8th? BBTF Central Park Softball Game: SEPT 18, 2021

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 Saturday, September 18, 2021)

3. Where is the post-game destination?

Arizona Diamondbacks give manager Torey Lovullo one-year extension despite 104-loss season

With a little over a week left in the season and his team tied for the worst record in the major leagues at 48-104, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was given a one-year contract extension through 2022.

The deal announced Thursday includes a club option for 2023, according to general manager Mike Hazen.

“Through everything the season has presented, Torey did a good job of getting guys through this, even in a season where we might set a franchise-worst record,’’ Hazen said.

The 3,000 Hit Club Is Closed for Maintenance

There was only a single batter with 2,000 career hits after the 1952 season: Stan Musial, who had 2,023. But that bottleneck is hardly surprising given that many of baseball’s stars missed multiple seasons due to service in World War II. There were 10 active 1,500-hit hitters that year and six of them (Musial, Johnny Mize, Enos Slaughter, Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, and Mickey Vernon) went to war. Baseball set a record for the most active players with 2,000 hits fairly recently, with 27 after the 2004 season. Right now, there are only five: Cabrera, Robinson Canó, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and Joey Votto.

The 1990s have the well-deserved reputation of being a home run era but people don’t always remember that it was a high ...

MLB To Experiment With Pre-Tacked Baseball During Triple-A Final Stretch

Major League Baseball is experimenting with the use of a different, pre-tacked baseball in select Triple-A games during the final days of the minor league season.

MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword told Baseball America on Thursday a “handful” of Triple-A teams will use the new baseball at some point during the final 10 games of the Triple-A season, known as the “Final Stretch.”

“On a very limited basis, we are getting into games a couple of prototype baseballs that (have) a different substance applied to them for grip purposes,” Sword said. “It’s not all the way across Triple-A. We just don’t have enough of them. We’re just finding a couple of teams willing to help us out (and) get them ...

Padres reassign scouting director Conner

The Padres continued to shake up their scouting and player development departments on Wednesday, announcing a series of moves that saw Mark Conner removed from his role as scouting director.

Conner, who joined the organization in 2010 as an amateur scout and spent seven seasons heading the team’s amateur scouting department, will transition to a new role as special assistant to general manager A.J. Preller.

In his place, Chris Kemp takes over as the Padres’ head of amateur scouting, after he’d spent the previous seven seasons manning the international department. (Kemp remains in charge of international scouting as well.)

Separately, the Padres also announced a promotion of Ryley Westman to the head of player development. That move ...

Atlanta Braves’ Adam Duvall has home run nixed after baserunning gaffe

Adam Duvall passed teammate Austin Riley while running the bases after a drive over the wall in left-center, costing the Atlanta Braves slugger his 38th homer of the season.

Duvall was ultimately credited with a two-run single on the bizarre first-inning play in Wednesday night’s 9-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It happened because Riley thought the ball had been caught.

With runners on first and third and one out, Duvall hit a deep fly ball off Merrill Kelly. Arizona center fielder Jake McCarthy leaped near the wall, and the ball deflected off his glove and into the first row of seats.

Riley, thinking McCarthy had the ball in his glove, retreated to first base as Duvall passed him between first and second. Duvall was ruled out at ...

Hyde to return as O’s skipper in 2022

t appears Brandon Hyde isn’t going anywhere.

Hyde confirmed following Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies that he will return as Orioles manager in 2022, shortly after multiple reports surfaced saying he’d signed a contract extension last winter. The Athletic first reported the extension, which runs through 2022.

“I can’t comment on my contract status, but I’m very excited to come back,” Hyde said.

The situation had been open to speculation in recent weeks, with club officials and Hyde both declining to publicly disclose their plans for next season. Hired at the 2018 Winter Meetings, Hyde originally signed a three-year deal with a club option for 2022 as the Orioles embarked on a multi-year rebuilding plan under new ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-23-2021

Great Falls Tribune, September 23, 1921:

Trade Boycott Result of Baseball Rivalry

Because President Bradley of the Virginia league threw out several games played by the Wilson [North Carolina] club, on account of alleged violation of the salary limit, thus forcing Wilson out of first place in the pennant race, the Merchants’ association of [Wilson, NC] has gone on record as opposing trading with Virginia firms.

I’ll give them this much: They supported their local ballclub.

Bill James:  Swing Hard; maybe you’ll run into something

I had a question from a reader a couple of weeks ago; I can’t remember the exact wording, but the essence of it was, are there some players now, with all of the strikeouts, who would be better off if they would put the ball in play more often?  Is the number of those players rising?  Could you just perhaps figure runs created with the ball in play and runs created on home runs, walks and strikeouts, maybe with a basic Runs Created formula?...

