Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat. I mentioned a Game of Thrones spoiler early on in this chat, so don’t read it if you have not seen last night’s episode.
Headlines
- Mets Owner Steve Cohen To Meet With Juan Soto, Scott Boras Next Week
- MLBTR Podcast: Breaking Down The Top 50 Free Agents List
- Alex Bregman Willing To Move To Second Base
- Top 50 Free Agent Chat Transcript
- Angels, Kyle Hendricks Agree To One-Year Deal
- Cards Moving Willson Contreras To First Base; Contreras Unlikely To Waive No-Trade Clause
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You should probably mention the spoilers in the headline.
Bring back the downvote and quit closing the comment sections.
If we close a comment section, it’s for good reason. Generally it’s because it would take away too much of our writer’s time, moderating offensive comments instead of writing posts.
The downvote was pointless garbage brought on by its overuse. I could have been useful if it werent for the downvote spammers.
When did Lesean McCoy start hosting MLBTR chats?
New to the internet???
Personally, I would mostly avoid the Internet if I was trying to watch a popular show a day late. But, it’s not a goal of mine to mess up someone’s experience. So when does the statute of limitations run out?
Stop worrying about the homers. you’ll never stop if you don’t.
I don’t understand why the rest of us can’t discuss the biggest thing on television since the last season of the Sopranos because a very small minority cries about it? If you can spend the time to comment about spoilers you can easily sign up for a free trial of HBO online and watch the show. So, dang tired of the minority calling the shots these days. If you miss something as big as GOT that is your problem not mine and I will talk about it all I want. Because 17.4 million of us watched it when it aired so we can discuss it.
Statute of limitations? That’s a great question actually… although I’m the wrong guy to ask, I spoiled the same thing you did for a buddy of mine texting at 10:30 last night so I’m as guilty as you are… (full circle he was at a late night baseball practise for some reason)… my comment was more a commentary on your half dozen apologies, the outrage seemingly coming as a surprise… I assume you got slammed with pissed off comments, (again, inferred by the amount you felt you had to address it) necessitating you bringing it up so often… that’s where I was coming from. So a statute of limitations regarding spoilers? I don’t know man, as far the internet goes, your site here and it’s NHL sister site constitutes the grand sum of my ‘net presence, which is minimal, you should ask someone with more experience. Although I know this much, do it and you hear about it. Likely even from people who actually watched it live (like I did).
I enjoyed the GoT butt-hurtness.
Tim Dierkes, how do you figure the Astros have the west locked down, up two games with 120 plus games to go and that’s a lock. Did I miss it playing out.
95-win powerhouse going up against a bunch of 75-80 win teams. It would take a total disaster for them not to win the division. Yes, I understand that the MLB season is not yet over. In these chats we often make predictions and guesses about what will happen.
Tim Dierkes, my question and you answered,Thanks Brother
Wild to me that you hate on base percentage and slugging percentage, those two numbers are the most important 2 basic stats there are in the non-advanced stat realm.
OPS is great because no bad hitters have an OPS over .900, you can totally go ahead and say “this guy is hitting well” if his OPS is .900+. Not a “junk stat” in the slightest, that’s what RBIs are….you a fan of those or something?
OPS+ is better. There have been replacement level players (mostly Rockies & Reds) with OPS near 900. Winker, Bichette for instance.
OPS, over the long-term, is pretty spot on. Over the past 5 years, here are the OPS leaders, followed by where they ranked in scoring:
2018 BOS 1st
2017 HOU 1st
2016 BOS 1st
2015 TOR 1st
2014 DET 2nd
2013 BOS 1st
2012 NYY 2nd
2011 BOS 1st
2010 BOS 2nd
2009 NYY 1st
The amount of correlation is incredibly high. And OBP trumps HRs as a predictor of runs scored. Unless runs scored are likewise a ‘junk stat’.
You misunderstood my comment. I did not say I hate OBP and SLG. I said OPS is a junk stat, and it is. There is no actual justification why we’re adding together the percentage of how often a player gets on base with a rudimentary measure of his power. If you want an overall look at his offense, use wRC+. Never use OPS or any variant of it. Just dumb. It is never true that OPS is the best stat to use.
OBP is good, but SLG is fundamentally flawed by the wrong idea that a single is 1, a double is 2, a triple is 3, and a home run is 4. That’s not actually how run scoring works.
