Mega Thread MLB season 2024

[Dixie Flatline]

The ball that Shohei hit for his 50th homerun of the season sold for US$4.39 million at auction earlier today. This compares to the Dodgers' offer of US$300,000 for the ball.

 

[smasha]

jazz chisolm is over due to do something.

True.
Wells and him very x factor players a bit like Edman who has been tremendous for the Dodgers in the post season so far.

 

[JLC]

True.
Wells and him very x factor players a bit like Edman who has been tremendous for the Dodgers in the post season so far.

Yeah, I like Wells. Dodgers will pitch Big G very carefully. Wells/Jazz might be the beneficiaries of that.

 

[largebus]

Chisholm has looked lost every time I've watched him bat. Him and Judge need to step up if they're to win the series because the right now the Dodgers lineup bats much deeper

 

[MatthewB]

I've got involved in junior baseball since my son started playing six months ago for his local junior club. This is emphasised at training and in games. Don't let the umpire make the decision for you. If you strike out swinging, oh well, at least you did something at the plate. You leave the bat on your shoulder, you allow the decision to be taken out of your hands.

i was taught that as a junior

 

[BLA60]

Dodgers should be favourites

As weird as it sounds the lineup is deeper. Ohtani, Freeman, Betts, Muncy, Smith, Tommy freaking Edman.
Yankees is really Soto, Judge and Stanton.

Dodgers avoid damage there and chances are they win.

On the pitching side for the Yankees after Cole its not great behind that. Rondon is average and Cortes if he is back is average.

Of course its the WS so the script writes itself. But thats my 2 cents.

 

[revo333]

People want a fair competition. To many rules currently exist that allow super teams to be formed. Under the current system fewer and fewer teams will be able to compete for a world series regularly

Time will tell, Texans v Diamondbacks was the least watched WS ever on record.

 

[celestial]

Dodgers should be favourites

As weird as it sounds the lineup is deeper. Ohtani, Freeman, Betts, Muncy, Smith, Tommy freaking Edman.
Yankees is really Soto, Judge and Stanton.

Dodgers avoid damage there and chances are they win.

On the pitching side for the Yankees after Cole its not great behind that. Rondon is average and Cortes if he is back is average.

Of course its the WS so the script writes itself. But thats my 2 cents.

Just on batting, in this post season batting stats for both teams :

home runs
Dodgers - 20
Yankees- 13

RBI
Dodgers - 66
Yankees - 39

Hits
Dodgers - 93
Yankees - 70

If the dodgers can see off cole and lay into their bullpen early , then we should be able to see them capitalise on their batting prowess.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Mets fell short in the NLCS against the Dodgers, so their season has been completed. Their President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, met with the media to discuss the Mets' plans for the off-season. The Mets are bracing to lose a number of free agents in the off-season, with 1B Pete Alonso, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Luis Severino, OF Harrison Bader, DH J.D. Martinez, OF Jesse Winker and INF Jose Iglesias all slated to become free agents, while LHP Sean Manaea has a player option that he will almost certainly decline after a strong season in 2024.

The Mets are projected to have approximately $160 million in salary committed for 2025, which means they're about $170 million short of their salary for 2024. This is set to grow once Manaea opts out and the Mets decline to tender offers to qualifying players.

Stearns knew this ahead of time, as he signed nine players to one-year deals last off-season, with Manaea the only player to be offered a second season, and that came in the form of a player option.

Stearns noted that the starting rotation will need work, with the Mets slated to lose three members of their starting pitcher brigade (Quintana, Severino and Manaea). Each of those three pitchers threw in excess of 170 innings during the season, meaning that the Mets will need to find close to 550 innings from starting pitchers in 2025. Christian Scott also underwent Tommy John surgery in September and is highly unlikely to pitch in 2025.

Currently, the Mets can project RHP Kodai Senga, LHP David Peterson and RHP Tylor Megill in their rotation for 2025. Senga battled injuries for most of 2024, while Peterson and Megill are below average starters at best. The Mets could also retain RHP Paul Blackburn through arbitration for 2025, but he is no more than a fourth starter on his best day and has also suffered his fair share of injuries between Oakland and the Mets over the past few seasons.

While plenty of reports link the Mets to impending free agent RF Juan Soto, the free agent market for starting pitchers also looks robust, with the likes of RHP Corbin Burnes, LHP Blake Snell, LHP Max Fried and RHP Jack Flaherty the most attractive free agents. Behind that group of pitchers sit the likes of Manaea, LHP Yusei Kikuchi, RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Nick Pivetta and RHP Nathan Eovaldi. The Mets may also seek to acquire pitchers through trades, with the White Sox likely to move LHP Garrett Crochet for the right price, while RHP Sonny Gray and RHP Zack Littell may also be traded.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

The Tampa Bay Rays have re-signed RHP Michael Flynn to a minor league contract, with an invitation to 2025 Spring Training. Flynn is in line to make $900,000 if he makes the majors in 2025. Flynn was acquired by the Rays in a trade that sent utility Amed Rosario to the Dodgers earlier this season.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

With the Mets and Guardians eliminated from the post-season, a number of players have elected minor league free agency. From the Mets, Joe Hudson (catcher), Eddy Alvarez (infielder) and Pablo Reyes (infielder) all elected minor league free agency. From the Guardians, outfielder Estevan Florial and pitchers Tyler Beede and Carlos Carrasco elected free agency.

 

[flamethrower]

I've got involved in junior baseball since my son started playing six months ago for his local junior club. This is emphasised at training and in games. Don't let the umpire make the decision for you. If you strike out swinging, oh well, at least you did something at the plate. You leave the bat on your shoulder, you allow the decision to be taken out of your hands.

To be fair though this is a lot easier at junior and lower levels of baseball, than at major league level.

As you start facing better pitching, especially in professional leagues, the pitchers are able to disguise their pitches to the point where many times a pitch will look like a ball until it reaches the plate.

 

[Dixie Flatline]

To be fair though this is a lot easier at junior and lower levels of baseball, than at major league level.

As you start facing better pitching, especially in professional leagues, the pitchers are able to disguise their pitches to the point where many times a pitch will look like a ball until it reaches the plate.

That's very true, but the truism still holds true, even at professional level. Having spoken to a fair amount of coaches and umpires at the junior level, they will (possibly unfairly) call a borderline pitch to a youth player a strike when it could easily have been called a ball, because they want the youth players to learn to swing the bat. If they stick with the sport and continue playing it, they're going to face better pitchers, who will challenge them. They need to be ready to swing, especially at the bad pitches. They should also be learning to protect the plate on two strikes, which gets back to the original point - don't let another person make the decision whether you're out or not for you.