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MLB 2016-2017 Offseason |OT| At Least Next Year is an Odd Numbered Year.

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S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Nats, Barves among teams looking at Wieters

The Nationals have joined at least the Braves in what could turn out to be an NL East battle for free agent catcher Matt Wieters, league sources say.

Washington is said to be looking into whether Wieters, a career-long Oriole, can fit into their budget. They lost some power with the defection of catcher Wilson Ramos and trade of shortstop Danny Espinosa, so Wieters could make up for that. They did make a robust offer earlier for free agent Kenley Jansen, reported to be $85 million, before he went to the Dodgers, so they would appear to have some money left in their budget.

While the Nats added Derek Norris in a trade from the Padres earlier this winter, they still seem to looking at catching alternatives, including Wieters, who has played his whole career in Baltimore on the other side of the Beltway. They also have Jose Lobaton and prospect Pedro Severino.

The Braves have been in touch on Wieters, as well, though it’s uncertain how aggressive they will be here. The Mets are another logical fit for him, but to this point they are focused on the relief market and the potential trade of an outfielder, most like Jay Bruce.

The Diamondbacks and Rockies are among other teams that could make sense, though Rockies people suggest they are not unhappy with young catchers Tom Murphy and Tony Wolters and the Diamondbacks have hinted they may favor more of a part-time guy after signing Jeff Mathis and Juan Graterol to join Chris Herrmann.

The incumbent Orioles seem to be looking at outfielders and DH types and aren’t seen as especially likely to jump back into the derby for Wieters, a four-time All-Star for them, including last year when he had a .711 OPS. He has hit at least 15 home runs and had at least 60 RBI four times and is a multiple Silver Slugger and Gold Glove winner.
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S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Also, a long form article from ESPN:

The Art of Letting Go

The videos started to appear in America a few years ago, crossing the Pacific and landing on our digital doorsteps like mysterious gifts. Their contents were joyously unfamiliar: Korea Baseball Organization sluggers walloping balls and then flipping their bats with abandon, sending them spiraling through the air. Montages surfaced on a website called mykbo.net, gifs hit social media, and ecstatic headlines soon followed:

Korean Baseball Player Flips Bat Like a Champion

Now This Is a Righteous Bat Flip

This KBO Bat Flip Will Rock Your World, Free Your Soul

When I first saw the clips, I was astonished. What was this place, this parallel sports universe where baseball players could shatter the game's unwritten rules? While American ballplayers from Mickey Mantle to David Ortiz have flipped their bats, the act is still perceived as a great offense here -- an insult to the pitcher, the opposing team and all that's sacred in America's pastime. This tension came to a head last October, when Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista triumphantly flipped his bat after a magnificent home run during the American League Division Series, a viral gesture that was codified into memes, baseball cards and, most recently, a corn maze in Canada. Many fans were thrilled. But some current and former players, such as Cole Hamels, Mike Schmidt and Goose Gossage, were not. "Bautista is a f---ing disgrace to the game," Gossage said.

As Major League Baseball struggles to overcome its staid image and lure younger fans -- according to Nielsen, most of the sport's TV viewers are over 50 -- the simple bat flip has come to symbolize the culture war being waged within its ranks. It's a conflict between those who believe the game should embrace the traditions of other countries and flashier elements of other sports, and those who, as Bautista wrote in The Players' Tribune, are "old-school, my-way-or-the-highway type of people who never want the game to evolve."

Meanwhile, in the Korea Baseball Organization, bat flips aren't just permitted -- they're embraced. "A bat flip isn't disrespectful here in Korea, which is a very formal, respectful country," says Dan Kurtz, a Korean-American who started mykbo.net in 2002 as a message board for English-speaking fans. "A guy flips and the pitchers don't do anything about it. It's just part of the game." Kurtz explains that bat flips, which are called ppa dun in Korea -- a term that combines the words for "bat" and "throw" -- are ubiquitous in the KBO. But he isn't sure how that happened. "People ask me, 'Why can't we do this in Major League Baseball?'" he says. "I want to know: Where in Korea did it originate and why?"
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Z

zulux21

Member
gamz said:
Man, good catchers are such a rare breed now.
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they always have been decently rare, but yeah, it seems like they are super rare right now.

