2016 MLB Thread

[Jagger69]

The Cardinals pitches and catchers begin spring training workouts a month from today! It's always a good sign when baseball season is right around the corner!!

It'll be tougher for us than ever this year with the improvements the Cubs have made to an already-formidable lineup....they have to be the favorite in the NL Central going into the year but I'm thinking my Redbirds will not give up their regular-season dominance so easily. I'm sure Mo's got "cards" he ain't showing yet so it will be interesting to see how things play out. And, of course, the Bucs will be in the mix as well as the Brew crew and the Reds keep rebuilding. Still some major free-agents left unsigned so we'll see what happens when the dust settles. How do you see your team's prospects at this way-early stage of the hot-stove season? :dunno:

 

[feller469]

The Red Sox should have a more consistent offense, but I am not holding my breath with their starting pitching. Would like to see them play meaningful baseball in September.

 

[Jagger69]

The Red Sox should have a more consistent offense, but I am not holding my breath with their starting pitching. Would like to see them play meaningful baseball in September.

What? You just outbid my Redbirds for the services of one David Price so I would say your starting rotation has been drastically improved regardless of its previous condition. Is the rest of your staff really that bad?

 

[ThatRedWing]

The Tigers should be back in the hunt this year. Zimmermann isn't Price but he will improve the rotation. If Verlander pitches like he did in the second half, that should be 15-18 wins. The bullpen should be more consistent. I would have preferred bringing Cespedes back in but Upton helps the outfield. I do wish that they would have upgraded 3B. I'm guessing around 85-90 wins.

 

[TheAdmiral]

Rangers re-sign Colby Lewis for 1 year, Jordan Danks to a minor league deal

 

[Jack Davenport]

I was a huge baseball fan up until about 15 years ago. Then I became totally bored with it. I think the players strikes started my lack of interest.

 

[Straight Shooter]

I was a huge baseball fan up until about 15 years ago. .

Oh, so when did you join Al-Qaeda?

 

[barebeaverlover]

This just pisses me off!!!
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-new...gue-dh-2017-rob-manfred-mlb-designated-hitter

I hate the DH!! This will cost NL teams a fortune.:hairpull:

 

[feller469]

What? You just outbid my Redbirds for the services of one David Price so I would say your starting rotation has been drastically improved regardless of its previous condition. Is the rest of your staff really that bad?

Unless they signed someone else, yes. You don't finish last two years in a row with quality pitching.

 

[Jagger69]

This just pisses me off!!!
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-new...gue-dh-2017-rob-manfred-mlb-designated-hitter

I hate the DH!! This will cost NL teams a fortune.:hairpull:

I hate it too! I will be super-pissed if the NL adopts this idiotic aberration to the rules of baseballl (dealing with the fact that the pitcher has to bat is an integral part of baseball strategy). As usual, it will likely play out because the MLBPA will want it. Purist fans like me DON'T.

 

[darkwarrior3007]

I think I'm going to like the 2016 season.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/162639412
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/yoenis...0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--

I don't like the DH in the National League either. Not having a Designated Hitter is one of the reasons I've always prefered the National League over the American League, other than the fact that the Mets are in the NL.

 

[barebeaverlover]

I hate it too! I will be super-pissed if the NL adopts this idiotic aberration to the rules of baseballl (dealing with the fact that the pitcher has to bat is an integral part of baseball strategy). As usual, it will likely play out because the MLBPA will want it. Purist fans like me DON'T.

Pitchers are babied enough now as it is. Let them hit!! If there was no DH in the minors or college ball, maybe they could hit better when the got to the show.

 

[BCT]

I was a huge baseball fan up until about 15 years ago. Then I became totally bored with it. I think the players strikes started my lack of interest.

I still love baseball but I will admit I did take a 2 year break after the strike, I was young at the time.

 

[pool_hustler]

How do you see your team's prospects

I see them as non existent.
The Dodgers will not make the playoffs.
They will struggle to be a .500 team.

Good luck replacing Grienke with an aging, injury prone Scott Kazmir (who was a whopping 7 and 11 last year) and some Japanese guy.

The front office duo of Friedman and Zaidi, who were exposed as incompetents last season, will utterly crash and burn this season.
"Analytics" can be useful to a degree, but their slavish devotion to them has and will continue to rob their teams of spontaneity, instinct, and most of all chemistry.

Why the Guggenheim group took a shot with these Ipod idiots I'll never understand. The whole "Moneyball" concept had long since lost its originality and become common currency.

