Baseball

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The major league baseball season is winding down and there are some excellent pennant races in the

NL West
AL West
NL Central
NL East

....but sadly for me (and with the world's smallest violin) the Yankees look like they are fading.

We're talking about a team still on pace to win 100 games. But it's looking more and more like an empty juggernaut at this point.

The starting pitching has collapsed, which has taxed a now overworked bullpen.

As for the position players, it would be too long a post to get into that. Most of the guys have had very good seasons, with an exception or two; but injuries at inopportune times have really played havoc with the roster and starting lineup- especially since the all-star break.

They almost surely will make it to the wild card game but this doesn't look like a team with much of a run in them. They've about 25 games left to prove otherwise.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Two nights ago, the A's started Liam Hendricks as the "opener" in the American League Wild Card game.

He was the first Australian to start a Major League Baseball playoff game.

Two batters in, he tossed away the win:

6kqWna_ARxg

...and the Athletics never recovered.


.........playoffs have been quite exciting so far.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

I skipped the world series because I can't stand the Red Sox...heh

But on a completely different matter:

Fangraphs, the nerdy baseball site supposedly for really in depth sabermetrics has gone completely SJW.

It's awful. I just want to articles on statistics or if players signed/traded; maybe something about possible rule changes...

...instead, they are now posting articles which actually open with, "I want to talk about my feelings....

====================

what kind of jackassery is this?

What happened to, "there's no crying in baseball?"

6M8szlSa-8o

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Grumblings about the Baseball Hall of Fame:

Failure By Committee: The Case Against Harold Baines

At least one person predicted Harold Baines would one day be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. After selecting Baines with the first overall pick in the 1977 draft, White Sox GM Paul Richards said the then-18-year-old left-handed hitter “was on his way to the Hall of Fame. He just stopped by Comiskey Park for 20 years or so.” Baines played only 14 years for the White Sox, but otherwise, Richards was right. On Sunday, Baines, along with Lee Smith, was elected to the Hall of Fame by the 16-member Today’s Game Era Committee, a successor to the previous Veterans Committee.

Notably, Richards made his prediction before Baines made the majors, when it was theoretically possible for Baines to be anything; barring budget restrictions, no team would take a player first overall unless it thought he had Hall of Fame potential. Contrary to what Paul Konerko might claim, though, by the times Baines retired, he didn’t look at all like a player Cooperstown would call.

For more than a decade, it didn’t. Baines became eligible for the hall in 2007, and he appeared on 5.3 percent of baseball writers’ ballots, barely clearing the 5 percent minimum required to remain eligible. He held on for four more years, never topping 6.1 percent of the vote, until finally falling below the threshold in 2011. As far as the writers were concerned, Baines was not Hall of Fame material. (Neither was Smith, a marginally more qualified player who retired as the sport’s all-time saves leader, although he came much closer, at one point garnering 50.6 percent of the BBWAA vote.)

There’s no new sabermetric stat that says the writers were wrong about Baines, who was a pretty good hitter for a very long time, recording a career batting line — .289/.356/.465, with 384 homers — roughly 20 percent better than the league average over his 22-year career. He was a slightly below-average base runner, a slightly below-average right fielder for most of the first half of his career, and a DH the rest of the way (almost 60 percent of his career plate appearances). During his career, he was never regarded as one of the best players in baseball, finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting only twice (in 1983 and 1985) and never placing higher than ninth.

What he had was longevity: Baines, who debuted in 1980 and retired in 2001, first received an MVP vote at age 23 and was last an All-Star at age 40. Baines did have Cooperstown-caliber staying power: He’s one of 38 players in MLB history to make more than 11,000 plate appearances. All but 10 of the other 37 are Hall of Famers. Of those 10, five haven’t yet been eligible for induction, two have been excluded for steroid-related reasons, and one is banned from baseball. That leaves just two who aren’t in: Rusty Staub and Omar Vizquel. Baines is that type of player, except slightly worse.

