The 2022 Major League Baseball Player Chatter, News and Fantasy Thread

[stevenash]

Today's eye popping, jaw dropping fun fact.

Tony Gwynn is 167 for 501 (.333) lifetime vs. pitchers he faced that are in the Hall of Fame.
Gwynn struck out just 23 times against those HoF pitchers.

Click the link to watch an incredible at bat.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1252658492709765123

[Cross]

The velocity and analytic advantage of today’s pitchers completely dictates the hitter approach of going for the longball. Not to mention the shifts employed. It would be laughable for a team to try to win with small ball these days. Ball go far, team go far is just the only way to win currently.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Today's eye popping, jaw dropping fun fact.

Tony Gwynn is 167 for 501 (.333) lifetime vs. pitchers he faced that are in the Hall of Fame.
Gwynn struck out just 23 times against those HoF pitchers.

Click the link to watch an incredible at bat.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1252658492709765123

That's just slightly less than his career batting average of .338

[JMobile]

If memory serves, Gwynn owned Smoltz as well.

I think one of the few guys he struggled against was Randy Johnson.

This is from memory, could be off base here.

I think so too. Johnson did strike Gwynn out in the playoffs.

[EmpireMaker]

Dennis Lin of The Athletic poured cold water on pre-lockout reports that the Padres had targeted Nick Castellanos to fill an outfield/DH vacancy, but he did suggest the club might enter the sweepstakes for Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki when free agency resumes. While fitting Suzuki into their payroll might require finding a taker for at least a portion of the salary due to Eric Hosmer or Wil Myers on the trade market, principal owner Peter Seidler has indicated the club’s budget has at least a bit of room for growth, though this could depend on luxury tax provisions in the new CBA (the Padres slightly exceeded the threshold last season, and the previous deal included escalating penalties for repeat offenders). The longtime Hiroshima Toyo Carp outfielder, who might offer the highest bang-for-the-buck potential among remaining free agent outfielders, won’t command nearly the salary sought by Castellanos or Kris Bryant (MLBTR projects Suzuki will sign for five years and $55MM). Including projections for arbitration-eligible players, the Padres are presently on the hook for just shy of $199MM in 2022 salary (via Jason Martinez of Roster Resource). Though the Giants and Mariners appear to be the industry favorites to sign Suzuki, Padres fans have learned never to put anything past GM and president of baseball operations A. J. Preller, particularly given Seidler’s repeated willingness to green-light moves that commit the club to significant years and dollars. As Lin notes, the Padres had only three above-average lineup regulars (Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jake Cronenworth) in 2021. Suzuki’s bat is hardly a sure thing — Friars fans will note the significant adjustment difficulties of KBO import Ha-Seong Kim in 2021, though the versatile infielder did provide significant value with his glove — but his career .315/.414/.541 line at Japan’s highest level (.317/.433/.539 in 2021) offers plenty to dream on.
A few other Padres notes as we wait out the (rather bleak) CBA negotiations:

• In the same mailbag, Lin discussed the Padres’ closer situation, which remains unsettled following the departure of 2021 NL saves leader Mark Melancon to the Diamondbacks. Drew Pomeranz is the obvious choice for a ninth-inning role, but he’s coming off surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon that ended his 2021 season in August. Lin notes that both Emilio Pagan and the recently signed Robert Suarez have experience in the role, but Pagan had a less-than-stellar 2021 (4.83 ERA, 5.22 FIP) and all of Suarez’s 68 career saves came in Japan, where he’s played since 2016. Should the Padres no longer view him as a starter, Dinelson Lamet could also be an option, though new manager Bob Melvin may prefer to use him in a multi-inning role. In any event, Lin expects the Padres to address lineup questions before turning to the bullpen. They could turn to one or several of low-cost options with histories of big-league success, a list that includes Brad Hand, Chris Martin, Archie Bradley, Adam Ottavino, Sergio Romo, Yusmeiro Petit, Mychal Givens, Sean Doolittle, Pedro Strop, Richard Rodriguez, and Tyler Clippard.
• Consensus top-10 prospect CJ Abrams, who missed the second half of the 2021 season after suffering a broken tibia and torn MCL in late-June infield collision and had recently dealt with shoulder issues, has been cleared to resume baseball activities, reports Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Prior to the injury, the 21-year-old shortstop compiled a .296/.363/.420 batting line in a 42-game sample at Double-A San Antonio. As he’s not yet on the Padres’ 40-man roster, Abrams is not affected by the lockout and could play in mini-camp games in short order. Though he’s certain to begin 2022 in the minors, Abrams is a potential candidate for a late-season call-up should his bat continue to show life in the upper minors, particularly if Fernando Tatis Jr.’s shoulder issues persist or manager Bob Melvin revisits plans to deploy Tatis in the outfield.

