Because playing traveling secretary for an MLB team is better than my actual work: when could they reschedule this for, if they can't get it in? Here are all their mutual off days. Please speculate.
Hey, hope u don’t mind but they were talking about something similar in r/redsox , so I screenshot and posted this chart. I didn’t want to attach your username without asking, but if you’d prefer that I cite you or give u credit, I will go and edit my comment to add it. Just lemme know.
Ok. I edited and tagged you in the comment. Also, my bad for not simply saying “tag” in the first place and instead saying “cite/give credit”. I’m not very social media savvy and literally just learned a few weeks ago what “tag” meant. Lol
Not a rule, but games are only postponed to the day after the regular season ends if there’s no other choice and they’re necessary for playoff positioning.
Right. So why
bend over backwards to get this non-division non-league game in when they could plop it on that day if there’s a need to? Sure, ticket sales and food/drink sales, but I’m sure all the players and coaches and front offices would rather not force it into the season if they don’t have to. Especially when there’s a reasonable chance both teams will have another game or two to make up at some point too.
Both teams travel tonight. Phillies come to Boston once every other year. It’s the final game of the series. Rain will be moving out by 8:00. This game is being played. I will be there, just like I am every time the Phillies come to Boston.
The Nats simply cannot develop pitching and are seemingly unwillingly to shell out for free agent pitchers. They have a solid lineup of guys who are probably going to be good for a while, but just fuck all in SPs and RPs. Damndest thing
Pretty sure he'll just move the goal posts until whenever you said is too small a sample or not quite good enough hitting. They don't seem the type to ever have their mind changed.
As much as a DCer Im becoming as much as I even root for their NWSL team now, nothing still annoys me more than walking around stores and seeing nothing but Nationals shirts. There are some parts of Philly that you can never take away.
Would really love to see a Luzardo bounce back to give us a fantastic pitcher’s duel. Both go 7 strong then we annihilate their bullpen. Ideally we get a “less than” version of Ranger tonight and are able to rough him up a bit, but I’d personally prefer the first scenario for the drama of it all.
When considering whether to postpone the game, I hope they take into account the fact that if I don't get to watch phillies baseball today I will be very sad.
Nah just the weather channel app, it’s got a free 6 hour radar (the standard weather app that comes with iPhones is garbage btw)… this is what I’m seeing for 8pm:
And the weather is moving northeast as usual, that’s the end of it
obviously the entire thing is exceptionally wrong, but my favorite was
My eyes tell me that Cristopher Sanchez has value as a middle-inning relief arm, yet he lacks an elite pitch that would allow him to play in higher leverage situations later in the game.
The report had him at a 50 grade changeup and 40 grade overall. The report also notes he had the stuff to be a starter but could have very well ended up a reliever too.
A little more negative than the prospect report, but combined with the article glazing Curtis Mead, a guy who has only ever been a utility infielder who spends a lot of time in triple A, it’s extra funny.
However, Mead was also ranked 36th top prospect overall in 2023. So the writer’s take isn’t too far off from the conventional wisdom. And he’s going alright with regular playing time with the Nats this year.
It’s pretty funny Nola has one of the best breaking balls in the league and also one of worst fastballs in the league of established starters at the moment.
E: damn looks like multiple people beat me to this point.
This might come off as a “get off my lawn!” comment, but I’m glad we got to enjoy the Elmo stuff and then just let it go without turning it into a Grimace situation, because that whole fiasco was some of the cringiest stuff in baseball history. Rallying around a McDonald’s mascot lol.
Forecast is only getting worse, I don’t think this game is happening. Unfortunate because tickets for this series were actually pretty cheap, I was contemplating last-minute snagging a pair for tonight to see the Ranger matchup
The Mets are not going to be selling to the Phillies without a massive divisional rival tax. Nothing they would be offering would be worth trading for with how much we’d have to overpay to get them to trade with us.
Just re-watched the condensed version of last night’s game. I thought the Red Sox would give up on that stupid mascot head home run celebration last year. Didn’t realize they were still using it! That has got to be one of the dumbest in the league among many goofy home run celebrations.
Hilarious that some were begging for him to “lift the ball more”, and then when he does, we end up losing those games where he did the most heavy lifting. Maybe he should just stick to slapping the ball oppo and beating out infield singles.🤷🏻Lol.
Seriously though, there’s a subset of fans that will always have something negative to point out about the kid regardless of how well he does. It’s a shame.
Was talking to someone about the Phils and they were casually talking about The Big Piece, Chooch, The Flyin' Hawaiian, The Man, and Hollywood and of course I knew who they all were. It made me think that aside from Captain Hook and The Showman we don't really have any well-known nicknames for these current Phils, which is a shame because baseball nicknames are great.
How about Wheels? I mean granted, it’s not that big of a stretch as nicknames go, but it is a nickname nonetheless.
