Click here to read a transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk
Headlines
- Latest On Seiya Suzuki’s Market
- David Ortiz Elected Into Baseball Hall Of Fame
- MLB, MLBPA Discuss Potential Bonus Pool For Pre-Arbitration Players, Changes To League-Minimum Salary
- Bonds, Clemens, Schilling, Sosa Fall Off Hall Of Fame Ballot
- MLBPA Drops Push For Earlier Free Agency Eligibility In Latest CBA Proposal
- Rays’ Tampa/Montreal Timeshare Plans Nixed By MLB
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sorry Mark i tapped send early. meant to add a bit more on.
my fat darn fingers love to hit that enter button too early.
Pressing enter on the keyboard to start a separate paragraph shouldn’t send the message IMHO..it’s happened a few times now in these chats just like it did 5 mins ago.
On the other hand, appreciate you guys doing these and keep up the great work!
How come you get a pending when you comment the name of a banned commenter?
Don’t know whatever happened to the yankee fan that commented within 2 seconds on every post
He changed his screen name and graduated from middle school.
Yeah I think he moved on from here soon after downvotes went away
Banned. Might be commenting under a different username now.
Yea, it’s thanks
“Who’s the fourth best team?” seems like a silly question. But I’ve seen it recently here on MLBTR. I think the Braves would be that 4th best. A’s are up there too.
No disrespect to A’s, Twins, Indians or even Nationals fans. They are all really great teams but I always find it kind of funny/ludicrous when people question which team is the 4th best. Even ESPN occasionally lists the Twins or Indians (depending on the week) as ranked ahead if the Braves. I think the Braves are a better all around team than any of them. Not only that but I think a big part of which teams are ranked should have to do with the chances of winning g a World Series this year. I don’t know how anyone can say at this point in the season that anyone outside of the Astros, Yanks and Dodgers has a better chance at a Championship than the Braves do… especially in the AL. Chances are any of those AL teams would have to knock off both the Astros and the Yanks just to make it to the World Series. I know stranger things have happened but there has to be a better chance that the Braves knock off the Dodgers then there is that the Twins or Indians knock off both the Astros and the Yanks. I know that’s not the only part of the equation but none of those teams is as good as the Braves on paper either. Once you throw in the path each team has to the playoffs the Braves pretty much blow every other non top 3 team out of the water.
That’s why they play the games. Sometimes strange things happen.
Did you see the last NHL
playoffs? All the number
one seeds got knocked
out early…..
@SecsSeksSecks
As a Braves fan I agree with you to an extent. I am biased as the Braves should be ranked as the 4th best team in baseball. However technically any team that makes the playoffs has as good of a shot as the Braves to make the WS. They are all on the same level once they are in the playoffs.
The Cardinals are hot right now…Does anyone really want to face the Nationals and that rotation?
The good news is that if the Nats win the wildcard they will have to face the Dodgers first. ESPN just proved my point again on today’s power rankings. Our poll has the Braves as a more than double favorite over the Nats and the Nats ranked ahead of the Twins. Somehow ESPN still has the Twins ranked as the 4th best team in baseball according to what they just released this morning. I get what people say about tens having equal statistical oddsbut if you ask any MLB player they will tell you that strength of schedule is huge. Home field advantage is even more important and not having to play the 1 game wildcard playoff is biggest of all. I’m not sure how anyone thinks it is more likely for the Twins to beat Houston on the road, then beat the Yanks on the road and then win the world series than it is for the Braves to knock of the Dodgers and then win the WS. Having to play a team like Houston in the first round will be incredibly difficult. The Braves won’t have to play anyone of that caliber. The rest of the way is roughly equal.
Could a trade involving a top prospect like Jesus Sanchez really be considered under the radar?
I like The Big Fish for Mike Trout – well done Mom!
Mark P! Your comment about WAR “what is it good for?”
was a classic!
The number 1 pick might be 1B Spencer Torkelson. Right handed 1B’s aren’t usually high draft picks, but Torkelson might be a good choice. The article I read compared top 50 picks from 1981 to 2015 and compared WAR to position and 1B was by far the highest ranking average WAR for those players.
“Just 13 first baseman have been selected among the top 10 picks in those 35 drafts. Of those 13, nine have had significant major league careers. Adrian Gonzalez, Will Clark, Todd Helton, Mark McGwire and Frank Thomas are some of the best draft picks of the past 40 years. Carlos Pena, Prince Fielder and Eric Hosmer do not reach that level, but all three have had significant careers. Yonder Alonso has had his moments as well.
And every one of those 13 draftees made it to the majors. The worst (J.J. Davis) is the only first baseman drafted in the top 10 picks to fail to play at least 250 major league games.
Widen the sample to players taken in the top 50, and first base remains the most productive position (as measured by average wins above replacement and median WAR per pick). The data shows that first basemen are also more likely to reach the majors, produce positive WAR and play 500 or more games than draftees at other positions.”