Bucs Dugout: Manel: Pirates getting creative with defensive shifts

Both Rollins and Barmes were surprised to hear that BABIP on grounders was up, but they also said that ground ball data wasn’t the whole story when it comes to the utility of shifting.

Rollins shook his head, “Hmm, yeah, you’d expect the [ground ball] numbers to be down.” After taking a moment to consider how to explain what was going on, he asked, “What about line drives?” I didn’t have an answer because I hadn’t thought about what suddenly appeared obvious. “I’ve seen so many line drives ...

As shifts suppress offense, time has come to consider a rule change

Lefthanded hitters have lost 22 points on their batting average on balls in play to rightfield this year alone – and 85 points in nine years.

Good material with some good numbers in here.  But it’s questionable that this is the solution:

Support of an “illegal defense” rule – or at least the consideration of it – is gaining some traction in baseball. Such a rule might stipulate, for instance, that you cannot have three infielders on one side of second base. A shortstop would be ...

Cowboy Monkey Rodeo taking the Minors by storm

The act billed as “Tim ‘Wild Thang’ Lepard and Team Ghostriders” has become one of minor league baseball’s best-sellers, with fans filling ballparks to watch Lepard’s cowboy-clad capuchin ring-tailed monkeys riding on the backs of border collies, chasing after big-horned sheep.

Chase Headley traded to New York Yankees from San Diego Padres - ESPN New York

The New York Yankees have acquired third baseman Chase Headley in a trade Tuesday with the San Diego Padres.

The Yankees dealt infielder Yangervis Solarte and minor league pitcher Rafael De Paula to San Diego in exchange for Headley, who could boost New York’s struggling lineup.

Rangers’ Yu Darvish Pushes for a Six-Man Pitching Rotation - NYTimes.com

Why stop there? How about once every two weeks?

FSAZ: D-backs cut off McCarthy’s cutter controversy

McCarthy [digs] in.

Brandon McCarthy has two quality starts since joining the New York Yankees and he credits a return to the cut fastball, a pitch he said the Diamondbacks did not want him to throw.

After a 7-1 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday, McCarthy said his expanded arsenal made the difference. He threw about 20 cutters while giving up one run and six hits in six innings.

“It’s something I know that I need to be successful,” McCarthy said. “It was something I didn’t ...

MLB: Astros telecasts catching on to advanced metrics

Meanwhile back in the media capital of the world…derisive “analyst” Paul O’Neill says: “Frank Thomas was a one dimensional player.”

The idea was bandied about last year by CSN Houston senior producer Carl Patterson, who discussed with his staff how to realistically work some of this into the telecasts. Because the Astros’ front office relies so much on advanced metrics, introducing some of it, independently, into the telecasts seemed like a logical next step. The question was, how to do it?

...

Three Moves The Red Sox Should Make - Tony Massarotti - Boston.com

1. Trade Jake Peavy.
2. Trade Will Middlebrooks, Garin Cecchini or Deven Marrero (or some combination of the three).
3. Trade Felix Doubront or Andrew Miller – or both.

1. If they can get something truly useful for him (like a good young outfielder), trade him. If not, hold onto him.
2. It’s always good to trade players when they have the most value. With Middlebrooks and Cecchini, that’s definitely not the case. Although Marrero has had a really good year, I suspect most teams are like me ...

Poll: Does Citizens Bank Park really need metal detectors at the gates?

“Phillies fans arriving at the game against the San Francisco Giants Monday night were greeted by new security measures in the form of walk-through metal detectors at the right-field gates of Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia.

The metal detectors, installed earlier in the month, were rolled out for use for the first time on June 21 as part of a pilot program at the stadium….”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-22-2014

Pittsburgh Press, July 22, 1914:

Pain and thoughts of injury disappeared when Guy Copeland, 22 years old, who had been injured in a ball game at Fifteenth st. [sic] and the Paseo, awoke from a semi-conscious condition and found himself in an undertaking shop, where he had been taken for treatment.
...
Copeland sprang from the table. It was too far to the door, and he plunged through a window, taking screen and all with him…Copeland forgot his aching head; he just kept on running…He finally was ...

OMNICHATTER 7-22-14

Submitted a bit early to make sure… IT’S THE TUESDAY OMNICHATTER!

Tony Oliva turns 76; Gardenhire: ‘He should be in hall of fame’

Went to a Gardenhire to reminisce…(drive/truck)

Twins special assistant Tony Oliva celebrated his 76th birthday on Sunday.

The eight-time all-star remains a beloved figure inside the Twins clubhouse and throughout the team’s fan base.

“He’s huge,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Look what he’s done. He has a track record. He should be in the hall of fame. That’s probably one of the great injustices in this game as far as Minnesota goes: Tony Oliva not being in the hall of fame. This guy ...

Sports Reference Blog: 1901-02 Orioles Removed from Yankees History

Baseball-Reference has made the move to dissociate the New York Yankees franchise from the 1901 & 1902 Baltimore Orioles (not connected to the current Baltimore Orioles franchise). [...] This move was precipitated by the BAL/NYY joint record approaching the milestone of 10,000 wins, which caused a reassessment of how we approach this move.

OMNICHATTER 7-21

It’s the MONDAY OMNICHATTER. Also, a reminder that Mat Latos has a cat named Cat Latos.

Trading for Price would be right move for Cubs | FOX Sports

The latest Robothal.

