I still hate the Washington Nationals and the idiotic 2019 World Series. I do not care to think about The first of what should be at least two Awards came in yesterday, and Our Dude Yordan Alvarez became the third Astro to ever win Rookie of the Year, joining Jeff Bagwell and Carlos Correa. Manager of the Year is announced today. The Astros now have three Rookies of the Year on the team for 2020, with Alvarez (2019), Correa (2015), and Verlander (2006).
*Yordan's win was a unanimous one. He's the 11th unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in baseball history, the first unanimous AL selection since all the way back in [squints] 2017 with Aaron Judge. Hinch:
What an incredible year and recognition for Alvarez. He did everything we could have asked for and more. His dynamic presence on our team is undeniable. I'm proud of how he handled his transition to the big leagues, his immediate success, all the attention, and ultimately his actions as a teammate. A great and well-deserved honor.
How every voter voted, and why.
Click this link to see a visual of every home run Yordan hit.
Yordan's 87 regular season games played are the fewest ever played by a Rookie of the Year.
Do not forget that Yordan hit .412/.524/.588 in the 2019 World Series, with 2K:4BB.
Thanks to this Chandler Rome tweet, I'm reminded that Jeff Bagwell fell one first-place vote shy of being unanimous in 1991. Who got that lone first-place vote? Pittsburgh's Orlando Merced. Let's recap:
Bagwell: 156 games played, 650 PAs, 26 doubles / 15 homers, 82RBI, .294/.387/.437, 139 OPS+, 4.3 fWAR.
Merced: 120 games played, 478 PAs, 17 doubles / 10 homers, 50RBI, .275/.373/.399, 119 OPS+, 2.6 fWAR.
*Congratulations to Carlos Correa and Daniella Rodriguez, who got married in a Harris County courthouse yesterday. There will be an official wedding ceremony on December 7. So Veterans Day, and Pearl Harbor anniversary day. Wow, 'Litos. But shout out to them for making it official and for Saving Themselves for Marriage.
*Chandler Rome: Expect the Astros to take their time this off-season. Notable that Robinson Chirinos signed December 6, Michael Brantley signed December 19, Wade Miley signed February 1. He*k, they didn't even trade for Zack Greinke until July 31. Houston traded for Gerrit Cole on January 13, 2018.
*FanGraphs' Rian Watt: Keeping the Astros' bullpen on track.
*Have some #Rumerz:
-Scott Boras is looking at $300m+ for Gerrit Cole.
-Jon Heyman says Zack Wheeler will decline his qualifying offer, but the Mets are interested in a multi-year extension. The Astros reportedly met with his agents yesterday.The Angels, White Sox, and Padres are interested if Wheeler hits free agency.
-Dustin Pedroia, whom the Red Sox have paid $31m to play in nine games (34 PAs) since the beginning of the 2018 season, intends to play in 2020.
-The A's are looking for lefty bats and bullpen help.
-Farmers Branch wants to be a Big Boy in free agency.
-Former Astros Greats Luke Gregerson and Tony Sipp could find employment!
*Other stuff:
-Alex Bazeley took a look at MLB employee ratings on Glassdoor.
-The Ghosts of War in a Wisconsin Forest.
-They tried to save the lives of immigrants fleeing danger. Now they're facing prosecution.
-Plutonium is leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Never met "plutonium" before but I can't imagine this is a good thing.
-Living full-time in a Toyota Tacoma.
*A Musical Selection, a banger:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label Zack Wheeler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zack Wheeler. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Thursday Morning Hot Links
Yesterday was the 11th anniversary of the beginning of this blog. Thank you for reading. Now this is a compulsion and you're all to blame.
*Watch this video of the 2019 Astros' best moments. I'm going to link to it here, but I won't watch it until it's like 29 degrees with a 30mph north wind and sleeting. I'm not ready to watch baseball again just yet. I've watched maybe six minutes of television since last Wednesday night. This morning my wife came in to the living room (I wake up way earlier than her) and I was just sitting on the couch in the dark drinking a cup of coffee and she was all, "Are you okay?" And after about 20 seconds of silence I just responded, "I'll never understand how we lost this World Series." I'm not in a place to watch highlights right now. January? Maybe. Post-Baseball Seasonal Depression (PBSD) is real.
*Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy was welcomed by Mexico's president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
*Hey this is a fun award: The Astros won the Wilson Defensive Team of the Year. This is better than Game 7, I guess.
