MLB Offseason Thread - Pitchers and Catchers Report!

[Mr. Gundam]

Griffey's back in an M's uniform! Got a walk from the Aussie pitcher.

Did he pull a hamstring trotting to first?

 

Don't say that, you know it will happen now.

He made it down to third base.

[Flannel Boy]

Alex Rodriguez Has a Torn Labia

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aYnLHHzX3mkc&refer=home

[ToxicAdam]

C- Victor Martinez
1B - Giambi
2b - Pedroia
SS - Hanley Ramirez
3b - Aramis Ramirez

OF - Nady
OF - Ankiel
OF - Church
DH - Pat Burrell

SP - Webb
SP - Kazmir

RP - Mariano
RP - Fr. Cordero

P - Danks
P - Guthrie
P - Jurrjens

P - Cueto
RP - Street
P - Meche
P - Galarraga
RP - Scott Shields



Pretty good draft. Not crazy about Giambi or Burrell .. but I put a higher value on pitching for this try.

[Ganhyun]

seems pretty solid tho, and if all those pitchers perform well, u can always trade one for something u need later on. Thats a problem alot of people have, they go all out on hitting, but suck at pitching.

[Mr. Gundam]

Anyone else watching the Netherlands-Puerto Rico game? Wow!

[Ganhyun]

Just did a mock draft. Here's what I ended up with. I drafted 6th of 10 btw.

C:  Ryan Doumit
1B: Aubrey Huff
2B: Chase Utley
SS: J.J. Hardy
3B: Adrian Beltre
OF: Manny Ramirez
OF: Grady Sizemore
OF: Jermaine Dye
UT: Corey Hart
SP: Roy Halliday
SP: Brandon Webb
RP: Joe Nathan
RP: Brad Lidge
P:  Cole Hamels
P:  Brian Fuentes
P:  Joakim Soria
B:  Jorge Cantu
B:  Milton Bradley
B:  Mike Aviles
B:  Xavier Nady
B:  A.J. Pierzynski

Not too bad I think.

[ToxicAdam]

Hey MLB fans, I ran across a free Beta of an MLB game last night.

http://www.mlbdugoutheroes.com/

[youtube=560,345]HriRRRtBZpk[/youtube]

It has online play and uses real MLB teams/players. Graphics and gameplay is similar to Power Pros. It seems very hitter friendly. My lone game ended up being 8-6 (3 inning game). Maybe I had the difficulty level on too low.

It's worth a try out if you are in the mood for an actiony type of game. Maybe it can become something special down the road. The PC needs more baseball games.

[Human Snorenado]

Oh, and Fantasy Baseball Alert:

EB head to head league drafts tomorrow at 1 pm eastern
EB roto league drafts Sunday at 1 pm eastern

Make sure you make it on time, bitches.  I'm sure the chat room will be a comical place.

[ToxicAdam]

Yea, I just noticed that. I better fill out my draft card just in case.


Someone better put a reminder in the gaf thread.

[Flannel Boy]

I'm in the midst of cramming for exams and haven't done any research for the draft.

[Human Snorenado]

Yea, I just noticed that. I better fill out my draft card just in case.


Someone better put a reminder in the gaf thread.

Well, that someone is gonna have to be someone who isn't banned over there, which is like... man, I dunno.

[Flannel Boy]

done

edit: a great way to not get banned from gaf is to only post once or twice a month.

[ToxicAdam]

Thanks malek

[pollo]

or post exclusively in the mlb thread.

[Flannel Boy]

The draft is in two hours and twenty minutes.

[Flannel Boy]

draft starts in 20

[Human Snorenado]

woot!  Third pick.  I generally like picking towards the end of the first round but I'll take my chances at 3rd.

[ToxicAdam]

Is it supposed to take forever to load? I keep getting hung up right before it finishes loading ..



mother fucker


I've tried IE and Chrome

[Human Snorenado]

it took a while for it to load for me, but i'm using firefox

[Flannel Boy]

It took like five minutes for me in firefox

[ToxicAdam]

made it in..

