Taking Back the Ballparks - Washington Nationals

Part 5: Nationals Park

The rare modern stadium without a corporate sponsor. Alas, Nationals Park doesn’t exactly ring out as requiring a lot of deep thought, though it is a nod to the place that predated old Griffith Stadium.

One would think the club’s D.C. location would offer ample naming opportunities for the ballpark. Then again, one would think the club’s D.C. location offered the architects ample opportunities for exciting backdrops, and they failed miserably in what’s an ...

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.

Scouting report on Japanese star Shohei Ohtani | MLB.com

“I saw Griffey in the Minor Leagues and A-Rod as an amateur,” one international scouting director said. “The buzz about Ohtani is similar to those guys and guys like Strasburg. Compared to Griffey and A-Rod, he isn’t as polished a hitter and probably doesn’t have the same upside. But he does have the chance to be a Strasburg. What is unique is that he does both.”

Carlos Carrasco And Trevor Bauer’s Baseball Versions Of Their Cleveland Teammates, Ranked

What a fun team. I really, really hope these guys win it all if my team doesn’t.

Technology Threatens Scouts, Could Also Set Them Free | FanGraphs Baseball

As I’ve said for about twenty years, scouts and sabermetrics is complimentary. As Sawchik writes, Statcast (and the like) can make scouts even more valuable, not less.

“When we got the pitch-tracking data… it didn’t eliminate scouts. It freed scouts form having to chart pitches and grind through the data to find trends,” Huntington said. “Now much more is automated. But a scout that sees the pitcher’s tells, a scout that recognizes patterns — patterns that a computer won’t even ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-19-2017

Harrisburg Telegraph, September 19, 1917:

Ping Bodie, of the Athletics, is an enthusiastic collector of baseball articles which have helped make history for the national game.

When the Athletics played in Detroit recently the Tigers made a triple play. When First Baseman Burns tossed the ball on the diamond after the three-ply killing Umpire Nallin obtained it.

“This should make quite a souvenir for you, Ping,” said Nallin, as he handed the ball to the big Italian.

“You betcha,” said Ping.

Brad Ausmus’ tirade about ‘negativity’ a bad response to reasonable question | MLive.com

Ausmus should stay off Twitter.

A’s preferred stadium site criticized for causing gentrification, killing waterfowl | Field of Schemes

Won’t somebody think about the ducks?????

The [Golden Gate Audubon Society], which has more than 7,000 members in Oakland and nearby cities, said the proposed ballpark in the Eastlake neighborhood would be disastrous for nearly 200 species of ducks, herons, songbirds, nesting cormorants and fish that make their homes in Lake Merritt, the nation’s oldest wildlife refuge.

“We’re not antibaseball. We love the A’s, but we want them to stay where they are,” said Cindy Margulis, the ...

LEADOFF: Final vote today on Braves spring training facility; cost top

You have to love stadium deals.

Dodgers’ Corey Seager out of lineup Monday | MLB.com

“I think there’s a little bit of preservation, understanding where his arm is at,” said Roberts. “I don’t think it’s 100 percent. I think he’s doing a little guarding and protecting. He knows when to let it go and when not to. But I think it’s clear that he’s doing some protecting. He’s not showing the arm strength he has had because he’s trying to manage it.”

Roberts said Seager wants to play through the pain rather than sit. Although the club has not discussed specifics of what Seager is ...

Clayton Kershaw Allowed a Grand Slam | FanGraphs Baseball

Thanks to the magic go MLB.TV I had four games going last night. This result was a little shocking.