JAWS — a system devised by writer Jay Jaffe that presents a player’s career value as the average of his career WAR and his “peak” WAR (defined as the sum of his best seven seasons) — ranks Baines 74th among players whose primary position was right field. To offer some sense of the company Baines keeps on the right-fielder JAWS list, that’s three spots ahead of Nick Markakis and two and three spots, respectively, behind Shin-Soo Choo and Nelson Cruz. Baines’s JAWS score is 30.1, compared to an average of 57.8 for all other Hall of Famer right fielders. Essentially, Baines is about 52.1 percent as impressive statistically as an average Hall of Fame player at his position.

To get a sense of how far Baines falls below the existing Cooperstown statistical standards, let’s create a hypothetical Hall of Baines, composed of all players who rate at least as well compared to the Hall of Fame averages at their respective positions as Baines does to his. Congratulations: If you’re at least 52.1 percent as good as the Hall of Fame average at the primary position you played, you’re in the Hall of Baines. Ray Durham? Inducted. Chris Hoiles? Come on down. Mickey Rivers? Now the second Yankees center fielder named Mickey in Cooperstown.

The current Hall (sans Smith and Baines) includes 226 players, about 1.2 percent of the 19,103 players who’ve appeared in a major league game since 1876. The Hall of Baines would feature 837 players, about 4.4 percent of those 19,103. Still exclusive company! Just not nearly as exclusive as the hall has been historically. To include all players with statistical cases as strong as Baines, the hall would have to be almost four times less discerning than it has been to date.

Relative to the historical statistical standards of his position, Baines is now the seventh-least-deserving Hall of Famer, after fellow right fielder Tommy McCarthy, Lloyd Waner, Jesse Haines, High Pockets Kelly, Freddie Lindstrom, and Rube Marquard. Lindstrom, the last of those players to be inducted, earned (or, more accurately, received) his plaque in 1976, the year before Baines was drafted. Statistically speaking, Baines is probably the worst player to qualify for the hall in 42 years, and his election is shocking in an era of relatively enlightened evaluation.

[noddy]

the most amusing aspect of that is the different metrics that seperate career performance from the purple patch they have during the peak.

its a great source of arguments

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

the most amusing aspect of that is the different metrics that seperate career performance from the purple patch they have during the peak.

its a great source of arguments

It's endless

I am a rare bird in these arguments that I appreciate the long ,very good complied careers as well as those whose careers burn bright.

But there is definitely a dividing line between the two camps that is just as deep as the traditional stat guys vs the sabermetric guys.

The sabermetric-only guys love peak performance formula players, in part because determining peak performance relies heavily on sabermetric formulas (like JAWS).

The real curiosity, to me, is that there are defenders for the peak performance guys and the long term guys

But the people who do the worst, with very few defenders, are those who have an unbelievable peak but are subpar for their twilight years.

God forbid that from say, 21 to 31 years of age, you are a premier player but from 32-41 you are merely okay. Or, as is often the case, you spend that time battling injuries but refuse to quit.

These guys see any support for the Hall of Fame pantheon dry up over night.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

One such player is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time, this year. Andruw Jones:

VXWj8o-JEwo

Andruw Jones is the greatest defensive centerfielder (and arguably the most valuable defensive player) of all time.

And combined with that, for a long period of time, he was an elite power hitter (a few of those years, an elite overall hitter). He did end up hitting 400+ home runs, putting him in the top echelon of power hitting centerfielders (though no where near the Mays/Mantle/Griffey category).

But most of his playing value came between the ages of 19-29. Overnight, he literally became fat and slow and all of his grace and athleticism had left him and he spent the rest of his career as barely above replacement level.

At the time, he was heavily criticized for being lazy- which is when he gained all that weight and couldn't shed it- but looking back, it was probably more genetic and hormonal. His metabolism changed- how do you hold that against someone?

His real crime was hanging on between ages 30 and 38, where he had some truly terrible seasons but found a niche as a valuable bench player, where he could still hit for power and, playing only a few days a week in the field, was still able to play above average defensively as a corner outfielder- as long as his knees allowed him.

==================

And just like losing his abilities overnight, he went from a no doubt hall of famer to a guy on the bubble who's probably going to be on the outside looking it.

It's almost as if those 10 years count for nothing because he got suddenly old and played old for 8 seasons, for some reason.

[noddy]

its the teams fault for not being ruthless, not the players fault for hanging on too long, sports is such a brutal short career everyone will take every year that they get, unless they are charismatic enough to get garunteed the media career.

my countries cricket is notorious for culling its stars, only a select few manage to hang on past 35 and destroy their image, typically a pro gets 25-35.