But no. Whichever Astro wins an award in the next week or so deserves it. Their individual efforts added up to an amazing yet unfulfilled season, but it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be recognized for their outstanding effort. It's not a mistake that the Astros were heavy favorites in the World Series - they just didn't get it done. Their work over 162 games should not be minimized.
FanGraphs: Will Harris played well, didn't get rewarded. If you don't read this, just know that Howie Kendrick performed a literal miracle in the 7th Inning of Game 7.
*LMJ is back.
*SI's Matt Martell names one free agent every MLB team should sign. For Houston: Unsurprisingly it's Gerrit Cole. If not, it's Zack Wheeler.
*I'm sure there's nothing to read into here but not only did Oz Ocampo bounce for "different opportunities," but so did Manager of International Scouting Eve Rosenbaum.
*The Barves are going to go hard after Madison Bumgarner....right after Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos pisses off the MLBPA.
*The Athletic's Peter Gammons makes a compelling case for Dwight Evans in the Hall of Fame.
*Two former Twitter employees have been charged with spying for Saudi Arabia.
*Reveal: Who owns Silicon Valley?
*Politico: The massacre that spawned the Alt-Right.
*A Musical Selection:
*Watch this video of the 2019 Astros' best moments. I'm going to link to it here, but I won't watch it until it's like 29 degrees with a 30mph north wind and sleeting. I'm not ready to watch baseball again just yet. I've watched maybe six minutes of television since last Wednesday night. This morning my wife came in to the living room (I wake up way earlier than her) and I was just sitting on the couch in the dark drinking a cup of coffee and she was all, "Are you okay?" And after about 20 seconds of silence I just responded, "I'll never understand how we lost this World Series." I'm not in a place to watch highlights right now. January? Maybe. Post-Baseball Seasonal Depression (PBSD) is real.
*Game 4 Hero Jose Urquidy was welcomed by Mexico's president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
*Hey this is a fun award: The Astros won the Wilson Defensive Team of the Year. This is better than Game 7, I guess.
But no. Whichever Astro wins an award in the next week or so deserves it. Their individual efforts added up to an amazing yet unfulfilled season, but it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be recognized for their outstanding effort. It's not a mistake that the Astros were heavy favorites in the World Series - they just didn't get it done. Their work over 162 games should not be minimized.
FanGraphs: Will Harris played well, didn't get rewarded. If you don't read this, just know that Howie Kendrick performed a literal miracle in the 7th Inning of Game 7.
*LMJ is back.
*SI's Matt Martell names one free agent every MLB team should sign. For Houston: Unsurprisingly it's Gerrit Cole. If not, it's Zack Wheeler.
*I'm sure there's nothing to read into here but not only did Oz Ocampo bounce for "different opportunities," but so did Manager of International Scouting Eve Rosenbaum.
*The Barves are going to go hard after Madison Bumgarner....right after Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos pisses off the MLBPA.
*The Athletic's Peter Gammons makes a compelling case for Dwight Evans in the Hall of Fame.
*Two former Twitter employees have been charged with spying for Saudi Arabia.
*Reveal: Who owns Silicon Valley?
*Politico: The massacre that spawned the Alt-Right.
*A Musical Selection:
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
July 31 Rumor Roundup / Running Post
July 31 is always the most distracting day for me at work. That all has to do with the invention of Twitter and the MLB Trade Deadline, which ends at 3 p.m. CT today. I figured I'd help out with a running post. If you don't want to wait for an update on the post (I do have work after all), you can check out this Twitter List for monitoring the latest news and rumors.
You can check out the news and rumors from July 30 here.
Obviously I'm going to write all this up, but I'm going to take a moment and let some of the details come in, then take a shower, then have a drink, before I get started.
3:55pm: The Greinke deal was finalized "a couple of seconds" before the deadline.
3:41pm: The Astros are assuming $53m of Greinke's remaining contract, which works out to be around $22m per year.
3:36pm: Updated World Series odds have the Astros at 2:1.
3:30pm: The Astros final haul from Toronto is Biagini, Sanchez, and Cal Stevenson.
3:24pm: Seth Beer and Josh Rojas are the others.
3:23pm: Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas are two known names. Two other "high draft picks from recent years" involved.
3:16pm: Kyle Tucker is not one of those prospects.
3:15pm: Four prospects are headed to Arizona
3:13pm: The Astros have acquired Zack Greinke.
