Notes N' Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Is it just us?
Because we have paid money to draft each player, we feel that team's should protect our players.
And we, we only use disposable income to buy this player.
So it KILLS us when a team does not protect their player.
Friday night, the Braves used Julio Teheran as a pinch runner.
That's right.
They used their best pitcher to do what anybody can do.
Run bases.
I don't care if Teheran can run like Usain Bolt (he can't). Why the Braves want to risk their most valuable pitching commodity in a place where pitchers have had career changing accidents is way beyond comprehension.
We have trinkets on these players, the team, millions.
Still, it won't make us feel better when it bites them (us) on the ass.

The Mets Noah Sybdergaard couldn't raise his arm the other day. And refused an mri (who runs this team?)
The Mets response?
Move Harvey up a day (and surprise the shit out of him) and give Syndergaard an extra day or two.
When Cespedes had pain taking batting practice, the Mets put him in the lineup.
And... Surprise!
A DL'ed Cespedes.
After DL'ing Cespedes, they say 'It's mild'.
Right away, and with no other information.
Who does that?
When does it all stop for this organization?
Year after year, they lie to anybody who will fake listening to them any longer.
Worse, they lie to themselves.
Somebody in power needs to change the organizational way in which injuries are treated, diagnosed, prescribed, and described.
They are the laughing stock, not only of baseball, but of all major sports in this regard.

Some April baseball snips...

Freddy Freeman hit nine homers in April. He is the first player ever to homer nine times in April without collecting at least 15 rbi (14)

Andrew Benintendi also had 15 rbi in April. Most for the Red Sox and most for Red Sox rookies dince 1975 when Fred Lynn accomplished it. Lynn went on to win Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Dallas Keuchel is 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA.
Don't get excited about long lasting effects, last year Jordan Zimmerman did the same thing.

We all knew that Aaron Judge had power.
Hell, few players make Giancarlo Stanton look small.
What we did not count on was Judge's lack of chasing pitches.
In April, Judge became only the third rookie EVER to hit 10 homers, walk 10 times, and hit .300
Not only in April, but in ANY given month.
The other two were Mike Trout in July 2012 and Gary Sanchez in August of last year. Giving the Yankees two such months of the last three.


Carlos Gomez hit for the Cycle last week. The people that care most about Cycle's are the press. They love to write about them, they love to talk about them.
Hitting four homers or even four extra base hits in a game is more unusual than a Cycle.
But that doesn't have a name like 'The Cycle' does.
By the way, 2450 times over the last 10 years, a player has singled, doubled, and homered in a game.
That is three times every two baseball nights.
Next time you hear an announcer say, "He 'only' needs a triple for a Cycle, it's ok to extend the middle digit a bit.
It's not uncommon.

Speaking of cool names....
Ryan Zimmerman has the 'Triple Crown' in the National League.
His .420/11/29 leads or ties all Senior loop players.
Zimmerman ends up being the only player to hit over .400 for the month.
With all the hot streaks during April, it is just amazing to think that Trd Williams hit .406 over a full year.

Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA in our year of the Pitcher, 1968,
He pitched over 300 innings that year.
56 pitchers threw over 200 innings.
Still, hitters cared about making contact and helping their teams more than their pocket books.
56 pitchers had 200 innings or more, yes, but only 12 would strike out 200 hitters.
Last year, 12 pitchers ALSO struck out 200 batters.
However, only 15 pitchers secured 200 innings pitched.

There are 30 qualified pitchers who have a one k to one inning ratio.
15 of those pitchers have an ERA north of 4.00

Are there any one category Starters?
There is this year.
Jeff Samardzduhduh has 35 K's
His 6.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP Zero Wins, and Zero Saves
His owners face a perilous decision each week.

Jason Vargas has won four games.
The Royals, eight.
Do the math.

Did you draft NL pitchers thinking they get to face a pitcher, not a DH?
DH's have been horrible, for the most part, and pitchers are hitting.
So much so that there are 1596 runs scored by A.L. teams.
1760 by N.L. teams.

