Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the OMNICHATTER! for June 8, 2018

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-8-2018

Washington Herald, June 8, 1918:

Mike Donlin was up in the press box at the Polo Grounds, New York City, [two days ago], and during a fanfest said:

“I see where the boys claim Babe Ruth established a record by making four home runs in four successive days. Well, Babe only tied the record.

“Bill Bradley, the old third baseman of the Cleveland team, playing against the Phillies in Philadelphia, back in 1901 did the same stunt. Four days running he slammed out a circuit clout.”

Donlin’s right, ...

Mets minor leaguer gives up 14 runs, immediately retires

Mets minor league pitcher Aaron Laffey began Wednesday night as the starting pitcher for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. By the end of the evening, he had given up 14 runs and quit baseball altogether.

Seems appropriate.

A Complete History of Media Reports Chronicling the Wilpons’ Meddling in New York Mets Baseball Operations

I know that most of you know most, or all, of this already. But many folks do not realize the extent of things and it always helps to spread the word.

How Dr. Alan Nathan Became Baseball Fans’ Favorite Physicist

Baseball is full of nuances, and though the game has been studied closely for at least a century, the work in the last two decades of people like Nathan has expanded our understanding of how those little details come together. He’s become a go-to for the sabermetric community for his work on things like the PITCHF/x pitch tracking system.

“When they say baseball’s a game of inches, it’s probably better said that it’s a game of fractions of inches when it comes to hitting,” Nathan ...

OMNICHATTER isn’t afraid of you or your momma! for June 7, 2018

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-7-2018

Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1997:

[On this day in 1918] Casey Stengel, after being traded by Brooklyn in the offseason, made his return to Ebbets Field a memorable one. In his first at-bat, Stengel called time, stepped out of the batter’s box and doffed his cap. A bird flew out.

I knew this story and expected today’s link to be a June 7, 1918 newspaper mention of the Stengel bird incident. But here’s the thing: There are absolutely no accounts in any of the newspapers I’ve seen from June 1918 about ...

Red Schoendienst, St. Louis Cardinals Star and Oldest Hall of Famer, Dies at 95

The epitome of the baseball lifer, Schoendienst became a revered figure in St. Louis. He first donned a Cardinals uniform at a tryout camp in 1942 — a red-haired, freckle-faced teenager from the Midwest who was later likened in the press to a latter-day Huckleberry Finn. While in his 90s, he was listed as a special assistant to the general manager.

Playing second base, his position for nearly his entire playing career, Schoendienst teamed with shortstop Marty Marion in a superb double-play ...

Diamondbacks acquire outfielder Jon Jay from Royals | AZ Central

SAN FRANCISCO – In acquiring Jon Jay in a deal with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon, Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen believes he filled a short-term need in the outfield at a time when his club needs it most.

“With the way the division is shaping up,” Hazen said, “where every day matters more and more, we just felt like this was the right thing to do at the time.”

The D-Backs send minor league prospects Gabe Speier and Elvis Luciano to the Royals.

Cubs hero Jason Heyward’s walk-off slam latest sign of new life in bat since DL

But Heyward really has seemed to be a different hitter since hitting his head on the outfield wall May 6 in St. Louis and spending close to two weeks on the concussion disabled list.

Heyward called the ordeal scary and said he was thankful when he was able to return to baseball activities about halfway through the time he was sidelined.

But while he’s able to joke now about the fact he’s hitting .340 in 13 starts since hitting his head, an actual benefit was the work on his mechanics he ...

The Most Competitive World Series of All-Time Formula

Let’s explore the difference between “excitement” and competition. What made the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the Mets an emotional rollercoaster was obviously the game-losing error, but it was also the fact that it occurred during extra innings play. There were multiple lead changes, in addition to the Mets as a team returning from a 2-0 Series deficit to win four of the next five games.

But something not everyone remembers is that there were no lead changes until Game 6 ...

Scherzer throws second immaculate inning

Scherzer struck out the side on 9 pitches for the second time in his career.

This seems more likely today than a 3 pitch inning.

What the baseball world looked like when Nolan Gorman, MLB’s first 2000s prospect, was born

Great little nugget here: Cardinals first-round pick Nolan Gorman was born on May 10, 2000.

He’s the first child of the 2000s to ever be drafted.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-6-2018

Toledo News-Bee, June 6, 1918:

Babe Ruth was again a herculean clouter on Wednesday, but his super-hitting failed to bring victory to the Red Sox, who were downed by the Indians.

Babe, for the fourth time in as many days, hit for four bases.

As I said yesterday, Wally Pipp led the American League with nine home runs the previous season. Ruth hit four dingers in four days.

OMNICHATTER misses 100% of the shots it doesn’t take, for June 6, 2018

Giants, Bumgarner lose ace’s long-awaited comeback game

There is truth in the notion that even if Madison Bumgarner is not at his best, he is better than most. So consider Bumgarner’s first big-league game in more than eight months Tuesday night a good down payment on better days.

Bumgarner showed some rust as he threw 82 pitches and still held the Diamondbacks to two second-inning runs over six innings, blending nicely into a rotation seems to have turned a corner the right way.