I don’t agree that it’s a junk stat. It isn’t the be all stat, I personally prefer wRC+, but it works in a shorthand sense. It’s good for determining value when comparing an all-or-nothing slugger that might be OBP-challenged, and a guy that doesn’t hit for a lot of power, but gets on base at a good clip. I think it helps offset the drawbacks of the SLG stat that you pointed out.
I don’t think it’s good for that, because an .800 OPS that’s high on-base and low slug, vs. the opposite, are actually not equal hitters at all, but OPS says they are. wRC+ doesn’t have these issues. It’s using linear weights, so everything the batter does is weighted properly and accounted for. I think it’s a good stat to push into the mainstream.
I agree that wRC+ is the better stat. But, also, I don’t think 2 guys with an .800 OPS are equal hitters at all. I think they are of equal, or comparable, value, but for different reasons,
Is there a more perfect example of someone being clueless about baseball than saying ST is useless? If it was they wouldn’t have it. And it would be one thing if the player being discussed was a position guy, but it’s a pitcher. Pitchers are why they have ST and why it’s as long as it is. Position guys are ready in a couple weeks, and always complain that ST is too long. ST is as long as it is because pitchers need all that time to be ready. To think Kimbrel can be ready in 2 AAA starts is absurd.
Game of Thrones? You’ll never catch me watching a reality tv show that pits contestants who renovate outhouses?
Love how Tim mocks his readers over kimbrel readiness and game of thrones. Clearly pissing off MLBTR fan base is the agenda not sure why anyone would mock or trash the ppl making them $$$$
I wouldn’t say I’m mocking MLBTR readers. In chats, which are definitely off the cuff, I aim to give back what I get. If a person is insulting or disrespectful, I might veer in that direction a bit.
Trashing those who are ignorant is not a good look. I wouldn’t have my job if I trashed my clients, that goes for just about any job. Bad business ethics imo. Honey attracts better then vinegar
Tim doesn’t roll like that though.
There are people out there that never had real jobs. Mommy and daddy got them into college and they went straight to the upper middle class. They look down their noses at people like us because they feel they are better. Their opinions have more value than ours. And when they are wrong about something, like a player accepting less money than they expected, they get on their high horse and demand they be heard. They stomp their feet trying to prove they are right even when the facts say otherwise. There are a lot of people that believe they are better. They look down on you. They find any possible way to make sure there is this space between you and them. So they can feel superior.
It’s how they roll.
You sound like you have a chip on your shoulder that goes well beyond how I answer certain questions in online baseball chats.
If someone comes into a chat and is normal and respectful but perhaps seems ignorant of some aspects of baseball, I would not insult that person. Such a person is welcome here.
If someone is disrespectful out of the gate, I see no reason to tiptoe around their feelings. We don’t need to cater to disrespectful people or worry if they decide to leave.
We arent Tim’s clients. He isnt getting paid by us. Trashing someone who is ignorant is not different or worse than the ignorant trash talker.
So I dont see why Tim cant give back the same offensive redirect that he gets.
You sound like you don’t believe there are people like that.
His income def comes from us he owns the site
Ya, he owns the site but how much do YOU pay since you see yourself as the part of the “us” that pays his income?
I applaud Tim. If people act dumb call them out on it.
Whining about GoT or claiming that Kimbrel needs to do a few soft-toss sessions to be ready to close down games are two such examples.
Often times you do grow your base when you remove the bad. The rest of the content elevates. Not sure Tim was thinking like that (seemed more like genuine off the cuff comments) but I’m all for limiting contributions of complainers to a community.
Teams that can sign Kimbrel without going over the tax are being incredibly cheap. Looking at you NL East
I can’t believe teams are holding off because of a draft pick. A second or third round pick that probably will never make it past AAA 7 years from now.
There are innumerable 2nd an 3rd round picks that become MLB players, and some are all-stars. Cody Bellinger immediately comes to mind,. He was a 4th round pick. Plus the more picks you have, the better your chance of finding a guy like Bellinger.
For every Cody Bellinger there are over 100 Eric Jagielo’s. Not very good odds. Kimbrel and Keuchel will step right into your pitching staff.
Kimberly is a GODDESS. Every team in the league are morons for not giving her 100 Million dollars. Everyone who doesn’t sign her with her failing second half peripherals to the largest reliever contract in history is soo much stupider than me. I can’t explain why my Red Sox didn’t do it but the other 29 teams must be inbred like me… yeeehaaaaw