2025 MLB Thread

[chasfh]

On 1/22/2026 at 8:50 PM, gehringer_2 said:

To be clear, I have nothing against a dive to make a play, but some that you see in the majors today  would be unnecessary if the fielder had better -- or at least alternate, techniques in his toolbox.

As a still-active outfielder myself, can I just tell you how annoying I find it with a player runs to catch a ball, makes the play while still clearly on his feet, then makes the dive and gets the cheers of the fans and the incredulous announcer treatment? 

[Tiger337]

19 minutes ago, chasfh said:

But Jack Morris does have big games, and rings attributed mainly to him, so despite his lackluster overall numbers he’s in, even though he is far more suited more for the Hall of Famous than the Hall of Fame.

I have softened my stance on Morris's Hall of Fame credientials is recent years.  I don't consider him a big-game pitcher (not after watching 1987), he didn't "pitch to the score" and I don't care about "most wins in the 80s", but he was the most durable pitcher of his era and was the last of the complete game pitchers.  Looking at 1980 forward, he had 165 CG.  The closest one to him is Roger Clemems with 118.  Even if you go back to 1975, he is still #1. although not by as much: Morris 175 Blyleven 165 Ryan 137 Tanana 129 Niekro 127 Carlton 123.  

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-pitching-season-finder.cgi?request=1&match=player_season_combined&order_by=p_cg&year_min=1980

 

Edited January 25 by Tiger337

[chasfh]

29 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I think casual tuned out during most of that period.  Losing 100 games a year will do that.  If anything, they got pissed off about losing three stars that were actually still great - Verlander, Scherzer and Martinez - for practically nothing.  

It would have cost the team revenue had they sat Miggy for ineffectiveness in his final seasons.

[chasfh]

10 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I have softened my stance on Morris's Hall of Fame credientials is recent years.  I don't consider him a big-game pitcher (not after watching 1987), he didn't "pitch to the score" and I don't care about "most wins in the 80s", but he was the most durable pitcher of his era and was the last of the complete game pitchers.  Looking at 1980 forward, he had 165 CG.  The closest one to him is Roger Clemems with 118.  Even if you go back to 1975, he is still #1. although not by as much: Morris 175 Blyleven 165 Ryan 137 Tanana 129 Niekro 127 Carlton 123.  

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-pitching-season-finder.cgi?request=1&match=player_season_combined&order_by=p_cg&year_min=1980

 

Jack Morris has among the softest career numbers among Hall of Fame pitchers. He is in because he won back to back rings with different teams, “proving” his impact on winning, and because of Game 7 in 1991.

[Edman85]

19 hours ago, casimir said:

I understand what you’re saying about extra seasons tacking on WAR.  JAWS is a measure of the best 7 seasons of a players WAR, so by that measure it ignores the “hanging on” effect.  Whitaker is at 56 and Kent is at 46.

And I don’t mean to be critical of a guy playing an extra season.  If a guy can do it, by all means do it.  Ichiro Suzuki couldn’t pull himself way from the game.  He ended up as a 5th OF with the Marlins.  So what?  He’s still a hall of fame player.  One of my favorite players to watch in his prime.

JAWS combines best 7 and total, FYI.

[Tiger337]

43 minutes ago, chasfh said:

It would have cost the team revenue had they sat Miggy for ineffectiveness in his final seasons.

I can't imagine it would have been much.  How many fans want to watch an old washed up player playing for a 100 loss team?  Attendance was way down during his final years.  

[Tiger337]

46 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Jack Morris has among the softest career numbers among Hall of Fame pitchers. He is in because he won back to back rings with different teams, “proving” his impact on winning, and because of Game 7 in 1991.

I am fully aware of the weakness of his rate numbers.  I am just pointing out one area where he was superior to every pitcher in that period.  I am not saying he belongs in the Hall of Fame.  I have rallied against him for years.  However, his numbers may not be as bad as many of us have been saying.  I would bet that his rate numbers would have been significantly better had he not pitched so many complete games compared to his peers.  