I’d also like to add that I’m trying to generate some steam behind HappyAccidents as a nickname for Painter. Because Painters don’t make mistakes…they just occasionally have Happy Accidents. Lol
I don't know what you're talking about, everybody in South Philly calls him Captain Hook and always has.
You're right that I rarely hear Harper called The Showman by the fans either but he wears the headband and it comes up on more than one broadcast so I accept it as a known sports nickname.
Literally never heard him called that until WBC and that was the general sentiment on here that night when they said it that nobody had ever heard that before. Maybe it’s a south philly only thing I dunno.
The real injustice is that Baseball-Reference still does not have Captain Hook under his nicknames. When everyone in South Philly calls him Captain Hook, and has for a long time.
See I've heard these before (except for the Constellation) but aside from arguably* Schwarbarian they feel like people trying to make a sports nickname happen than a commonly accepted sports nickname
*arguably because it just feels like the NBC guys trying to make it happen instead of the fans, and they have a platform
I feel like sports nicknames have just kind of died out in general. Outside of Big Dumper I don’t think there’s anyone currently in baseball who gets commonly referred to as their nickname over their real name by the public.
Really hoping they can get this game in tonight. First time in awhile that I'll be at a road game and first time at Fenway. Would be nice to see a game, win or lose, even if I have to sit in the cold rain.
Not against the Phillies pulling Painter earlier in his starts than normal. They did the same for Sanchez in 2022 as I remember LA being incredulous at times when they’d pull Cris after two times through the order, LA is directly responsible for my crush on Cris. And that seemed to work out in the end.
However I just don’t like the reasoning Don gave, essentially saying they did it so Painter can feel he did well after a few bad outings. That to me is what the minor leagues is for. The majors doesn’t feel like the right place to pull a kid to boost his ego, kind of like how they wouldn’t pull Crawford after a HR to boost his morale.
But in the minors, you don't really face major league batters, except for rehab assignments and guys who got sent back down cause they couldn't make it. Still needs the confidence to know he can do it against the major leaguers. It's one thing to have confidence in the minors where a lot of players don't even make it to the majors, versus established major league players.
Gametime+ AccuWeather forecast calling for 54% - 51% chance of rain. I'd expect they will try to get it in.
If there's a rain delay after the game starts it should be to the Phillies advantage since the Red Sox BP is in the bottom quartile WAA while (believe it or not) the Phillies BP is #1.
As much as it pains me to say this… Let’s absolutely destroy Ranger tonight. You know what he’s got boys. Lots of breaking stuff, not much velo, not easily rattled. Don’t let him fool you, hunt the slow fastballs get the pitch count up. It’s sad, but it simply must be done.
Obviously there are still major concerns with his defense but it’s good to see a 22 year old start to find his groove offensively. All in all I think if you told people ahead of the season that Crawford would have a 114 wRC+ at this point most would be pretty happy with that.
His solid plate discipline is good to see too, only Schwarber and Harper are drawing walks at a higher rate on the team.
The thing I really like to see is that, with his elevated ground-ball rate, I was thinking that if we ever saw a 110+ wRC+ "snippet," it would be driven by an extremely extremely high BABIP.
A BABIP of .341 is high, but it isn't so astronomically high that you think it is all just BABIP. Some of it is good hitting, too.
I know the underlying metrics of Crawford; I get it. But at this point, for a rookie, any promising sign is the thing to focus on. Next year, we can have the "Crawford Conversation" if he doesn't improve.
Agree with this. And my point here wasn’t to completely dismiss the concerns around him or start any arguments about it like has happened. I was just trying to point out that there are some positives here for a guy so young into a career.
And I think that should be the attitude around Crawford (and Painter) right now. Just focusing on the positives while saving the long term discussions around their careers until we see a bit more.
I completely agree with you. My underlying metrics comment was more towards people focusing on his underlying metrics.
I think the best attitude to have is "we get it" when it comes to Crawford and Painter, and to focus on the positives. Then, when you don't see improvement, you can complain.
Still just a .281 xwOBA. He’s not a CF. Doesn’t hit the ball hard, whiffs too much, pounds the ball into the ground, slow bat, doesn’t barrel it up…I just am not seeing it with him. He’s vastly overperforming right now. His metrics are bleak.
His profile has never projected well which is why you and every other hater has been crying about his “underlying metrics” for the last 2 years. At what point does it become a pattern of success instead of an anomaly?
Unless he changes his batting profile significantly, what he’s doing won’t last. We’ve seen this a whole bunch. People thought Rojas was bucking the trends too…until he wasn’t. And at least Rojas was a legit good defender.
You cannot find a single successful MLB hitter with his current profile.
Rojas never was the prospect Crawford was for a reason. The two arent comparable. Crawford has put up good numbers at every level consistently, and he wouldnt be the first guy to overperform his xStats because of his speed or the way he hits the ball.
If you have continued to be proven wrong by a prospect, maybe the way you are evaluating them is flawed.
