2025 MLB Season Thread
The Tokyo series is March 18-19th, will air on FOX, and is between The Cubs and The Dodgers.
The Regular Season starts Ma
Ohtani with a shot to become the first player this century to score 150 runs (and 2nd since Ted Williams in 1949). Thru 1/3 of season, 54 games (played 52) he had 57 runs. Maybe a 10-20% chance?? He'd have to stay healthy and very hot. Also a real chance for 100 runs at All-Star break. I remember Manny having 101 RBIs at the break one year, not sure if anyone else modern has done it.
Ohtani has the absolute dream set up to do it. He hits the way he hits, they put him at leadoff, and his lineup protection is absolutely elite.
The tradeoff of course is that he has 20 home runs with only 35 ribs.
I've never seen a player set up better to score a huge amount of runs.
Ohtani has the absolute dream set up to do it. He hits the way he hits, they put him at leadoff, and his lineup protection is absolutely elite.
The tradeoff of course is that he has 20 home runs with only 35 ribs.
I've never seen a player set up better to score a huge amount of runs.
True that for sure. And a leadoff hitter with 50 dingers has never been a thing I don't guess. That helps. Whoops Brady Anderson just came to mind. And yeah that lineup is stacked. It seems like a crazy amount of XBH for them in that traditional pitcher's park.
True that for sure. And a leadoff hitter with 50 dingers has never been a thing I don't guess. That helps. Whoops Brady Anderson just came to mind. And yeah that lineup is stacked. It seems like a crazy amount of XBH for them in that traditional pitcher's park.
Last I checked the Dodgers had a very unique thing going
Ohtani leads the league in SLG
Freeman leads the league in BA
Davis leads the league in OBP
That being 3 different guys on the same team seems like a good chance to be a first in history. Don't see Davis holding on though.
Acuna scored 149 a couple seasons ago and tweaked his knee in the last week, missing a game or two.
Acuna scored 149 a couple seasons ago and tweaked his knee in the last week, missing a game or two.
It was a funny thing. When Bonds went hypersonic with 70 homers and 400 or so walks, he just kept scoring the same 120-something runs that he always did. So he never approached 150, never got to 130, was kind of stuck on 129 a bunch of times. Of course he was old when his OB% went crazy high.
Judge is 4th in the majors in homers? That's a disgrace.
Barry Bonds versus Randy Johnson (a.k.a. "Large Unit"):
62 PA
49 AB
12 BB
2 HBP
15 hits
3 HRs
3 2Bs
.306/.452/551/1.003
Just more evidence he was good. I mean you saw Kruk hitting against Johnson, didn't you? 😀
Torn UCL for AJ Smith-Shawver :(
See you in 2027
It was a funny thing. When Bonds went hypersonic with 70 homers and 400 or so walks, he just kept scoring the same 120-something runs that he always did. So he never approached 150, never got to 130, was kind of stuck on 129 a bunch of times. Of course he was old when his OB% went crazy high.
The problem was the hitters behind him were always weak. After Jeff Kent left and Rich Aurilia (who batted in front of Bonds anyways) had a freak year. And they would usually bat Bonds 4th which was just plain dumb IMO. It would be an aging Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz, and random old scrap heap guys like Dustin Mohr, Steve Finley, Marquis Grissom, Edgardo Alfonzo, Benito Santiago. It was pitiful and frustrating.
Give 2004 Bonds the lineup protection Ohtani has and his runs scored would've been absurd. Late 30's Bonds wasn't so slow that it prevented him from scoring runs at all.
Interesting that his career high of 129 runs he reached 4 times.
Diamondbacks hit the same guy with a pitch twice before recording an out. There’s no way that’s ever happened before .
weird mlb day from a pitching standpoint...
the two best pitchers going right now both lose 1-0
and two other pitchers with great records pitching against garbage opposition give up 12 and 10 runs in the early innings.
also what's up with the padres? aren't they supposed to have an unstoppable offense? Lately they can't score a run.
Abrams got hit by 3 pitches today. I'm sure that happened before, but it's certainly far from common. I don't ever remember seeing it.
Dodgers used a position player to pitch when up 16 runs on the Yankees. I thought teams usually only did that when they were on the losing end.
Trout batted 6th today. I'm guessing it's been 10+ years since he did that.
Judge is still at .398
This Kim guy on the Dodgers is at .422
Senzatela is 1-10. So he's on pace to go like 3-27. Nobody has more than 7 wins at this point.
I wonder if starting pitcher win-loss records will tend to look worse, because you can get a loss when you pitch less than 5 innings, but you can't get a win. I do think the 5 inning minimum for a starter to get a win is due for an adjustment. Effective starters are sometimes pulled earlier for a variety of reasons. A reliever can blow a lead and get win after giving up runs in one inning, but a starter that throws 4 good innings can't get a win? Seems like a broken stat to me.
Senzatela is 1-10. So he's on pace to go like 3-27. Nobody has more than 7 wins at this point. I wonder if starting pitcher win-loss records will tend to look worse, because you can get a loss when you pitch less than 5 innings, but you can't get a win. I do think the 5 inning minimum for a starter to get a win is due for an adjustment. Effective starters are sometimes
And to think they came up with the 5 inning rule and most probably thought it should be 6 innings minimum.