3:09pm: Toronto has apparently also traded Aaron Sanchez to Houston.
3:05pm: The Dodgers and Yankees did not get better.
3:02pm: Rosenthal's sources say Bumgarner and Wheeler are staying with their respective teams.
3:01pm: Wheeler is staying with the Mets...for now.
2:58pm: Yeah, the Angels traded for Stassi.
2:56pm: The Angels are trying to swing a deal for Max Stassi.
2:54pm: The Astros may have acquired [squints] Joe Biagini from Toronto?
2:44pm: The Mets' asking price for Zack Wheeler is "steep." A deal would be a surprise at this point.
2:42pm: Former Astros Great Mark Melancon is headed to Atlanta.
2:29pm: The Mets want to Sell AND Buy, and want to beef up their bullpen.
2:24pm: Jeff Passan says on ESPN that Wheeler is either going to the Astros or Rays.
2:21pm: The Yankees are out on Zack Wheeler
2:13pm: The Dodgers have traded for St. Louis' Jedd Gyorko.
2:11pm: The Tigers are close to sending closer Shane Greene to Atlanta.
2:08pm: Still the Astros, Rays, and Yankees in on Wheeler, but the Mets will hold on to him if they don't get the deal they want.
2:00pm: One hour until the Trade Deadline.
1:48pm: Madison Bumgarner remains available, and the Giants will be listening until the deadline.
1:45pm: The Rays have made an offer to the Mets for Wheeler, but both sides are "not close."
1:43pm: Astros, Rays, and Yankees are talking to the Mets about Wheeler. No word on romance level.
1:41pm: Buster Olney just said on ESPN that the feeling is Bumgarner will stay in San Francisco.
1:36pm: Astros and Rays are in on Zack Wheeler, activity is described as "hot and heavy."
1:34pm: The Nationals also got Hunter Strickland from Seattle - their 3rd bullpen addition of the day.
1:31pm: Arizona wanted Clint Frazier plus three prospects from New York for Robbie Ray.
1:25pm: Oakland has acquired pitcher Tanner Roark from Cincinnati.
1:25pm: Apparently it's Drew Pomeranz going to the Brewers from San Francisco.
1:23pm: The Giants and Brewers have agreed to a deal, but it does not include Madison Bumgarner.
1:20pm: The Rays are in on Zack Wheeler.
1:09pm: The Nationals have also acquired lefty reliever Roenis Elias from Seattle - their 2nd bullpen addition of the day.
1:01pm: Martin Maldonado seems to confirm the trade back to Houston.
12:56pm: With the Trade Deadline just over two hours away, a sense of urgency "has started to pick up."
12:54pm: Talks between the Yankees and Diamondbacks on Robbie Ray are now "dead."
12:52pm: The Nationals have traded for Toronto reliever Daniel Hudson.
12:51pm: The Yankees are "considering" Former Astros Great Ken Giles.
12:28pm: The belief now is that the Mets will hold on to closer Edwin Diaz.
12:18pm: Based on cost, it looks like Zach Wheeler is the Astros preferred option.
12:04pm: Astros pitchers loved throwing to Maldonado.
11:58am: Tony Kemp is going to the Cubs for Maldonado. Good for him!
11:55am: Astros acquire Martin Maldonado from Cubs! Check the County Mountie's write-up here.
11:51am: Both Yankees and Astros in on Bumgarner and Wheeler. My prediction is Yankees get Bumgarner. Astros get Wheeler. I doubt the Mets really want to deal with the Yankees. They're just using them as leverage against the Astros.
11:34am: Sounds like there's not much going on the Robbie Ray front.
10:59am: Astros and Yankees are inquiring on Ray from the Diamondbacks.
10:56am: Zack Wheeler market is heating up!
10:46am: Astros focused on Zach Wheeler and Robbie Ray.
10:43am: Astros are in discussions about reliever help. Ryan Pressley was put on the IL yesterday, retroactive to July 27.
10:32am: Justin Verlander is just like us! Hi Justin!
10:21am: "The Mets are fielding calls from 9 teams on Wheeler." I suspect the Astros are one of those teams.
9:16am: Some news on the Yankees, Giants, and Mets. Hoping this is a sign that reporters are heads down getting information on the next trade. Oh and other teams expect Wheeler to be dealt.