Misremembering Mantle’s Final Season

Derek Jeter had a great career. He isn’t great any more. That’s just how it works.

Former first-round pick Karsten Whitson focused on proving value after 11th-round selection - Over the Monster

Really? No regrets?

Sure, Whitson lost nearly $2 million dollars by going to college, but the now 22-year-old has no regrets.

“College was easily the best four years of my life,” Whitson said. “I can’t wait to get back in the offseason and work out and get up with some old friends. I think it helped me a lot as a person and as a player. It matured me and was able to walk away with that degree, so mom and dad were happy and it was good.”

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 7-21-2014

Milwaukee Journal, July 21, 1914:

President Frank E. Murphy of the Green Bay club, in a letter to President Frank R. Weeks of the W-I League on Monday, demanded that punishment be meted out to Catcher Snow of the Oshkosh club for throwing chewing tobacco into the grandstand during Saturday’s game.
...
In the affidavit it is declared the tobacco hit several women in the stand.

I guess it’s better than getting hit by a flying chair.

Mike Lupica: Once Derek Jeter retires, everything the Yankees dynasty era represents goes with him

Better shake a leg on those little boy pants, Mikey…there’s a mighty load coming.

The Yankees had Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams, and for a time it was as storied a five as the Knicks once had in the old days. One by one they all left, and now it is only Jeter left. And when he is gone at the end of this season, the Yankees will go on, the brand of the Yankees will go on, the big business of the Yankees sure will. But more than Jeter’s ...

The Blaze: Chicago Cubs File Suit Over Fake Mascot — You’ll Understand Why After Watching Punch He Allegedly Throws in Windy City Bar Brawl

I wonder if this guy also pulls these stunts at the zoo.

CHICAGO (TheBlaze/AP) — The Chicago Cubs have filed a lawsuit against several people whom the team accuses of being behind a fake mascot that has been engaging in bad behavior near Wrigley Field — including getting into a bar fight that was captured on video and posted online.

According to the suit, the fake mascot — “Billy Cub” — was at Windy City bar John Barleycorn in April, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, when another man ...

ESPN : GM Offers To Get Prostate Exam During Game

Andy Milovich has offered to go this week where no man has gone before: A prostate exam in front of a full stadium of fans. Milovich, the general manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, offered to have the exam while singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch if local 10-year-old Fallon Emery, who has brain cancer, gets 10,000 likes on her Facebook page before the game.

“It’s not like I would be getting it at home plate,” ...

KMOV: St. Louis defense continues to keep games in reach

The Vision of St. Louis…or Something.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ defense appears to be better this year than last, but manager Mike Matheny is reluctant to give all the credit to Sabermetrics-inspired shifts the team has used this season.

He said the coaching staff does a good job of pre-game discussions about hitters and how they are going to be defended in certain situations. While the Cardinals may have used shifts more this year, Matheny said it’s only one component to the defense. And, ...

Derek Jeter’s retirement: Ticket prices soar for September 7 ceremony at Yankee Stadium

...The average list price for the home game against the Kansas City Royals went from $139 before the announcement to $497 by Saturday, according to TiqIQ, a ticket resale market aggregator.

The cheapest seat for sale that day skyrocketed from $16 to $211, TiqiQ said. Bleacher seats are now selling for $223 and more, and outfield field box seats with a $175 face value are priced at $575 and more…

Padres’ Offense May Go Down as Worst Ever

“Because of baseball’s long history, there is usually comfort in knowing that as bad as it gets for your team, there is almost always some other club that was worse. But the 2014 San Diego Padres might not have that consolation. At this point, their awful offense is about as bad as any in history, and there are still more than 60 games to be played.”

OMNICHATTER 7-20-14

A Man. A Plan. An OMNICHATTER.

Wait…. that doesn’t work…

MLB.COM - Toman: Lewis takes exception with Rasmus’ bunt

Rasmus, who singled and later scored off Lewis in the fourth, laid down a bunt with two outs and Toronto up, 2-0, in the fifth, with the Rangers playing the shift on him. Lewis fielded the ball, but Rasmus reached first base safely and was credited with an infield single.

“I told [Rasmus] I didn’t appreciate it,” Lewis said. “You’re up by two runs with two outs and you lay down a bunt. I don’t think that’s the way the game should be played.”

When pressed further on what the problem with ...

Nine things to know about the best changeup in baseball | FOX Sports

You don’t know Jack about Felix Hernandez’s change up.

Svrluga: Baseball’s Relentless Grind - Doug Fister

Starting pitchers such as the Nationals’ Doug Fister must mix patience with intensity, down time with diligence

The original beat writer for the Nationals when they surfaced in D.C., Barry Svrluga, submits his 4th installment in a series examining “how the everydayness of baseball affects an entire organization.” A long piece that makes for good weekend reading, or next week at the office :-)

I hope WaPo’s paywall doesn’t prevent you from reading this series, those money-grubbing ...

OMNICHATTER 7-19-2014

The second day of the second half! OMNICHATTER UP!

Neyer: Jeff Garlin, we hardly knew ye.

Just a bit outside the rules of professional conduct. #FJeff

In that same essay, I trumpeted the participation of Jeff Garlin. This gave me a great deal of pleasure, because I’m a huge fan and thought he would bring certain qualities to this page that might otherwise go missing.

I first met Garlin a couple of months ago, over pancakes (him) and French toast (me) before one of his shows at the legendary Largo. He was funny and engaging and down-to-earth, with occasional hints of sincere ...