[jrgum3]

The two sides are going back and forth on arbitration.
Jeff Passan, who every now and then I speak with on twitter says things are going slow.
Why am I not surprised?

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-union-counter

Yeah it's not looking good as far as Spring Training starting on time. Whether that means the Regular season starts on time remains to be seen but it's not going as well as I had hoped for.

[stevenash]

Very good piece from Doug Glanville on Barry Bonds.

Doug Glanville - Why I'm OK with Barry Bonds not being elected to the Hall of Fame (espn.com)

[Otters27]

Heard bonds wouldn't even sign auto s for players kids

[str]

Very good piece from Doug Glanville on Barry Bonds.

Doug Glanville - Why I'm OK with Barry Bonds not being elected to the Hall of Fame (espn.com)

It's a very hollow and lonely feeling when you realize you have a career you have dedicated your life to as well as sacrificed many things to build that career in a competitive game that suddenly has an unlevel playing field and your two choices are to join the cheaters or slowly slip down the ladder. Rips your guts out Nasher.

That is a GREAT piece. Thanks for sharing.

[stevenash]

It's a very hollow and lonely feeling when you realize you have a career you have dedicated your life to as well as sacrificed many things to build that career in a competitive game that suddenly has an unlevel playing field and your two choices are to join the cheaters or slowly slip down the ladder. Rips your guts out Nasher.

That is a GREAT piece. Thanks for sharing.

Terrific replay.
What makes the piece 100 percent credible is Glanville is a peer and like Bonds, black.

Glanville was/is straight up class.
ESPN needs to keep talent like Glanville and Jeff Passan around.
God knows they need all the talent they can get.

[Cross]

Glanville is great, shot to the heart of Bonds and the other users. I read that yesterday also, very well said by Doug.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I think so too. Johnson did strike Gwynn out in the playoffs.

Vintage Gwynn, going with the pitch and using the entire field...

[JMobile]

Vintage Gwynn, going with the pitch and using the entire field...

Gwynn really challenged Johnson in that at bat and got a double out of it

[stevenash]

Who remembers David Green?

He just died, choked to death.
Horrible way to leave.
Sad

[EmpireMaker]

Tyler Glasnow is among the higher-profile trade candidates around the league. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last August and will miss at least the bulk of the 2022 campaign. Projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $5.8MM arbitration salary in his second-to-last year of club control, Glasnow could find himself on the move after the lockout. It’s possible the low-payroll Rays would prefer to reallocate those funds to more immediate help as they try for a third straight division title.
If Glasnow had his way, though, he’d stick in Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old chatted with Chris Rose of Jomboy Media during a recent episode of The Chris Rose Rotation (video link on YouTube). Asked whether he’d remain a member of the Rays, Glasnow noted some uncertainty but flatly stated that’d be his preference.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he replied.”I hope. I really, really hope. I didn’t get traded before the lockout, so that’s a good sign. … I think if somebody were to call the Rays and give them a really awesome deal or something, (president of baseball operations Erik Neander) is not going to be like ’no.’ He has to listen to everything. That’s just how being a GM is.
But we have a really good relationship. Time will tell, but I would much prefer to stay a Ray. It would be nice to watch everyone in the beginning of the season and how good the team is and how young everyone is and then try to weave my back in and contribute.”
As Glasnow implied, it seems there’s a chance he’ll make it back to the mound late during the upcoming season. The Southern California native suggested he’s soon to begin throwing from 45 feet, the first time since going under the knife that he’ll pick up a ball. Glasnow noted there’s sure to be some variability in recovering from such a significant procedure and pointed to the many hurdles still in front of him, adding that he’s taking his rehab “day-by-day, week-by-week.” Yet he also suggested he has progressed as planned to this point and didn’t rule out the possibility of returning in August or September.
If the Rays do hold onto Glasnow, it’d be a huge boon for the club if he could make a late-season return. Over 14 starts last year, he worked 88 innings of 2.66 ERA/2.92 SIERA ball. The 6’8″ hurler punched out a massive 36.2% of batters faced against a solid 7.9% walk percentage. Glasnow has still yet to exceed 111 2/3 frames during an MLB season, but his rate production since the start of 2019 has been elite. Over the past three years, 156 hurlers have worked at least 150 innings as a starting pitcher. Glasnow ranks fifth among that group in ERA (2.80) and FIP (2.87) and sixth in strikeout/walk rate differential (28.1 percentage points).
If Glasnow can hit the ground running late in the season — even if he’s forced to work in shorter stints — that’d be an impact boost for the Rays (or a potential acquiring team) if they remain in the thick of the playoff race. Even if the club has fallen out of contention by that point, getting Glasnow some innings so he can enter the 2023 season with fewer question marks would be welcome. It remains to be seen whether a late-season comeback will be viable, but it’s encouraging to hear it currently remains a possibility.