[Human Snorenado]

Probably one of the worst offenses I've ever drafted... meh.  Pitching is pretty solid, tho.

C Chris Ianetta
1B Derrek Lee
2B Brandon Phillips
3B Melvin Mora
SS Jose Reyes
OF Manny Ramirez
OF Jayson Werth
OF Shin-Soo Choo
UT Rick Ankiel

SP Brandon Webb
SP Chad Billingsley
RP Papelbon
RP Joe Nathan
P Ervin Santana
P Derek Lowe
P Mike Gonzalez
P Gavin Floyd
P Chris Volstad
P John Smoltz
P Paul Maholm
P Wandy Rodriguez

[pollo]

1.     (1)     Hanley Ramírez     SS
2.    (24)    Álex Rodríguez    3B
3.    (25)    Carlos Quentin    OF
4.    (48)    Jake Peavy    SP
5.    (49)    Adrián González    1B
6.    (72)    Josh Beckett    SP
7.    (73)    Ryan Ludwick    OF
8.    (96)    Matt Wieters    C
9.    (97)    Bobby Abreu    OF
10.    (120)    Mark DeRosa    2B,3B,OF
11.    (121)    Jorge Cantú    1B,3B
12.    (144)    Heath Bell    RP
13.    (145)    Erik Bedard    SP
14.    (168)    Adam Jones    OF
15.    (169)    Joel Hanrahan    RP
16.    (192)    Chris Carpenter    SP
17.    (193)    Frank Francisco    RP
18.    (216)    Mark Buehrle    SP
19.    (217)    Brandon Lyon    RP
20.    (240)    Jesse Litsch    SP
21.    (241)    A.J. Pierzynski    C

let's just say I'm going to be a "second half" team...

[Grecco]

I got Kelly Johnson in my team 

[Human Snorenado]

I got Kelly Johnson in my team 

You stole McCann from me! 

[Alex Anderson]

1.     (7)     Ryan Howard
2.    (18)    Carlos Beltrán
3.    (31)    Matt Kemp
4.    (42)    Alexei Ramírez
5.    (55)    Chris Davis
6.    (66)    Dan Uggla
7.    (79)    Yovani Gallardo
8.    (90)    Raúl Ibañez
9.    (103)    Jon Lester
10.    (114)    Javier Vázquez
11.    (127)    Pablo Sandoval
12.    (138)    Johnny Damon
13.    (151)    Chad Qualls
14.    (162)    Max Scherzer
15.    (175)    Nelson Cruz
16.    (186)    Gil Meche
17.    (199)    Kevin Gregg
18.    (210)    Kelvim Escobar
19.    (223)    Jason Motte
20.    (234)    Troy Percival
21.    (247)    Miguel Batista

Ryan Howard, ladies and gentlemen :slowclap. I'm expecting a lot from five hitters with the combined experience of one guy who is still arbitration eligible. Also, there's some guys that might close.

[Flannel Boy]

Winnipeg Lumberjacks

Round    Pick    Player    Position
1.    (09)    Chase Utley    2B
2.    (16)    Lance Berkman    1B
3.    (33)    Cole Hamels    SP
4.    (40)    Aramis Ramírez    3B
5.    (57)    Geovany Soto    C
6.    (64)    Troy Tulowitzki    SS
7.    (81)    Magglio Ordóñez    OF
8.    (88)    Jermaine Dye    OF
9.    (105)    A.J. Burnett    SP
10.    (112)    Carlos Zambrano    SP
11.    (129)    Kerry Wood    RP
12.    (136)    Torii Hunter    OF
13.    (153)    Matt Capps    RP
14.    (160)    John Danks    SP
15.    (177)    Ted Lilly    SP
16.    (184)    Brad Hawpe    OF
17.    (201)    Adrián Béltre    3B
18.    (208)    Jim Thome    Util
19.    (225)    Mark Reynolds    3B
20.    (232)    Justin Duchscherer    SP
21.    (249)    Aaron Hill    2B

[Grecco]

A friend of mine will be drafting for me tomorow.

Was either that or delete the team

ill say this im not expecting much out of that team. Hes not a real huge baseball fan and has played fantasy baseball once. Had to give him a crash course in Fantasy 101. 