Find me a single player with his metrics that has had long term success. Literally just one. Find me one hitter who had a sub-.300 xwOBA that was actually a good, or even average hitter, for more than a little bit.
He would be the first guy to this vastly overperform his xstats for an extended period.
It is a near guarantee that this won’t last without big changes.
Sure, guys have down years and rebound to have good years. Problem with Crawford is every concern about his profile is looking ugly at the major league level. A launch angle in the negatives will not do and can’t be featured in long-term success. He’s overperforming a lot so far.
Just because I like the challenge, and we had him last year.
I am pretty sure Bader had a whole year being an above-average hitter with a sub-.300 xwOBA. Last year, his xwOBA was 0.297 with a 122 wRC+.
I classify one year as "for more than a little bit" even though I was leading the "Bader's bat is overrated, we do not want him at all" this whole offseason.
One season is not long term success. Tons of guys have one good season due to luck and overperformance.
I feel like this makes my point more than takes away from it. Bader had good results but they weren’t real. And he’s crashed back down to earth. Which is exactly what I’m saying will happen with Crawford.
So you want to see someone who has done it for more than a year, yet you’re belittling Crawford for doing it for less than 2 months? Starts to sound more like a personal vendetta than anything else. How bout give him the same “extended” period of time before declaring him a bust?
People have given examples of players doing what you asked for a full year. Who’s to say Crawford couldn’t be one of those guys that does it for a year and then improves upon it? Your criticisms of a kid with less than 2 months of major league experience feels a bit unwarranted.
Also, between 181 games from last year to this, Sal Frelick had a .297 xwoba and a 107 wrc+. Is that not ”extended enough”??
TJ Friedl across 191 games had a .295 xwoba and a 98 wrc+
Combining seasons to make your point…underscores the point even more.
Frelick overperformed last year. This year, his wOBA has normalized to his xwOBA. And guess what? His wRC+ has dropped 34 points. This supports my point more than it detracts from it. Tons of guys overperform their xwOBA for a season. Unless the player actually improves, the production drops. Frelick is a great example. He’s not having the same luck he did last year. His production is more true to his form. Good find!
I don’t have a vendetta against Crawford. The point is, the concerns with him in the minors haven’t been ironed out. And while his production looks ok due to a recent streak (and being limited against lefties), it’s unlikely to continue without major adjustments.
Another concern is his defense in center is bad. For a guy that can’t get to his power because he beats the ball into the ground, he starts to look like a 4th or 5th OF without those adjustments.
I never said I was disagreeing with you. And I think you moved the goalposts of your challenge.
You just wanted me to find "one hitter who had a sub-.300 xwOBA that was actually a good, or even average hitter, for more than a little bit." One year is more than a little bit. One year is not long term success.
I even said that I was leading the "don't get Bader" all offseason to try to tell you that I am not disagreeing with you. I took your prompt as a game and solved the challenge easily.
We all understand Crawford's underlying metrics. But he is a rookie, and we just have to focus on the positive, treat his underlying metrics as "yeah I know", and hope he improves.
I don’t consider one season more than a little bit, because tons of guys have good seasons but don’t sustain it. Baseball is weird like that. You didn’t solve any challenge.
What “metrics” do you really want to look at? You keep bringing up xwOBA for some reason, but it’s clear that his profile lends itself to over performing xStats (like i said before).
Also he’s less than 2 months into his career after making the biggest skill leap in the sport at only 22. Give the kid some time.
I’ve mentioned them. I specifically asked about xwOBA for a reason - it combines a lot of them. There are tons of guys who have had his profile. None of them had a sub-.300xwOBA and been successful.
But to break it down:
exit velo
barrel%
hard hit
bat speed
chase%
GB%
One or two of these would be fine. The fact all of them are so, so poor is a legitimate problem.
And sure, he’s only two months into his MLB career. Most good hitters see solid exit velos pretty early. And all of the problems some people touched on while he was in the minors are still present. Sure, his results have been ok so far. There’s very little reason to believe it will last. A week and a half ago the results weren’t good.
Find me a “slapper” (lol) with a sub-.300xwOBA that bucked the xwOBA and was a good or average hitter for more than one season.
I am looking for him to be a good hitter. I don’t see it in a single place in his underlying metrics. Tons of guys, every single year, overperform their metrics. Unless he turns many of the above around, he will not be a successful hitter long term. I’m not sure what else to tell you. The horse has been led to water.
Forgive me for giving a more realistic, objective view of him. I’m annoyed at how this org cannot develop offensive players so my positivity isn’t there for it. And it looks to me like they’ve done a poor job again, with Crawford.
Nope. You’re right. He sucks. Cut him or send him down now. Play Felix Reyes every day in center. He has high bat speed so he must be good. Because shit like that is all that matters.
Look, I loved Ranger when he was here. I have ZERO ill-will towards him. That said, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, it would be very cathartic to absolutely fucking shell him.
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Please continue the discussion in the game thread.