Happy Opening Day

[NovaNation1188]

While I believe baseball is cyclical, I highly doubt there will ever be a 10 year stretch that even closely resembles '95-05 ever again. As many stats as you hear about how hitting is down -- they usually sound like, "This is the first time since 1966."

Pitchers will have a pretty solid edge from now on due to technology and advanced mechanics, but there will be great hitters to come. The whiffs are troubling, NYT had a great article on the increase in strikeouts over the last 20 years. But the game is a market and will adjust.

 

[NovaHoops2002]

Originally posted by selmore1:
Baseball's salary structure is so screwed up it's unreal. Whoever negotiated the deal the players have should be retroactively stoned. I don't understand how there isn't more of an uproar. Corey Kluber just won the Cy Young and signed a 5 year $38 million deal for the sole reason that he was a pre-arbitration. And that's the most a pre-arb player has gotten. I know, "who cares, they're all millionaires", but it still doesn't seem right for these teams to take advantage of their young players so much. I guess the players union doesn't change because the older players make so much money off this because all the money saved on cheap all star talent goes to overbloated contracts for former good players. I can't understand how any player coming up goes along with how baseball does salaries.

Good post. This also plays into the lack of offense IMO. Look at the Cubs and Kris Bryant. The guy is obviously ready to be in the big leagues yet they are keeping him back just to be able to keep him under control for 1 more year. It's obviously the right business move, but is 110% the wrong baseball move. Look at the Phillies and how they treat their young "talent" (and have in the past). Ryan Howard didn't get called up until he was 24 (I know Thome was blocking, but it's just an example). Sports in general are becoming a younger mans game, and baseball seems to be the last sport to fully jump into that. I know a lot of the guys need time in the minors, but when a guy can play he can play.

 

[adp98]

Arak, the Bryant thing is such a joke. He's missing 9 games, 9. Is that going to make a huge difference in anything to lose a year of control? No. It's silly that people have taken the Boras bait here. Cap tip to Boras. 9 games over the course of 162. Do the WAR on that and you'll find is basically meaningless.

 

[NovaHoops2002]

Originally posted by adp98:
Arak, the Bryant thing is such a joke. He's missing 9 games, 9. Is that going to make a huge difference in anything to lose a year of control? No. It's silly that people have taken the Boras bait here. Cap tip to Boras. 9 games over the course of 162. Do the WAR on that and you'll find is basically meaningless.

I agree that it's a right business move, but beyond that it makes no sense.

 

[adp98]

The point is having Bryant miss 9 game makes no difference. He could just as easily hit .120 over that short stretch. It's a complete non-issue. So it makes complete sense because professional sports is a business. Which is why Boras tried to put the hook in people's mouth in the first place. Looks like he hooked one fish.

 

[NickleDimer]

Why isn't the strike zone automated in baseball? This has to happen within 5 years, right?

 

[TheDean]

Originally posted by NickleDimer:
Why isn't the strike zone automated in baseball? This has to happen within 5 years, right?

Good luck breaking up the Umps' union

 

[Ninetynine5.0]

In this case the right business move is also the right baseball move, because having him under control the additional year is better for Cubs baseball. Nine games in April mean exactly dick. He's a baseball player - he could have missed that many games with a root canal or a bad cold.

 

[nardibynature123]

Originally posted by NovaNation1188:

Originally posted by LizReed:
There aren't many good hitters these days. I'll take good hitting over good pitching in this day and age.

It's a lot easier for pitchers to study batters than for batters to study hitters.

 

[NovaHoops2002]

Originally posted by Ninetynine5.0:
In this case the right business move is also the right baseball move, because having him under control the additional year is better for Cubs baseball. Nine games in April mean exactly dick. He's a baseball player - he could have missed that many games with a root canal or a bad cold.

I disagree, the goal is to win games and field the best team possible. 9 games may not seem like much, but that is 9 less games for Bryant to get acclimated to the big leagues and get his feet under him. In the grand scheme of things you are right, it is better for the Cubs future. But in the right now it makes no sense.

It's not just Bryant, teams usually delay bringing younger guys up when they would be better served playing in the big leagues and getting the experience. The Phillies wrote the book on jerking young players around and delaying their call ups.

 

[Ninetynine5.0]

Originally posted by NovaHoops2002:

Originally posted by Ninetynine5.0:
In this case the right business move is also the right baseball move, because having him under control the additional year is better for Cubs baseball. Nine games in April mean exactly dick. He's a baseball player - he could have missed that many games with a root canal or a bad cold.

I disagree, the goal is to win games and field the best team possible. 9 games may not seem like much, but that is 9 less games for Bryant to get acclimated to the big leagues and get his feet under him. In the grand scheme of things you are right, it is better for the Cubs future. But in the right now it makes no sense.

It's not just Bryant, teams usually delay bringing younger guys up when they would be better served playing in the big leagues and getting the experience. The Phillies wrote the book on jerking young players around and delaying their call ups.

No the goal is to build a sustainable core for as many years as you can. Having him under control the additional year while he isin his prime is the best baseball move. In exchange for a few games in April? Home run.

 

[NickleDimer]

Originally posted by TheDean:
Good luck breaking up the Umps' union

Well, history has shown that it is pretty adept at breaking itself.