The Official 2013 MLB Season Thread

[Reason]

The baseline numbers:

2012: .330/.393/.606, .999 OPS, 164 OPS+ , .417 wOBA, 166 wRC+
2013: .366/.459/.692, 1.151 OPS, 205 OPS+, .479 wOBA, 208 wRC+

So far he’s raised his batting 36 points, his on-base percentage 66 points and his slugging percentage 84 points. His advanced metrics -- OPS, park- and league-adjusted OPS, weighted on-base average and wRC+, essentially a park- and league-adjusted version of wOBA -- all correspond with that.

From a pure production standpoint, 2012 wasn’t really a historic season; it wasn’t even Cabrera’s best OPS figure at that point in his career. But using the advanced metrics we can place his 2013 in context of other all-time great seasons. There have been 49 seasons (including Cabrera’s) since 1901 in which a player recorded an OPS+ of 200 or greater, via Baseball-Reference.com. The last four were by Barry Bonds, the two before that by Sammy Sosa in 2001 and Mark McGwire in 1998, the two before that by Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell in the strike-shortened 1994 season, and the one before that Barry Bonds in the 1993 expansion. Albert Pujols, as great as he’s been, has a career-best OPS+ of 192 in 2008, a year he hit .357/.462/.653.

Of course, the 2001 to 2004 run that Bonds went on, as well as the Sosa and McGwire seasons, are understandably met with a bit of skepticism. They weren’t the only hitters putting up monster numbers from 1993 to 2009, just the ones who put up the biggest.

For the purpose of this next list, let’s go back before 1993, avoiding all those messy seasons from that era, and list the seasons with a 200 OPS+ since 1950:

Miguel Cabrera, 2013: 205
Barry Bonds, 1992: 204
George Brett, 1980: 203
Willie McCovey, 1969: 209
Mickey Mantle, 1961: 206
Norm Cash, 1961: 201
Ted Williams, 1957: 233
Mickey Mantle, 1957: 221
Mickey Mantle, 1956: 210
Ted Williams, 1954: 201

[Reason]

holy fuck at dave winfield

i never knew this till now but he was drafted by the nfl, mlb, AND NBA

[Reason]

this ruben amaro-criticizing article rules

http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-12/s ... alex-smith

[Tommy Bunz]

David Murphy has been going after Amaro hard all year. 50% of the articles he writes are about how badly we are managed. Love it.

[Reason]

this article rules:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/in-awe-of-jose-iglesias/

[peanut butter]

Goddamn Babe Goldschmidt



PEACE

[Reason]

Goddamn Babe Goldschmidt



PEACE

he's amazing

[peanut butter]

Goddamn Babe Goldschmidt



PEACE

he's amazing

PEACE

[capable_keL]

[Reason]

ugh

[alpha]

Even with a loss last night kc is 17-4 in their last 21 games.

[Reason]

godamn the angels blow

[Reason]

soriano = 4 homers and 14 rbi last 2 games

[Reason]

holy fuck pb did u see puig throwing out byrd at third tonight? shit was cray...mets are sonning puig on sliders off the plate this series though

[Philaflava]

imma say it.

miggy > pujols

[peanut butter]

imma say it.

miggy > pujols

Imma say it:


Recency bias




PEACE

[Philaflava]

10 consecutive 100+ RBI seasons. He isn't far from the mark and he is 30. Pujols is probably 35.

If Miggy strings a two more seasons together where he is at the level he is now, it's a fucking wrap.

[peanut butter]

I know dude. I actually probably agree. Just fuckin around mostly. But it's real easy to crown king in the Miggy/Pujols debate in 2013 when one is the best and the other is an albatross. This one might need a couple years to marinate before all is settled.

Anyway, Chris Young has missed two game winning home runs on two nights in a row by about two centimeters combined.



PEACE

[Ramen]

Ethier

Pretty awesome series with the Mets.

[Smithee]

Anyway, Chris Young has missed two game winning home runs on two nights in a row by about two centimeters combined.



PEACE

[Tommy Bunz]

10 consecutive 100+ RBI seasons. He isn't far from the mark and he is 30. Pujols is probably 35.

If Miggy strings a two more seasons together where he is at the level he is now, it's a fucking wrap.

Pujols has better career numbers in hitting and has almost double the career WAR that Miggy has as well. Fielding and baserunning matter too.
Miggy still has a long way to go to catch up.

