8th? BBTF Central Park Softball Game: October 3

Let’s start planning for this year’s game. First questions:

1. Who is submitting the permit request? (Answer: Hysterical & Useless)

2. What dates should we aim for? (Answer: July 25 October 3)

3. Where is the post-game destination?

Dodgers’ Joe Kelly sounds off on Astros players’ handling of sign-stealing investigation

Kelly made his comments as a guest on “The Big Swing,” a podcast hosted by teammate Ross Stripling.

“The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense,” Kelly said. “Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that [sign-stealing system] was run over there was not from coaching staff. ... They’re not the head boss in charge of that thing. It’s the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little b——, and they don’t have to get fined, they don’t have to lose games.”....

“When you take someone’s livelihood ... to save your own ass, that’s what I don’t like,” Kelly said. “Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they’re cheaters. They know they’re cheaters. It’s over. That’s been there, done that. ...

Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg ejected from stands in social distancing oddity

Stephen Strasburg was forced to do some extra social distancing.

The Washington Nationals pitcher, taking in Thursday’s tilt with the Mets from the empty stands, was ejected by umpire Carlos Torres in the bottom of the third inning.

Upset with a pair of borderline pitch calls from teammate Austin Voth to Mets slugger Pete Alonso, Strasburg let Torres have it from his seat in the 121 section at Citi Field. The umpire, not happy with the feedback, sent the injured righty … elsewhere.

Phillies to retire No. 15 in honor of Dick Allen

The Phillies will bestow the highest honor a club can confer upon a former player by retiring Dick Allen’s No. 15, Managing Partner John Middleton announced today. The ceremony will take place on September 3, 2020, the 57th anniversary of Allen’s major league debut with the Phillies. The organization will also honor Allen next season when fans will be in attendance and can properly salute his storied career.

“Dick Allen burst onto the 1964 Phillies and immediately established himself as a superstar. His legendary performance on the field gave millions of fans lasting memories, and he helped cement my love for baseball and the Phillies as a young boy,” said Middleton. “The Phillies organization is thrilled to give Dick and his ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-13-2020

[Indianapolis] Indiana Daily Times, August 13, 1920:

Baseball Fan Is ‘Nut,’ Baltimore Judge Rules

Police Justice Schroeder believes that rooters at a baseball game suffer from a mild form of insanity when they mob the umpires or throw pop bottles and other missiles at visiting players.

And because the court so believes is why Albert Darago, 18, is not in jail.

Darago threw a missile wrapped in paper at Mike Doolan, one of the umpires in a game between Baltimore and Buffalo. Darago’s aim was bad and it struck Police Sergeant Gooding. In fining Darago, Judge Schroeder said, “I believe Darago lost his reason temporarily in the heat of his enthusiasm for the Baltimore team, therefore I simply will fine him this time.”

I had no idea that “I’m ...

Buffalo welcomes Blue Jays, but blacked out from games against Yankees and Mets on MLB.TV

MLB’s blackout rules won’t affect Buffalo viewers until September. But beginning with a three-game series versus the Yankees on Sept. 7, Buffalo fans won’t be able to watch their team on MLB.TV for 13 of 17 games. (The one exception will be a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies that includes one makeup game from a postponement on Aug. 2.)

Ten of those games will be against the Yankees, the Blue Jays’ AL East division rival. The other three involve the Mets, a NL East team matched up against the AL East this season.

Buffalo fans can watch the Yankees and Mets on cable, so they won’t be entirely restricted from watching the Blue Jays. But those who cut the cord from cable or satellite service aren’t so fortunate.

Evaluating how Marlins did in Ozuna trade

Three years after moving All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals, the Marlins are liking their return in what was at the time a criticized deal.

In December 2017, Miami acquired right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, plus left-hander Daniel Castano and outfielder Magneuris Sierra for Ozuna, who is now with the Braves….

The headliner of the Ozuna trade obviously is Alcantara, an All-Star last year and Miami’s Opening Day starter this year.

Alcantara is on the injured list, but in the opener, he was magnificent in a win at the Phillies, giving up one earned run with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

The Marlins have repeatedly said they feel Alcantara’s pure stuff is on par with the best pitchers in the National ...