The 'Did not Deliver their Dollars' infield for April.....

c- Jonathon Lucroy
In football, some leagues use a 'team kicker'. Meaning whoever kicked field goals for an NFL team, it counted as fantasy stats for those who drafted that team, not individual kickers.
Those that play in those leagues wish that it was just 'Texas Catcher' not Lucroy.
Take heart Lucroy owners. He only had four rbi in April.
Last year, he 10 in every month, but one.
April.

1B- Eric Hosmer
He is now the face of the Royals.
All their faces are red.
Hosmer has a .226 average and counting stats not very close to double digits.
Just bad.

2B- Dustin Pedroia
No homers. No stolen bases. Counting stats worse than Hosmer.
Now, a drop from first to sixth in the lineup.
In todays game, walks and singles don't score runs. Extra base hits do.
Pedroia has one double for his only extra base hit.

3B- Josh Donaldson
Remember when Donaldson played baseball?
Good times

SS- Dansby Swanson
Everybody said this kid has lots of 'tangibles' .
Now we know that tangibles do not translate to roto categories.
Swanson is getting beaten in every roto category by...gulp...Erick Aybar

Nobody calls Kyle Schwarber a 'Beast' any longer....
Soon, they'll be finding him down in the order.

Last year, Trevor Story led the World in April stats.
This year, he leads April hitters in striking out (39)

66 hitters have at least 10 extra base hits.
28 of those are hitting .300
None are under .200
Except Trevor Story

45 hitters have five or less extra base hits.
Just two are hitting over .300, Xander Bogaerts and JT Realmuto
14 under .210

A paradox for his owners....
When Bryce Harper hits, he loses interest in stealing bases.
If he doesn't hit, he steals bases.
Harper has zero stolen bases.

.364/108/42/108/30
Nice line
That is Mike Trout should he match each month with his April showing.
While I can show similar numbers for others, Trout has the greatest chance to maintain those numbers.

Odor Eater-
Rougned Odor started the season with terrificness. (Yep, made it up myself)
Three homers and a five game hit streak.
Almost a month later, he has added just one homer and is hitting below .200

For his career, Clayton Kershaw gives up a homer every 16 innings.
This year, every seven innings.

May is that time of year where if in first place, it's a great indicator.
If lower, there is still plenty of time.

[Joe Sambito]

.364/108/42/108/30
Nice line
That is Mike Trout should he match each month with his April showing.
While I can show similar numbers for others, Trout has the greatest chance to maintain those numbers.

I think Doughboys is trying to say this is what Mike Trout is "on pace" for, but just couldn't bring himself to use that term...

[DOUGHBOYS]

Ha! You know me a little too well, Andrew!

A short rant...
The mere expression 'on pace' has become a phrase that lends itself to not being reasonable to carry on.
'On pace' magnifies more what a player has accomplished over a short time then what is really expected of him later.
Aaron Judge, by an extreme optimist standards could be said to be 'on pace' for 60 homers.
Most baseball fans realize for Judge to keep that sort of pace throughout the year, is an unreasonable expectation.
The same could be said for Thames, Zimmerman, and others.
The past is the best indicator.
Trout has the past going for him, not against him like the others.
Although his batting average may be hard to sustain, his counting numbers are reasonable....for Trout

Other possible expectations from players who have excelled the first month in what they do best.
Chris Sale could strike out 300 hitters.
Billy Hamilton could steal 80 bases or more.
Although both would be career highs, their past has shown that these are sustainable over the course of a season.

One other totally unrelated item....
If Benintendi and Judge keep hitting all year, the Rookie of the Year voting in the American League will upstage other awards.
It is already a 'get your popcorn' type of scenario when these two come to the plate.
Great for baseball.

[headhunters]

dough- i don't know how you do it with these stats. dallas k- i have him in my auction and had zimmerman in my main last year. thanks for that stat. i do have hope- zimmerman had a 1.29 era- so dallas is better! trout- if a guy was playing for colorado or boston or the cubs and hit .364 with 42 homers and 30 sb's he would have 160 rbi's and 160 runs. i hope the stat guys figure that in when they compare these players. in fact every time a young player in Anaheim starts hitting- soscia benches him ( see cron and marte second halves last year and the immediate benching this year) soscia must love having all those .200 hitters surrounding pujols and trout.on injuries- last night madden played scwarber at catcher, montero at 1st and contreras at 3rd. fantasy= a pop up bunt- they all collide- they are all out for the year.