To cut to the heart of the matter:  Immediate Outcome plays are far, far more productive, on average, than balls put into play.  Historically, 85% of players with 300 or more Plate Appearances have been more productive on Immediate Outcome plays than when putting the Ball in Play.  Most of the ...

‘We feel he’s the right guy’: Reds manager David Bell agrees to 2-year contract extension

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell agreed to a two-year contract extension Wednesday, which will keep him under contract through the 2023 season.

Bell signed a three-year contract when he was hired in Oct. 2018 with a club option for a fourth season. The Reds never acted upon the club option until rewarding Bell with his extension Wednesday.

“Of course, it’s something I’d like to do for as long as possible just because of how much I love doing it, love the team, the organization and our players,” Bell said. “It doesn’t change my focus. I was confident it would all work out, so it doesn’t really change anything other than it just makes me look forward to finishing strong this year and continuing that for years to come.”

...Read More...

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: September 22, 2021 at 05:16 PM | 16 comment(s)
  Beats: david bell, reds

Anti-vax baseball coach from Miami files religious discrimination complaint against MLB team

Two minor league baseball coaches with the Washington Nationals — one of them from Florida — have filed religious discrimination complaints after they say they were fired for refusing to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Larry Pardo, of Miami, and Brad Holman, of Wichita, Kansas, filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, alleging the baseball franchise violated “their rights to free expression and observation of their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The EEOC complaints were filed Friday by their Miami attorney, Alexander Fox. The complaints are expected to lay the groundwork for a federal lawsuit.

The coaches are but two of a growing number of Americans who are seeking to obtain religious exemptions from ...

Minor-league pitch clock cut game times by 21 minutes in 2021

The Low-A West League is speeding up time, in baseball games, since it began experimenting with a 15-second pitch clock in June. As a result, the league has cut game times by 21 minutes.

That’s the direct opposite of MLB, where the average time of a nine-inning game is up by nearly 20 minutes, just over the last 10 years — and by more than a half-hour since the ‘80s. With major-league games filled with plenty of dead time, the MLB commissioner’s office is taking notice of the pitch clock’s impact on the Low-A West League (formerly the California League).

“It really is an incredible experience,” says former big-leaguer Raul Ibañez, who is one of the people overseeing this experiment in his role as a senior vice president of on-field ...

Conor McGregor Submitted His Case For The Worst First Pitch In Baseball History

Tuesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field was not exactly at the top of the heap in terms of casual intrigue. After all, neither club is in the playoff hunt after a disappointing campaign, and it is not as if the Cubs and Twins have an historic rivalry for the ages. Still, the Cubs-Twins game managed to attract some extra eyeballs before the teams even took the field, as MMA legend Conor McGregor made waves by throwing out the first pitch.

Dating back to 50 Cent and an effort that can only be defined as legendarily terrible in 2014, there has been almost a cottage industry for horrible first pitches. McGregor entered that pantheon in a hurry, though, as he missed the target… by a lot.

Conor ...

Cardinals steal their way to 10th consecutive win, pull off a trick in ninth inning to edge Brewers, 2-1

The Cardinals did not have an extra-base hit until the ninth inning. Didn’t need one. They created their own.

And now they’re about to filch a wild-card playoff spot while everyone is looking.

The Cardinals’ 10-game winning streak is the club’s first since 2001, when the team had two at least that long. In 130 years — a history that includes 11 World Series championships — this is the 13th time a Cardinals team has won at least 10 consecutive games.

It’s at least tied for the timeliest.

“It’s hard to capture,” manager Mike Shildt said. “Because I don’t plan on being done with it.”

Rays grab data card shaken loose from Kirk’s wrist, deny Blue Jays’ request to return it

Kevin Kiermaier grabbed a Toronto Blue Jays data card shaken loose from Alejandro Kirk’s wristband during a play at the plate and the Tampa Bay Rays later laughed off a request to return the proprietary sheet.

The incident during the bottom of the sixth inning in Monday’s 6-4 Rays win added another element of intrigue to the rivalry between the AL East clubs.

Several Blue Jays declined to discuss the matter while Rays general manager Erik Neander deferred comment, saying he had just learned of Kiermaier’s actions and was headed to the clubhouse to better understand what happened.

Rays manager Kevin Cash later came out of the clubhouse to chat with Blue Jays counterpart Charlie Montoyo.

Asked about the matter, captured on video, ...