As Mets nosedive, GM Sandy Alderson says club will never go ‘extremist’ with rebuild

Not everyone is going to strip down the franchise and automatically become the Houston Astros or Chicago Cubs. Or even the Atlanta Braves. It’s not that simple. Besides, there’s a whole lot of pain involved in any rebuild; the Astros lost 324 games over a three-year span, finishing a combined 127 games out of first place.

“I don’t know why it’s become so popular,’’ Alderson says, “maybe it’s the product of the extremist. In our culture, you’re either really good or you ...

Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray drafted ninth by A’s, plans to play football

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley made it clear over the last few days that he believed quarterback Kyler Murray would stay with the Sooners and play football this fall instead of immediately turning pro in baseball if he was drafted early. Turns out, Murray was drafted earlier than anyone expected ... and Riley was still right.

Though Murray was selected No. 9 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s on Monday night, he confirmed a few hours later that he will play football for the ...

MLB Buys Rawlings From Newell Brands

Newell Brands Inc. is selling its Rawlings sporting-goods business to Seidler Equity Partners and Major League Baseball for $395 million, the latest transaction the consumer-brands conglomerate has reached to trim its portfolio and improve its operations…..

Rawlings, based in St. Louis, was founded in 1887 and includes the Rawlings, Miken and Worth brands. MLB said it is “particularly interested in providing even more input and direction on the production of the Official Ball of Major League ...

OMNICHATTER ain’t got no time for yo jibba-jabba! for June 5, 2018

Mike Trout Is on His Way to the Best Season Ever

On Sunday, Mike Trout went 0-for-3, failing to reach base via hit or walk for only the eighth time in a game he’s started this season. Even so, he helped his team win. With the Angels up 2-0 on Texas in the fifth, Delino DeShields drove a ball to the wall in left-center, 103 feet from where Trout was standing when the pitch left Tyler Skaggs’s hand. Based on the distance and direction of the wall and the ball, an average outfielder would have had only a 19 percent chance of corralling the ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-5-2018

Toledo News-Bee, June 5, 1918:

Babe Ruth, right now baseball’s demon clouter, hit his third home run in as many days into the right field bleachers at Detroit on Tuesday and helped Boston beat the Tigers.

Three home runs in three days doesn’t seem all that remarkable, but Wally Pipp led the 1917 American League in home runs. With nine.

Tigers select Auburn RHP Mize at No. 1

As expected, Detroit used its top pick in Monday’s MLB Draft on Mize, adding another talented pitcher to its arsenal of young arms general manager Al Avila has been stockpiling.

Mize tossed a no-hitter against Northeastern in March, propelling him toward a season worthy of his billing. The right-hander has gone 10-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 151 batters over 109 2/3 innings with 77 hits allowed. Just as impressive, he surrendered just 12 walks.

OMNICHATTER! is rubber and you are glue, for June 4, 2018

Orioles’ Duquette: ‘We’ve got to put a little bit sharper focus on the future’

Duke says:

“But the way I’ve always looked at it, there’s two ways to look at it. You’re trying to improve your team to be competitive and win now, or you’re trying to improve your team to be competitive for the long-term. And we’ve always tried to be very competitive here during my time here in the present. But it doesn’t look like this 2018 ballclub is going to have what it takes to be that type of contending club. So, we’re faced with the reality of seeing where we can improve it so that we ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-4-2018

Harrisburg Telegraph, June 4, 1918:

[The Dodgers-Cardinals game] was one stig-tossled, hornswoggled pasttime, winding up in a protest. In the sixth inning, with Baird on second, Cruise hit a liner to center, which Hickman stopped but could not hold. Baird reached third and, thinking the ball was caught, started back for second.

After going back twenty feet he cut across the diamond to the plate and scored. Umpire Rigler ruled that after a runner had once touched third base he was not compelled ...

OTP 2018 June 4: How Dr. Alan Nathan Became Baseball Fans’ Favorite Physicist

Nathan said he expected to simply read the book and share on what he learned, and that would be that. But thanks to a local reporter who heard his initial talk and interviewed him about it for the Sunday paper, Nathan is still sharing what he’s learning almost two decades later. Not long after that initial talk, Nathan had a sabbatical from the University of Illinois, so he decided to spend it studying the physics of baseball more closely. He almost immediately found a fascinating rabbit hole ...

Kenny: Davey Johnson on the “opener”

The @RaysBaseball used #TheOpener again today. 17-yr manager Davey Johnson is, it seems, Not a fan. @Joelsherman1 & Dan O’Dowd do the heavy lifting. #MLBNow

That’s putting it… mildly.

The Detroit News: Mickey Lolich: How Ilitch dashed his pizza career dream

A state trooper came up to the car to ask where we were going in such a hurry, and Mike replied with urgency in his voice: “I have to get this guy to Utica! He’s supposed to be signing autographs at Little Caesars! We’re way behind schedule!”

“Who is this guy?” The officer asked, not knowing who else was in the car.

“It’s [bleeping] Mickey Lolich sitting here!” Ilitch replied. “He’s fresh off winning three games against the St. Louis Cardinals.”

“Well, I’ll be ...

Is Brandon Nimmo an All-Star?

Through the first third of the season, the left-handed batter has earned himself a .294 batting average, and a more-than-respectable OPS of 1.033. These numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Nimmo did not have a ton of playing time throughout the first third of the season.