[Human Snorenado]

27 minutes!

picking 9th, not too shabby

[Flannel Boy]

Does everyone sleep in on the weekends?

[Flannel Boy]

Manitoba Misery
1.    (07)    Ryan Braun
2.    (18)    Evan Longoria
3.    (31)    Brandon Webb
4.    (42)    Joe Mauer
5.    (55)    Rafael Furcal
6.    (66)    Magglio Ordóñez
7.    (79)    Chris Davis
8.    (90)    James Shields
9.    (103)    A.J. Burnett
10.    (114)    Howie Kendrick
11.    (127)    Torii Hunter
12.    (138)    Zack Greinke
13.    (151)    Joey Devine
14.    (162)    Kevin Slowey
15.    (175)    Adrián Béltre
16.    (186)    Chris Young
17.    (199)    Justin Upton
18.    (210)    Kazuo Matsui
19.    (223)    Orlando Cabrera
20.    (234)    Hiroki Kuroda
21.    (247)    J.P. Howell

[Human Snorenado]

1.     (9)     Ryan Howard     1B
2.    (16)    Alfonso Soriano    OF
3.    (33)    Brian Roberts    2B
4.    (40)    Brian McCann    C
5.    (57)    Shane Victorino    OF
6.    (64)    Joe Nathan    RP
7.    (81)    Roy Oswalt    SP
8.    (88)    Joakim Soria    RP
9.    (105)    Daisuke Matsuzaka    SP
10.    (112)    Jonathan Broxton    RP
11.    (129)    Matt Capps    RP
12.    (136)    Derek Lowe    SP
13.    (153)    Pat Burrell    OF
14.    (160)    Carlos Delgado    1B
15.    (177)    Jorge Cantú    1B,3B
16.    (184)    Chris Carpenter    SP
17.    (201)    Dan Wheeler    RP
18.    (208)    Yunel Escobar    SS
19.    (225)    Jeff Francoeur    OF
20.    (232)    Felipe López    2B,3B,SS,OF
21.    (249)    Dioner Navarro    C

More satisfied with this team overall.  This is the roto league- I went with my usual "four starters/five relievers" pitching strategy.  But I'm also much happier with my offense this time around.

[Flannel Boy]

Shields for Soria or

Burnett for Broxton

[Human Snorenado]

lol no

[Flannel Boy]

lol no

Stolen bases and saves are overrated.
 

[Grecco]

How was my team? Im afraid to look

[pollo]

I think Konex forgot he had a fantasy team.

[Human Snorenado]

Konex NEVER shows for drafts, ugh.  What a maroon.

Grecco- you ended up with the first pick, so you got Hanley.  Your team's not BAD per se... just not as good as my team of trained assassins.

[Grecco]

He called me at work when McCann was picked. I totally knew it was you too. 

[Human Snorenado]

MINE.

McCann in the fourth isn't that much of a reach, honestly.  Then again, imo catcher is deeper than SS this season, so I kind of had to make a tough choice.  But McCann is worth it.

[siamesedreamer]

BRAVE NEW WORLD: Scouts can't stop buzzing about the Braves' young talent, especially dazzling 19-year-old outfield stud Jason Heyward. Here's one typical review: "Looks like Darryl Strawberry -- only with more bat speed." And another: "Cross between Fred McGriff and Dave Parker." And another, less serious review: "I think he needs to work on his size." OK, maybe not. Heyward is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds worth of monstrosity.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3996672&name=stark_jayson

masturbates furiously

[ManaByte]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-strasburg032409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

SAN DIEGO – The radar gun blinks wildly. It’s not used to this. No one makes it strain to read out a third digit. It looks like binary code, not the speed of a pitch from a 20-year-old kid: 101.

It keeps showing up, 101 again and again, and as scouts peek at the number, they ask aloud what everyone else in the baseball world wonders: Will Stephen Strasburg someday throw a baseball harder than anyone has before?

