Karl Ravech on Twitter: There is no conversation worth having ...

What, he doesn’t care about the children in the bleachers?

There is no conversation worth having regarding whether all MLB teams should have nets running foul pole to foul pole. Of course they should https://t.co/ut2lXPEadB

— Karl Ravech (@karlravechespn) September 22, 2017

How Marlins pitcher Junichi Tazawa helped create 90 jobs in a North Carolina candy factory

Tazawa. Candy. Baseball. This is a fun one.

OMNICHATTER needs no introduction, for the weekend of September 23-24, 2017

Albert Pujols is having the worst season for a 37-year-old in MLB history

Pujols has four more years on this contract, making him the favorite for the worst ever season for a 38-year-old, a 39-year-old, a 40-year-old, and a a 41-year-old.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-22-2017

Updates on international baseball in the Chicago Eagle, September 22, 1917:

The American boys in France are finding out that they are not the only men who can play ball. Not counting the Canadians, or “Americans,” there are in the Australian part of the British empire’s army a lot of very nifty baseballers.

The Japanese government, it is reported, plans to send two college [baseball] teams in a tour of its territory in Manchuria, partly to make the Japanese colonists there feel in touch with the ...

Robinson Cano hits 300th home run | MLB.com

Moms dig the long ball.

Robinson Cano became the third second baseman in Major League history to hit 300 home runs in his career when he launched a solo shot off Rangers reliever Keone Kela in the bottom of the ninth inning in Thursday’s 4-2 loss at Safeco Field.

Cano had a special fan in attendance as his mom, Claribel, had flown in from the Dominican Republic earlier this week.

Marlins’ Brian Anderson — inspired by Brian Anderson and Brian Anderson — has one of the most common names in baseball history - Sun Sentinel

“It’s almost like you see yourself. Oh, there’s a Brian Anderson up there. Maybe that’ll be me one day,” Anderson said. “It’s a pretty cool experience, seeing a guy with your name. That said, it also makes you realize you’re really common, so you’re not going to stand out much with your name.”

Anderson, the Miami Marlins’ third baseman, stood out enough anyway to earn his first major league call-up this month, becoming the third Brian Anderson in major league history. Out ...

Baseballs Are More Consistently Juiced Than Ever | FiveThirtyEight

Making the balls more consistent might further affect MLB’s overall home run rate, but it also means pitchers and hitters should end up with a more even playing field. Such consistency won’t help every player, but at least they’ll have a better idea of what they’re working with — a ball that travels farther and flies faster than it used to.

Ozzie and the MVP | Articles | Bill James Online

Dave Fleming on the 1987 MVP race.

The Rangers release artists’ renderings of their new ballpark

Good news for BDC, I guess.

Never tell OMNICHATTER the odds! for September 21, 2017

Where have you gone, Tim Lincecum? In search of beloved Giants ace

He hasn’t retired yet, but when he does Baer is poised to bring him to San Francisco in some kind of official capacity. “There’s definitely a place in the Giants world for Linecum,” he said. “I mean, that goes without saying.”

Until then? Lincecum is believed to be back here inhabiting the shores of Lake Washington, although no one with the Giants could say for sure. Someone thought maybe he was in Arizona. When the team tried to invite him to throw out the first pitch before a ...

Inside Baseball AL Notes | Young Yankees Re-Writing Record Books

Heyman’s latest. You can find the NL Notes here.

Raul Mondesi, former Yankees outfielder, sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption while mayor of San Cristobal

Former Yankees outfielder Raul Mondesi was sentenced to eight years in prison on Wednesday for corruption he took part in while mayor of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic.

Mondesi, who was mayor of San Cristobal from 2010 to 2016, was also fined 60 million pesos for the corruption, according to a report.

That’s $1,257,336.00 in US Dollars.

‘Highly unlikely’ Mets risk Harvey burning them — with another team | New York Post

The Mets appear willing to gamble on the disappointing right-hander, even at the risk of potentially wasting $6 million in 2018 should the struggles that have defined Harvey’s last two seasons persist.

And that means tendering a contract to the arbitration-eligible pitcher.

“It’s highly unlikely that we’re not going to bring him back next year,” general manager Sandy Alderson told The Post on Wednesday after the Mets’ 9-2 loss to the Marlins.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-21-2017

Bismarck Tribune, September 21, 1917:

The National baseball commission today announced that the world’s series would open on the grounds of the Chicago Americans, October 6, with the second game played there Sunday, October 7.
...
Soldiers now in France and also those who are preparing to fight for liberty, were remembered by the commission. Announcement was made that a 1,000 word story would be cabled to France after each game for the benefit of the soldiers there…

President Wilson and ...