Im not sure about baseball but in cricket their are generally thought of 2 classes of player - the classical technique which uses statistically approved bat angles and foot movements to different ball trajectories and the see-ball-hit-ball guy who uses raw eye hand coordination and makes up new shots via instinct.

the former has better career stats and ages more gracefully, the latter has bigger peaks but drops off the cliff as the young guy twitchy reflexes leave them.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

its the teams fault for not being ruthless, not the players fault for hanging on too long, sports is such a brutal short career everyone will take every year that they get, unless they are charismatic enough to get garunteed the media career.

my countries cricket is notorious for culling its stars, only a select few manage to hang on past 35 and destroy their image, typically a pro gets 25-35.

Im not sure about baseball but in cricket their are generally thought of 2 classes of player - the classical technique which uses statistically approved bat angles and foot movements to different ball trajectories and the see-ball-hit-ball guy who uses raw eye hand coordination and makes up new shots via instinct.

the former has better career stats and ages more gracefully, the latter has bigger peaks but drops off the cliff as the young guy twitchy reflexes leave them.

Are contracts guaranteed in major cricket leagues?

Every contract in Major League Baseball is guaranteed. So when you're handing out contracts to free agents, you are it it for the long haul; hoping that you get a soft decline.

Teams have six years of player control once they make the majors- with an ability to manipulate it for a seventh.

The current minimum salary is about 560 thousand a year for these players- I think it is scheduled to go up to 600 thousand very soon.

For the first three years they teams can set salary at whatever rate. Some teams reward these players generously for good seasons, more often than not, they don't and keep players under the 1 million dollar threshold as long as possible. After the three years, arbitration starts where the team and player's representation going before a committee if a contract cannot be agreed upon.

In recent years, teams have had less and less of a problem going before arbitration and paying whatever, which is something of a fairly new development. Historically, when it's gone to arbitration (one of the many things owners have fought over the years) it's been an ugly battle.

What has changed is that for one, arbitration still relies heavily on traditional stats, and as front offices are now using different metrics for value, they are able to undercut some of the cases by fielding players who don't comport to traditional metrics. And teams, now run by Ivy League front offices as businesses instead of the owner and his pal as toys, have no problem with paying a player in his prime 15-20 million for a season or two, because it's still generally under his true value and they will not be paying for the decline.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

my countries cricket is notorious for culling its stars, only a select few manage to hang on past 35 and destroy their image, typically a pro gets 25-35.

This is becoming more of the norm here, which is causing labor unrest and threats of a strike at the end of the next collective bargaining agreement.

Teams are manipulating service time and holding players in the minors [which is obvious but done in a way to honor existing labor agreements] so that when they hit the majors, they are under contract for the majority (if not all) of their prime years which run roughly from 24 to 33- give or take depending on the player.

The superstar-in-the-making player making his debut at 18-23 is becoming rarer and rarer- though part of that may have to do with more kids going to college first than right to the minor leagues.

The hispanic kids coming up through the MLB sweatshops systems, tend to sign at 16 and teams will bring them up earlier more often because you only have so many years before they are granted free agency or made available to other teams in a special draft [Rule 5 draft].

But the kicker is that if you sign someone at 16, and they are eligible for the Rule 5 draft at 19,20- most teams will pass on them because a Rule 5 player has to remain on your 25 man roster for a full year to be claimed. You can't just hide the person in the minor leagues, and teams are unwilling [99% of the time] of wasting a roster spot on someone who isn't ready.

[noddy]

Are contracts guaranteed in major cricket leagues?

cricket has 3 separate international leagues and then each country usually has 2 separate national leagues so their is no specific answer to that.

sub continent players (india, pakistan, sri lanka) tend to be long lasting contracts for international - the anglosphere countries (england, south africa, australia) tend to be ruthless and 1-3 years maximum.

the local leagues its all dependant on how famous you are, ex international guys tend to get a long twilight as a way of imparting knowledge on the younger guys, younger guys might get garunteed contracts if someone thinks they are future gold.

unless its the big dollar t20 leagues like IPL for india or Big Bash for australia, they are also ruthless and yearly but its lots of money for short seasons.

