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MLB 2013: September Thread Where Pittsburgh Tries to Win it All


Craig H

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Dont recall it coming up here yet, but there are some in baseball making noise about the number of players available after September call-ups, since some teams max out the 40 man limit and some, like Houston, are closer to 30-32.

They argue this is a competitive imbalance, allowing teams to have fresher players or can rest regular starters for pennant race games.

On one level, it's your own fault if you dont want to pay/burn service time for 40 players.

But Bt i can see the logic of having a 40 man roster but only being allowed to use 30 (which can change daily) during the game.

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Dont recall it coming up here yet, but there are some in baseball making noise about the number of players available after September call-ups, since some teams max out the 40 man limit and some, like Houston, are closer to 30-32.They argue this is a competitive imbalance, allowing teams to have fresher players or can rest regular starters for pennant race games.On one level, it's your own fault if you dont want to pay/burn service time for 40 players.But Bt i can see the logic of having a 40 man roster but only being allowed to use 30 (which can change daily) during the game.

 

Some teams also don't call players up straight away because the minor league seasons still have a few games left.

 

I think your idea of only being able to dress 30 (yet keep up to 40) is a good one.  Reminds me of hockey's system.  We could have so much fun with media-created "Healthy Scratch" controversies!  Oh wouldn't that be a grand time.

 

Expanding the active Roster in the last month has long been one of baseball's odder rules to me, though.  I suppose year long 40-mans would let the richer teams horde talent, but letting teams keep 30 up on the big club wouldn't be that unbalancing, would it?  Maybe it's a union thing.

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If I you asked me on Friday what's the worst case scenario for the Cardinals series, what happened this weekend was even worse than I could've imagined.

 

Huntington shouldn't have caved to fan pressure and made those trades for Byrd and Morneau. Nothing against those guys but every time the Bucs add players for a playoff push, a death spiral follows shortly thereafter. It's like the vengeful Baseball Gods smiting the Pirates down for the sin of hubris.

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It's like the vengeful Baseball Gods smiting the Pirates down for the sin of hubris.

 

 

Yessssssssssssssss! 

 

Embrace the prevailing metaphor!

 

You have grown strong this summer, young Skywalker.  But you have yet to know the true power of the Dark Side.  You're rebel friends will soon be crushed.  And they will be followed in due time by the luckless Braves.

 

But you can live on.  You can sit at my right hand of the thread and rule the Galaxy for all of October.  All you have to do is renounce those sad fools and bow down to this Ozzie Smith bobblehead.

 

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DO IT!!!! CLICKING THE SPOILER WAS THE FIRST STEP!!!!!!!

You didn't have to.  BUT YOU DID!!!!!!

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Congratulations!  Welcome back to mountaintop.

 

Now.  There's just that one. last. step. you need to take:

 

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Sidebar.

 

If you are EVER on the Price is Right and you get Mountain Climber, it's an instant win if you bid $20, $30, and $40.   Always.

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I have a feeling that over the next few years, the narrative between bounce back and forth between "this extra wild card is awesome!" and "imagine if we only had one wild card!"

Anyone who honestly likes the second wild card needs their head examined, or like selig, gently put to sleep. . . . . 

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Add it to his career totals in MLB.  They're the same thing, right?  I mean, that's what ESPN tried to sell us regarding Ichiro...

 

The guy hit 53 HRs in his first 107 games this year.  Granted, that's an awesome achievement at any level of ball, but c'mon.  By contrast, he hit 15 in 170 MLB games.

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Add it to his career totals in MLB.  They're the same thing, right?  I mean, that's what ESPN tried to sell us regarding Ichiro...

 

The guy hit 53 HRs in his first 107 games this year.  Granted, that's an awesome achievement at any level of ball, but c'mon.  By contrast, he hit 15 in 170 MLB games.

About as relevant as the AAA single season record, and the same level of competetion, except the minor leaguer who challenges that won't be walked so he can't tie and pass it. . . .

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I read a reporter say he is not as ostracized as Tuffy Rhodes was, since he has tried to ingrain himself in Japanese culture.he apparently speaks fluent Japanese.

And basubaru fams have apparently warmed to American players, based on how wellichiro was received in the US when he started in 2001

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Add it to his career totals in MLB.  They're the same thing, right?  I mean, that's what ESPN tried to sell us regarding Ichiro...

 

The guy hit 53 HRs in his first 107 games this year.  Granted, that's an awesome achievement at any level of ball, but c'mon.  By contrast, he hit 15 in 170 MLB games.

About as relevant as the AAA single season record, and the same level of competetion, except the minor leaguer who challenges that won't be walked so he can't tie and pass it. . . .

 

Worth noting (again) that Japanese parks are smaller than their American counterparts and that the ball itself is smaller as well.  They changed the ball this year, making it harder, which has led to a home run boom.  Balentien has 21 games to break the record - and he missed the first 12 games of the season with an injury.

 

Just for giggles, here's an article from Baseball America listing the single season home run records for every minor league:

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/09/for-the-record-minor-league-home-run-leaders/

 

In the modern era, it's hard for me to wrap my head around a guy piling up 40, 50 home runs in a single season and not moving up.  Ron Kittle set his record in just 127 games and got called up in time to play 20 games for the White Sox.  But how the heck do you not call up a guy hitting .345 with tons of power sooner than that????

 

One guy on the list is a particular favorite of mine - Joey Gallo, who set the Arizona League record last year with 18 HRs.  After he set that record, he got called up to the Spokane Indians.  He has RIDICULOUS power.  He hit a grand slam that went over a light pole in right field in Spokane that had to have traveled around 500 feet.  Unreal considering how the ball simply doesn't carry here.  He's hit 38 HRs in 106 games at A ball this year.  Just 19 years old, too.

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re: Kittle. I'm assuming the argument would be that the White Sox didn't need him at any of the positions he could "play"...they had a couple of solid corner OF, a good DH, a fine 1B. Look at the roster. It would have been lovely to see him play third though...

 

The Braves had a minor leaguer a few years ago named Cody Johnsno who had absurd power. He also struck out 150+ times in a season in four straight years, so there's that.

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