2022 MLB General Season Chatter: Ghost Runners On The Half-Billion Dollar Infield

pretty great game to be at if I’m honest!

always be honest (with us, anyway)

wild to me that w 18 games or so left so many teams in the AL are not mathematically eliminated yet.

THERE'S STILL A CHANCE FOR THE ANGELS

this feels like a much crazier than normal year

unlikely but legit shot at a triple crown in both leagues
one of those players is gonna beat the maris record
ohtani having possibly a better year than last year and might not get a single #1 vote
pujols doing something 0% of people alive thought he'd do before the season
dodgers are on pace for like 113 wins
mets are actually good, maybe

things i'm rooting for now that my team is more or less out of it:
pujols 700
all AL East teams finish over .500
that a single non-judge or ohtani player finishes with over 8 WAR
goldschmidt gets the triple crown and in typical goldschmidt fashion no one notices because all the attention is on judge
yankees and rays do bad in the playoffs

Don't forget "ragtag group of scrubs and rejects screw up the Orioles'scheduled fourth straight tank by all being good"

i don't *want* it to happen, because i support non-usual suspects being in it to win it . . . but it would still be pretty funny if the padres missed the playoffs after all this (they're 1.5 up on milwaukee for the last wild card)

kinda wanted every AL east team to have a better record than every AL central team, but clevo's pulled away a bit

also i'm happy for long-suffering mariners fans

So I just saw that the Mets have been plunked 101 times this year and are on their way to a record for getting HBP.
What was really surprising is the Dodgers and Reds last year are 1 & 2 on the list and of all the teams that have at least 100 HBP in a season (6 total) none were before 1997!

Why the fuck are players getting hit so much?! I would have thought It’d be happening less these days

Hmmm...maybe more and better padding? More as in more surface area to hit, and better as in the hitter is willing to be hit a little more than in the last?

Beats me though

Mets booth think its case of velocity vs pitch ability / control. Meaning that the league is trending to throwing faster but many (young) pitchers can’t control a ball that fast, don’t know how to pitch inside with control.

anthony rizzo practically stands on the plate and deserves every single plunk imo

It's like Bruce Springsteen said: there's a meanness in this world.

it's like sheryl crow said: all i wanna do is have some fun

i didn't realize that they're giving out a gold glove at a new position this year: super-utility

spoilers, but tommy edman already won the award

Marwin Gonzalez got hit in the head by the throw from the catcher back to the pitcher!

very rude

is there a..penalty or anything for that? haha

Luis Guillorme has got to be in the running for super utility too.

Feeling like the Mets and Braves will end up tied at the end of the year, and the lack of a game 163 is going to be unsatisfying for all involved.

it’s like cyndi lauper said, she bop, she bop a we bop

Orioles turn three!

59 for AJ

True: 300 posts for a wild-card game six years ago.

2016 AL Wild Card: Baltimore Orioles vs.Toronto Blue Jays

surprised i was not 50% of them!

dayton moore out in kc

The San Francisco Giants announced Wednesday that recently retired Buster Posey has returned to the famed organization, albeit as an owner. The 12-year veteran has purchased an unknown minority share in the Giants’ ownership group, recently valued by Forbes at $3.5B. Moreover, Posey will also serve on the Giants’ board of directors. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times first reported that Posey was joining the ownership group and being added to the board of directors.

When discussing the addition of Posey to the ownership team, Greg Johnson, the Giants’ chairman, told Kepner that the two of them want to bridge “the trust gap that exists because of the structure in baseball,” and that Posey is “somebody there that’s respected by the players and part of our ownership group.”

Posey reiterated this idea saying, “I want to be viewed as, like, pro-baseball … I’m not pro-player, I’m not pro-owner, I just love the game of baseball, and this is another opportunity for me to learn more about the game, more about the business and really commit my time to an organization in a city that I’ve grown to love.” Posey, however, clarified that he’s not “taking on any type of front office role” and that he’s going to take a more “hey, let me know where I can help and I’ll help there” approach with his new position.

uh, so what is buster posey doing?

he's a part-owner, but he wants everyone to know that he's not pro-owner, and they're very happy he's there, and everyone is clear that he doesn't actually have to do anything

Just gotta sit around and own

he's just a figurehead they can trot out for good PR; he owns a tiny percentage that grants him no power apart from making money when he sells it

isn't posey mega rich from an early under armour investment or something

he wasn't pro under armour, or anti

so with not quite two weeks left only two team-level questions remain:

