Junk and Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Every year for the last four years, Billy Hamilton has stolen 90 bases.
The problem being that Hamilton steals those bases between October and March.
As fantasy players and projectors, we get carried away with ourselves and think the best for players.
Hamilton has the CAPABILITY of stealing 90 bases, so it's easy to attach that number during the off season.
And we do.
It will happen again next season too.

Mark Trumbo hit 47 home runs last year. The recency bias in all of us had him projected to do near the same this year.
For some reason, Trumbo felt he was striking out too much in Spring Training.
I say 'for some reason' because I'm a believer in 'If something ain't broke, don't fix it'.
Well, Trumbo fixed it.
Instead of striking out more than once a game, he is striking out less than once a game.
And now, Trumbo is hitting a homer every 6.3 games. Last year, once every 3.4 games.
Uniquely, Trumbo owners are hoping for more strike outs during the second half of the season.

Buster Posey is turning into Joe Mauer.
Posey is 30, Mauer 34 years of age.
Of course, Posey still has C eligibility. That is key.
The key to Posey being fantasy relevant.
The numbers themselves. Fairly similar...
Mauer- .286/37/5/34/1
Posey- .324/36/10/35/1
Even with C eligibility, Posey only has two categories in which he ranks in the top five of catchers.
Batting Avg and runs.
If the Giants were to move Brandon Belt in a trade and move Posey to first base?
His adp would be Mauer'ed when losing the big C

Speaking of Catchers...
Mike Zunino had 10 homers in June.
He had one before June. One after June.
Zunino had 31 rbi in June.
Two before June. One after June.
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you, Mike Junino.
Oh c'mon, you know you smiled.

We live in the moment as fantasy players.
We like to think we don't. We like to think that we can foretell the future.
We KNEW that Max Scherzer would be great!
We KNEW that Clayton Kershaw would be great.
Yet, living in the moment, we dropped them in adp with back and knuckle concerns.
We live in the moment as fantasy players.

Writers and talk show guys are getting on Jose Peraza for not walking.
Seriously.
YOU are the pitcher.
A little fast guy comes up near the end of the Cincy lineup.
A little fella that can't hit the long ball much, even in Cincy.
Are YOU going to walk him?
Yeah, neither would I.
Writers and talk show guys think the game is so easy.
Ever notice how players become talk show guys but talk show guys never become players?

Of the top 30 players in striking out this year, only one player is hitting over .300
One.
And he is 29 points over .300
Aaron Judge.
Something is wrong with that.
I don't know what is, but something is wrong with that.

Has anybody else noticed that Byron Buxton has only k'd seven times this month?
I know it's been a short month, but it's a start!
I like strike outs for power guys, but wouldn't classify Buxton as a thug.
He shouldn't be a leader in strike outs.
Incidentally, he is hitting .379 this month.

July play ended on the ninth of the month.
Here are George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa's batting line for those nine days...
.500/30/9/31/6
In those nine days, they hit higher than anybody in baseball.
Scored more runs than Ryan Braun has all year.
Hit more homers than teammate Evan Gattis has hit this year.
More rbi than Lorenzo Cain this year.
And as many stolen bases as Ian Kinsler this year.
Something is wrong with that.
I don't know what it is, but something is wrong with that.
Remarkable.

And finally, a friend told me this story. I don't know if it's true, but I hope it is.
Joe Pepitone had a real bad day at the plate. He struck out three times in three at bats.
After the game, Pepitone, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford decided to throw down a few at a local bar.
While sitting at a table, a beautiful girl walks in.
Ever the ladies man, Pepitone gets up from the table to hit on the girl.
"Pardon me, is your name Juliet?" He asked.
"No, I've heard the line and you ain't my Romeo!", the girl replied.
Pepitone went back to the table, tail between his legs, to a laughing Mantle and Ford.
When recovering from the laughter of Pepitone getting shot down, Ford bellowed for all to hear...
"You just set an unbreakable record today, Joe! Three at bats, four strike outs!"

[Yah Mule]

During the game last night, Buck and Smoltz started talking about what it would look like if the entire league was redrafted. Smoltz said the GM's would be under so much pressure to make the right decisions. This was, unintentionally, the biggest compliment ever paid to our hobby during an MLB broadcast.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The Yankees trade for Garrett Cooper to play first base....
Almost 80 years after Hollywood signed Gary Cooper for the same part!!

[marknym]

The Yankees trade for Garrett Cooper to play first base....
Almost 80 years after Hollywood signed Gary Cooper for the same part!!