it's likely because it's a stressful position (on body and mind), underappreciated, and the fact that they tend to not get paid as much as a lot of other positions so if you can hit decently you choose a different position than catcher.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Silver Arrows said:
Also, a long form article from ESPN:

The Art of Letting Go
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https://twitter.com/AROD/status/814168461203030016

Alex Rodriguez Verified account
‏@AROD

#Ella #Slugger #MyEraJustWentUp

9:57 AM - 28 Dec 2016
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mIfQJBl.gif
 
BFIB

BFIB

Member
gamz said:
Man, good catchers are such a rare breed now.
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Its crazy. Apparently Carson Kelly is who was in demand most at the Winter Meetings on any Cards discussion via trade. Its who the Rockies named first, same with the White Sox for Eaton.
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
CosmicQueso said:
Do go on...
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I am just going to copypasta what I wrote earlier elsewhere when I posted the article:

who am I kidding, it has everything to do with race
notice how most of the prolific bat flippers are Latin Americans
Yoenis, Bautista, etc.
and most of the pitchers who get offended are white
Would they be doing the same if it was Mike Trout who blasted a series winning home run?
Probably not, hell, they'd probably call him a fuckin' savior.
the hypocrisy (ne, racism) when it comes to bat flips and pitchers getting angry about it would be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that it eventually turns into something ugly because of the butthurt
see, Odor's punch
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It also doesn't help that said 'the right way is the white way' sort of mentality is pushed even further upon by the crotchety old white writers in the BBWAA. Completely forgetting that ultimately, baseball and indeed sport is all about entertainment. An athlete, boiling it down, is essentially a ring leader for a circus, and the fans that fill the stadium are the ones paying for a show. Bat flips are a part of this. Skill is another. Yet a lot of the time, the (majority) white writers, players and coaches bang it in that it's about grit, hustle, other Cardinals-esqe buzzwords. Isn't the entire point of sports is that it's entertaining? Some of the greatest athletes of our time know that ultimately, entertainment is what the fans want. Championships, history, glory, it's all secondary. Hell, some would believe that MLB too knows this, which is why they willingly turned a blind eye to the steroid scandals of the 90's and 2000's.

In a lot of ways, it's the same sort of coded xenophobic / racist bullshit that European players had to deal with when they started to come en masse into the NHL, especially from Canadian writers and pundits.

I'll be honest and say that I have always loved players that break from the mold. Randy Moss, Alex Ovechkin, Yoenis Cespedes come to mind immediately. All of these athletes know that with their great skill, it's easy to entertain the fans. And ultimately, isn't that the point?
 
C

Carpe Libertatem

Member
BFIB said:
Its crazy. Apparently Carson Kelly is who was in demand most at the Winter Meetings on any Cards discussion via trade. Its who the Rockies named first, same with the White Sox for Eaton.
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Sounds like he's the #49 prospect for MLB.com, which is crazy considering he was nothing special before this year
 
D

Dmncnby2k9

Banned
Tweet:
Team USA’s 11 confirmed position players: Posey, Lucroy, Hosmer, Goldschmidt, Kinsler, Arenado, Crawford, Murphy, Yelich, Jones, McCutchen
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Want Dozier? Twins imply time is running out on considering trade offers

The Twins have been listening to offers for All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier for several weeks — but not much longer, it appears.

The club would like interested teams to step up with their best offer in the coming days, or they plan to prepare for the 2017 season with Dozier as their second baseman, according to a source with knowledge of negotiations.

The Twins don’t want to go too far into January without clarity concerning their All-Star second baseman. They could wait to move Dozier before the trade deadline.

Several teams have inquired about Dozier, with steady discussions throughout the offseason.

It wasn’t that long ago — 19 years — that the Twins were looking to trade another All-Star second baseman.

They did fine then, sending Chuck Knoblauch to the Yankees for four players and cash. Two of those four, shortstop Cristian Guzman and lefthander Eric Milton, were named to All-Star teams and helped the Twins reach the postseason in 2002, 2003 and 2004 (Milton was traded after the 2003 season). A third, Brian Buchanan, was moved to San Diego for shortstop Jason Bartlett.