7:40am: Astros are on Madison Bumgarner's "special" no-trade list. Rival execs don't think that will be an issue as getting traded won't saddle him with a qualifying offer. Similar to Justin Verlander a few years ago, this might be a trade that goes down to the wire. If it actually happens.
6:18am: Reds are keeping Bauer, not flipping him. That should make a lot of the Astros' faithful happy.
4:03am: GMs expect Zack Wheeler, Robbie Ray, and Mike Minor to be moved today.
Here are the details from the Tyler Bauer to Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig to Cleveland, and Taylor Trammel to San Diego three-team trade.
You can check out the news and rumors from July 30 here.
Obviously I'm going to write all this up, but I'm going to take a moment and let some of the details come in, then take a shower, then have a drink, before I get started.
3:55pm: The Greinke deal was finalized "a couple of seconds" before the deadline.
3:41pm: The Astros are assuming $53m of Greinke's remaining contract, which works out to be around $22m per year.
3:36pm: Updated World Series odds have the Astros at 2:1.
3:30pm: The Astros final haul from Toronto is Biagini, Sanchez, and Cal Stevenson.
3:24pm: Seth Beer and Josh Rojas are the others.
3:23pm: Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas are two known names. Two other "high draft picks from recent years" involved.
3:16pm: Kyle Tucker is not one of those prospects.
3:15pm: Four prospects are headed to Arizona
3:13pm: The Astros have acquired Zack Greinke.
3:09pm: Toronto has apparently also traded Aaron Sanchez to Houston.
3:05pm: The Dodgers and Yankees did not get better.
3:02pm: Rosenthal's sources say Bumgarner and Wheeler are staying with their respective teams.
3:01pm: Wheeler is staying with the Mets...for now.
2:58pm: Yeah, the Angels traded for Stassi.
2:56pm: The Angels are trying to swing a deal for Max Stassi.
2:54pm: The Astros may have acquired [squints] Joe Biagini from Toronto?
2:44pm: The Mets' asking price for Zack Wheeler is "steep." A deal would be a surprise at this point.
2:42pm: Former Astros Great Mark Melancon is headed to Atlanta.
2:29pm: The Mets want to Sell AND Buy, and want to beef up their bullpen.
2:24pm: Jeff Passan says on ESPN that Wheeler is either going to the Astros or Rays.
2:21pm: The Yankees are out on Zack Wheeler
2:13pm: The Dodgers have traded for St. Louis' Jedd Gyorko.
2:11pm: The Tigers are close to sending closer Shane Greene to Atlanta.
2:08pm: Still the Astros, Rays, and Yankees in on Wheeler, but the Mets will hold on to him if they don't get the deal they want.
2:00pm: One hour until the Trade Deadline.
1:48pm: Madison Bumgarner remains available, and the Giants will be listening until the deadline.
1:45pm: The Rays have made an offer to the Mets for Wheeler, but both sides are "not close."
1:43pm: Astros, Rays, and Yankees are talking to the Mets about Wheeler. No word on romance level.
1:41pm: Buster Olney just said on ESPN that the feeling is Bumgarner will stay in San Francisco.
1:36pm: Astros and Rays are in on Zack Wheeler, activity is described as "hot and heavy."
1:34pm: The Nationals also got Hunter Strickland from Seattle - their 3rd bullpen addition of the day.
1:31pm: Arizona wanted Clint Frazier plus three prospects from New York for Robbie Ray.
1:25pm: Oakland has acquired pitcher Tanner Roark from Cincinnati.
1:25pm: Apparently it's Drew Pomeranz going to the Brewers from San Francisco.
1:23pm: The Giants and Brewers have agreed to a deal, but it does not include Madison Bumgarner.
1:20pm: The Rays are in on Zack Wheeler.
1:09pm: The Nationals have also acquired lefty reliever Roenis Elias from Seattle - their 2nd bullpen addition of the day.
1:01pm: Martin Maldonado seems to confirm the trade back to Houston.
12:56pm: With the Trade Deadline just over two hours away, a sense of urgency "has started to pick up."
12:54pm: Talks between the Yankees and Diamondbacks on Robbie Ray are now "dead."
12:52pm: The Nationals have traded for Toronto reliever Daniel Hudson.
12:51pm: The Yankees are "considering" Former Astros Great Ken Giles.
12:28pm: The belief now is that the Mets will hold on to closer Edwin Diaz.
12:18pm: Based on cost, it looks like Zach Wheeler is the Astros preferred option.
