swishnicholson wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:yeh, he fits a real need we have. It would allow us to send Kingery down for a bit, too.

He's truly awful defensively though, isn't he?

swishnicholson wrote:

Monkeyboy wrote:yeh, he fits a real need we have. It would allow us to send Kingery down for a bit, too.

He's truly awful defensively though, isn't he?

Uncle Milty wrote:

phatj wrote:How did Babe Ruth only win MVP once? Was the MVP award not a regular thing back then?

Didn't quite exist as we know it today during his early career. Could only win one under those old rules.

Uncle Milty wrote:Fixed your links.

Uncle Milty wrote:Shouldn't it really be RsBI?

Squire wrote:Rays just designated INF Brad Miller for assignment. He's 28 and has a .751 OPS.

CalvinBall wrote:Why will he be out so long? Nearly two years for TJS seems insane.

CalvinBall wrote:Why will he be out so long? Nearly two years for TJS seems insane.

On or around 1899 (I’ve seen it credibly reported as 1898 and 1900 as well), there was already a taboo against clubs stealing signs from one another. But that didn’t stop the Phillies, according to Christy Mathewson. Their scheme was pretty complex. Backup catcher Morgan Murphy would watch from the clubhouse beyond center field using a pair of opera glasses. When he saw the coming pitch, he’d signal whoever was coaching third base using a telegraph that triggered a buzzer in the coaching box that would vibrate under the coach’s foot. And that coach would then alert the batter whether to expect a fastball, curve or something else.

It worked for a while, according to Phillies historian Rich Westcott, until, in his half of the inning, “Cincinnati Reds infielder Tommy Corcoran was coaching third base, kicking up dirt, and going through the usual coaching gyrations when suddenly his spikes caught on something in the ground…. At first, Tommy figured it was a vine. But after closer inspection, he discovered an underground wire. Corcoran gave a yank, and up came a few yards of wire…. He soon found himself pulling up wire in the outfield.” Eventually, Corcoran, the Reds, and the umpires traced the wire back to Murphy in the clubhouse beyond the center field fence.

Werthless wrote:

On or around 1899 (I’ve seen it credibly reported as 1898 and 1900 as well), there was already a taboo against clubs stealing signs from one another. But that didn’t stop the Phillies, according to Christy Mathewson. Their scheme was pretty complex. Backup catcher Morgan Murphy would watch from the clubhouse beyond center field using a pair of opera glasses. When he saw the coming pitch, he’d signal whoever was coaching third base using a telegraph that triggered a buzzer in the coaching box that would vibrate under the coach’s foot. And that coach would then alert the batter whether to expect a fastball, curve or something else.

It worked for a while, according to Phillies historian Rich Westcott, until, in his half of the inning, “Cincinnati Reds infielder Tommy Corcoran was coaching third base, kicking up dirt, and going through the usual coaching gyrations when suddenly his spikes caught on something in the ground…. At first, Tommy figured it was a vine. But after closer inspection, he discovered an underground wire. Corcoran gave a yank, and up came a few yards of wire…. He soon found himself pulling up wire in the outfield.” Eventually, Corcoran, the Reds, and the umpires traced the wire back to Murphy in the clubhouse beyond the center field fence.

https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/on-children-and-cheating/

David Schoenfield
ESPN Senior Writer

Evan Gattis is the first player in Astros history with 5 RBIs in consecutive games and, according to Baseball-Reference, it's just the 34th time to happen since 1908. The previous guy to do it: Maikel Franco, as a rookie back in 2015, when he did it at Yankee Stadium and looked like a star in the making.

So, if I were Czar of the MLB, here’s what I’d do:

Ban the defensive shift, and require two infielders on each side of second base. Make every reliever face at least two batters. Eliminate warmup pitches for relievers entering games – what other sports allow subs to practice on the field?

In addition to those changes, I would initiate a 20-second pitch clock and enforce it. Dump the replay and call the strike zone as it’s actually written.

Finally, I would shorten the season back to 154 games, starting a week later, ending the World Series before November and add in a few post-season afternoon games.