Two men holding radar guns as well as his pitching coach said he has touched 103 mph this season. Only three others have done that, and all were major league relief pitchers, not juniors in college. Strasburg is a starter for San Diego State, and his velocity levels off in triple digits, something never seen, not from Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson or any of the modern fireballers since the advent of the radar gun.

So how many trucks full of money will the Yankees be sending to San Diego?

[Human Snorenado]

Uh, it doesn't matter how many trucks of money they send, since the kid has to get drafted and the Yankees won't be picking in the first 10 picks.  Or really first pick- the Nationals will pony up for him.

[ToxicAdam]

Woohooo another great white hype to root against. Show me your Van Poppels!

::strokes evil beard::

[siamesedreamer]

Velocity is so overrated.

[ToxicAdam]

Not if he has a 92-94 mph cutter to go with it. Then it's devastating.



edit: just watched the videos. He needs better command of that breaking ball. If I were a hitter, I would just sit fastball and let anything  crooked go on by.

[Human Snorenado]

Velocity is so overrated.

Read the article, tho- dude's got a pretty bad ass slurve that he throws in the high 80's and a changeup.

But yeah, he'll probably flame out before he hits the majors.  In baseball, the best way to miss having a successful major league career seems to be getting labeled a "can't miss prospect".

[siamesedreamer]

He looked better than I expected. His fastball has some nice run in on the righties and that slider falls off the table. He's really big, so that bodes well for his longevity. Delivery looks a bit clumsy. Big guys have a tendancy to look like that though. Lots of parts to get moving.

[Grecco]

That Strarsburg kid? even if he flames out you still have to pick him, the chance that hes the next Clemens/Gooden is too big to pass on.

[Ganhyun]

That Strarsburg kid? even if he flames out you still have to pick him, the chance that hes the next Clemens/Gooden is too big to pass on.

This.

[pollo]

at 6/50 you think you dirty poors can afford him?

he'll be a yank. 

[T234]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-strasburg032409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

SAN DIEGO – The radar gun blinks wildly. It’s not used to this. No one makes it strain to read out a third digit. It looks like binary code, not the speed of a pitch from a 20-year-old kid: 101.

It keeps showing up, 101 again and again, and as scouts peek at the number, they ask aloud what everyone else in the baseball world wonders: Will Stephen Strasburg someday throw a baseball harder than anyone has before?

Two men holding radar guns as well as his pitching coach said he has touched 103 mph this season. Only three others have done that, and all were major league relief pitchers, not juniors in college. Strasburg is a starter for San Diego State, and his velocity levels off in triple digits, something never seen, not from Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson or any of the modern fireballers since the advent of the radar gun.

So how many trucks full of money will the Yankees be sending to San Diego?

Kenny Powers 2.0

[Human Snorenado]

Braves trade Josh Anderson to the Tigers, opening up the way for Jordan Schafer to start in CF.

Man, I can only hope that this trade works out half as well as the Renteria for Jurrjens trade.

[siamesedreamer]

From what I remember of Anderson, he was a role player at best.

The Schafer era has begun. NL pitchers will get to see what its like to face the next Grady Sizemore.

[Grecco]

Thank goodness we got rid of Anderson. Juan Pierre with less money.

Schafer Era My Fantasy Baseball teams are looking so much better.

[Ganhyun]

I might need to go pick Shafer up then in my fantasy leagues as a reserve. If he does really well he'll get a full time spot.

[Human Snorenado]

Braves sign Chipper to a 3 year extension with an option for 2013.

Well, this pretty much guarantees that he retires as a Brave. 

Larry

Also, looks like Sheff has been released by the Tigres.

He's sitting at 499 hrs but has sucked for the past couple years.  Someone will pick him up to DH, probably.  This helps Josh Anderson's chances of playing, as Magglio will likely DH now.

[Grecco]

Start Anderson everyday? Yuck.

[Human Snorenado]

Start Anderson everyday? Yuck.

Where'd that come from?  I'm sure Bobby is dumb enough to try it, but Anderson will fall apart anyhow.

Oops, you're talking about Josh Anderson I think.

[pollo]

I keep trying to propose Ludwick for Hart and Konex keeps ignoring me. Check your fantasy team KONEX