2012 MLB Season

[pmoehrin]

Nice to see some West Coast Bias for a change. This is a proud day.

Agreed. It's amazing to see that Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford finished second because of Giants fans stuffing the ballot. This would normally annoy me, but seeing Jeter get picked for the millionth time when he's completely undeserving negates that.

Actually, if you get rid of your complete hatred and look at the facts, he's completely deserving of the vote. Stat wise he's comparable to both Andrus and Cabrera. Sure Cabrera has a little more power 11 HR and 40 RBI vs Jeter's 7 and 25, but there is nothing except for Cabrera's RBI total that they are offensively blowing Jeter out of the water as all their offensive stats are comparable.

Yeah but defensively its not even close especially with Cabrera. If you go by chances per inning, Cabrera gives up one less base hit a game then Jeter does and he's also turned 20 more double plays. Also with OPS Cabrera is over 100 points better then Jeter is.

If any of those numbers were closer I would say ok maybe there's an argument for which player is better right now. But don't say Jeter is the starting shortstop over Cabrera for any other reason then he's Derek Jeter.

It's not a hatred at all. I really don't care if he starts for the AL. In fact I'm for it because it puts the AL at a slight disadvantge not having their best guy out there. My annoyance stems from the fact that fans can vote for the starters in a game that "counts" in the first place. This Giants situation is a perfect example. The fact that the Giants had a guy in the top 4 in voting in every position (or almost every position anyway) is ridiculous. Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt finished second and Freddie Sanchez, a guy who hasn't played a game since the middle of last season, finished 4th? That right there shows that this is a problem that should be fixed. Of course I'm in the unique position where guys from my team got the votes, so it's working out in my favor, but I can still admit its a problem.

My thing with online voting is how do you know its not rigged? What's really stopping somebody from using cloud computing to vote 10K times a day?

If it were up to me and I had to keep the fan vote, I would eliminate online voting altogether and just go all paper ballots. You could still get ballot stuffing from certain individuals but at least now you actually have to take the time to fill them out by hand.

[FiddySicks]

And Jay Bruce just handed this game to the Giants. Thanks, Jay! 3 game sweep of the Dodgers and a split with the Reds. I'll take it.

[ninersdd]

And Jay Bruce just handed this game to the Giants. Thanks, Jay! 3 game sweep of the Dodgers and a split with the Reds. I'll take it.

Next up is a visit to DC where I have to wake up at 8AM to see the Giants play on 4th of July. Do they do this every year? Hopefully the Dodgers continue to put up 0 runs again!

[Kramerica Industries]

As long as the ASG is worth something, it should be treated as such. You can't have fan balloting but attach World Series implications to the same thing - the practical essence of each are entirely different.

Eschew the fan balloting, or eschew the World Series implications. I'm in favor of the latter more-so, because the idea of Jonathan Broxton (for instance) surrendering an AL lead that could result in the AL pennant winner having to go to an inferior NL venue doesn't jive at all.

I mean, at least we can all point and laugh at C.J. Wilson being the reason his team didn't have home field last year. But that doesn't happen too often. Make the game an exhibition and fun for the fans again and for league bragging rights - I don't want to be rooting for the AL as if it were a Yankees playoff game. I want to be rooting for the AL since I am, and always have been, an AL baseball fan first and foremost.

[STL FANATIC]

I LOVE that the All Star Game means something. I'm okay with taking action to fit that theme better (like ending fan balloting), but I don't think it has to happen. The bottom line is that rotating back and forth every year was almost as random (in that it wasn't technically random at all, but it was random in that no team could play themselves into HFA at the World Series, it just had to happen in the right year).

[STL FANATIC]

This is what you get with fan balloting, but Posey and Sandoval starting, and doing so with such a wide margin of victory, is pretty bad. Both excellent players, just not deserving of the starting nod.

Molina's the easy choice at catcher with Ruiz on his tail, and it definitely should have been Wright at 3B.

Speaking of Molina, it'll be interesting to see how he does the rest of the year. If the Cardinals make the playoffs and he continues his offensive performance, combined with THE best defense in all of baseball at THE most important defensive position... we should be looking at an MVP candidate. Clutch is a weird thing to figure out, but he always succeeds in all the "clutch" situations.