How MLB vet found a home in Atlantic League

If you were watching baseball in the early-2000’s, you may remember Lew Ford as the Twins’ folk hero who came out of nowhere to help lead Minnesota to the 2004 postseason. The then-27-year-old filled in for an injured Torii Hunter and ended up getting AL MVP votes—putting up 15 homers, 72 RBIs, 20 steals and a .299/.381/.446 slash line. “Lews” rained down from the Metrodome bleachers. Twins writers still fawn over his heroics today. He was on top of the world….

Ford signed with the Ducks at the end of the 2013 season and signed on again in ‘14. That year, he had one of the best ever for an Atlantic League player: He set the all-time record for hits in a season (189), led the league in doubles (40) and slashed at .347/.415/.511 with 15 ...

How Declining Subs For Regional Sports Networks Could Impact MLB Relocation And Expansion

In other words, MLB is at a tipping point. While other sports properties will be affected, no other sport leans as heavily into the lucrative revenues of RSNs as big-league baseball does. They can’t jump off the ship just yet, but in the coming years, dealing with the shift to streaming will become critical.

That plays into commissioner Rob Manfred’s plans around possible relocation and expansion. With large domestic markets gobbled up by existing franchises, the league is left with small or mid-market locations to work from.

That presents a problem given the extra weight needed for a healthy deal out of a regional sports network deal as a way to ensure steady annual revenue flow when the gate is more susceptible to dramatic swings: ...

Israeli baseball team wins silver in European Championship, its best result ever

Israel’s national baseball team, which made history this summer by taking part in the Tokyo Olympics, won a silver medal Sunday in the European Championships, losing 4-9 to the Netherlands in the final.

Only a handful of the predominantly American Olympic team members also competed in the European Championships. The majority of the current team players are Israelis who learned the game locally.

It is the first time Israel is on the podium in the tournament, and only the second time the Jewish state competed in the uppermost tier.

Meanwhile, it was the 24th win for the strong Dutch team in the tournament.

Sources: MLB to require vaccinations to participate in Arizona Fall League

Major League Baseball has informed clubs that all players in the upcoming Arizona Fall League must be vaccinated, according to sources. The decision is baseball’s first mandatory vaccination decree affecting players.

The decision comes after a report last week by The Athletic that all non-player personnel, including managers, coaches and support staff, will be required to be vaccinated in order to participate in postseason play.

Diamondbacks farm director Josh Barfield declined to comment on if the mandate affected the contingent of prospects his organization was planning to send. A high-ranking executive said that of the seven players in his organization who were set to participate, one agreed to get vaccinated in order to play.

...

Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez breaks Johnny Bench’s catcher record with 46th HR

Salvador Perez hit his 46th home run Monday, breaking Johnny Bench’s record for homers by a catcher in a season, as the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2.

Perez, 31, hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, topping Bench’s total from 1970 for the most by a player who played at least 75% of his team’s games at catcher.

“It was unbelievable,’’ he said. “I thank God for this. It’s amazing.’‘

Perez also moved into a tie for the major league lead in homers with Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and leads the majors with 115 RBIs, the first catcher with that many RBIs since Mike Piazza in 1999.

It has been a long road for Perez this season to put himself in contention for the home run title. He trailed Shohei Ohtani—the home ...

The A’s Rebuild Is Coming

So there’s no new stadium, and no revenue streams on the horizon to help pay players. Time to change course.

Major players expected to be shopped on the trade market:

Matt Olson [51.6]
Matt Chapman [24.5]
Frankie Montas [38.8]
Sean Manaea [19.7]

These are the big four — Olson and Montas have the most trade value, helped by strong 2021 performances. Chapman is coming off a bit of a down year offensively, but his defense is still elite, and his bat did wake up a bit in the second half. All three of those players come with two years of control. Manaea, who has been mostly effective this year, has one more.

Two more who might be dealt:

Chris Bassitt [12.8]
Ramon Laureano [62.8]

Bassitt was having an all-star year before he got hit in ...

WEEKDAY OMNICHATTER wants you to believe in yourself, for September 20, 2021

Guardians to promote outfielder-turned-reliever Anthony Gose

Olympic silver medalist and former outfielder Anthony Gose is being called up by the Cleveland Guardians. He won’t be roaming Progressive Field’s outfield any time soon, though — the 31-year-old will likely make his debut as a reliever.

Gose’s last MLB action came in 2016 as a member of the Tigers’ lineup. His already limited offensive contributions as a hitter were dwindling and he finished the year with a .209/.287/.341 slash and two home runs in 30 games. His career was just five years in but it already looked like it was winding down.