The current minimum salary is about 560 thousand a year for these players- I think it is scheduled to go up to 600 thousand very so .... player in his prime 15-20 million for a season or two

Salaries arent as big as baseball, except for the guys that play in australia or india and get full international salary (million or more) then the IPL salary (million or more ) then all the licensing and advertising and appearance money.

base rate is probably 150k ish for a local league in australia, jumps to 800k avg. for international

poor countries like the west indies , its all about breaking into the indian or australian T20 leagues and cashing in.

[noddy]

my countries cricket is notorious for culling its stars, only a select few manage to hang on past 35 and destroy their image, typically a pro gets 25-35.

This is becoming more of the norm here, which is causing labor unrest and threats of a strike at the end of the next collective bargaining agreement.

Teams are manipulating service time and holding players in the minors [which is obvious but done in a way to honor existing labor agreements] so that when they hit the majors, they are under contract for the majority (if not all) of their prime years which run roughly from 24 to 33- give or take depending on the player.

The superstar-in-the-making player making his debut at 18-23 is becoming rarer and rarer- though part of that may have to do with more kids going to college first than right to the minor leagues.

The hispanic kids coming up through the MLB sweatshops systems, tend to sign at 16 and teams will bring them up earlier more often because you only have so many years before they are granted free agency or made available to other teams in a special draft [Rule 5 draft].

But the kicker is that if you sign someone at 16, and they are eligible for the Rule 5 draft at 19,20- most teams will pass on them because a Rule 5 player has to remain on your 25 man roster for a full year to be claimed. You can't just hide the person in the minor leagues, and teams are unwilling [99% of the time] of wasting a roster spot on someone who isn't ready.

yeh, sounds much the same.

fast bowlers typically will be closer to 20-30 in age as their bodies degenerate quickly and they are carrying too many long term injuries by the end of their career - 90-100mph straight arm throwing while running, is lubriciously taxing on the body.

they are also at the forefront of labor unrest, demanding better guarantees for their selfless destruction.

batsmen are more 25-35, unless its a reflex guy, then 32 or 33 maybe.

we are starting to do accelerated pathways from childhood here now like you guys do but already their is a backlash as the traditional pathway through the local leagues - the 18-22 year olds- are critical to having a solid pool of players to choose from.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

my countries cricket is notorious for culling its stars, only a select few manage to hang on past 35 and destroy their image, typically a pro gets 25-35.

This is becoming more of the norm here, which is causing labor unrest and threats of a strike at the end of the next collective bargaining agreement.

Teams are manipulating service time and holding players in the minors [which is obvious but done in a way to honor existing labor agreements] so that when they hit the majors, they are under contract for the majority (if not all) of their prime years which run roughly from 24 to 33- give or take depending on the player.

The superstar-in-the-making player making his debut at 18-23 is becoming rarer and rarer- though part of that may have to do with more kids going to college first than right to the minor leagues.

The hispanic kids coming up through the MLB sweatshops systems, tend to sign at 16 and teams will bring them up earlier more often because you only have so many years before they are granted free agency or made available to other teams in a special draft [Rule 5 draft].

But the kicker is that if you sign someone at 16, and they are eligible for the Rule 5 draft at 19,20- most teams will pass on them because a Rule 5 player has to remain on your 25 man roster for a full year to be claimed. You can't just hide the person in the minor leagues, and teams are unwilling [99% of the time] of wasting a roster spot on someone who isn't ready.

yeh, sounds much the same.

fast bowlers typically will be closer to 20-30 in age as their bodies degenerate quickly and they are carrying too many long term injuries by the end of their career - 90-100mph straight arm throwing while running, is lubriciously taxing on the body.

they are also at the forefront of labor unrest, demanding better guarantees for their selfless destruction.

batsmen are more 25-35, unless its a reflex guy, then 32 or 33 maybe.

we are starting to do accelerated pathways from childhood here now like you guys do but already their is a backlash as the traditional pathway through the local leagues - the 18-22 year olds- are critical to having a solid pool of players to choose from.

yeah, it has to converge that way- the majority of players are done before they hit thirty. They don't have that extra oomph in talent to even have a decline where they can remain competitive at the top level.