Warm memories of Mickey Mantle, 25 years after Yankees great’s death

Twenty-five years ago Thursday, Mickey Mantle died, not long after he’d received a liver transplant in Dallas, not long after the cancer started to savage him, not long after he’d stood before a bank of microphones after spending the better part of a lifetime of too many last calls and too many rounds on the house and declared to the world in a moment of courage that still staggers all these years later:

“For the kids out there, this is a role model — don’t be like me.”

He wanted to warn of the dangers of alcohol, of hubris, of betraying your own body in the name of good times, and seeing the gaunt man saying those words did have an impact, and in precisely the way Mantle wanted.

But the other truth is this: From the time he ...

Suburban housewives will post in OMNICHATTER!, for August 13, 2020

Hitting .400 in 2020 might draw an asterisk, but Colorado Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon could earn it

It is not, however, impossible to hit .400 for 60 games. Three players in the past decade did it at any point in a season: Jose Altuve in 2017 (with a remarkable .420 average), Joey Votto in 2016 and Andrew McCutchen in 2012. The last player to do it in the first 60 games of a season was Chipper Jones in 2008, with a .409 average. None of those players came close to .400 on the year; Jones finished with the best mark of the four with a .364 average.

Asterisk or not, Blackmon’s start gives hope that a .400 chase might happen and add an exciting development in this desultory season. He admitted that he has been fortunate with some grounders and floaters that have found some holes—but that’s exactly what it will take to go on an extended ...

Astros’ Zack Greinke tells batter what’s coming, gets swinging strike anyway

Houston Astros right-hander Zack Greinke made his fourth start of the season on Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants. Greinke delivered his second consecutive quality start, but that isn’t what anyone is going to remember from this outing. Rather, folks will recall Greinke telling the Giants what pitches were coming—and getting them to swing and miss anyway.

Throughout Greinke’s start, it appeared that he was calling out signs and signaling his pitches to his catcher. Because the stadium was empty, and because he wasn’t particularly subtle, that meant letting the opposition know what was coming as well. Take a look at a few examples.

If it’s a salacious rumor, then it’s in OMNICHATTER! for August 12, 2020

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-12-2020

Pittsburgh Press, August 12, 1920:

The cry from far and near is that Tris Speaker’s Indians won’t figure in the fall series unless some relief hurler comes into sight at once. Recently Speaker sent in Joe Wood as a relief artist, and Tris says of Joe’s performance: “I have every reason to believe that Joe Wood will help us as a relief hurler. He had everything when he finished out that game except control. He can get that. What was worrying me before he started was that he might not be able to show his old speed and sharp curves. But he had both. With a little more work, he will be able to help us save a game now and then.”

Tris was being polite. Six of the 12 batters Wood faced on August 4 reached base and five scored. He never threw ...

Rays’ Brendan McKay shut down due to shoulder tightness

Rays lefty Brendan McKay has been shut down from throwing at the team’s Port Charlotte camp due to tightness in his shoulder.

Manager Kevin Cash said McKay, the promising prospect, is in the middle of a seven- to 10-day period of rest and will be re-evaluated, noting he has had previous shoulder issues, which seems to be of significant concern. Any serious injury could sideline McKay for the rest of this season, possibly beyond….

McKay had some shoulder issues last season, and was set back at the start of spring training in February with stiffness and expected to be sent to Triple-A. He participated in the informal June workouts at Tropicana Field and the first four days of Spring 2.0, then was sidelined from July 7 through July 30 ...

Why Are MLB’s Base Hits Disappearing?

In those 25 full seasons since the strike, MLB’s BABIP never dipped below .283 in any stretch of 18 game days. Not since September 1991 has MLB’s BABIP been as low as .276 over any equivalent span. Granted, this latest stretch of 18 game days has yielded fewer plate appearances and batted balls than the average stretch of 18 game days, both because of COVID-caused cancellations and because of the record strikeout rate. Still, this stubbornly low BABIP has persisted over more than 16,000 plate appearances and more than 10,000 batted balls, so it’s probably not purely a fluke. To make matters more perplexing, one might have expected that the universal DH would buoy BABIP in light of the ineptitude of pitcher hitters, although the NL ...