[oblong]

58 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Jack Morris has among the softest career numbers among Hall of Fame pitchers. He is in because he won back to back rings with different teams, “proving” his impact on winning, and because of Game 7 in 1991.

Yep. The “back to back”  He was **** in 1992 and didn’t pitch in ‘93. 

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

It would have cost the team revenue had they sat Miggy for ineffectiveness in his final seasons.

The Miggy decline years definitely saddled Avila and the Tiger managers of that era. They were in a no-win situation.

I think Harris, if he had been in control, would have cut him prior to 500 HR and 3K hits. He doesn’t strike me as anyone who cares about tradition or nostalgia.

[Tiger337]

41 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

The Miggy decline years definitely saddled Avila and the Tiger managers of that era. They were in a no-win situation.

I think Harris, if he had been in control, would have cut him prior to 500 HR and 3K hits. He doesn’t strike me as anyone who cares about tradition or nostalgia.

He would have wanted to.  I just don't know if it would have been his call.  

[casimir]

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

JAWS combines best 7 and total, FYI.

E - casimir

[Tigermojo]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/mlb-sets-august-3-trade-deadline-for-2026-season.html

Trade deadline moved so there are no games in progress. It's to avoid players being traded during a game. 

[Tenacious D]

15 minutes ago, Tigermojo said:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/mlb-sets-august-3-trade-deadline-for-2026-season.html

Trade deadline moved so there are no games in progress. It's to avoid players being traded during a game. 

Boo!  The Austin Jackson game was a favorite for me.

[Arlington]

Crap, someone pushed my Miggy button again.  Miggy's decline was so long, yet every year there was hope that  he would put it together and give some semblence to a good hitter.  Sometimes he did for short periods. But overall he simply sucked.  They kept running him out in the heart of the order, using up a roster spot and filling the DH.  I was so relieved when they started benching him in his last two seasons and moving him down in the order.  Truly wished they just parted ways in 3 years into that contract.  

[chasfh]

8 hours ago, Arlington said:

Crap, someone pushed my Miggy button again.  Miggy's decline was so long, yet every year there was hope that  he would put it together and give some semblence to a good hitter.  Sometimes he did for short periods. But overall he simply sucked.  They kept running him out in the heart of the order, using up a roster spot and filling the DH.  I was so relieved when they started benching him in his last two seasons and moving him down in the order.  Truly wished they just parted ways in 3 years into that contract.  

I didn't even like him particularly as the person he was presenting as. Not that he was a bad guy, necessarily, although he did get caught up in several bad guy things. But I always imagined it would be more likely he would bully me around for kicks than have a beer with me.

Honestly? I'm glad he and Tigers have apparently cut ties with one another and he's not hanging around the team trying to maintain his thumbprint on it. His time with the team seems like a hundred years ago to me, probably because the last seven years he was just so bad at baseball. He was, in fact, the worst player in baseball who was allowed to come to the plate at least 2,500 times during those years.

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/cbWJt

[Tiger337]

29 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I didn't even like him particularly as the person he was presenting as. Not that he was a bad guy, necessarily, although he did get caught up in several bad guy things. But I always imagined it would be more likely he would bully me around for kicks than have a beer with me.

Honestly? I'm glad he and Tigers have apparently cut ties with one another and he's not hanging around the team trying to maintain his thumbprint on it. His time with the team seems like a hundred years ago to me, probably because the last seven years he was just so bad at baseball. He was, in fact, the worst player in baseball who was allowed to come to the plate at least 2,500 times during those years.

https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tiny/cbWJt

During his great years, he was the best hitter the Tigers have had in my lifetime,  It was a joy to watch him during that time.  However, he is not one of my all-time favorite Tigers for the reasons you mentioned.  

