Matt Adams is showing he can hit lefties | MLB.com

What’s going to happen to Adams when Freeman comes back?

“I know that I hit lefties all the way up through the [Minor League levels],” Adams said. “Up here, it’s just been about getting everyday [at-bats] against them. That’s the nice thing here, knowing I’m going to be in there against a lefty or a righty. That confidence helps big time for sure.”

Catcher trips to the mound? It’s becoming an issue baseball needs to address

Yes, yes, yes.

Does it drive you crazy when the catcher constantly goes to the mound to talk to the pitcher about who knows what?

It’s not just aggravating to fans and the media. It’s also aggravating to Major League Baseball, managers, and coaches. At some time this offseason this will become a front-burner issue, if it isn’t already.

For someone who hates changes in baseball, even I would admit there has to be a limit on catcher/pitcher conferences, doesn’t there?

Hitters show change in laying off non-strikes | MLB.com

You’ll notice that in recent years, swings out of the zone peaked in 2015 and have fallen since. As you surely know, baseball’s recent home run surge began in mid-2015 as well. While work continues to understand why exactly home runs have increased—theories, with varying amounts of validity, range from players trying to hit home runs to changes in the ball to hitters hunting fastballs—it’s hard not to notice that fewer swings that are unlikely to lead to home runs follow the same timeline.

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Jim Furtado Posted: June 18, 2017 at 08:46 AM | 3 comment(s)
  Beats: statcast

Alex Meyer blanks Royals while Angels bats explode – Orange County Register

Richards told him what pushed him over the hump.

“He just kind of simplified things,” Meyer recalled. “Trust (the fastball). Just throw it over the middle and let them hit it. I’m not saying that’s the whole key to everything, but that definitely played into it.”

From Cy to sigh in blink of an eye for Boston Red Sox’s Rick Porcello - Boston Red Sox Blog- ESPN

Farrell considered Porcello’s struggles in 2015 and concluded he “can’t say it’s dissimilar” to his problems now. But Porcello, perhaps in the aftermath of his latest dud or possibly out of stubbornness, insisted he won’t look back in order to move forward.

“It’s a different year,” he said. “I’m not going to go back and look at all that sort of stuff. It’s a matter of executing pitches. That’s what got me out of the s—- I was in in 2015, and that’s what’s going to get me out of it now: ...

Sunday Notes: Father’s Day Meanderings | FanGraphs Baseball

I never thought I’d see this day.

“(Sabermetrics) have become more common, in practice,” acknowledged Gregg. “Statcast has its own realm, and there are other things, like WAR, Defensive Runs Saved, and Fielding Independent Pitching. We’re starting to get to the point where we can put them into our game notes, but they’re not understood by 100% of the people who consume them, so that’s something we need to balance. But the game is evolving, and as a student of the game, you have to ...

The Prospect Who Walked Away: Why a Mets first-round pick quit the game 20 years ago

Ryan Jaroncyk would never play in the major leagues. On its own, that hardly distinguishes him from other picks; 11 of his fellow first-rounders that year never got to the bigs, including all three chosen immediately after him. Nor was he the only Mets pick not to pan out; of the club’s 11 first-rounders from 1991 to ‘97 only four made it to the Show. But Jaroncyk never even played in Triple A. Or Double A. Two years after being chosen he was out of professional baseball. And the reason why is ...

Give OMNICHATTER your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, for June 17, 2017

OMNICHATTER is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration, for June 16, 2017

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-16-2017

Harrisburg Telegraph, June 16, 1917:

Club owners in the Three-I League met [in Chicago] yesterday for the purpose of discussing the course to be pursued during the remainder of the baseball season. So far the season has been disastrous from a financial standpoint, due to the war and unfavorable weather, and some action must be taken at once to avoid further losses, according to President A.R. Tearney.
...
President Tearney has sent telegrams to thirteen minor league [sic] in various parts of the ...