[Otters27]

Who remembers David Green?

He just died, choked to death.
Horrible way to leave.
Sad

Sad. Had one of his baseball cards I think

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Who remembers David Green?

He just died, choked to death.
Horrible way to leave.
Sad

Damn...chew your food well before sending it down the hatch!

[stevenash]

Damn...chew your food well before sending it down the hatch!

I remember Green as a solid utility OF guy for the Cards who had a huge World Series.

I did a little further research (because that's the kind of nerd that I am)
He only played six seasons, could have sword his career was close to ten.

Also, check out some of the players Green was involved with in trades.
Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, Pete Vucovich, Jack Clark...

He had heart attack issues too.

[JMobile]

Who remembers David Green?

He just died, choked to death.
Horrible way to leave.
Sad

Dam. Speaking of Green, anybody remember Willie Green? He had his moments with the Cincinnati Reds.

[Cross]

I think David Green was slightly before my time. Rip though.

[stevenash]

I think David Green was slightly before my time. Rip though.

'82 Cards, I was in Pony League baseball.

[Cross]

And I was in diapers, lol.

[EmpireMaker]

A 2022 season shortened by the lockout would have a statistical impact on every player, particularly veteran names like Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals veteran is looking forward to one final season with retiring longtime teammate Yadier Molina, and if the duo joins forces for 20 more Wainwright starts, they’ll set a new record for most games started by a battery (breaking the Mickey Lolich/Bill Freehan mark of 324 starts). “Any time you can say you had the most all-time ‘anything’ in baseball is a real accomplishment,” Wainwright told Rick Hummel of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I just look so much forward to having an opportunity to break that record with my buddy, Yadi. I hope we get enough starts to make that happen. We just need the season to start.”
To this end, Wainwright is hopeful of a good result in labor talks between the league and players, but feels “these owners are going to have to come around, though. They’re kind of crazy with their asks. I guess when you own the company, you want to see how far you can stretch it. The game of baseball is a very lucrative thing for players and owners. The ones that get left out of that are always the fans, unfortunately. Baseball sometimes just needs to get out of its own way and realize we could be the only show going.”
Though a delay to the start of Spring Training seems inevitable, Wainwright is continuing to work out as usual as he prepares for his 17th big league campaign. This work was temporarily delayed by a recent bout of COVID-19, though Wainwright said his symptoms were relatively mild.
More from around the National League….

• “The Dodgers seem to be positioning themselves to have a young wave of pitching ready in the second half of next season,” The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya writes, citing Dustin May’s return from Tommy John rehab and the impending big league debut of prospect Ryan Pepiot. Los Angeles hasn’t been shy about immediately putting its young arms into key roles in the rotation or bullpen, so Ardaya believes the Dodgers will look to acquire a veteran “stopgap” kind of starter to cover some innings before the youngsters arrive. Clayton Kershaw’s free agency also continues to loom over the L.A. offseason, yet Ardaya feels the Dodgers would “likely” still try to land that second-tier arm even if Kershaw also re-signs with the team. Such moves would give the Dodgers six starters on paper (with Kershaw and the stopgap joining Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Andrew Heaney, and Tony Gonsolin) before even considering the likes of May or Pepiot, though having a surplus would be a welcome problem for a Dodgers team that had its depth thinned by injuries in 2021.
• The Phillies hired Chris Fonnesbeck as the top analyst in their research and development department earlier this offseason, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports. Fonnesbeck worked in the Yankees’ analytics department from 2019-21, and also spent the 2018 season working as a consulting analyst for the Brewers. The Phils have put a new focus on their analytics team this winter, hiring Arirudh Kilambi as the team’s new assistant GM and putting him in charge of R&D.

[jrgum3]

'82 Cards, I was in Pony League baseball.

I was 2 living in Wisconsin but I still was aware of who Cecil Cooper was because the Brewers were good that year.

[stevenash]

I was 2 living in Wisconsin but I still was aware of who Cecil Cooper was because the Brewers were good that year.

Yeah, I have a dozen years on you, Brews had a lineup that could rock in the early 80's
They were fun to watch.

Check out the backup catcher.