Batters are much easier to assess and get some value out of, because they aren't throwing a ball with an unnatural motion and won't have their arms give out at any minute.

But the knees go, the back goes...and guys who were perfectly fine at 31 spend the rest of their careers on the disabled list for this ailment or that one- and they usually compound.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Right now, the Yankees are paying Jacoby Ellsbury approximately 23-24 million a year to do nothing. They're at the point where he's the sixth outfielder on the depth charts, though because of his guaranteed contract, he'll eat up a roster spot the moment he returns and act as the fourth/fifth outfielder from the bench, blocking actual prospects.

It's been a disaster contract, handed to him when he was 30, and it has two more years to go.

He missed last year completely with what started out as a hamstring problem, and then became a foot problem, which effected his back and shoulders...and somewhere along the line they figured out he had a torn labrum.

Which he required surgery for and hip injuries sap speed.

And the only thing Ellsbury was an elite player at was in the speed department.

He's had one year with the Yankees were he played more than 140 games- he's been on and off the disabled list the whole time. And he's so streaky, a minor injury pretty much guaranteed that he wouldn't hit for about a month after returning.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

I don't know about the cricket schedule for any of the leagues but baseball (non-playoff edition) at a 162 in 183 days is a grind. And it's as much about enduring season long little injuries as anything.

There are plenty of older players who could probably still do it if it were once/twice a week.

Speaking of cricket, really watching it is on my to-do list still.

The biggest barrier isn't so much the rule differences and the leagues -- it's the announcing. I've no clue what they're saying half the time.
.
And I find the Aussie accent a bit rough on the ears. Forget about the Indians and their English.

[noddy]

The biggest barrier isn't so much the rule differences and the leagues -- it's the announcing. I've no clue what they're saying half the time.
.
And I find the Aussie accent a bit rough on the ears. Forget about the Indians and their English.

the commentators are harsh on the ears even to the fans, typically we will mute it until something happens.

I don't know about the cricket schedule for any of the leagues but baseball (non-playoff edition) at a 162 in 183 days is a grind. And it's as much about enduring season long little injuries as anything.

There are plenty of older players who could probably still do it if it were once/twice a week.

the 3 flavours of cricket make it complicated to explain, some guys only play twice a week for 3-6 months, others can play all year round and hardly take breaks.

5 day cricket , aka test cricket, is international only and for the premium teams - 8 hrs a day for 5 days straight, its called "test" for a reason and its the favored format for the die hard fans
1 day cricket, aka 50 over, has international and local leagues but is a format on its deathbed, originally served as the short form game for those who cant handle 5 days of commitment
4hr cricket, aka T20, is now the premium local short form league with salaries and audiences that are overtaking international cricket in size.

some guys play all 3 formats in multiple countries and make serious money while juggling burnout.

for a new watcher Id recommend the local league T20 games, Indian (IPL) or Australian (BBL) are both available world wide, just leave the commentary down low.

the only problem with the short games is they have batsmen orientated conditions and rules so the bowlers can be dominated, proper test cricket has conditions and rules to favour the bowler so its the batsmen that get dominated.

one thing only test cricket has is its legal for a fast bowler to try and hurt the batsmen - 90-100mph balls alternating between the feet and their head, guys jumping around in fear with a risk of serious injury,

[noddy]

Right now, the Yankees are paying Jacoby Ellsbury approximately 23-24 million a year to do nothing. They're at the point where he's the sixth outfielder on the depth charts, though because of his guaranteed contract, he'll eat up a roster spot the moment he returns and act as the fourth/fifth outfielder from the bench, blocking actual prospects.

It's been a disaster contract, handed to him when he was 30, and it has two more years to go.

He missed last year completely with what started out as a hamstring problem, and then became a foot problem, which effected his back and shoulders...and somewhere along the line they figured out he had a torn labrum.

Which he required surgery for and hip injuries sap speed.

And the only thing Ellsbury was an elite player at was in the speed department.