The Era of Position Players Pitching

Some interesting numbers in this article:

Yesterday, toward the end of an absolute thrashing at the hands of the Twins, the Mariners sent Carlos Ruiz to the mound… The day before, the tables were turned, and as the Mariners were maiming the Twins, the Twins sent out Chris Gimenez to pitch. A few days before, the Padres used Erick Aybar. The day before that, the Phillies used Andres Blanco. The day before that, the Twins used…Chris Gimenez…

Baseball right now finds itself within a number of ...

Nowadays, Top Draft Picks Almost Always Sign | BaseballAmerica.com

Data and more info at the link.

There should be few nervous moments for teams, draftees or fans leading up to this year’s July 7 draft signing deadline.

Not long ago, it wasn’t unusual for a team to fail to sign a first-, second- or third-rounder. The Blue Jays, for example, did not sign first-rounders Tyler Beede in 2011 or Phil Bickford in 2013. Now, that almost never happens. Most of the top 10-round draft picks will announce deals in the next week or two, and even the few that wait ...

Inside Baseball NL Notes | Dodgers Could Surprise For Quintana

Heyman’s latest.

AL Notes.

Heyman | Could Marlins Consider Trading Stanton?

A $100 million offset? If that’s what’s needed, he will never be traded.

One rival GM says flatly that the record contracts means they are surely “stuck with it,” but several others suggest that a $100-million (or so) offset could be appropriate and make a trade work. One rival GM also suggested it’s possible the Marlins could even try to pair a much more cost-efficient player, such as J.T. Realmuto or Christian Yelich or Marcell Ozuna, with Stanton, to make accepting his contract more ...

Dodgers minor leaguer Jair Jurrjens suspended 80 games after testing positive for exogenous Testoste

Major League Baseball announced on Thursday evening that Dodgers minor league pitcher Jair Jurrjens has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for exogenous Testosterone.

Jurrjens, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers at the end of March after pitching for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. At Triple-A Oklahoma City, the right-hander compiled a 4.64 ERA with a 44/18 K/BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings.

A’s will let Trevor Plouffe go to make room for Matt Chapman

With top prospect Matt Chapman set to be officially called up on Thursday, the A’s are preparing to designate third baseman Trevor Plouffe for assignment, The Chronicle has learned.
Plouffe, signed to a one-year, $5.25 million deal during the offseason, is batting .214 with seven homers and 14 RBIs and six errors in 58 games and his playing time had been diminished the past two weeks. He started just one game on the team’s just-completed road trip to Tampa Bay and Miami.

Athletics fire pitching coach Curt Young, hire Scott Emerson

The Athletics announced on Thursday afternoon that pitching coach Curt Young has been relieved of his duties and replaced by Scott Emerson.

The Athletics’ pitching has been among the worst in baseball, carrying an aggregate 4.83 ERA. The rotation ERA is 4.66 while the bullpen ERA is an unsightly 5.07. While Jesse Hahn and Sean Manaea have had decent results, Jharel Cotton has struggled mightily and Sonny Gray hasn’t quite returned to 2015 form.
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How Baseball Prospectus Stumbled Into Its Uncertain Future

Just before the 2016 MLB playoffs, Baseball Prospectus emailed its staff and contributors to tell them that they would not be paid for work they did in August and September until January 2017. The costs of a website redesign and the collapse of daily-fantasy ad spending, the email explained, led to the payment freeze.

Within the company, there was more than just frustration over the missed payments—there was fear that BP could be headed toward bankruptcy. The beloved baseball analysis and ...

SABR 47 - NYC

The lineup for SABR 47 - which is just two weeks away has continued to be added to.  If you haven’t signed up, please consider it - even for the day.  Across the street from Grand Central makes this hotel perfect for anyone to spend a day.  The ballpark event on Friday is a phenomenal time. This year’s speakers is jammed pack with favorites: Jim Bouton and Keith Olbermann are a couple of exciting names.  El Duque is scheduled to speak as well.

