caulfield12

Crochet and Fedde are the feathers in his cap, pretty clearly. Flexen, much better than last season. Did anyone expect miracles from Soroka or Shuster? Definitely not the pitching rich Braves, and Shuster has been better than expected. Cannon pitched very well last night. Nastrini has been a bit of a disappointment, but he might have been overhyped compared to the actually stuff we've seen this year. Clevinger is pitching about as expected for someone who got such a late start, and not nearly as well as 2023, but even outperforming wasn't enough to get him traded because of Hahn's unique contract for him. Thorpe has made HUGE progress moving up through the system. If you really want to blame something on Bannister/Katz, is it going to be Kopech or Leasure? Nah. We'll see how well Michael does on another team soon enough.

https://www.mlb.com/tigers/community/hits-and-giggles (Charity Comedy Show in Detroit hosted by Jason Benetti) Let’s chuckle for change! Join us for an exclusive comedy show hosted by Tigers announcer Jason Benetti at The Detroit House of Comedy. Tigers players and professional comedians will unite for an evening of laughs to support the Detroit Tigers Foundation and local nonprofits aiding youth mental health. Don't miss the chance to enjoy a great show and make a difference! Proceeds benefit the Detroit Tigers Foundation and The Children’s Center art therapy program. Event is restricted to guests ages 21+ Thursday, July 11, 2024 5:30-7 p.m. VIP Cocktail Hour at Hockeytown Café Rooftop 7 p.m. Show at The Detroit House of Comedy 9 p.m. Extra Innings event on Columbia Street After the show, guests can continue the party with dessert, drinks and entertainment on Columbia Street.

Basically the opposite of a 3-D player in basketball...lacking running ability or arm strength.

Whit Merrifield minus the speed, lol...

surprised they spelled Montoya's name wrong...Montoyo

Manaea has actually been one of the best (count me surprised) pitchers on the Mets this year, I probably would have only gone $10-12 million coming out of SD and SF, but whatever. Benintendi being literally the 2nd worst player in all of baseball out of hundreds (everyone but Maldonado) is borderline ridiculous. The odds of it being the worst contract in the game were probably 2-3% at best. But Hahn managed to pull it off.

This is what most Sox fans expected coming into this season...low scoring games with solid defense. Except we're not getting the defense, offense, fundamentals or bullpen performances to back it up.

And Nugenix.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/mike-freeman/2024/06/12/caitlin-clark-culture-war-us-olympic-basketball-team/74047837007/ Except there hasn't ever been a woman's player who could consistently hit from 30-35 feet like Steph Curry or Trae Young. Dunking was never all that excitement because there simply wasn't enough power or charisma involved on the women's side of that equation. Secondly, while there are still a lot of missed bunnies, lay-ups, tip-ins and simply wide open shots, the SPEED of the game, the overall pace, is definitely increasing from last year. That's why so many enjoy the Iowa style, the fast breaks, precision passing, team being stronger than the sum of its individual parts, etc. WNBA Attendance Is 105% Higher When Caitlin Clark Plays Key Highlights: Caitlin Clark has caused attendance figures to jump 87% compared to opponent’s average home attendance Clark has accounted for 33.5% of the total WNBA attendance in 2024 When Clark plays, WNBA games average 15,591 fans in attendance (+105%) compared to 7,645 fans when she is not in action Indiana Fever average 36% more fans on the road (15,142) than any other WNBA team At any rate, the next big 'cultural' debate will be when Clark is selected to the All-WNBA All-Star team to play against the US Olympic All-Stars. Undoubtedly, Clark (because the voting is skewed towards the fans, 50%) will finish either first or second out of those 12 players to play against the 12 Olympians (not sure if the Aces' PG will be ready or not).

You mean Haber...?

Schiffren?

What are the positives of DeLoach's game so far at the big league level...any insights? Anything stick out defensively, swing-wise or on the basepaths? We were told he was much better suited for LF, but he doesn't seem like a typical slugging/high OPS guy at that spot.

Braves +5 Padres +2 Giants -1 Cubs -2 Reds -2 Cards -2 Nats -3 DBacks -3 Pirates -3

Don't pay prices inside the park...they were really expensive even a decade ago the last time I was there.

And at least close to average fielding...not sure what his defensive fWAR or other metrics say. To me, that's got to be more valuable than someone like Cavan Biggio who has been struggling for the last 2-3 seasons on offense (ofc, could say same about Paul).

https://www.mlb.com/news/trade-deadline-rumors-targets-rising-stock-2024 Crochet listed as most valuable asset on the market (due to salary, partially), DeJong also on the "top ten rising trade targets" list.

Is it really $65 millon, though? Moncada's $24 and whatever Jimenez makes... By that argument, the Twins have had similar situations the last two years when both Buxton and Correa were out simultaneously.

Roughly $25-30 million if you add in Hendriks and Leury Garcia, pretty sure. + $5 million buyout for Moncada, that's obvious. Who knows what they will do with Jimenez.

How far would that money go in terms of modernizing the front office, though? Analytics, more scouts to replace the ones they had to let go (supposedly), computers/databases/AI/algorithms, etc.? A LONG WAY. Because there's so many in that area that would die to get into the field now, even willing to work for free in the case of interns whose families can subsidize them for a year or two (not that the Sox should use "cheap or free" labor compared to paying top dollar for the best. How can Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit and KC all be well ahead of the White Sox while running payrolls well under the Sox? Their money isn't all invested in major league payroll, obviously.

We actually could have had (well, after the 2022 season) a really excellent/top-flight manager simply from the money left over from Leury's deal they ate.

Another $1.8 million down the drain. The fact that we're $5 million ahead of Minnesota in payroll with one of the worst teams in history while the AL Central is well positioned for 2 post season spots tells you all that you need to know this year.

Not to mention it's his MLB debut...some are superstitious, especially pitchers, in those situations. Tendency to leave those guys alone pretty much, until they are lifted.

5. Garrett Crochet, White Sox (18.6%) It now seems so long ago when we chuckled that the White Sox made Crochet one of the least-experienced Opening Day starters in history, because he has a shining bright spot in an otherwise forgettable Chicago season. (Especially so if you look past a late-April stumble; in his last nine starts, Crochet has allowed only 12 earned runs.) This is all in part due to a newly introduced cutter that’s become the primary complement to his four-seam, but also because the move from relief to rotation came without the usual drop in velocity that we’ve come to expect. When you’re striking out 34% of hitters, that’s a good way to avoid squared-up contact. Even accounting for that, however, Crochet is one of the hardest arms in the game to square up. mlb.com

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2024/06/11/usa-basketball-explains-why-it-didnt-pick-caitlin-clark-for-olympics-team-popularity/74058895007/ If they're not taking into consideration growing the game (domestic as well as internationally) for the final spot on the roster, and the commercial sponsors of the Games that could have been converted into WNBA partners...just not sure what to say. As soon as Iowa made the Final Four, it was over. She would have had to be leading the WNBA in scoring/assists...not even sure that would have done it. So Diana Taurasi fans can tune in for her record sixth gold medal at age 42 when her best days are well behind her...but they're going to lose 75% of their potential audience in the process. Anyone connected to UConn, head Coach Cheryl Reeve, even South Carolina...none of those entities are willing to give her respect other than her personal hero Maya Moore. (Probably will select Bueckers of UConn for the next Olympic team instead, lol. Not that she might not necessarily deserve it if she's injury free still.)

No Pillar's overachievement will be as sustainable as Yermin's.