MLB, Rob Manfred must expand protective netting | SI.com

Nets to the ends of the dugout wouldn’t have helped this child. Bringing a toddler to a game, sitting that close, and not paying attention is just stupid.

There are enough cases for Major League Baseball to merit mandatory protective netting to, at least, the ends of each dugout. Maybe Wednesday’s incident will be what prompts significant change.

If it doesn’t, then somebody will eventually be killed by a foul ball. And then they’ll have to make a change.

Dayton Moore on why Royals did not sell | MLB.com

Actually where they were on July 30th doesn’t matter. If they make the playoffs it was a good idea to keep the team together; if they don’t, it wasn’t.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore knows the question will be coming if his team doesn’t make a miraculous run down the stretch: Why didn’t you sell at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, considering all of Kansas City’s pending free agents?

“It’s a fair question,” Moore told MLB.com. “Those are good questions, and they should be asked. But where ...

Goold: Cards pitchers exploiting a pitch that can cut both ways | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com

The chicks don’t love the cutter.

This is baseball’s home run breaking point | New York Post

Breaking point?

And this?

And, let’s not be naïve, chemists somewhere have cooked up strengthening concoctions that currently evade MLB’s testing for illegal performance enhancers.

Pat Neshek rips Zack Greinke for not signing autograph | SI.com

Don’t bother sending Zach Greinke an autograph request. Pat Neshek is fair game.

How Tracking Technology Helped Baseball’s Best Fielding Outfielder - WSJ

Byron Buxton, the human vacuum cleaner who patrols center field for the Minnesota Twins, reached a frightening conclusion last winter: Even with his sprinter’s speed, superhuman instincts and unparalleled fearlessness around the wall, his defense could still be better.

He arrived at that belief thanks in part to Statcast, Major League Baseball’s sophisticated player-tracking technology that counts Buxton as perhaps its prototype player. With data provided by Statcast and the Twins’ ...

Yoenis Cespedes reveals his new offseason training plan | New York Post

What the heck is the training staff doing?

“I think in the past I have gone into the season where I have spent a lot of time in the gym doing a lot of lifting, so I come in feeling very strong,” Cespedes said through an interpreter before the Mets’ 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Marlins. “But I definitely wasn’t dedicating the time I need to be running, to really give resistance to my muscles.

“So although I was starting out strong, I can tell during the season my muscles weren’t able ...

OMNICHATTER’S not the man they think he is at home, oh, no, no, no, for September 20, 2017

Mets’ Jose Reyes: Continues late-season offensive bender

Reyes went 4-for-5 with his 14th homer, two RBI and two runs against the Marlins on Tuesday.
The veteran infielder continues to impress with this late-season surge—over his last 22 games, Reyes has hit .389 with five homers, eight steals, 16 RBI and 22 runs. That’s some impressive stat stuffing from a guy who was looking washed up earlier in the season, and it doesn’t seem like Reyes is going to slow down over the remaining games.

Since April 13th, Reyes has hit .261/.335/.444 despite a .275 ...

Must C: Five straight for Olson | MLB.com (video)

A rookie prospect comes up blasting homers by the bushel just about every day now.

Without Rays’ leap, Joe Maddon’s way might not have made it to Chicago - Chicago Cubs Blog- ESPN

“The two things that were most important to us, with the young team that we had, was someone with an extensive player development background as well as someone who was intellectually curious,” Friedman recalled this week from Los Angeles, where he is now the president of the Dodgers. “As far as what we were looking for at that point in time, Joe fit it to a T. He checked all the boxes on paper, and even more so when we sat down and had a chance to exchange ideas and thoughts.”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-20-2017

Fulton County [Pennsylvania] News, September 20, 1917:

John Ganzel, manager of the Kansas City Blues, recently pulled a new stunt in the art of handling pitchers…Ganzel used two pitchers, interchangeably, between right field and the hurling hill. With two out and none on base Pierce, a southpaw, replaced Sanders against Indianapolis. He retired Wickland, a left-handed batter, and then went to right field to permit McQuillan, a right hander who had been playing the old soldiers’ garden, to pitch ...

OMNICHATTER ain’t got no time for yo jibba jabba! for September 19, 2017

Josh Donaldson Wants You To Know: This Wasn’t A Catch

Is Donaldson right? Somehow, I don’t think the rule was written with the idea that being hit in the midriff with a batted ball and then grabbing it with the hand would not be a catch.