This will be Vin Scully's last season as a Dodger announcer, and I'm thinking that when Vin calls it a career with the team I will too.

 

[Jagger69]

I was a huge baseball fan up until about 15 years ago. Then I became totally bored with it. I think the players strikes started my lack of interest.

No offense but if a strike destroyed your passion for the game itself I would contend that you were never a huge baseball fan to begin with. Little League, High School, College, American Legion, all the levels of minor-league baseball, Mexican League, Japanese League....it's the same game no matter what. To me, it's the greatest athletic and strategic game there is and the strike, although most unfortunate, didn't detract from my passion for the game itself....perhaps MLB, but not baseball. Maybe that's what you are saying and I'm simply misconstruing your statement and it's really MLB with which you have become disenchanted. If that's the case, I understand but to suddenly become bored with what used to be a passion has to be due to more than just the game itself.

I see them as non existent.

The Dodgers will not make the playoffs.
They will struggle to be a .500 team.

Good luck replacing Grienke with an aging, injury prone Scott Kazmir (who was a whopping 7 and 11 last year) and some Japanese guy.

The front office duo of Friedman and Zaidi, who were exposed as incompetents last season, will utterly crash and burn this season.
"Analytics" can be useful to a degree, but their slavish devotion to them has and will continue to rob their teams of spontaneity, instinct, and most of all chemistry.

Why the Guggenheim group took a shot with these Ipod idiots I'll never understand. The whole "Moneyball" concept had long since lost its originality and become common currency.

This will be Vin Scully's last season as a Dodger announcer, and I'm thinking that when Vin calls it a career with the team I will too.

Wow, you sound just like a really good friend of mine who bleeds Dodger blue! I must admit that I too am puzzled as to the personnel approach that management has taken with this team. I agree that their starting rotation has gone backwards....way too much reliance on Kershaw now and an extremely weak bullpen doesn't bode well for them. Makes me unhappy....I love it when the Dodgers matter. The Cardinals have developed an awesome rivalry with them and I want it to continue. I wish you luck in 2016 but I fear that perhaps Donnie Baseball didn't like what he saw when there was a "mutual agreement" that he would not return as manager. The team is talent-laden in so many areas but has some huge holes that might be impossible to fill without major changes in 2016. Good luck, amigo.

 

[feller469]

Where I live, I am in easy driving distance to the Red Sox,Twins, and Rays spring training. What other Grapefruit League teams should I see play these three?

 

[ChefChiTown]

The Cardinals pitches and catchers begin spring training workouts a month from today! It's always a good sign when baseball season is right around the corner!!

It'll be tougher for us than ever this year with the improvements the Cubs have made to an already-formidable lineup....they have to be the favorite in the NL Central going into the year but I'm thinking my Redbirds will not give up their regular-season dominance so easily. I'm sure Mo's got "cards" he ain't showing yet so it will be interesting to see how things play out. And, of course, the Bucs will be in the mix as well as the Brew crew and the Reds keep rebuilding. Still some major free-agents left unsigned so we'll see what happens when the dust settles. How do you see your team's prospects at this way-early stage of the hot-stove season? :dunno:

I think the most dangerous team in baseball this year is going to be the Cubs. Why? Last year they did great - they had a young, mainly inexperienced and newly-put-together team - and they still did great. This year they'll be more comfortable playing with one another (with the exception of losing Starlin Castro) and I expect them to be incredibly confident. Now they KNOW what it takes to get to the playoffs. Now they KNOW what the playoffs taste like...and they'll be even hungrier to get back there. This year they'll be even more determined to get there and I believe they will be the most dangerous team in baseball.

Well, next to my Chicago White SAHAHAHAHAHAAAA I can't even say that without laughing. They White Sox are going to suck again.

 

[ThatRedWing]

Well, next to my Chicago White SAHAHAHAHAHAAAA I can't even say that without laughing. They White Sox are going to suck again.

Well, they did pick up a catcher that his own father didn't try to resign. Actually Avila is pretty good behind the dish but his lack of a bat and concussion issues make him a liability.

 

[Jagger69]

Where I live, I am in easy driving distance to the Red Sox,Twins, and Rays spring training. What other Grapefruit League teams should I see play these three?

Yanks, Mets, Jays and Cardinals would be my top draws.

 

[feller469]

Yanks lose 1B Greg Bird for the season to a torn labrum.