This situation is different. The Twins were motivated then to move Knoblauch, who was productive but also a pain in the keister. They are not as motivated to move Dozier, the face of the franchise. They have made their demands and are not budging.

Dozier, 29, is coming off a season in which he set career highs in batting average (.268), on base-plus-slugging percentage (.886), home runs (42) and RBI (99). He’s in the prime of his career and is making only $15 million over the next two seasons
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Trade him to the Dodgers already, fuck.
 
H

HarryDemeanor

Member
Reports are out that the Dodgers' deal for Dozier is already generous enough. Twins just trying to bait more out of the deal just as the Padres tried for Matt Kemp.

Friedman ain't going to let that happen.
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Excuse the somewhat bait like title:

Japan skipper calls WBC a 'national concern'

After three years of preparation, Samurai Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo's moment of truth is about to arrive in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

"The pressure is building with each passing day," said Kokubo, who accepted the job in 2013 after Japan failed to win its third straight World Baseball Classic.

Speaking in a recent interview, Kokubo called the tournament vital not only to Japanese baseball, but to the nation as well.

"It is a matter of concern and interest to the citizens of this country. It is the ideal medium to express baseball's appeal. I think it's a tournament that will allow Japanese baseball to gain currency in the world."

Although Kokubo is the first full-time Japan manager, he is also the least experienced. Despite never having coached or managed, Kokubo was chosen, former Japan skipper Sadaharu Oh said, because he had played recently and could relate to the players.

Kokubo's managing resume consists of 28 games, mostly against mediocre competition. He and his staff appeared unprepared a year ago in the ninth inning of the Premier 12 semifinals, when South Korea overturned a three-run lead to hand the hosts their only loss of the tournament.

In that fateful game, a relief pitcher he wanted to use in case trouble erupted was not ready. Immediately afterward, Kokubo seemed unable to figure out what had gone wrong, but has since pointed the finger at himself.

"I went over all the critical articles. It would be funny if a manager with no experience lost and wasn't criticized," Kokubo said.

Looking back over his time in charge, he said that his first task was seeing how players carried the burden of wearing the national emblem on their uniforms. But until now, his team -- like the one his predecessor took to the 2013 WBC -- has consisted solely of domestically based players.

Houston Astros outfielder Norichika Aoki, a veteran of the '06 and '09 championship teams, however, has signed up for the March tournament, and a few more may follow his lead.

Although the Texas Rangers want to keep ace Yu Darvish out of the fray, three other frontline starting pitchers and one reliever could potentially join along with outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and utility infielder Munenori Kawasaki.

"We have offered invitations. We may need to adjust our personnel plan if major league pitchers join up," said Kokubo, who has expressed his willingness to give a starring role to flame-throwing slugger Shohei Otani, who might see action as both a pitcher and hitter.

"Basically, I'm thinking of him as a pitcher. Given his current ability, I want him to start our most crucial games. If it turns out that we are loaded with starting pitchers, then there is a thought of using him as a position player."

"As for the position players, the roster is set to some degree among the guys who have come this far with us. They are the ones I want to win the world title with. The members of the team compete with a sense of duty, and I think they will represent Japan well."

Japan will assemble Feb. 22 in Miyazaki and train there until moving to Fukuoka for games on Feb. 28 and March 1 against Taiwan, who will be playing their WBC first-round Pool A games in Seoul.

From March 3, Japan and Pool B opponents Cuba, China and Australia will each play two warm up games at Osaka's Kyocera Dome against Japanese clubs.

Pool B play will start at Tokyo Dome on March 7, when Kokubo's squad takes on Cuba.
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C

Choomp

Banned
Silver Arrows said:
i remember he had some harambe shirt on one of his IG updates a while back

Or was that Auston Matthews I'm thinking of?
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No that was him

Thor should've won that social media award, like he's not really that funny, I guess he's "MLB player using social media" kind of edgy, but he's definitely more funny than Rizzo on twitter

Also one of the best baseball games there^
 
S

Silver Arrows

Banned
Choomp said:
No that was him

Thor should've won that social media award, like he's not really that funny, I guess he's "MLB player using social media" kind of edgy, but he's definitely more funny than Rizzo on twitter
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Thor strikes me as 'fratbro funny' that being said, beating down shitty memes for the yuks.
 
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