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JFtC 2016 MLB Wrap Ups: Red Sox
JAYS FROM THE COUCH BRINGS YOU 2016 WRAP UPS. THIS TIME, WE SIT DOWN WITH OFF THE BENCH BASEBALL AND DISCUSS THE BOSTON RED SOX
For this MLB Wrap Up, we sat down with Ari Glantz of Off the Bench Baseball to chat about the 2016 AL East Champion, Boston Red Sox. After signing David Price to a mega-deal, lots of things went right for this team as they climbed the standings late in the season to snatch the division title from the Blue Jays. They rode an amazing season from David Ortiz and an MVP type season from Mookie Betts.
JFtC: If you could sum up the Red Sox season in a paragraph, what would you say?
Ari: David Ortiz, David Ortiz, David Ortiz. (Is that a paragraph?) At times for better, at others for worse, this was the season of Big Papi….
READ FULL POST at Jays From the Couch
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 19, 2016
Jamie Sabau – Getty Images
The Reds might not contend in 2017, but they SHOULD have the best lead off man in baseball in the rebuilding process… if only they would bat Joey Votto lead off. Along the way, I discuss why I won’t play James Bond and I tie it into the discussion.
It is a shaken, not stirred episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
JFtC 2016 Wrap Ups Interviews: Yankees
JAYS FROM THE COUCH BRINGS YOU 2016 MLB WRAP UPS. WE SIT DOWN WITH OFF THE BENCH BASEBALL TO DISCUSS THE NEW YORK YANKEES’ SEASON
To kick things off, I checked in with Max Frankel of Off the Bench Baseball to get his thoughts on the New York Yankees 2016 season. In many ways, it was a season that folks could probably look back on fondly. Despite the aging roster, the Bronx Bombers managed to make things exciting near the end of the year with Gary Sanchez captivating the imagination of the league. Max talks about the rookie phenom and much more in our little interview.
JFtC: If you could sum up the Yankees’ season in a paragraph, what would you say?
Max: 2016 was a genuine, actual, for real transformational season for the New York Yankees. A changing of the guard, if you will……
READ FULL POST at Jays From the Couch
If We Had a 2017 HOF Vote, Pt. 2
Gary Sheffield: The swagger, the malice in the “bat wag,” the quickest, most violent swing in the game. Astonishingly, Sheffield also had one of the most level, controlled swings in the game. He was a hitting machine.
How bad was he with the glove? Put Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield in the same outfield, and you’re hoping they hit it to Manny. WAR estimates that over the course of his career, Sheffield’s defense rated 29 games worse than that of a replacement-level player. Of the 18,918 players cataloged on Baseball-Reference.com, only Adam Dunn rates worse.
Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano Need to Fix The Same Problem For 2017
The Minnesota Twins aren’t your run-of-the-mill 103-loss team. Yes, the starting rotation is a mess and new chief of baseball operations Derek Falvey has a lot of work to do, but he inherited what should be a nice core at the MLB level.
Two players getting the most attention in this regard are Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. While they boast vastly different skill sets on the diamond, there was one aspect of the game in which they both struggled with equally in 2016: striking out way too much.
This isn’t exactly a new problem for either of them, though.
In a disappointing 46-game stretch in 2015 as a rookie, Buxton struck out 31.9 percent of the time. He then watched his strikeout rate balloon to 35.6 percent in 331 plate appearances this past season in multiple stints with the Twins.
On the other hand, Sano broke out in 2015 by hitting 18 home runs in 335 plate appearances. His 35.5 percent strikeout rate wasn’t great; but that number was easier to swallow with a 15.8 percent walk rate and 150 wRC+. Since his strikeout rate didn’t improve (36 percent) and both his walk rate (10.9 percent) and wRC+ (107) took nosedives in 2016, it’s something worth being concerned about.
In order to be the cornerstones this organization wants them to be, they must cut down on the strikeouts. And they can do that by taking back control of the strike zone.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 17, 2016
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America
The Cy Young results came in. While Max Scherzer is a solid choice, Rick Porcello’s election is as strange as any as we have seen this month… and that is saying something.
It is a “Let me see that ballot” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Can The Toronto Blue Jays Draft Class Rival The 2011 Boston Red Sox?