OMNICHATTER! is too busy to run for VP, for August 11, 2020

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-11-2020

Memphis News Scimitar, August 11, 1920:

Outfielder Harper, of the Little Rock Southern Association club, was arrested and held in $500 bail yesterday on a warrant charging “malicious mischief” after Manager Elberfeld, of the Little Rock club, had refused to pay for the canvas coverings on the bases that Harper is alleged to have damaged yesterday with his spikes.

The arrest came fifteen minutes before the first game of the double-header yesterday and Elberfeld announced in advance he would protest the game. Zoellers played right field until Harper could be taken to the city criminal court, make bond and return to the park.

Sounds like this was a bit of gamesmanship by an Atlanta team that was in a close pennant race with Little Rock, New ...

Red Sox’s Ron Roenicke Reveals Factors Behind Brian Johnson’s Release

The left-hander never cracked the big league roster in the abbreviated 2020 Major League Baseball season despite being an option to help out the depleted staff. Ron Roenicke confirmed the release Monday ahead of Boston’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, stating Johnson was seeking an opportunity and felt he wasn’t getting one here.

“Johnson felt like he wanted an opportunity,” the Sox manager told reporters during his pregame Zoom press conference. Sometimes you need to go other places to get that.” Roenicke also noted that Johnson asked for his release. The pitcher also wasn’t on the 40-man roster and out of options.

How bad are team finances now? Ask the Atlanta Braves.

Technically speaking, this is the 10-Q report, which is a document as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by publicly-traded companies.  The Atlanta Braves parent company Liberty Media made that filing on Monday, and it covers the quarter ending June 30th… the traditional beginning months of the baseball season.

The big thing that the media will note from this report involves the Braves’ revenue stream, so let’s look at that first:

Revenue is divided into “Development” and “Baseball” segments, which you can surmise represent things like Battery Atlanta vs. pure baseball operations.  Here’s the breakdown:

Baseball revenue for the past 3 months:  a scant $5 million
For the past 6 months:  $17 million. ...

Sources: MLB has preliminary talks about bubble-type format for playoffs

Major League Baseball has had preliminary discussions about holding its postseason in a bubble-type format after the coronavirus outbreaks on the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins that wreaked havoc on the regular-season schedule illustrated how a similar scenario could upend the playoffs, sources familiar with the conversations told ESPN.

Although a fully contained bubble similar to the NBA setup at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, would be difficult for MLB to replicate, a multicity format that replicates the NHL’s Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, hubs has gained traction, sources said.

Because of MLB’s expansion to 16 playoff teams, the league would need at least three hubs to complete its wild-card round before ...

MLB average salary down due to pandemic

Salaries averaged $1,295,942 on expanded Opening Day rosters after prorated pay was factored in, according to the AP study. That must feel like a throwback paycheck, similar to a vintage jersey—it’s the lowest average in the AP’s annual Opening Day study since $1,176,967 in 1996 and down from $4,375,486 at the start of the 2019 season.

Unhappy with flattening salaries during the first four years of a collective bargaining agreement that runs to December 2021, players spoke even before the curtailed season of seeking large changes. Talks figure to be the most contentious since the 1994-95 strike, the last shortened seasons before this one.

Even with contracts at full value and projected for 25-man active rosters, this year’s average of ...

2020’s Most Irreplaceable Players

How big a loss for the Braves was Soroka? With him still in the rotation, the ZiPS projection system had the Atlanta Braves with an 89.5% chance of making baseball’s expanded 16-team playoffs. Without Soroka, that number drops to 81.5%, nearly doubling the probability that Atlanta watches the playoffs from home. How does that eight percentage points rank among baseball’s stars? As I do every season, I asked ZiPS to re-project league standings with individual star players removed from their team’s rosters.

This isn’t a WAR ranking, which would be kind of boring. Teams whose playoff fortunes are most up in the air, especially those without sufficient depth, tend to be the ones that get in the most trouble when they lose a key player ...

