2015 MLB season.

[choxorn]

At the start of the season, FanGraphs projected that the Red Sox and Mariners would have the two best records in the American League.

As of today, they are now tied for last place, half a game behind the Athletics.

Meanwhile, the Royals, Twins, and Astros, all projected to not be very good, are all among the top 5 teams in the AL.

This season is weird.

 

[Darkness]

This season is weird.

In the AL it is. The NL is going pretty much as expected. Washington, Los Angeles and St. Louis lead their divisions, with Pittsburg, Chicago and San Francisco being the main candidates for the Wild Cards. IIRC those six teams were expected to be top of the NL before the season...

 

[choxorn]

Well, there are NL teams doing a bit better than expected or a bit worse than expected, but you're right, it's mostly more or less conforming to expectations, while the AL is totally bonkers.

 

[illram]

At the start of the season, FanGraphs projected that the Red Sox and Mariners would have the two best records in the American League.

As of today, they are now tied for last place, half a game behind the Athletics.

Meanwhile, the Royals, Twins, and Astros, all projected to not be very good, are all among the top 5 teams in the AL.

This season is weird.

The Red Sox are really disheartening as of the last, half decade? It's weird to say that again. We had a nice run of solid management at the top from seemingly around 2002 or so to 2011...basically Epstein's tenure, and that now appears to no longer be the case. With the historic September collapse of...what was it, 2011 or something that led to the firing of Francona and Epstein jumping ship, it's been mostly downhill (i.e., all last place finishes) other than the wonderful and unexpected 2013 WS.

As of now, I think Farrel is going to get the boot, I think Baird also needs to be let go, and I really don't know how much blame to lay at Cherington. He's made some good moves, he also was apparently the champion of the Crawford deal back in the day (which was awful) and the rotation he assembled this year just never looked like a good idea, ever. Signing both Pablo and Hanley, and trusting LF to Hanley, also now looks very strange in hindsight. I also don't like hearing that Tom Werner is having more influence in the front office, as I just generally don't like hearing about any ownership meddling in the front office generally, really.

 

[choxorn]

The Red Sox are really disheartening as of the last, half decade? ... it's been mostly downhill (i.e., all last place finishes) other than the wonderful and unexpected 2013 WS.

While you're trying to make this sound like it's sucked, even if your one world series win is surrounded by a couple of years of suckitude on both sides, a ton of the teams would happily take that and decide that the one world series win makes up for the other four years of collapsing or just plain sucking.

 

[illram]

That's true.

 

[stormtrooper412]

Baseball is all about "what have you done for me lately"

 

[choxorn]

Stupid server migration keeping us from talking about all the trades when they happened!

And there was a lot of them... too many to easily mention them all.

 

[shadowplay]

Blue. Jays. All in.

I'm really excited.

 

[onejayhawk]

In the AL it is. The NL is going pretty much as expected. Washington, Los Angeles and St. Louis lead their divisions, with Pittsburg, Chicago and San Francisco being the main candidates for the Wild Cards. IIRC those six teams were expected to be top of the NL before the season...

So you expected the Mets to be in the running?

J

 

[SamSniped]

Well, RIP Brewers 2015.

Meanwhile I'll be hopping on that Astros bandwagon.

 

[choxorn]

Well, RIP Brewers 2015.

Meanwhile I'll be hopping on that Astros bandwagon.

Brewers were RIP in mid-April, dude

 

[Timsup2nothin]

So this has been the same for my entire life but never really caught my attention before.

But it did today, and the more I've thought about it the weirder it seems.

Why do managers wear uniforms? What the heck is that about? No one wants to see Phil Jackson in baggy shorts. Bill Bellyache doesn't show up on game day in pads. Scotty Bowman put on skates to skate the cup the last time he won it, but it certainly wasn't during the game. Soccer, volleyball...in curling the coach has sufficient dignity to wear a suit. Most of these guys look like freakin' grandfathers and in a baseball uniform they just look ridiculous.

 

[Light Cleric]

how to rip yourself off by John Hart

I don't know what I'm missing that makes that trade remotely redeemable, giving up Peraza, Alex Wood, Luis Avilan, and eating almost all of Arroyo's salary to get a compensatory pick, a couple prospects and Hector Olivera(who's going to be 32 when we're supposed to be contending in 2017)??? I don't get it at all unless they really think Alex Wood is going to fall off a cliff in a couple years because there's been concerns about his delivery increasing the injury risk.

 

[IglooDame]

So this has been the same for my entire life but never really caught my attention before.

But it did today, and the more I've thought about it the weirder it seems.

Why do managers wear uniforms? What the heck is that about? No one wants to see Phil Jackson in baggy shorts. Bill Bellyache doesn't show up on game day in pads. Scotty Bowman put on skates to skate the cup the last time he won it, but it certainly wasn't during the game. Soccer, volleyball...in curling the coach has sufficient dignity to wear a suit. Most of these guys look like freakin' grandfathers and in a baseball uniform they just look ridiculous.

Maybe the tradition started because there was a high percentage of player-managers early on? Seems like that would be more probable in baseball, with the lack of continuous action making it easier for a player to actually manage the team during the game.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Maybe the tradition started because there was a high percentage of player-managers early on? Seems like that would be more probable in baseball, with the lack of continuous action making it easier for a player to actually manage the team during the game.

That makes sense. Far more sense than a grandfather figure in a baseball uniform makes. Time for some maverick manager to put on a suit and act like a grown up.

 

[Darkness]

So you expected the Mets to be in the running?

J

No, that one's definately a surprise to me (and most everyone else I expect)...

I do wonder if those young pitchers can maintain their awesome play until early october though...

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Congrats to the Blue Jays if they get Dave Dombrowski as is being speculated. Sad to see him leave Detroit. He did a great job. Only one team in baseball has more regular season wins since 2006 than Detroit, and 2 World Series berths was fun. Bummer. Weird that he was fired. Not sure if there was a disagreement up top or what.

Really makes it weird though if he goes to Toronto after trading Price there lol...

 

[choxorn]

Only one team in baseball has more regular season wins since 2006 than Detroit,

FanGraphs tells me there's four, although if you don't include this year, the Cardinals and Dodgers both fall behind them (by one win, in the Cardinals' case). Still at least two, whichever way you look at it.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Damnit ESPN. Why no good at stats.

Also lol at the Dodgers WAR total over that period.