Rk	Pos	Name	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1	C	Ted Simmons#	32	137	581	539	73	145	29	0	23	97	0	32	40	0.269	0.309	0.451	0.759	112
2	1B	Cecil Cooper*	32	155	696	654	104	205	38	3	32	121	2	32	53	0.313	0.342	0.528	0.87	142
3	2B	Jim Gantner*	29	132	485	447	48	132	17	2	4	43	6	26	36	0.295	0.335	0.369	0.704	99
4	SS	Robin Yount	26	156	704	635	129	210	46	12	29	114	14	54	63	0.331	0.379	0.578	0.957	166
5	3B	Paul Molitor	25	160	751	666	136	201	26	8	19	71	41	69	93	0.302	0.366	0.45	0.816	129
6	LF	Ben Oglivie*	33	159	677	602	92	147	22	1	34	102	3	70	81	0.244	0.326	0.453	0.78	118
7	CF	Gorman Thomas	31	158	666	567	96	139	29	1	39	112	3	84	143	0.245	0.343	0.506	0.85	137
8	RF	Charlie Moore	29	133	492	456	53	116	22	4	6	45	2	29	49	0.254	0.299	0.36	0.659	85
9	DH	Roy Howell*	28	98	326	300	31	78	11	2	4	38	0	21	39	0.26	0.305	0.35	0.655	85
10	DH	Don Money	35	96	313	275	40	78	14	3	16	55	0	32	38	0.284	0.36	0.531	0.891	148
11	RF	Marshall Edwards*	29	69	189	178	24	44	4	1	2	14	10	4	8	0.247	0.261	0.315	0.575	62
12	2B	Ed Romero	24	52	155	144	18	36	8	0	1	7	0	8	16	0.25	0.289	0.326	0.616	74
13	RF	Mark Brouhard	26	40	122	108	16	29	4	1	4	10	0	9	17	0.269	0.336	0.435	0.771	116
14	C	Ned Yost	27	40	107	98	13	27	6	3	1	8	3	7	20	0.276	0.324	0.429	0.752	111
15	DH	Larry Hisle	35	9	36	31	7	4	0	0	2	5	0	5	13	0.129	0.25	0.323	0.573	61
16	MI	Rob Picciolo	29	22	23	21	7	6	1	0	0	1	0	1	4	0.286	0.318	0.333	0.652	85
17	OF	Kevin Bass#	23	18	11	9	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.1	0	0.1	-69

[JAKEPEAVY21]

'82 Cards, I was in Pony League baseball.

Before my time as well, I was 6 years old.

You must be 52-53 years young, nasher?

[stevenash]

Before my time as well, I was 6 years old.

You must be 52-53 years young, nasher?

That'll be our little secret.
Old enough to know better, young enough not to give a shit.
Funny thing is I still have the heart of a 22 year old.
Same passions, still listen to the same style of music (Indie synth rock...)
Nothing really as changed, except maybe the hairline.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

That'll be our little secret.
Old enough to know better, young enough not to give a shit.
Funny thing is I still have the heart of a 22 year old.
Same passions, still listen to the same style of music (Indie synth rock...)
Nothing really as changed, except maybe the hairline.

Age is just a number...

[Chi_archie]

Yeah, I have a dozen years on you, Brews had a lineup that could rock in the early 80's
They were fun to watch.

Check out the backup catcher.

Rk	Pos	Name	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1	C	Ted Simmons#	32	137	581	539	73	145	29	0	23	97	0	32	40	0.269	0.309	0.451	0.759	112
2	1B	Cecil Cooper*	32	155	696	654	104	205	38	3	32	121	2	32	53	0.313	0.342	0.528	0.87	142
3	2B	Jim Gantner*	29	132	485	447	48	132	17	2	4	43	6	26	36	0.295	0.335	0.369	0.704	99
4	SS	Robin Yount	26	156	704	635	129	210	46	12	29	114	14	54	63	0.331	0.379	0.578	0.957	166
5	3B	Paul Molitor	25	160	751	666	136	201	26	8	19	71	41	69	93	0.302	0.366	0.45	0.816	129
6	LF	Ben Oglivie*	33	159	677	602	92	147	22	1	34	102	3	70	81	0.244	0.326	0.453	0.78	118
7	CF	Gorman Thomas	31	158	666	567	96	139	29	1	39	112	3	84	143	0.245	0.343	0.506	0.85	137
8	RF	Charlie Moore	29	133	492	456	53	116	22	4	6	45	2	29	49	0.254	0.299	0.36	0.659	85
9	DH	Roy Howell*	28	98	326	300	31	78	11	2	4	38	0	21	39	0.26	0.305	0.35	0.655	85
10	DH	Don Money	35	96	313	275	40	78	14	3	16	55	0	32	38	0.284	0.36	0.531	0.891	148
11	RF	Marshall Edwards*	29	69	189	178	24	44	4	1	2	14	10	4	8	0.247	0.261	0.315	0.575	62
12	2B	Ed Romero	24	52	155	144	18	36	8	0	1	7	0	8	16	0.25	0.289	0.326	0.616	74
13	RF	Mark Brouhard	26	40	122	108	16	29	4	1	4	10	0	9	17	0.269	0.336	0.435	0.771	116
14	C	Ned Yost	27	40	107	98	13	27	6	3	1	8	3	7	20	0.276	0.324	0.429	0.752	111
15	DH	Larry Hisle	35	9	36	31	7	4	0	0	2	5	0	5	13	0.129	0.25	0.323	0.573	61
16	MI	Rob Picciolo	29	22	23	21	7	6	1	0	0	1	0	1	4	0.286	0.318	0.333	0.652	85
17	OF	Kevin Bass#	23	18	11	9	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.1	0	0.1	-69