Marcus Stroman Opts Out Of 2020 Season

The Mets announced Monday that right-hander Marcus Stroman has opted out of the remainder of the 2020 season. The right-hander, who is a free agent at season’s end, called the move a family decision and cited the many “uncertainties” and “unknowns” of playing in the current health-and-safety atmosphere.

The Fastball Is Disappearing. What Does It Mean for MLB’s Future?

Fastball use held steady from 2010 through 2015 at between 56.8% and 57.8%. Then the fastball began to fall out of favor, slowly at first, but with stunning drops in the past two seasons. Fastball percentage starting from 2015: 56.8, 56.3, 55.3, 54.5, 51.9 and–drum roll, please–49.7 at the start of this week. (Here and throughout, “fastball” references do not include cutters.)

“I think 95 is the new 90,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Guys can really hit velocity. And so, to kind of get guys off of that, pitching off your secondaries … I really believe there’s a lot to that.”

It’s an upside-down world. Secondaries are primaries. And the simplest explanation why this strategy is happening is ...

Mount Rushmore’s newest face: OMNICHATTER! for August 10, 2020

Report: Reds’ plan to bring fans back approved by city, county

The Cincinnati Reds want fans to come back to Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati submitted an official plan for the return of Reds fans this season to Major League Baseball, the state of Ohio, the city of Cincinnati, and Hamilton County, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

Both the city and county have approved the plan, albeit “with lots of conditions,” a source told Rosecrans. MLB and Ohio have yet to respond.

The plan, if implemented, allows a portion of fans to return in either September or for the playoffs, the source told Rosecrans. Details of the plan, such as to how many fans are allowed into the stadium, are unknown. Great American Ball Park’s capacity is 42,319.

Could Casey Mize win the Rookie of the Year award twice?

Jayson Stark poses a question in his latest article at The Athletic: would it be possible for a player to win the Rookie of the Year Award twice due to the truncated 2020 schedule? As it turns out, it is absolutely within the realm of possibility.

Unless some changes in the rules occur between now and when the votes are cast, one could qualify for the honor both in 2020 and 2021 if certain conditions are met. Sure, it is very unlikely this could happen, but what I’m saying here is there is a chance. Here are the conditions that would disqualify a player from earning the award a second time.

• Log 45 days or more on a big-league roster before Sept. 1.

• Pitch 50 innings or more.

• Roll up 130 at-bats or more.

In a 60-game ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-10-2020

Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger, August 10, 1920:

President William H. McCarthy, of the Pacific Coast Baseball League, on his return from a trip to Los Angeles to question “Babe” Borton, suspended Vernon first baseman, declared that players of the Salt Lake, Vernon, Portland and Seattle teams were involved in baseball gambling scandals.

Several suspensions and releases may be expected shortly, he said. Borton was suspended on account of suspicious circumstances surrounding a payment of $300 to Harl Maggert, the Salt Lake center fielder, who was released last week for alleged gambling in connection with Coast League games.

Turns out the $300 was to get more Borton license plates for the gift shop.

I’m just happy these sorts of ...

Fernando Tatis, Jr. is bringing joy back to baseball

Since the Padres’ opener on July 24, all Tatis has done is play better than everyone in the sport. Through the first quarter of Major League Baseball’s truncated 60-game season, nobody had more wins above replacement than the 21-year-old Tatis. His excellence isn’t purely statistical either. His home runs are majestic, his bat flips righteous, his drip undeniable.

What Tatis does not yet realize is how symbiotic his relationship with baseball is. As much as it fulfills him, the game needs him even more. MLB spent much of the first three months of the pandemic fighting players over money. As baseball tries to endure amid coronavirus outbreaks, the best antidote to its predilection for self-immolation is a player like Tatis, whose only ...

Giants’ Johnny Cueto loses no-hitter as routine fly ball ends in disaster

Holding a no-hitter in the sixth inning, Cueto allowed a fly ball to Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández that should not have been a problem. Statcast measured the xBA of the ball (i.e. the likelihood of a hit on similar balls in play) at just .060, with a 99% catch probability. It was a routine fly ball.

However, no routine fly ball is routine when the outfielder doesn’t see the ball. Enter Hunter Pence:

Tough way to lose a no-hitter pic.twitter.com/saPkkCoOBD

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 9, 2020