Back in 2011, MLB Draft experts had their eyes set on the magnificent haul of draft picks that the Tampa Bay Rays had at their disposal, all of which had been acquired by dismantling their bullpen. A record ten first round picks out of 60, including highly touted prep arms Taylor Guerrieri and Blake Snell, as well as top college outfielder Mikie Mahtook highlighted the long list of high-profile future Rays. Tampa Bay was considered set for the long term because of this sudden influx of talent.
Can The Toronto Blue Jays Draft Class Rival The 2011 Boston Red Sox?
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 15, 2016
Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America
Ryan Howard’s time in Philadelphia is done and maybe his career is as well. Why he became a cautionary tale of signing sluggers to long term deals, he also did enough to be given a salute for his accomplishments.
It is a brotherly love episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
If We Had a 2017 HOF Vote (Pt. 1)
He’s one of the 25 greatest hitters to ever step in the batter’s box. But when playing the outfield, Manny Ramirez looked like a man trying to remember where he left his keys. (READ MORE AT PLATE COVERAGE)
Neil Walker Accepting Qualifying Offer Should Have Matt Wieters-Like Impact on Mets’ Offseason
It’s only the middle of November, but the New York Mets just gained a whole lot of clarity to their offseason plan. And while the fan base is still upset about Bartolo Colon heading to the Atlanta Braves, they have reason to be excited about what’s to come.
Second baseman Neil Walker was one of just two players out of a possible 10 to accept a qualifying offer on Monday, meaning he’ll be returning to the Mets on a one-year deal for $17.2 million. That’s a lot of money for a middle infielder, but Sandy Alderson is clearly confident in Walker making a full recovery for Opening Day.
Some may feel this could hamper New York’s ability to re-sign outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, but it should actually have the opposite kind of impact. Call me overly optimistic here, but watching Walker accept the qualifying offer was exactly what the front office needed in order to operate under a “win now” mentality…even more than before.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 14, 2016
As the Cubs get all the attention this off season in Chicago, the White Sox need to examine what they are going to do at this cross road in the franchise’s history.
I look at the South Side for this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Checking in With Minnesota Twins Prospect Trey Cabbage
The Minnesota Twins last made the playoffs in 2010. They have lost at least 92 games every season except once since and are still rebuilding in an effort to reclaim their former success. One of the young players they are hoping will contribute to that overhaul is third base prospect Trey Cabbage.
Veterans Day
By Josh:
Veterans Day is a day that deserves more recognition then it really gets. The men and women of this country who have been a part of our nations military and have defended our freedoms deserve far more honoring then they get, but the amazing thing about them is that they don’t seek to be honored. They serve because they see a need and desire to protect our freedoms and rights for generations to come.
Continue reading Josh’s thoughts on Veterans Day via 9 Inning Know It All
Hot Stove Free Agent Predictions Part 1
By: Kelly
The Hot Stove season is upon us once again. This year’s free agent class is very weak compared to the last couple years, especially starting pitchers. Lots of offense is available and some top notch closers will make some record money but if your team is looking for starting pitchers they will have to look to the trade market, which I believe will be very active this offseason.
Read Kelly’s Hot Stove Free Agent Predictions Part 1 via 9 Inning Know It All
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 11, 2016
Jeff Gross/Getty Images North America
3,000 hits is still a cool milestone. But joining the 5,000 club might be even a bigger honor.
It is a by the numbers episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 10, 2016
Justin Merriman/Getty Images North America
Isn’t it strange how quickly the election arrives so quickly after the end of the World Series.
Now as there are intense feelings after the Trump victory, I see baseball as a way to bring us together AND be an outlet for bad feelings and anger.
Building bridges on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Diamondbacks Gaining New Vision for 2017, But With The Old Regime’s Players
Dave Stewart, Tony La Russa and the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned baseball last winter with a handful of bold moves in order to win in 2016. Unfortunately for them, instead of improving from a 79-83 showing in ’15, the club regressed to 69-93 this past season.
The organization will now take a more conservative approach this offseason. Not necessarily because new Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Hazen believes that’s the proper course of action to begin turning the Dbacks around, but he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Hazen made the most impactful move of his first offseason in Arizona by recently hiring Torey Lovullo as manager. It was an important hire because the organization’s 2017 results will already hinge significantly on the success or failure of players the previous regime brought in.