1) will the mets or braves get the bye

2) can milwaukee catch either san diego or philadelphia for a wild card (they're currently 3 behind both of them in the loss column; fangraphs gives them a 21% shot)

brewers and padres both finish the season with nine straight games at home while the phillies are on the road for their final 10. brewers' schedule *looks* easiest, but the good teams the other two face may have little to play for

it's the most boring end to a season that i can recall in the last decade or so?

pic.twitter.com/k7FCtNPjL0

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 24, 2022

La Russa, who turns 78 next month, took a leave of absence from the club at the end of August. The exact nature of his medical ailment wasn’t specified at the time, though it was reported that he would undergo testing on his heart. He was cleared to travel to Oakland a couple of weeks ago for a ceremony honoring Dave Stewart, though not to return to any kind of active duty in the dugout. It seems that, in the opinions of his medical team, La Russa hasn’t recovered enough to return to the team over the final days of the season.

La Russa’s contract runs through 2023, though his ability to actually serve as the club’s skipper next year could depend on how he recuperates. Cairo has been at the helm the past few weeks and will continue in that role down the stretch.

kinda wonder if they’re playing this up to allow him to r retire without losing face

or losing more face at least

Brewers still very much alive in the WC hunt. 1.5 behind Philly, 2 behind SD

don's out after the end of season

Don Mattingly and the Marlins have mutually agreed that 2022 will be his final season as the club’s manager, according to a press release from the team.

The team released a statement from chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman as well as Mattingly. Sherman’s portion reads: “We are fortunate to have had Don Mattingly leading our team on the field over the last seven years. He has represented the Marlins, our players, our fans, and the South Florida community with unmatched dignity and pride. Over the course of our recent conversations with Don, we both agreed not to pursue a new contract for the 2023 season and that the time is right for a new voice to lead our clubhouse. He will depart with the most wins and most games managed in franchise history and we are proud of Don’s many accomplishments, including winning National League Manager of the Year in 2022 when he guided the Marlins to the postseason after a 16-year absence.”

Mattingly’s portion of the press release reads: “Today I am announcing that I will not be seeking a contract extension with the Miami Marlins. After meeting with Mr. Sherman and discussing with Kim Ng, all parties agreed that it was time for a new voice for the organization. I am proud and honored to have served as manager of the Marlins for the past seven years and have enjoyed my experiences and relationships I’ve developed within the organization. I look forward to spending time with my family in Evansville, and to any future endeavors.”

Mariners were up 11-2 against the Royals, now down 13-11 after an 11-run inning.

Arod got big

Anywhere you can check online to get an estimated time for resumption of a baseball game? Not sure how long I want to wait on this Yankee-Red Sox game.

no

you can check the twitter account for the home team. once they have an estimate, they'll probably post it there. while waiting, you can engage in fun banter about what time the game might resume with other fans, who are very patient

Hey, good call.

Tonight's game is officially under a rain delay. We will update you with more information as it becomes available.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 26, 2022

Anywhere you can check online to get an estimated time for the next New York Yankees tweet?

lindsey adler on twitter can give you a heads-up. she won't *know*, but she'll probably hear about things first

also, dallas keuchel has been DFA’d by the white sox
― mookieproof, Saturday, May 28, 2022

And released by Arizona (July 22), and released by the Rangers (Sept. 4). If that's it, his final season has to be among the worst ever by a major award winner:

2-9, 9.20 ERA, 44 ERA+, 5.52 FIP, 2.060 WHIP

He was almost equally lousy for all three teams.

With judge due up next inning, I was waiting there until they announced the game was done. It had let up a fair amount, but I guess the field was just too soaked to go on.

Was also fun to watch the BA leader contest (and with it the triple crown) play out with both judge and Xander in the game

Here’s a look at all three balk calls in one batter from Marlins pitcher Richard Bleier.

🎥 @BaseballDoesnt pic.twitter.com/og54ECdiaE https://t.co/SJOJd7hYbf

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) September 28, 2022

ngl i have no idea what he was doing wrong there

shoutout to the mets tho for managing to lose to the marlins in a game where an opposing pitcher balked three times in one AB

ngl i have no idea what he was doing wrong there

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, September 28, 2022 12:20 AM (ten minutes ago) bookmark

I’m not familiar enough with him to know whether this was a case of the yips or if he always has this motion and has just never been called before, but he’s definitely not setting himself before throwing the pitch