Gose began a new chapter as a pitcher in Detroit’s minor-league system in 2017 before finding his way over to Cleveland in 2019 after a few cuts, a failed Rule 5 selection, and a tiff with ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-20-2021

Seattle Star, September 20, 1921:

Claude Derrick, who played for Seattle a short time in 1919, and one of the worst shortstops we ever expect to see in action, is certainly in bad in Toledo, Ohio. After being advanced $1,200 on the season before the American association race started Derrick showed his appreciation by jumping the club recently. He jumped the Seattle team by request. He must have found the fountain of youth, or else they play goofy baseball in that circuit if they will advance a player like Derrick any dough.

Derrick’s career was over at this point, perhaps because he was 35, unreliable, and not all that good. But maybe it’s because he was utterly eviscerated by this columnist.

Veteran catcher Alex Avila to retire at end of year

“All good things must come to an end,” Alex Avila said with a shrug and a smile on Sunday. After 13 seasons in the Majors, the veteran catcher decided that this year would be his last.

Avila wants to enjoy retirement, spend more time with family and give his body a break from squatting for 100-plus days a year. But he doesn’t plan to stay away from the game long. He wouldn’t dream of it—the sport is in his blood.

“I’ll never not be involved in the game,” Avila said. “I’ll do something within the game. I don’t know what that is yet. You know, once the season’s over and going in the next few months, so figure that out, see where it goes. But I’ll be involved. I love the game way too much.”

...Read More...

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: September 20, 2021 at 12:08 AM | 22 comment(s)
  Beats: alex avila

Eddie Rosario hits for cycle, seeing only 5 pitches

- Eddie Rosario knew he had history off the crack of the bat.

Upon making contact on a first-pitch curveball in the top of the ninth inning, Rosario raised his right hand in the air before the ball touched grass. His Braves teammates began celebrating, requesting the ball upon the play’s completion. Rosario had singled, which meant he had completed the cycle.

Rosario’s feat, combined with Max Fried’s seven scoreless innings, were the keys to the Braves’ 3-0 win over the Giants on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park, a pair of performances that were as special as they were substantial in aiding Atlanta’s quest for the National League East title. The Braves currently have a two-game lead over the Phillies.

Kyle Boddy, director of pitching, among minor league staff leaving Cincinnati Reds

Kyle Boddy, hired as the Cincinnati Reds’ minor-league pitching coordinator after the 2019 season, has parted ways with the organization after two seasons.

Boddy, who was promoted to Director of Pitching last winter, announced the move on his Twitter account Friday. He oversaw the creation and implementation of organizational pitching philosophies.

Reds baseball:Nightengale: Eight thoughts on the Cincinnati Reds as Jesse Winker returns

“The Cincinnati Reds and I have mutually agreed to no longer continue our professional relationship,” Boddy wrote in a statement. “I can’t thank Dick Williams and Eric Lee enough for their support and taking a chance at moving the Reds’ player development in a new direction – both were ...

Mets targeting A’s Billy Beane as candidate to run baseball operations

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on Friday that Beane, the vice president of baseball operations for the Oakland Athletics, could be a logical candidate to run the same department with the Mets. Jon Heyman of MLB Network followed that by saying Beane is indeed on the Mets’ radar.

Additionally from Rosenthal’s report, he said that veteran manager Bob Melvin could also be a target for the Mets in a combo move, addressing positions in both the front office and dugout.

The Mets already agreed to bring back current president Sandy Alderson for the 2022 season, but he was never meant to be a long-term solution to run the Mets’ baseball operations. Cohen brought him in as a person familiar with the organization to help the new owner ...

Manny, Tatis have heated dugout exchange

When cameras near the dugout caught images and sound of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. arguing loudly Saturday night in St. Louis, the perception outside the team emerged that infighting has infected the Padres as their quest for the postseason hits rocky ground.

The team pushed back on that narrative after their 3-2 loss to Cardinals cost them ground in the National League Wild Card race, saying Machado was showing leadership to a younger player.

The theme of the argument seemed to be that Machado thought Tatis was dwelling too long on being called out on strikes by umpire Phil Cuzzi in the fifth inning. Machado, in the videos, can be heard yelling, “You go play baseball!” and, “It’s not about you!” while he gestured in ...

New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies minor leaguers protest low pay with wristbands

Minor league players in the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies farm systems wore teal wristbands Saturday to protest pay that they say is insufficient.

At least 10 players from the Brooklyn Cyclones and Jersey Shore BlueClaws wore the wristbands—which feature the hashtag #FairBall—during their High-A game in New York. The demonstration was organized in part by Advocates for Minor Leaguers, which also handed out the wristbands to fans and distributed pamphlets detailing the financial issues faced by players.

“Minor League Baseball players have been severely underpaid and silenced for decades,” players from both teams said in a joint statement released by Advocates for Minor Leaguers to The Associated Press. “Today, we are wearing ...