Currently I believe it's up to the scorekeepers discretion who the win goes to . Even though I don't think they have ever gone that way .. even if the starter pitcher 4 and 2/3rs shutout and left the game up 10-0 (injury obviously).
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The problem was the hitters behind him were always weak. After Jeff Kent left and Rich Aurilia (who batted in front of Bonds anyways) had a freak year. And they would usually bat Bonds 4th which was just plain dumb IMO. It would be an aging Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz, and random old scrap heap guys like Dustin Mohr, Steve Finley, Marquis Grissom, Edgardo Alfonzo, Benito Santia
Until recent years, teams really had no idea how to set line ups.
You look at any random batting order in the 80s or early 90s, and the number 2 hitter is often hitting .265/.310/.350, but he could run a little or sacrifice bunt well! Yes that's the guy you want to get more PAs than your best hitter who'd often be put 4th. SMH!
Even the offensive juggernaut that was the late 90s Cleveland Indians usually hit Omar Vizquel 2nd, giving him more plate appearances than Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, etc...
It was madness. Your best hitters should bat 1-3 almost always in some order. Giving the most PAs to your best hitters is not rocket science, you'd think.
Aaron Judge May update:
Judge is hitting .398/.490/.778 with 21 HR.
He's walking less than ever before but his 86 hits lead MLB by 8 over Jacob Wilson in 2nd place. Teammate Paul Goldschmidt is 3rd in hits. Goldschmidt's transformation into an elite slap hitter deserves its own discussion.
Until recent years, teams really had no idea how to set line ups.You look at any random batting order in the 80s or early 90s, and the number 2 hitter is often hitting .265/.310/.350, but he could run a little or sacrifice bunt well! Yes that's the guy you want to get more PAs than your best hitter who'd often be put 4th. SMH!Even the offensive juggernaut that was the late 90s
This is all true, and what I've railed against for over 20 years is this out of date deadball area that got entrenched in baseball pseudo science that speed belongs at the top of the order.
Why do you need speed on the bases when Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, or Albert Belle are hitting? With the things those guys do at the plate, what use is speed at ball? If anything you shouldn't run at all when those guys are hitting.
Speed manufactures runs. Which is something you want to try to do when the weakest part of your lineup is up. So speed guys should ideally bat something like 6th or 7th in the lineup.
Now if the speed guy is a great hitter who gets on base a ton like Rickey Henderson I'm fine with him batting 1st. But a guy like Billy Hamilton or Vince Coleman makes absolutely no sense at the top of an order. Those are guys perfect for batting 7th. Let them run wild and try to cause havoc when your weakest hitters are up.
Speed at the top of the lineup was just always an accepted baseball truth since before I was born. But as soon as you actually think about it, especially in a lineup with big hitters in the middle, the more it makes no sense.
A smaller note that I've never heard anyone else mention. I was a big Bonds fan when he was crushing. I always felt ge would benefit from batting 3rd or 2nd for multiple reasons. For one thing, when you bat 4th, you don't know whether you're batting In the 1st inning or the 2nd inning. This seems very timing disruptive. You get all ready to hit, then you watch Marquis Grissom hit into an inning ending double play. Then you have to run in from left field and immediately go lead off the next inning.
If the giants just got one high OBP guy to bat leadoff, and then batted Bonds 2nd, then boom, he'd get a high percentage of ABs with a man on, and you could give him the best lineup protection available in the 3 and 4 spots. I've always felt that the number 2 spot is a highly underrated spot to stick your best hitter.
Lol dbacks and all but this is a fun view
Some Koufax facts I got out of a video the other night:Birth name: Sanford Braun (I never knew that)Played hoops at UC where he was a skywalking slammer jammer apparently He pitched the last inning for the Brooklyn Dodgers, 9th inning relief in 1956He pitched the last inning for the L.A. Dodgers in L.A. Coliseum (waiting for Chavez Ravine to open)Not sure if he pitched the firs
He was actually on basketball scholarship in college too not baseball.
His perfect game is probably the best pitched game overall for 2 teams. The a dodgers won 1-0 on one hit. They got the hit several innings after they scored their only run.
He also went to high school with whichever the older Wilpon is who used to own the Mets.
Until recent years, teams really had no idea how to set line ups.You look at any random batting order in the 80s or early 90s, and the number 2 hitter is often hitting .265/.310/.350, but he could run a little or sacrifice bunt well! Yes that's the guy you want to get more PAs than your best hitter who'd often be put 4th. SMH!Even the offensive juggernaut that was the late 90s
#2 hitter was usually some scrappy white guy who couldn't hit worth **** but bunted well and didjt strike out much.
There was a game in the 2001 WS where Craig Counsell hit 2nd (lol) and had 3 sac bunts with a man on first and no outs.
#2 hitter was usually some scrappy white guy who couldn't hit worth **** but bunted well and didjt strike out much.
There was a game in the 2001 WS where Craig Counsell hit 2nd (lol) and had 3 sac bunts with a man on first and no outs.
That seems like exactly what a weak number 7 or 8 hitter should do in those situations. Doing that in front of your 3/4 guys makes no sense.
