Cubs likely to start own media network after 2019 season

So, WGN as it was in the 1990s, only with no Bozo?

Move over, YES Network?

“It’s a great time to be us,” Crane Kenney said Saturday regarding the possibility the Cubs could start their own media network after their contracts with NBC Sports Chicago, ABC-7 and WGN-9 expire after the 2019 season.

“We have a big passion for controlling our own destiny,” added Kenney, the Cubs president of business operations. “It’s sort of like conversations in the real estate market. We like ...

J.D. Martinez has 3-in-100 odds to win the Triple Crown

“There have only been 10 hitters to win the Triple Crown since RBI became an official stat in 1920 — Miguel Cabrera (2012), Carl Yastrzemski (1967), Frank Robinson (1966), Mickey Mantle (1956), Ted Williams (1947, 1942), Joe Medwick (1937), Lou Gehrig (1934), Jimmie Foxx (1933), Chuck Klein (1933) and Rogers Hornsby (1925, 1922).”

Nothing new here, but hey, as of today JD leads in BA and RBI, and is one back in HR.  Do we care?  Sure!!!  It’s baseball, and it’s good.

Who’s got the ...

USA TODAY survey: MLB power shift has managers’ salaries in free fall

CHICAGO — Joe Maddon helped lead the Chicago Cubs to the Holy Grail of sports, with a consistent level of success they haven’t seen in a century, but there are whispers his job could be in jeopardy if they don’t play deep into October.

Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who led their teams to the World Series a year ago, have contracts that expire after this season.

Interim managers Mike Shildt and Jim Riggleman, who have done marvelous ...

OTP 2018 August 27: Pitching politics

George Washington was known to throw a ball—for hours, reported one soldier under his command—with his aide-de-camp during the Revolutionary War. Abraham Lincoln would join baseball games on the lawn of Blair House, which still stands across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. “I remember how vividly he ran, how long were his strides, how far his coattails stuck out behind,” the home’s owner, Francis Preston Blair, recalled in a letter to his grandson.

The story of baseball in ...

Throw it in a pot, add some broth, baby, you’ve got OMNICHATTER! for August 27, 2018

Orioles renovating their fall instructional league - School of Roch

Orioles being innovative?

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-27-2018

Washington Herald, August 27, 1918:

Hal Chase, the premier first sacker of organized baseball who was recently given his unconditional release and suspension by the Cincinnati Reds, [yesterday] entered suit against Garry Herrmann, the president of the National Commission, and the Cincinatti [sic] ball club for back salary and slander of character. Chase has been accused of throwing games in the National League.

Presumably, the Reds responded by pointing out that it’s not slander if it’s true. ...Read More...

MLB’s concerning year-over-year attendance dip

I’ll be watching xwoba really closely next year. Early this season I noticed Carpenter and Morales Had xwoba much lower than their woba. I picked up Carpenter hoping for a bounce back but, unfortunately, a rash of injuries forced me waiver him for outfield and pitching replacements. Had I been able to keep him I’d be solidly in first instead of a close second.

Kendrys Morales continues to teach me, to count out the old dogs. Morales is 35, and on May 1, when he looked like he didn’t belong ...

Why J.D. Martinez could rebuild himself into a feared slugger, and others can’t – The Athletic

Nice insight into sometimes stubborn mind of a hitter.

Bader, other Cardinals rookies learning ‘an outfielder’s nightmare’ at Coors

“It felt like I’m watching the game instead of playing it,” Bader said. “Center feels so far away. It’s just a large, large field. There is a large distance between me and home plate.

“It’s like it’s 800 feet away.”

Kid did alright, though, with several fine catches in the series. Also scored from second today on a high chopper to the 2B. Don’t know how much he’ll hit, but he’s electrifying to watch.

Baseball Statisticians Unveil New Analytics Model Measuring Precise Amount Of Joy They Suck From The Game

Saying the breakthrough would change baseball statistics forever, the Society Of American Baseball Research unveiled a new analytics model Friday that measures the precise amount of joy their work sucks from the game.

Weekend OMNICHATTER for August 25-26, 2018

All the OMNICHATTER! your heart desires, for August 24, 2018

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-24-2018

Washington Herald, August 24, 1918:

Secretary of War Baker this afternoon officially sanctioned the playing-off of the world series this year. He announced that he would write to General Crowder to that effect, suggesting that draft exemption be extended for the members of the two competing teams.

The National Commission had asked Baker for a formal recommendation for draft exemption, so the baseball administrators could ask local draft boards for individual extensions. Baker went even further ...

Dominican League helping prospects on, off field

Some great insight into the DSL.

The Giants have played the most extra-inning games of any team this year

Where’s the Croix de Candlestick when we need it the most?

If this season feels a lot more tedious than last season, despite the team actually faring better in terms of wins, one of the reasons why may be because it has been very, very long. Not just in the sense of it being mid-August of a losing season, but in terms of actual length of games.

As of Thursday morning, the Giants have the most extra-inning games of any team in baseball this year with 17 games that included free baseball. If ...

Posnanski: Baseball 100 Rules

In this era of reboots, it was perhaps inevitable that Joe Posnanski would take another crack at the 100 greatest players in major league history. 

The Baseball 100 is more than just a ranking system to me. The difference between my 78th ranked player and my 212th ranked player is so miniscule that it’s mathematically irrelevant. With one slight adjustment, I could have those two players switch places.

Nearly all of the series is to be pay walled, but Zach Greinke is No. 100 on the list. ...Read More...

