Daily Archives: February 25, 2016
2016 Pittsburgh Pirates look to continue victimizing relievers
The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates hit very well in their first plate appearances against relief pitchers. Can that trend continue in 2016?
One of the most tried-and-true axioms in baseball is the importance of getting to the bullpen early.
This truth may be more evident for the 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates than for any other club.
When I took a look at the keys to a successful encore for Francisco Cervelli, I noticed that he had a great slashline throughout 2015 when facing a reliever for the first time. Cervelli enjoyed a .923 OPS and collected nearly one-third of his 43 RBI in this scenario.
The dominance wasn’t just limited to the Pirates’ backstop. These team batting statistics show how the team “welcomed” relief pitchers in 2015.
The Pittsburgh Pirates clearly enjoyed seeing a new pitcher come into the game, which carries even more weight after considering that the club saw fewer pitches than they would have liked. In 2015, the MLB team average for P/PA (Pitches seen per plate appearance) was 3.82.
Among Pirates regulars, only Andrew McCutchen had a P/PA of 4 or greater, coming in at 4.05 for the season. As per Sporting Charts, this ranked 24th in all of baseball. Cervelli was next with a rating of 3.91, good for 55th. Gregory Polanco was the third-highest ranking Pirate landing at number 67 with a 3.87 figure.
Orioles Setting A Dangerous Precedent With Physicals (Circa Gallardo): Fowler Leaves To The Cubs
Dexter Fowler re-signed with the Cubs for a minimum 1 year deal of $15 MIL in 2016 (with a mutual option for 2017) if he or Chicago don’t want to opt out after the upcoming season. Fowler had been said to have a 3 YR/$33 MIL in place with the Orioles before this happened. Maybe Fowler didn’t act 100% in good faith with Baltimore – however the O’s don’t exactly have a great track record with treating players in regards to physicals anyway.
Hunter Stokes (BBBA Featured Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The BBBA On Twitter Follow @baseballblogs
Wow, didn’t see that coming did you Orioles brass? Dexter Fowler leaves his deal with you guys and re-signs with his old team in Chicago.
I have to wonder if the way things went down with Yovani Gallardo didn’t weigh on Dexter Fowler’s mind. The track record for Free Agent’s having deals going south is about a 50/50 proposition with the O’s.
In one way I am disappointed that Baltimore didn’t land Fowler, because I think that deal would have definitely narrowed the gap in the AL East. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 25, 2016
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Domestic violence is finally going to be dealt with in baseball.
I am not sure what commissioner Manfred should do about Jose Reyes, Yasiel Puig and Aroldis Chapman. But I DO know that saying things like David Ortiz said does not help.
Players are role models. If you don’t like that, quit and join a beer league.
It is a do the right thing NOW edition of theSully Baseball Daily Podcast.
View original post 24 more words
Why Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto Won the 2015-16 MLB Offseason
Heading into 2015, the Seattle Mariners not only had playoff aspirations, but some analysts even tabbed them as a World Series team. Upon eventually crossing the finish line with a disappointing 76-86 record, change at the top was bound to happen.
Once it did, plenty of other changes took place, too.
Former general manager Jack Zduriencik was out of a job before the calendar flipped to September, followed by Jerry Dipoto being tabbed as his successor by the end of that month.
From that point on, the Mariners went through as close to a complete makeover as one organization possibly could in one offseason. We knew Dipoto had a clear vision as to what kind of team he wanted to field on Opening Day since the changes were coming fast and furious within his first few months on the job.
Cardinal70
FoulBallzEd
Baseball Bloggers Alliance 