[oblong]

I have a family member who likes to show off with "fancy" gifts.  Drives everyone crazy.  I've gotten 2 Miggy autograph related items and another Miggy thing and they're huge.  I don't want them in the first place as I don't like "stuff".  And If I were to hang sports things in my office it would not be him.  He might have spent $1000 total on these things and I'd have rather gotten something else.

[gehringer_2]

6 minutes ago, oblong said:

I have a family member who likes to show off with "fancy" gifts.  Drives everyone crazy.  I've gotten 2 Miggy autograph related items and another Miggy thing and they're huge.  I don't want them in the first place as I don't like "stuff".  And If I were to hang sports things in my office it would not be him.  He might have spent $1000 total on these things and I'd have rather gotten something else.

Ebay

[oblong]

8 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Ebay

I dropped the hint last year that I don't want gifts, I don't need things.  If someone insists just get me a good bottle of booze as it's not something I spend on myself.  

This year they got me $100 gift card to Rally House and a Tarik Skubal Tiger jersey.  The jersey was too small as he sent us a text message asking what size my son wears when he meant me.  And I don't particularly like the current home jersey due to the "D" on it, and the prominent Nike logo.  I don't like names on them unless it's a certified Tiger, like Kaline or Trammell.... not someone who won't be on the team in 2 years.  It's like walking around in a Scherzer jersey.  And I'm not a fan of wearing white to the games as I don't want to get anything on it.  My road jersey is fine.  Yeah I know I've got a lot of rules.  I gave the jersey to my son and with the gift card got a very nice and thick Wings sweater with some cool patches.   Got a compliment on it last night at the game.

 

[gehringer_2]

38 minutes ago, oblong said:

I have a family member who likes to show off with "fancy" gifts.

I just remembered, when we were in school the SO had to take an anthro course and part if it was about some group of arctic natives and the way chief established himself was to intimidate the members of his tribe by giving them better gifts than they could give him. This guy happen to have any Innuit blood?    

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, oblong said:

I dropped the hint last year that I don't want gifts, I don't need things.  If someone insists just get me a good bottle of booze as it's not something I spend on myself.  

This year they got me $100 gift card to Rally House and a Tarik Skubal Tiger jersey.  The jersey was too small as he sent us a text message asking what size my son wears when he meant me.  And I don't particularly like the current home jersey due to the "D" on it, and the prominent Nike logo.  I don't like names on them unless it's a certified Tiger, like Kaline or Trammell.... not someone who won't be on the team in 2 years.  It's like walking around in a Scherzer jersey.  And I'm not a fan of wearing white to the games as I don't want to get anything on it.  My road jersey is fine.  Yeah I know I've got a lot of rules.  I gave the jersey to my son and with the gift card got a very nice and thick Wings sweater with some cool patches.   Got a compliment on it last night at the game.

 

I would never wear a Skubal jersey because his name is on it, and I will not wear another man's name on my back.

Exception: anyone who was a professional athlete when I was 11 years old.

[oblong]

That satisfies the only named jersey I have, barely. Steve Yzerman.  I was 10 when he made his debut.  I didn't set out to buy an Yzerman jersey but I had a $50 gift card for Dunham's and it was on sale.  

[papalawrence]

1973 I had an OJ jersey

[tiger2022]

On 1/25/2026 at 10:13 AM, chasfh said:

As a still-active outfielder myself, can I just tell you how annoying I find it with a player runs to catch a ball, makes the play while still clearly on his feet, then makes the dive and gets the cheers of the fans and the incredulous announcer treatment? 

Derek Jeter?

Made routine plays for 29 other shortstop into diving stops.

[gehringer_2]

11 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

Derek Jeter?

Made routine plays for 29 other shortstop into diving stops.

Derek Jeter is exhibit one for the fact that defense is nice, but hitting is nicer.

Jeter's BR page is interesting. Hit over 330 three times and had an OBP over 400 4 times but never led the the league in either category. His best bold face numbers were leading the league in hits twice (200+ hits 8 times in his career) and runs once.