He's had one year with the Yankees were he played more than 140 games- he's been on and off the disabled list the whole time. And he's so streaky, a minor injury pretty much guaranteed that he wouldn't hit for about a month after returning.

that can happen for a really talented younger guy in cricket but you have to be under 25 and you have to really be once in a generation special.

we have a fast bowler that is also a brilliant fielder and hard hitting batter, the ultra rare guy that is so talented he could almost make the team on all disciplines, he so far has kept his contract despite spending at least half the time in surgery for a bad back.

also helps he is a handsome fellow that makes for good posters, ugly chaps dont get quite as long a rope.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

_lEUBvaWEE8

[noddy]

got to love a speccy catch.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Two way sports-star Kyler Murray, who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 9th slot of last year's draft, has violated his contract by declaring that he will be entering the upcoming NFL draft.

I think the way it works is that the A's still hold his rights and will be able to negotiate some sort of arrangement with him going forward; but he must pay back the <$5 million draft bonus he was paid.

Murray, who apparently the A's (and others) believe to be a star in the making; actually won the Heisman Trophy this past year in college football, after acting as backup quarterback for several years behind college star (and NFL star? I don't know how well he's doing in professional football) Baker Maysfield.

When the A's drafted him, it was with the agreement&understanding that he would finish his college football career and then dedicate himself to baseball exclusively. However, Murray and his football team went on to surprising success, as it was unexpected that he could just jump in and pick up where Maysfield left off.

The thing is Murray, while super athletic, is rather small when it comes to traditional quarterbacks; especially ones with professional national football league dreams. So he is betting big that his athleticism and Heisman Trophy fame can translate to a first round pick in the NFL. That may happen, as the league has been less averse to smaller quarterbacks than ever; even ones below the 6 foot mark.

There is no guarantee that his gambit pays off- and already, a number of teams, off the record, have expressed their unwillingness to draft him in the 1st round. (One thing about football, that even I know, is that the college and professional games are different and success in one doesn't always translate into the other, or long term success.)

But, if Murray does manage to get drafted in the first round, there is more upfront money than what baseball could offer- even at one of the lower picks. I think the signing bonus for the 1st pick in the NFL draft last year was close to 30 million dollars, and the last pick in the 1st round was at 5 million. Plus, there is no minor league system to spend years working your way through. Murray, even if as good as advertised, is still another 2 or 3 years away from Major League Baseball. A 1st round pick almost guarantees he will be on the NFL roster, at least as a backup from the get go. No team is going to waste that pick and the place their 1st rounder on something like their practice squad.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

A few collective bargaining agreements ago, the MLBPA and MLB agreed to a hard draft slot cap, which has cut down on upfront money+other special perks.

It became increasingly common for top talent draft picks to price themselves out of small market teams budgets by simply refusing to sign, going to play in an independent league for the summer and entering the draft the following year. On top of that, amateur players were increasingly asking for written guarantees about their paths through the minors. Some players foregoing the whole process altogether and being immediately added to the major league 40-man roster.

So what you had was teams with the top draft spots eschewing the clear top talent guys and aiming for 2nd tier guys who they knew would sign; and ultimately not amount to anything. It's how teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates went on a 20+ year losing streak where

While smart in terms of business, I can't think of any player who succeeded by going from the draft to the major league roster since the advent of the draft in the 60s. There have been a number of teenagers who was so good, or whose bodies were fully mature, who made it quickly. But even in those cases, it's a few months to a year. These types of players are unicorns.

Instead several players spring to mind, who made that jump from the draft to the majors and ended up having bad careers- often short ones.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

So that's the set-up:

What has been reported is that Murray asked the A's to add him to the major league roster at 15 million a year- or about a half way point from the NFL draft bonus money. While it's unlikely the adds were going to hit 15 million, all indications are they were willing to renegotiate and hand him a major league contract, starting his contract.

And the league itself was ready to look the other way, because doing so is one of those borderline cases on whether it violates the current system where draft players can't get major league contracts.

But the league was invested in getting Murray to commit to baseball- they even sent marketing representatives with the A's to negotiate with him- as it would be a big 'get' to out compete the NFL for talent. And a number of teams, privately, said they didn't expect any fuss brought up because they thought this was a special case where it was more important for Murray to publicly commit to baseball over any legal competitive concerns or fear of moral hazard that this opens up the gate to amateur players' demands again.

----------------------

So in the end, it looks like MLB wasn't persuasive enough. Murray is taking a big risk on himself that he can get big upfront money from the NFL instead of waiting several years to get bigger money from the MLB.

