2025 MLB Thread

[tiger2022]

On 9/12/2025 at 2:18 AM, papalawrence said:

Trout hit #399 today, tying mr Kaline 

In the next few years Machado, Judge, Freeman, Harper, Schwarber, Ohtani, and Suarez will all pass Kaline and get to 400.  Goldschmidt and Arenado with outside shots too.

Edited Saturday at 12:02 PM by tiger2022

[chasfh]

8 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Kody Clemens hit 3 hr tonight

Fire Harris!

[papalawrence]

Kurtz his a 493 ft grand slam today

[papalawrence]

19 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

In the next few years Machado, Judge, Freeman, Harper, Schwarber, Ohtani, and Suarez will all pass Kaline and get to 400.  Goldschmidt and Arenado with outside shots too.

Greene will get there in 2038 and it will be in a Dodgers uniform

[1776]

6 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Kurtz his a 493 ft grand slam today

Mantle’esq! 

[tiger2022]

Kurtz will be a perennial MVP candidate for the next 10 years.

Already the best offensive 1st baseman.

[Shinzaki]

On 9/14/2025 at 2:53 AM, papalawrence said:

Kurtz his a 493 ft grand slam today

He was said to be falling in the draft...really wanted to see him fall to us..but..no.

[Hongbit]

8 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

Kurtz will be a perennial MVP candidate for the next 10 years.

Already the best offensive 1st baseman.

Maybe.  Baseball is a humbling game especially for young players.  

2004’s can’t miss young star, Elly De La Cruz has 1 homer since July 1st.  Never saw that coming.  Gunnar Henderson hit 28 and 37 the last 2 years and is stuck on 16 this year with 6 total since the end of June. 

PCA and James Wood started this year as the next to follow.   PCA has 1 HR and Wood 3 since July 23rd.     

This is a weird game to try and predict longterm success.  

[CMU97]

14 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

Kurtz will be a perennial MVP candidate for the next 10 years.

Already the best offensive 1st baseman.

I remember another young first baseman about 40 years ago who they said the same things about. He hit the ball a country mile too and a lot of them. Then he got hurt and was almost out of baseball at age 30. Then, he found the "hitter's little helper" in his locker one day and from ages 32-36 was the best home run hitter on the planet again.

I am in no way suggesting Kurtz is doping or will in the future. Just like Hogbit mentioned, the list of rookies who come out on fire is very long, the list of those who sustain it over a full career is very short.

[Tiger337]

Freddie Lynn, Rico Carty, Yasiel Puig and Mitchell Page are some names.  

But Kurtz right now does have the best OPS+ of any rookie since 1901 with 400+ PA though.  

Jose Abreu, Aaron judge, Mike Trout and...Bernie Carbo follow.  I believe Carbo was platooned though.  

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:03 AM by Tiger337

[lordstanley]

2 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Freddie Lynn, Rico Carty, Yasiel Puig and Mitchell Page are some names.  

But Kurtz right now does have the best OPS+ of any rookie since 1901 with 400+ PA though.  

Jose Abreu, Aaron judge, Mike Trout and...Bernie Carbo follow.  I believe Carbo was platooned though.  

 

 

Speaking of Fred Lynn...

 

 

[papalawrence]

2 hours ago, lordstanley said:

Speaking of Fred Lynn...

 

 

Those 3 all came up around the same time. Hard to believe they never won a WS

[oblong]

Fred Lynn is one of those guys who never ages and looks like he could still play.

[CMRivdogs]

11 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Freddie Lynn, Rico Carty, Yasiel Puig and Mitchell Page are some names.  

But Kurtz right now does have the best OPS+ of any rookie since 1901 with 400+ PA though.  

Jose Abreu, Aaron judge, Mike Trout and...Bernie Carbo follow.  I believe Carbo was platooned though.  

 

 

I remember Mitchell Page, he was in the Pirates farm system around 1974. Played in Salem. The Pirates were loaded with young good outfielders then.  
He was part of the trade that sent Page, Tony Armas, Dave Giusti, and others for a package that included Phil Gardner.

[Edman85]

9 hours ago, lordstanley said:

Speaking of Fred Lynn...

 

 

Dove into the comments. Fun stuff

[chasfh]

14 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Dove into the comments. Fun stuff

One of my favorite height exaggerations is Jose Altuve being listed at 5' 6", as if that makes him looks macho in a way 5' 3" doesn't. 😉

[oblong]

[microline133]

College baseball, fall weigh in....showed up my freshman year, stepped on the scale and the trainer said 6-2, 185. The head coach immediately told the guy writing stuff down 6-4, 225 and that continued with every player.

 

Don't ever believe college (or minor league) height/weight!

[Edman85]

6 hours ago, microline133 said:

College baseball, fall weigh in....showed up my freshman year, stepped on the scale and the trainer said 6-2, 185. The head coach immediately told the guy writing stuff down 6-4, 225 and that continued with every player.

 

Don't ever believe college (or minor league) height/weight!

You can trust minor league heigths now with the robozone

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-get-small-hundreds-of-minor-leaguers-have-shrunk/

[tiger2022]

From 2022-2024, Kurtz was a top 5 hitter in college and the last two seasons, the best hitter. For the rest of 2024, he was the best hitter in the minors

In 2025, he was the best hitter in AAA, just turning 22.

Since he has been in the majors, he is a top 5 hitter.  Only Aaron Judge has a higher OPS.

I think I'll take the chance that he's going to be a superstar.

People on here are already saying McGonigle is basically Rogers Hornsby....

 

Edited Wednesday at 12:25 AM by tiger2022

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

You can trust minor league heigths now with the robozone

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-get-small-hundreds-of-minor-leaguers-have-shrunk/

Kreidler gained 2 inches.  

[papalawrence]

Konnor Griffin have a year! 19 yo, 21 HR, 65 SB, .333 avg, .415 obp, .941 ops. 6'4" 225 ss. He might be the next Mike Trout. 

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Konnor Griffin have a year! 19 yo, 21 HR, 65 SB, .333 avg, .415 obp, .941 ops. 6'4" 225 ss. He might be the next Mike Trout. 

Based on what we now know, Griffin is really 6'1" and 205 lbs.

[papalawrence]

Verlander threw 7 scoreless today. His era is down to 3.75. Would be nice to have him in Detroit right now.

[tiger2022]

Verlander has allowed 3 ER in his last 31 IP, with 28 k and a 1.03 WHIP.

Pretty sure he'll pitch somewhere in 2026.  265 wins...I can see him trying to hang on in an attempt to get to 300.  Long ways away but he has the desire.

He'll be 43 next year, which is getting into rare territory.  The 3 greatest power pitchers all pitched for a long time. Johnson pitched until he was 45, Clemens 44, Ryan 46.  Verlander takes good care of himself so I could see him going for a few more years, especially if he doesn't price himself out of the league.

 

Edited 12 hours ago by tiger2022