12:04pm: Astros pitchers loved throwing to Maldonado.
11:58am: Tony Kemp is going to the Cubs for Maldonado. Good for him!
11:55am: Astros acquire Martin Maldonado from Cubs! Check the County Mountie's write-up here.
11:51am: Both Yankees and Astros in on Bumgarner and Wheeler. My prediction is Yankees get Bumgarner. Astros get Wheeler. I doubt the Mets really want to deal with the Yankees. They're just using them as leverage against the Astros.
11:34am: Sounds like there's not much going on the Robbie Ray front.
10:59am: Astros and Yankees are inquiring on Ray from the Diamondbacks.
10:56am: Zack Wheeler market is heating up!
10:46am: Astros focused on Zach Wheeler and Robbie Ray.
10:43am: Astros are in discussions about reliever help. Ryan Pressley was put on the IL yesterday, retroactive to July 27.
10:32am: Justin Verlander is just like us! Hi Justin!
10:21am: "The Mets are fielding calls from 9 teams on Wheeler." I suspect the Astros are one of those teams.
9:16am: Some news on the Yankees, Giants, and Mets. Hoping this is a sign that reporters are heads down getting information on the next trade. Oh and other teams expect Wheeler to be dealt.
7:40am: Astros are on Madison Bumgarner's "special" no-trade list. Rival execs don't think that will be an issue as getting traded won't saddle him with a qualifying offer. Similar to Justin Verlander a few years ago, this might be a trade that goes down to the wire. If it actually happens.
6:18am: Reds are keeping Bauer, not flipping him. That should make a lot of the Astros' faithful happy.
4:03am: GMs expect Zack Wheeler, Robbie Ray, and Mike Minor to be moved today.
Here are the details from the Tyler Bauer to Cincinnati, Yasiel Puig to Cleveland, and Taylor Trammel to San Diego three-team trade.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
Thanks to Flick for taking the Hot Links yesterday morning while I was out pretending I'm not in my late 30s. Seeing Spoon was a bucket list item for me, Cage The Elephant played maybe the best show I've seen in the last 15 years (and turned me from An Appreciator to A Hardcore Fan), and Beck was as phenomenal as I expected him to be. His drummer went hard. Anyway. It was really cool to get to come to Houston this past weekend and hang out with a bunch of you, whether that was at the Disaster of the Lima Time Time Live Show, or the concert last night. You're all pretty solid people, and I appreciate you.
Random Notes
The Astros were off yesterday. Their next off-day is next Monday. This week's schedule:
Tue-Thu: at Cleveland
Fri-Sun: vs. Seattle
Houston has 55 games remaining. 26 of them are against teams above .500:
Cleveland (3)
Oakland (8)
Anaheim (10)
Tampa (3)
Milwaukee (2)
18 of the 26 remaining games against teams above .500 (prior to the games of July 29) are with Oakland and Anaheim, against whom the Astros are a combined 15-5.
Since losing seven in a row between Toronto, Cincinnati, and New York, the Astros are 20-9 with a collective .283/.355/.496 slash line and a 3.83 ERA / 1.23 WHIP with a 3.31 K:BB ratio. They good.
Astros News
*Jake Marisnick lost his appeal, because Joe Torre and MLB are spineless. He will sit tonight and tomorrow, and the Astros will just play a man down.
*Forrest Whitley will start for Fayetteville again tonight.
*The Athletic's Jon Greenberg ($) wrote up a profile of Tri-City manager Ozney Guillen and the future of the modern MLB manager. It's a really good read.
Trade Stuff
The Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 3pm Central.
*Jake Kaplan ($): The Astros tend to hold on to prospects like Kyle Tucker and Forrest Whitley. Is that the right plan this Deadline?
*The Astros and Brewers are in on Arizona's Robbie Ray. The Brewers also acquired Former Astros Great Jordan Lyles.
*The Mets are shopping both Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. FanGraphs: The Case for Noah Syndergaard.
*As you know, the Mets have acquired Marcos Stroman. Stroman was apparently so upset that he wasn't traded to the Yankees, Red Sox, or Astros that the clubhouse was closed while he vented. Stroman is smart and says he's excited to be a Met.
Between STRO-MAN becoming a Met, and David Price's dog ASTRO going to Boston, I'm starting to think that there's nothing to read into these perfect coincidences. The Mets also traded Jason Vargas to the division rival Phillies, for a 25-year old catcher hitting .195 in his 2nd year at Double-A, but who went to school with Jeff Wilpon's son. Ultimately, the Mets are not smart. On a scale of usefulness, Tampons > Wilpons. The Inestimable David J. Roth: A Working Theory Of What The Mets Are Doing.
