at 4.96. August ERA is an ugly 10.70. Just brutal.

And Pete Abraham is salivating at the prospect of a John Lackey-A.J. Burnett $82.5-million-bust matchup in Game 4 of an ALCS. Me, I wouldn't bet at this point on A.J. being in the playoff rotation at all, not with the way Hughes and Nova have been pitching. But if it happens, my money's on Lackey, whose 5.33 August ERA looks positively ace-like next to A.J.'s.

[paul secor]

Thanks for the extensive rundown. I still think it's going to be a Philadelphia-Boston WS, and I'd give slight odds to the Phillies at this point. Halladay and Lee squaring off twice against Lester and Beckett in a seven-game series would be something to see.

Dan: looking good for Wakefield finally picking up #200 tonight?

On the Yankee front, another disastrous outing from A.J. Burnett that may well lead to Boston's being back in first place at the end of the night. His final line: 1 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 ER. To top it off, he evidently got testy with Joe Girardi when Joe took him out (the unmitigable gall!). Sweeny Murti tweets:

On 6/29 Burnett's ERA was decent 4.05. It's gone up 9 starts in a row, currently at 4.96. August ERA is an ugly 10.70. Just brutal.

And Pete Abraham is salivating at the prospect of a John Lackey-A.J. Burnett $82.5-million-bust matchup in Game 4 of an ALCS. Me, I wouldn't bet at this point on A.J. being in the playoff rotation at all, not with the way Hughes and Nova have been pitching. But if it happens, my money's on Lackey, whose 5.33 August ERA looks positively ace-like next to A.J.'s.

If Burnett is in the starting rotation after tonight's outing, someone has lost their mind.

[Dave James]

If there were any remaining questions as to whether Phil Hughes or A. J. Burnett would stay in the Yank's rotation once Freddie Garia heals (if not before), Burnett just answered them in spades. Later, A.J.

Edited August 21, 2011 by Dave James