[capable_keL]

who saw puig gun down that base runner tho?

[Jayou Ayen]

Anyway, Chris Young has missed two game winning home runs on two nights in a row by about two centimeters combined.



PEACE

Losing to the Jamrages is always unacceptable, but these last two have been exceptionally bad.



39

[capable_keL]

well thank god baseball finally decided to fix the game..... managers get 3 replay challenges a game

[Ramen]

I cant wait till Dusty Baker trots out to the plate to dispute a call and the ump just looks at him and says "challenge it then mother fucker", then Dusty kicks dirt on the plate and sulks back to the dugout.

[alpha]

Sonny Gray tho

[peanut butter]

The Lastros tho




PEACE

[peanut butter]

HACKTOR SANCHEZ DA GAWD





PEACE

[Philaflava]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/95684 ... cal-hitter

[Joe Pesci]

So apparently A-Rod snitched on Braun and some other guys to help his own case.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_ ... is-scandal

Members of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez's inner circle leaked the names of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun and his own teammate Francisco Cervelli to the media in the Biogenesis scandal, according to a report by "60 Minutes."

The leak came days after the Miami New Times published redacted documents from Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch that revealed comprehensive doping regimens for professional athletes including Rodriguez.

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Ian O'Connor reacts to the report that Alex Rodriguez's inner circle leaked the names of Ryan Braun and Francisco Cervelli to the media in the Biogenesis scandal.

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Members of Rodriguez's camp obtained unredacted versions of the documents that contained Braun and Cervelli's names and sent them to Yahoo! Sports, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Yahoo! first reported Braun's and Cervelli's involvement with Biogenesis.

Rodriguez's lead attorney, David Cornwell, released a statement Friday morning denying the latest allegations:

"These allegations are untrue and are another attempt to harm Alex, this time by driving a wedge between him and other players in the league," Cornwell said. "While Alex focuses on baseball and repeatedly states that he is going to respect the appeal process, the drumbeat of false allegations continues. These improper and viciously false leaks will not alter the fact that MLB exceeded its authority under the JDA [Joint Drug Agreement] and the 211 game [suspension] will not stand.''

MLB has evidence showing that Rodriguez obtained documents from the Biogenesis clinic, a key factor in MLB's decision to hit Rodriguez with a 211-game suspension on Aug. 5, a source familiar with the league's investigation told "Outside the Lines." Former Biogenesis employee Porter Fischer has told ESPN that several boxes of clinic documents were stolen from his car in March, and some of that material was later sold to MLB. Friday, however, a source confirmed to OTL that MLB was indeed given evidence that Rodriguez had obtained some of those documents, which MLB is apparently prepared to argue was an attempt to prevent investigators from acquiring them. "Outside the Lines" has also reported that MLB obtained information that Rodriguez tried to interfere with at least one witness in the case.

Leaking the documents also would be seen as a violation of MLB's rules. The league stipulates that information related to the Joint Drug Agreement remains strictly confidential.

In handing down the hefty suspension, it is also believed that the league was convinced that Rodriguez, who admitted PED use from 2001-03 while he played with the Rangers, is a habitual abuser of PEDs.

Braun (65 games) and Cervelli (50), along with 11 other players, have accepted suspensions for their roles in the Biogenesis scandal. However, Rodriguez is appealing his ban that was handed down by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

A-Rod's Good, Bad & Ugly

ESPNNewYork.com takes a look back at A-Rod's best -- but mostly worst -- moments as a Bronx Bummer Bomber.
Photo Gallery Photo Gallery Top 50 Yanks Photo Gallery

Rodriguez's case is set to be heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz in the coming weeks. In an interview last week, MLB Players Association head Michael Weiner said he will support Rodriguez's appeal.

"We feel what he [Selig] did, frankly, was inappropriate and almost ridiculous," Weiner said. "Look at the penalties that have been [given] out and cases that have been decided by the commissioner's office along with the players' association. Nothing comes close to 211 games."

Selig defended Rodriguez's suspension Thursday at the owners' meetings in Cooperstown, N.Y.

"I spent many, many hours thinking about it," he said. "Trying to be fair, trying to be logical and rational. And the one thing you learn in this job after 20-something years, I wouldn't second-guess it today at all.

"I know why I did it, and what I did. I thought it was eminently fair then and I think it's eminently fair today."

Super-villain game too strong.