*The Red Sox are discussing Mets reliever Edwin Diaz. Mike Petriello: Why Edwin Diaz is still in high demand.
Minor League Stuff
*Round Rock was off yesterday.
*Corpus won in 10 innings, 7-6. Abraham Toro was 3x5 with a double and 2HR/4RBI. J.B. Bukauskas threw 4.2IP, 3H/3ER, 4K:5BB. In his last four starts: 21.2IP, 13H/5ER, 26K:12BB. Erasmo Pinales threw 2IP and allowed 0H/0ER, 6K:2BB.
*Quad Cities lost to Beloit 11-3. Not much of note in this one.
*Fayetteville was off yesterday.
*Tri-City was off yesterday.
Other Stuff
*What happens when a veteran reporter makes a mistake in a post-game interview after just watching her sister die? Plot Twist: People are absolutely terrible.
*15 Days of Fury: How Puerto Rico's Government Collapsed.
*GQ: The Business of Sleep.
*Texas Monthly: It only took a handful of people to wrongly convict Ed Ates of murder. It took an army to free him from prison. Now comes the hard part.
*A College dropout, bed-ridden for 11 years, invented a surgery and cured himself.
*Parents are giving up custody of their kids in order to qualify for need-based scholarships and tuition-assistance. This country is fan...[kisses bunched fingers]...tastic.
*A Musical Selection:
Random Notes
The Astros were off yesterday. Their next off-day is next Monday. This week's schedule:
Tue-Thu: at Cleveland
Fri-Sun: vs. Seattle
Houston has 55 games remaining. 26 of them are against teams above .500:
Cleveland (3)
Oakland (8)
Anaheim (10)
Tampa (3)
Milwaukee (2)
18 of the 26 remaining games against teams above .500 (prior to the games of July 29) are with Oakland and Anaheim, against whom the Astros are a combined 15-5.
Since losing seven in a row between Toronto, Cincinnati, and New York, the Astros are 20-9 with a collective .283/.355/.496 slash line and a 3.83 ERA / 1.23 WHIP with a 3.31 K:BB ratio. They good.
Astros News
*Jake Marisnick lost his appeal, because Joe Torre and MLB are spineless. He will sit tonight and tomorrow, and the Astros will just play a man down.
*Forrest Whitley will start for Fayetteville again tonight.
*The Athletic's Jon Greenberg ($) wrote up a profile of Tri-City manager Ozney Guillen and the future of the modern MLB manager. It's a really good read.
Trade Stuff
The Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 3pm Central.
*Jake Kaplan ($): The Astros tend to hold on to prospects like Kyle Tucker and Forrest Whitley. Is that the right plan this Deadline?
*The Astros and Brewers are in on Arizona's Robbie Ray. The Brewers also acquired Former Astros Great Jordan Lyles.
*The Mets are shopping both Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. FanGraphs: The Case for Noah Syndergaard.
*As you know, the Mets have acquired Marcos Stroman. Stroman was apparently so upset that he wasn't traded to the Yankees, Red Sox, or Astros that the clubhouse was closed while he vented. Stroman is smart and says he's excited to be a Met.
Between STRO-MAN becoming a Met, and David Price's dog ASTRO going to Boston, I'm starting to think that there's nothing to read into these perfect coincidences. The Mets also traded Jason Vargas to the division rival Phillies, for a 25-year old catcher hitting .195 in his 2nd year at Double-A, but who went to school with Jeff Wilpon's son. Ultimately, the Mets are not smart. On a scale of usefulness, Tampons > Wilpons. The Inestimable David J. Roth: A Working Theory Of What The Mets Are Doing.
*The Red Sox are discussing Mets reliever Edwin Diaz. Mike Petriello: Why Edwin Diaz is still in high demand.
Minor League Stuff
*Round Rock was off yesterday.
*Corpus won in 10 innings, 7-6. Abraham Toro was 3x5 with a double and 2HR/4RBI. J.B. Bukauskas threw 4.2IP, 3H/3ER, 4K:5BB. In his last four starts: 21.2IP, 13H/5ER, 26K:12BB. Erasmo Pinales threw 2IP and allowed 0H/0ER, 6K:2BB.