good stuff

[stevenash]

Age is just a number...

True true.
And I'm in the best shape of my life now too.
Oh, if I only knew 20 years ago.

I see MLB brought in the heavy duty arbitrator.
Going to get serious now.
Should have gotten serious two months ago.

[JMobile]

Dam. Speaking of Green, anybody remember Willie Green? He had his moments with the Cincinnati Reds.

1997 was Willie's year with lots of bombs

[Otters27]

Shawn Green was legit if we are talking about greens

[EmpireMaker]

Chatting with SportsGrid’s Craig Mish earlier this week, Byron Buxton spoke about his decision to re-sign a seven-year extension with the Twins rather than play out the 2022 season and enter the free-agent market next winter. Reports dating back to July have indicated that the Twins and Buxton both hoped to work something out, and the 28-year-old tells Mish that “loyalty was a big thing for my family and me” when it came to contract talks. Buxton expressed appreciation for the Twins sticking with him and wanting to build around him despite a litany of injuries. He added that since being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, his goals have been to reach the Majors, play for a long time, and to spend his career with one team.
There’s no guarantee that last part will come to fruition, but in addition to a $100MM guarantee, Buxton’s contract came with a full no-trade clause. He can also boost his annual salary considerably with incentives tied to plate appearances and MVP voting. There’s a good bit of risk involved in the deal, given Buxton’s injury history, but as his .277/.321/.575 line and 42 home runs through his past 684 plate appearances show, Buxton is one of the game’s best in terms of raw talent. A hip flexor strain and then a broken hand sustained on a hit-by-pitch limited him to 254 plate appearances in 2021, but Buxton turned in a mammoth .306/.358/.647 slash with 19 home runs in that time.
More from the division…

• Former White Sox outfielder Nicky Delmonico returned to the organization as a minor league hitting coach earlier this week. He told reporters that he hopes this will be just the first step in a lengthy career on the other side of the game (link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). Delmonico, 29, said he would “love to manage” one day and has long felt that would be his calling in his post-playing days. Delmonico might’ve continued his playing career were it not for some recent injury troubles, but he revealed in that media session that he’d have required shoulder surgery and a lengthy rehab process to continue on the field (Twitter link via James Fegan of The Athletic). Fegan notes that Delmonico spent the 2021 instructional league with the White Sox’ club there, learning under the organization’s hitting coordinator, Andy Barkett.
• Akil Baddoo is coming off one of the more successful showings by a Rule 5 draftee in recent years. Selected by the Tigers despite having never appeared above High-A during his time in the Twins system, the left-handed hitter made an immediate splash by hitting four home runs over his first eight MLB games. The sailing obviously didn’t remain quite so smooth, but Baddoo generally impressed over the course of the year. Not only did he stick on the active roster all year, he started more than half of Detroit’s games and posted slightly above-average offensive numbers (.259/.330/.436, 108 wRC+) across 461 plate appearances. Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic looks back on Baddoo’s season as part of a wide-ranging feature on the 23-year-old outfielder. Baddoo discusses his personal background and ascent to the majors, his offseason routine, and some goals for the 2022 season — including improving against same-handed pitching and strengthening a throwing arm that he says had still felt residual effects from a May 2019 Tommy John surgery. Tigers fans, in particular, will want to give Stavenhagen’s piece a full read.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Shawn Green was legit if we are talking about greens

One of the few Hebrews to succeed in MLB

[Cross]

Shawn could take, didn’t he set the record for most total bases in a game?