Every evening will be terrific - come out and join ...

Luke Heimlich Will Not Pitch In College World Series

Oregon State lefthander Luke Heimlich, who was not drafted following a report that as a teenager he pleaded guilty to sexually molesting a 6-year-old female family member, will not pitch in the College World Series.

Brad Ausmus on Analytics, Closer Mentality, and Pitch-Framing

Ausmus on analytics (intro): “Analytics are ubiquitous. I think the dangerous mistake people make — some member of the media make — is believing that they can’t be flawed, because they’re based on numbers. That’s absolutely false. Numbers do not always tell us the whole story. And there are certain things in baseball, because it’s played by humans, that numbers will never be able to put a value on.”

On leverage and closer mentality: “A lot of people in the analytics world ...

New owner enters Marlins sale picture

While people involved with sale talks involving the Marlins continue to suggest that one of the two leading groups – the Derek Jeter group and the Tagg Romney-Tom Glavine group – are “most likely” to win the team through negotiation, sources suggest that at least one other viable prospect owner has entered the picture.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred this week suggested there could be a sale in place by the end of next month (and Marlins current higherups share that optimism, ...

Baseball Hall of Fame reaffirms Pete Rose ban

National Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson told Outside the Lines on Thursday that in December, the Hall’s board of directors decided to uphold its rule that has effectively prevented consideration of Pete Rose, the career leader in hits, for induction.

According to a statement from the Hall regarding its board’s decision, “After extensive discussion, a vote was taken in which the Board ratified the resolution that was passed on February 4, 1991, known today as Rule 3(E) in the ...

OMNICHATTER makes love out of nothing at all, for June 15, 2017

Hall of Fame denies Pete Rose’s request to stand for election

When Rob Manfred succeeded Selig as MLB commissioner, Rose got to make his case. Rose also got his answer: No.

Your lifetime ban for betting on baseball still holds, Manfred ruled. You still cannot work in baseball, he said, but the Hall of Fame can deal with you however it wants.

So Rose got to make his case to the Hall: put me on the ballot, and I’ll live with the results.

In December — in a decision not made public before now — Rose got his answer: No.

No reinstatement. No chance ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 6-15-2017

Pittsburgh Press, June 15, 1917:

“The amount of money that is wagered on baseball,” says Arnold Rothstein, “is grossly exaggerated. I find that there is little real betting on the daily games.”
...
“Baseball is not a good betting proposition, which may be just as well for the game.”

Rothstein went on to remark, “Please disperse. There is nothing to see here.”

MLB Draft Day 3 | MLB.com

It’s always interesting to see which teams strike it big later in the draft by managing their bonus pool well.

Highly-rated prospects, particularly high school players, frequently drop due to signability concerns. Teams tend to take more chances on players during Day 3 of the Draft, because there is no penalty for failing to sign a player after Round 10. If a team doesn’t sign a player it selects in the first 10 rounds, it loses the bonus pool allotment for that round.

The question for most ...

All-Undrafted Team includes many star players | MLB.com

Third base: Toby Harrah was passed over in the 1966 Draft because scouts assumed he was going to go to college. Phillies scout Tony Lucadello, however, found out Harrah was working in a factory and signed him for $500. Harrah wound up playing 17 years in the big leagues—2,155 games, ranking 165th on the all-time list. A five-time All-Star who also saw regular duty at shortstop and second base, Harrah hit .264 with 195 home runs and 918 RBIs.

There’s a guy with ‘Jeff Passan’ in his name that’s actually good at baseball

Mr. Irrelevant.

Report: A’s to promote Chapman on Thursday | Pacific Coast League News

While Chapman’s plus power is impressive, scouts rave about his defense at the hot corner, and he has a 75-grade throwing arm with a plus-plus glove. His plus range and smooth hands make him a potential Gold Glover at the position and a necessary improvement for the A’s, who rank last in the Majors with 62 errors and a .974 fielding percentage.