That said, with them a close third, its no sure thing the Cardinals make the playoffs nor that Yadi continues his offensive tear. Still, if you appreciate the position of catcher as more than offensive position (and choose to factor in the defense with the offense), Yadi is having one of the better seasons a catcher has had in a while, IMO. You'l find plenty of catchers who have equaled or outproduced his offense over history (although this year he's up there with the best), but once you factor in that Platinum Glove defense, then you're cookin' with gas.

[Kramerica Industries]

If the ASG is to mean something then, then manage rosters and games like a regular baseball game. Back when the ASG was first being played and for decades after, the best players routinely played all nine innings. And that was when it was a true exhibition, played for the sole purpose of league pride, since free agency didn't exist and so many players were either AL lifers or NL lifers.

Fan balloting and pandering leads to an attempt to get every one possible into the games. And if the game means something, the last thing that needs to be done to the lineup and playing field is for there to be spring training-esque management.

You see what I'm getting at? The current style mixes about as well as oil and water do. One or the other has to go. I prefer it be the World Series implications*, but I wouldn't be saddened if fan balloting went. I rarely ever vote, so I don't care. But you can't have both. That doesn't make any sense at all.

*I prefer a simple "best record = HFA" in World Series concept. 98-64 vs. 94-68 means 98 win team gets HF. To me, that's the least flawed idea, because every idea invariably has its flaws. There is no perfect system.

[BigBubba]

I LOVE that the All Star Game means something. I'm okay with taking action to fit that theme better (like ending fan balloting), but I don't think it has to happen. The bottom line is that rotating back and forth every year was almost as random (in that it wasn't technically random at all, but it was random in that no team could play themselves into HFA at the World Series, it just had to happen in the right year).

There's a difference between "meaning something" and deciding HFA in the World Series. It is absolutely moronic to have HFA almost certainly decided by players who won't make it to the World Series, let alone qualify for the post-season. Question: Would you have been mad if the Cardinals had a better record than Texas last year, but lost out on HFA because a player on an irrelevant team like Tyler Clippard blew the game?

[Billy B]

Bryce Harper is on the list for the NL final vote, but said he would vote for Chipper. He may have been a cocky douchebag in his short time in the minors, but he's saying all the right things so far in the bigs. I'd love to see him in, but Chipper deserves to go and probably shouldn't even need to go to the last vote.

[DarkJourney]

More Giants sounds good to me.

So what if the fans stuff the ballot box. It's pretty much a tradition.

Chipper should win the NL final vote is a landslide.

[STL FANATIC]

I LOVE that the All Star Game means something. I'm okay with taking action to fit that theme better (like ending fan balloting), but I don't think it has to happen. The bottom line is that rotating back and forth every year was almost as random (in that it wasn't technically random at all, but it was random in that no team could play themselves into HFA at the World Series, it just had to happen in the right year).

There's a difference between "meaning something" and deciding HFA in the World Series. It is absolutely moronic to have HFA almost certainly decided by players who won't make it to the World Series, let alone qualify for the post-season. Question: Would you have been mad if the Cardinals had a better record than Texas last year, but lost out on HFA because a player on an irrelevant team like Tyler Clippard blew the game?

No.

[STL FANATIC]

By the way, I can get behind any idea that says HFA should go to the team with the best record. I just think it's sometimes forgotten that when baseball made the change, that wasn't the case. It's not like Bud screwed up a good system, he took something that was already kinda quirky and changed the quirk to his advantage.

I happen to like that quirk. The MLB ASG is the only ASG worth watching. I think it still would be even without the HFA of the World Series, but it helps.

But if they take that away and make HFA decided by best record, I won't complain. On the other hand, if they take it away and go back to alternating, I'll flip a .

[Sport]

It's not fair because the two world series teams will have wildly different schedules, but HFA should be decided by record. That's a hell of a lot more fair than the ASG deciding it.

I kinda like the idea of having home field be given to the league with the better interleague record. If you come out of the harder league, then in theory you had a tougher road to the series, then you've done more to earn HFA.