The Dbacks’ new executive is familiar with this kind of situation, though.
With the Boston Red Sox, he watched Dave Dombrowski inherit a roster that was also basically set. But he at least still had the flexibility to make impactful acquisitions, like signing David Price and trading for Craig Kimbrel.
The situation out in the desert is different, and for three major reasons.
MILB SCOUTING REPORT: YADIER ALVAREZ, RHP, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Yadier Alvarez is a 6’3″, 175 lb, 20-year-old out of Matanzas, Cuba. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent on July 2, 2015. His fastball sits around 93-98 and tops out at 99-100. His slider is plus, but his curveball and changeup are well below average. Alvarez’s mechanics need to be cleaned up and he has some red flags regarding injury potential. When fully matured he could be a number 2 starter, with a fall back option of a high leverage bullpen arm.
Yadier Alvarez Scouting Report
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 9, 2016
Holy City Sinner
On Election Night, I avoided politics and talked about the award ballot for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.
No recount for this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Jose Abreu is a Perfect Example Why Traditional Stats Don’t Tell The Whole Story
To evaluate the effectiveness of a baseball player, statistics have evolved into much more than wins and losses or home runs and RBI. Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is the perfect example as to why perception isn’t necessarily reality with regard to offensive production.
On Monday, FanGraphs published a piece detailing how the White Sox could run this offseason depending on which direction the front office wanted to take the organization. In that article, Dave Cameron said this about Abreu:
“Abreu has lost some value by going the wrong way offensively the last few years, but he finished the second half on a big upswing, and remains vastly underpriced relative to what it will cost to sign an inferior player like Mark Trumbo.”
As important as traditional stats are, we all know they’re not the be-all, end-all in today’s game. Actually, they probably don’t mean a whole lot to quite a few executives and talent evaluators.
Hot Stove Week in Review Nov 2-6
Every week throughout the off season 9 Inning Know It All will give you a quick week in review of what all went down in the Major League Baseball Hot Stove. Whether it is staff hiring/firings, trades, signings and everything else.
Check out Hot Stove Week in Review Nov 2-6 via 9 Inning Know It All.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 7, 2016
The tradition of the Indians name is not as ironclad as you would think. They were almost the Cleveland Raiders, which would have been amazing. Plus I bring up Chief Wahoo again and showed how easy the solution would be for it.
Question tradition on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
MLB Awards, Pt. 2: The Logic Escapes Me
“…The argument, made by several chroniclers of the game, is that there was no standout performance by a starting pitcher in the AL this year, opening the door for a standout reliever to claim the prize. The voters are literally saying “since we can’t pick between the two best pitchers in the league, we’ll give it to a third pitcher who wasn’t as good.”
It’s an absurd argument. Detroit’s Justin Verlander and Cleveland’s Corey Kluber were both excellent. Both have a claim as the best pitcher in the American League. Were they historically good? No. But they were the two best the league had to offer in 2016 (lest we forget, the Cy Young is a single-season honor, and players can only judged by their performance relative to the league that year). In other words, in what universe does it make sense to penalize a pitcher for being the best, but only the best by a little bit? Michael Phelps gets the gold whether he wins by .10 seconds or .01 seconds…”
Was the HOF Sending a Message with Babe Ruth’s Plaque?
“Holder of many home run and other batting records.”
Sure, you could say that. But why would you say it like that? This is saying Bill Gates “was successful in the computer business,” that Shakespeare “wrote a number of well-received plays.”
“Greatest drawing card in the history of baseball. Holder of many home run and other batting records. Gathered 714 home runs in addition to fifteen in World Series.”
In retrospect, it seems impossible that the Hall of Fame thought these 28 words did justice to the Babe’s career. Did the writer decide that Ruth’s accomplishments were just too numerous to list? Was the terse inscription a sly wink – or rebuke – to Ruth’s out-sized personality and Rabelaisian appetites? (Read More at Plate Coverage)
Predicting the 2016 MLB Awards
The World Series just concluded in historic fashion, meaning another baseball season is in the books. With many exciting moments and performances, there was plenty to keep fans busy in 2016. Soon, the sport will announce the winners of its awards, and there is plenty of competition for the top honors. Without further ado, here is my (unofficial) ballot.
MLB Reports 
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