*Quad Cities lost to Beloit 11-3. Not much of note in this one.
*Fayetteville was off yesterday.
*Tri-City was off yesterday.
Other Stuff
*What happens when a veteran reporter makes a mistake in a post-game interview after just watching her sister die? Plot Twist: People are absolutely terrible.
*15 Days of Fury: How Puerto Rico's Government Collapsed.
*GQ: The Business of Sleep.
*Texas Monthly: It only took a handful of people to wrongly convict Ed Ates of murder. It took an army to free him from prison. Now comes the hard part.
*A College dropout, bed-ridden for 11 years, invented a surgery and cured himself.
*Parents are giving up custody of their kids in order to qualify for need-based scholarships and tuition-assistance. This country is fan...[kisses bunched fingers]...tastic.
*A Musical Selection:
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Wednesday Morning Hot Links
Today is July 3rd. Many of you know that I was born in England, and every 3rd of July my wife and I celebrate Dependence Day, in honor of the last day of the Colonies' dependence on England. Newcastle Brown Ale, Harp, Bass, Bangers & Mash, and lots (and lots) of Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, and Kula Shaker. Happy Dependence Day. Piers Morgan can get stuffed, though.
The Astros won a wild one last night in Colorado and are undefeated when Jose Urquidy starts. Houston is 54-32, 7.0 games up on Oakland and 7.5 up on the 3rd Place North Madisonville Rangers. The Astros have won six of their last eight games. They've scored 6+ runs three games in a row for the first time since May 11-13. Hinch:
I don't come here a lot, and I don't manage here a lot, but it feels like every time I do come here, it's a game that never ends and a game you're never quite in control of and never quite out of. Good team win for us. We had a lot of people step up and do a lot of good things.
Houston is 4-1 at Colorado since 2015, outscoring them 35-21.
*George Springer and Jose Altuve combined for seven of the Astros' 13 hits - Springer going 3x5 and Altuve going 4x5 with a double. Altuve has seven hits in his last ten PAs. If you excuse his first game back from the IL, Altuve is hitting .367/.385/.510 in his last eleven games. He stole two bases in a game for the first time since June 2, 2018. Hinch, on Altuve:
He hasn't forgotten how to play. When he gets these hits in bunches and he starts to run the bases aggressively, I think we all collectively exhale and feel really good for him. People have no idea how hard he's worked and what he's put in and the stress he carries when he doesn't do well.
*Springer is hitting .345/.406/.483 since coming off the IL.
*Yuli Gurriel was 3x5 with two home runs. It's the second 2HR game of his career, first since September 21, 2018. Since June 11, Gurriel is hitting .338/.390/.676. He also struck out last night for the first time since June 20, going 41 PAs between strikeouts. Bum. Hinch, on Gurriel:
He's getting pretty good pitches to hit and he's not missing them.
Gurriel, on how he likes hitting at Coors:
Mucho. Good stadium to hit in and the ball goes far.
Chandler Rome says the story behind Gurriel's resurgence begins with a conversation with Carlos Beltran.
*Jose Urquidy made his MLB debut last night and threw 3.2IP, 6H/2ER, 4K:1BB, throwing 52 of his 81 pitches for strikes. He got dinked (sic) on. Unlucky. He'll get another start Sunday. A.J. Reed was DFA'd to make room on the 40-Man Roster for Urquidy, and Reymin Guduan was optioned back to Round Rock to make room on the 25-Man.
Within that link we find that Correa and Diaz are working out at the team's Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach.
*Josh James kind of crapped the bed, getting four outs and allowing 3H/5R (4ER) with 1K:2BB. It's the second time this season he has allowed 4ER. He has allowed runs in 10 of his 31 appearances, and multiple runs in nine of those.
*Will Harris allowed four hits for the 4th time in his career and the first time in the regular season since July 8, 2016. It happened once in the 2015 ALDS but we do not speak of this. He worked himself out of a bases-loaded jam. Harris:
You know coming in you're just going to have to go out there and find a way to get three outs. You know you're going to give up hits and you just have to keep grinding.
*Chris Devenski, Ryan Pressly, and Roberto Osuna closed the door on the Rockies, combining for 3IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:1BB.
*Holdt up a minute: Baseball-Reference has their own Playoff Odds tracker and they say the Twins (10.3%) have a better chance of winning the World Series than the Astros (9.5%)? And the Dodgers have a 1-in-3 chance? GTFOH. Related from Buster Olney: Can the Twins keep winning?