Of course, I'd like that idea a lot better if my team were in the American League where under that system the AL would have home field every single year. Perhaps home field advantage should be decided by which team had the better interleague record.

[The_Admiral]

I don't mind the ASG determining home field as much now that the American League doesn't win every goddamn year.

[OnWis97]

It's not fair because the two world series teams will have wildly different schedules, but HFA should be decided by record. That's a hell of a lot more fair than the ASG deciding it.

I kinda like the idea of having home field be given to the league with the better interleague record. If you come out of the harder league, then in theory you had a tougher road to the series, then you've done more to earn HFA.

Of course, I'd like that idea a lot better if my team were in the American League where under that system the AL would have home field every single year. Perhaps home field advantage should be decided by which team had the better interleague record.

This is where I am. The old "alternating years" system made some sense because of the different schedules. That's been watered down some with interleague play...I am sort of in the "just go with best record" camp.

As for the ASG, you cannot have it both ways...it can't "count" then have all these "exhibitiony" things like fan votes, a player from every team, getting everyone into the game, etc. Either play to win or make it an exhibition. I like the exhibition because I like having every team represented (though I don't like fan vote either way). And I like that most everyone gets in the game.

[pmoehrin]

Guess there's still some bad blood between LaRussa and the Reds.

http://bats.blogs.ny...cks-anger-reds/

With Phillips I think he just got bounced more because of numbers then anything else. He can't start and Altuve is the Astros best player. Has a decent argument for being in over both Altuve and Uggla but what are you going to do?

With Cueto though I think the Reds definately have a point. To put Lance Lynn on the team over either him or Greinke is a joke. Hell to put Lance Lynn in over Kyle Lohse is a joke. But even if Lynn wasn't on the team I would still say somebody would have to go in order to make room for Cueto.

[NEW.ERA]

Royals took the Jays to the woodshed tonight. Jose hit #27 tonight though.

[ninersdd]

Ooooh boy. I was bored and checked out the A's game for a couple of minutes, and Dice-K is already yanked after surrendering 4 runs in only an innings work!

[STL FANATIC]

Guess there's still some bad blood between LaRussa and the Reds.

http://bats.blogs.ny...cks-anger-reds/

With Phillips I think he just got bounced more because of numbers then anything else. He can't start and Altuve is the Astros best player. Has a decent argument for being in over both Altuve and Uggla but what are you going to do?

With Cueto though I think the Reds definately have a point. To put Lance Lynn on the team over either him or Greinke is a joke. Hell to put Lance Lynn in over Kyle Lohse is a joke. But even if Lynn wasn't on the team I would still say somebody would have to go in order to make room for Cueto.

The player vote is a HUGE key here.

Altuve was voted in by the players (plus, the Astros need a rep), so that's two 2B. It's extremely unlikely you're going to have three 2B. Can't blame La Russa for that.

Cueto did deserve to be in the game, but keep in mind that the players, who picked 8 of the 13 NL pitchers, did NOTE vote for Cueto. They DID vote for Lynn (a decision I disagree with). La Russa selected only 5 of the pitchers, and only 2 of them were starters: Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels, both very defensible picks.

Is it possible La Russa's disdain for Cueto played a role in his decision? Sure, I suppose so. But it's entirely explainable for so many other reasons.

For a team that has long accused the La Russa-led Cardinals as being a bunch of whiners, the shoe is falling squarely on the other foot at this point in time. And Cueto has taken it to a new level. Guy hasn't matured an ounce since he broke into the league.

And oh, by the way, La Russa selected Jay Bruce over Matt Holliday, when it's a pretty easy case that Holliday is having the better year. While most managers stack the teams with their own players year after year, La Russa never has.

[STL FANATIC]

Also, here's an idea for selecting the All Star STARTERS.

Let the fans, players, and manager all vote. Any time two of the three are in agreement on a player, that player starts. If there's no agreement (all three select a different player), defer to fans. Or players. Either way.

EDIT: Actually, let's say you defer to players. That way, since the game counts, you never give fans the ability to put an undeserving player in the game. You give them the ability to bump a player from the bench to the starting lineup, but not from out of the game to in it.