The Braves traded into their strengths

But it wasn’t just happenstance. Gausman was a calculated upgrade for the Braves, who were also rumored to be in on Chris Archer at the deadline. Archer wound up with the Pirates for a significant cost while Alex Anthopoulos and his team grabbed Gausman for relatively cheap. But Gausman’s profile, and how that profile matched what Atlanta already had, surely helped Atlanta decide it wasn’t worth the price to pony up for Archer. Not when that profile could provide some hidden value.

If ...

MLB Endcaps: Who was the first player younger than you to play in MLB, and the last player older than you to play in the MLB?

Older Player Endcap: This is not just the oldest active player ever. For example, Jason Giambi is not the oldest player to ever play a game. He played until he was 43. He was born on January 8, 1971. But, if you were born on June 6, 1971, Giambi was the last player older than you to play in the majors.
If there are still active players older than you, we just tell you who the oldest one is (Hi Bartolo).

Younger Player Endcap: This is not the youngest player to ever play. This is the first ...

How David Price became ‘the pitcher Boston signed’ | NBC Sports Boston

Evan Drellich does a good job getting more info on Price’s recent adjustment. He also shines light on why Sale and Price like pitching to Leon.

Can’t forget his catcher, Sandy Leon, either. Price, like Chris Sale, does not attend the pre-start meeting with the coaches and the catchers, as most pitchers do. Even in the day and age of scouting reports, a relatively empty mind can help allow for focus on the pitch — particularly if the guy behind the plate has a supreme grasp on what to ...

Mets may have just discovered their next Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy wasn’t really very good during hit Mets days. His poor defense siphoned off a lot of the value of his bat. Hopefully McNeil will be a better fielder.

“He reminds me of Daniel Murphy,’’ a scout who has followed McNeil in the minors told The Post on Wednesday.

That is some high praise.

“He puts the bat on the ball and he leaves the bat in the hitting zone a long time,’’ the scout said. “He makes solid contact and now that he has gotten a little stronger, he is ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-23-2018

Omaha Daily Bee, August 23, 1918:

When asked [yesterday] whether the work or fight order would interfere with the world baseball series this year, Secretary Baker said…the question had not come before him, but indicated his strong opinion that the series would be and should be played.

Since only two teams would take part, the secretary thought the number of men affected by the work or fight order would be very small. He added the soldiers in France were intensely interested in the results.

This ...

Documents shed light on the life and death of Thurman Munson

The anguish still rises unmistakably from the pages of the deposition, which is now nearly 40 years old. In it, a witness named David Hall hesitates as he testifies, and a lawyer asks if he needs a short break. Hall declines and continues. By the time he is done, he has provided a devastating account of the final moments in the life of Thurman Munson, the Yankees catcher who died at age 32 when the plane he was flying crashed short of the runway at Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio on Aug. 2, 1979.

Aroldis Chapman lands on DL one day after exiting with knee pain

MIAMI—New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday due to left knee tendinitis, the team announced.

Chapman left Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the 12th inning after feeling pain in the knee.

Speaking through an interpreter, Chapman said Wednesday that he didn’t know a set timeline on his return but that he at least wanted to use these 10 days to rest the knee.

Ya can’t make an omelet without breaking a few OMNICHATTER!, for August 23, 2018

Young Nats who might get a closer look the rest of the season - Nationals Pastime

[Victor] Robles, who dazzled last September and even made the postseason roster at 20, missed three months this season after hyperextending his left elbow. Healthy now, he’s hitting .254 with a .365 on-base percentage but only one homer in 38 games for Syracuse.

The Nationals have a decision to make on Robles this winter. If Harper leaves as a free agent, Robles almost certainly becomes the starting center fielder in 2019. If Harper stays, Robles could be extraneous and thus a prime trade ...

Phil Pote, a Los Angeles coach and scout who helped build baseball in the inner city, dies at 85

Baseball lost another legendary scout.

From the outside, the story appeared to be that of a white man leading an African American team from the inner city to victory. But that 1963 Fremont team was the last team from South Los Angeles to win the City championship. In the last 45 years, only one team outside the San Fernando Valley has won the title at the highest level: San Pedro, in 1992.

Pote aspired to rebuild baseball in South Los Angeles, where such stars as Eric Davis, Eddie Murray, Ozzie ...

Mickey Callaway has seen the light — and can’t be the only one

It’s a balance. You don’t want good pitchers, bad fielders, and bad hitters. The keys, of course, are player evaluation and properly weighting how the parts fit together. The Mets, for one example, seem to do a pretty poor job at both aspects.

“If you are going to build a team around pitching, you better value defense,’’ one scout said Tuesday night. “The Mets better start valuing it.’’

When Callaway was asked about the importance of defense throughout the organization, the manager ...

Mason: Candid Tyler Thornburg still trying to figure things out | Local Sports | eagletribune.com

Thoracic outlet syndrome requires a grisly surgery — the missing rib actually has a home on Thornburg’s parents’ mantle — and an arduous recovery.

With 21 months between big league appearances there was bound to be rust.

Yet, as Thornburg works to sharpen his stuff, there’s still little indication of what he’ll have when he wakes up. It’s not until he begins warming that he knows what he’s dealing with.

“It kind of sucks mentally as far as not knowing exactly what you’re going to have ...

Giants’ Buster Posey likely to have season-ending hip surgery - SFChronicle.com

Six-time All-Star catcher Buster Posey, slowed this season by hip issues that caused him to miss the All-Star Game, faces likely hip surgery that would cut short his season.

“I’d say that that’s a safe assumption,” said Brian Sabean, executive vice president of baseball operations.