And from the reporters, it seems like MLB is upset that they let this one slip out of their hands. Murray was a big fish because of his star profile and that he's African-American- and despite pouring lots of money over the last 10,15 years into inner city leagues, baseball isn't competing well with basketball and football for black cultural attention.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Australia's Peter Moylan to Retire from Major League Baseball After Having One of the Most Improbable Careers in the Sport's History

Veteran reliever Peter Moylan has opted to retire from Major League Baseball at the age of 40, he tells David O’Brien of The Athletic (subscription required). The Australian-born hurler isn’t entirely walking away from the game, as he’ll pitch for a professional team in Italy this summer and hopes to pitch for the Australian Olympic baseball team, O’Brien adds.

Moylan details his decision in the lengthy interview, revealing that although the calendar is about to flip to March, he simply never received an offer this winter. Despite the fact that Moylan believes he’s still capable of competing at the game’s top level, he also insists that there’s no bitterness or anger with regard to how the offseason played out. “The game is trending younger,” said the veteran righty. “I’m certainly not that. It’s time for me to let the kids play, so I’m done.”

Moylan will walk away from Major League Baseball having put together one of the most improbable careers in history. He was released by the Twins after the 1998 season and spent seven years working various non-baseball jobs in Australia. During that time, he continued pitching on the side and adopted a sidearm slot, which restored his velocity and helped him to qualify for Team Australia in the 2006 World Baseball Classic (while he was working as a pharmaceutical sales rep). That, in turn, led to a contract with the Braves. Moylan made his MLB debut with Atlanta shortly thereafter, on April 12, 2006 — nearly a decade after he signed his original contract with the Minnesota organization.

Over the next 13 years, Moylan would appear in parts of 12 MLB seasons, pitching to a combined 3.10 ERA with 324 strikeouts against 180 walks in 418 2/3 innings of regular-season work (plus another scoreless frame in the postseason). Along the way, he posted a 24-10 record, recorded four saves and racked up 99 holds between the Braves, Royals and Dodgers. Even late in his career, he demonstrated an ability to pitch at a high level, as he led the Majors with 79 appearances and logged a 3.49 ERA over the course of 59 1/3 innings for Kansas City in 2017. Over the course of his professional career, he was a two-time Tommy John patient, had multiple back surgeries and also underwent shoulder and biceps procedures.

Those unfamiliar with Moylan’s remarkable baseball odyssey will want to fully digest O’Brien’s column, as it’s rife with stories from Moylan himself and quotes from former teammates such as Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman; both heap praise on the sidearmer not only for his on-field contributions but his importance to the clubhouse and ability to elicit a laugh from any teammate at virtually any moment. Best wishes to Moylan in life after Major League Baseball.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The great Ichiro Suzuki has just retired from Major League Baseball.

The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners have opened the MLB season in Tokyo this year and Suzuki was added to the Mariner's roster, for all purposes, to finish his career where it started, in Japan.

Ichiro is probably the best singles-hitter to have ever played the game and if he had come over to the States early than he did at 27, he probably would've set the all time hits record. Additionally, he was a very fine defensive right-fielder with a legendary cannon of an arm.

Which is why they've marketed him as having something like the "most professional hits", including the almost 2000 he hit in Japan.

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Meanwhile, it's game 2 of the Major League season the A's and M's have been playing a tight game and if the Mariners can retire the side, they'll be going into extra innings.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

While Oakland and Seattle technically opened up the 2019 in Japan last week; tomorrow is opening day for the rest of Major League Baseball.

It's exciting. I've not been following league-wide too closely but the New York teams are both feeling pretty optimistic about their chances. The Yankees are a definite in that regard; the Mets have a tougher road ahead of them but as long as they can stay healthy, they should be competitive to the end of the season.

The MLB has also formed an historic partnership with the independent Atlantic League for the upcoming season [and foreseeable future?]. It's historic given how MLB has loathed to even recognize the existence of other professional leagues, outside of the Japanese one and those under their minor league umbrella.

This isn't so much about competition/talent though as it is about the future of the game. Starting this year, the Atlantic League will be experimenting with different rules that the MLB has been considering to adopt. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

Inside Baseball's Laboratory