*The County Mountie has some potential spin rate trade targets for your reading pleasure.
*The Astros signed #14 international prospect Dauri Lorenzo yesterday, and 12 other international players.
*The Athletic's Marc Carig has a good piece on potential trade target Zack Wheeler.
*The Braves just couldn't score enough for Dallas Keuchel.
*The Ringer: The 2019 Orioles might be the 1927 Yankees of awful.
*Wired: A costly reminder that you don't actually own your E-books.
*Cain and Abel and Oil.
*A Musical Selection:
The Astros won a wild one last night in Colorado and are undefeated when Jose Urquidy starts. Houston is 54-32, 7.0 games up on Oakland and 7.5 up on the 3rd Place North Madisonville Rangers. The Astros have won six of their last eight games. They've scored 6+ runs three games in a row for the first time since May 11-13. Hinch:
I don't come here a lot, and I don't manage here a lot, but it feels like every time I do come here, it's a game that never ends and a game you're never quite in control of and never quite out of. Good team win for us. We had a lot of people step up and do a lot of good things.
Houston is 4-1 at Colorado since 2015, outscoring them 35-21.
*George Springer and Jose Altuve combined for seven of the Astros' 13 hits - Springer going 3x5 and Altuve going 4x5 with a double. Altuve has seven hits in his last ten PAs. If you excuse his first game back from the IL, Altuve is hitting .367/.385/.510 in his last eleven games. He stole two bases in a game for the first time since June 2, 2018. Hinch, on Altuve:
He hasn't forgotten how to play. When he gets these hits in bunches and he starts to run the bases aggressively, I think we all collectively exhale and feel really good for him. People have no idea how hard he's worked and what he's put in and the stress he carries when he doesn't do well.
*Springer is hitting .345/.406/.483 since coming off the IL.
*Yuli Gurriel was 3x5 with two home runs. It's the second 2HR game of his career, first since September 21, 2018. Since June 11, Gurriel is hitting .338/.390/.676. He also struck out last night for the first time since June 20, going 41 PAs between strikeouts. Bum. Hinch, on Gurriel:
He's getting pretty good pitches to hit and he's not missing them.
Gurriel, on how he likes hitting at Coors:
Mucho. Good stadium to hit in and the ball goes far.
Chandler Rome says the story behind Gurriel's resurgence begins with a conversation with Carlos Beltran.
*Jose Urquidy made his MLB debut last night and threw 3.2IP, 6H/2ER, 4K:1BB, throwing 52 of his 81 pitches for strikes. He got dinked (sic) on. Unlucky. He'll get another start Sunday. A.J. Reed was DFA'd to make room on the 40-Man Roster for Urquidy, and Reymin Guduan was optioned back to Round Rock to make room on the 25-Man.
Within that link we find that Correa and Diaz are working out at the team's Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach.
*Josh James kind of crapped the bed, getting four outs and allowing 3H/5R (4ER) with 1K:2BB. It's the second time this season he has allowed 4ER. He has allowed runs in 10 of his 31 appearances, and multiple runs in nine of those.
*Will Harris allowed four hits for the 4th time in his career and the first time in the regular season since July 8, 2016. It happened once in the 2015 ALDS but we do not speak of this. He worked himself out of a bases-loaded jam. Harris:
You know coming in you're just going to have to go out there and find a way to get three outs. You know you're going to give up hits and you just have to keep grinding.
*Chris Devenski, Ryan Pressly, and Roberto Osuna closed the door on the Rockies, combining for 3IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:1BB.
*Holdt up a minute: Baseball-Reference has their own Playoff Odds tracker and they say the Twins (10.3%) have a better chance of winning the World Series than the Astros (9.5%)? And the Dodgers have a 1-in-3 chance? GTFOH. Related from Buster Olney: Can the Twins keep winning?
*The County Mountie has some potential spin rate trade targets for your reading pleasure.
*The Astros signed #14 international prospect Dauri Lorenzo yesterday, and 12 other international players.
*The Athletic's Marc Carig has a good piece on potential trade target Zack Wheeler.
*The Braves just couldn't score enough for Dallas Keuchel.
*The Ringer: The 2019 Orioles might be the 1927 Yankees of awful.
*Wired: A costly reminder that you don't actually own your E-books.
*Cain and Abel and Oil.
*A Musical Selection:
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