2025 MLB Thread

[tiger2022]

1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said:

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.

Yet ARod was a great shortstop and had to move to 3rd.

[Tiger337]

4 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

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

 

There is little doubt about that, but I don't think hitting is something that is underrated very often.  It's more likely to be fielding.  

[gehringer_2]

5 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

Yet ARod was a great shortstop and had to move to 3rd.

There certainly was a tremendous amount of noise about ARod going to third, and at the time the argument he was a better SS was a good one, but my guess is he probably wasn't going to be able to stay at short much longer anyway and the Yankees probably recognized that.

[tiger2022]

Jeter refused to move positions.

[chasfh]

2 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

Derek Jeter?

Made routine plays for 29 other shortstop into diving stops.

Here’s a hoary old chestnut for you: “Did you know that Derek Jeter’s favorite food is spaghetti? It’s true—during every Yankees broadcast, Michael Kay will refer to him right in the middle of a play as ‘pasta-diving Jeter.’”

[gehringer_2]

Just now, chasfh said:

Here’s a hoary old chestnut for you: “Did you know that Derek Jeter’s favorite food is spaghetti? It’s true—during every Yankees broadcast, Michael Kay will refer to him right in the middle of a play as ‘pasta-diving Jeter.’”

nyuck-nyuck

[tiger2022]

I have a relative who was engaged to one of the top pro bowlers.  300 games are a dime a dozen to him.

[IdahoBert]

I wish I could get paid $25 million over two years for a 6.95 ERA like Jordan Hicks. 

[casimir]

On 1/31/2026 at 11:12 AM, gehringer_2 said:

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.

It must be on his BR page somewhere, but I couldn’t find how many gift baskets he gave out.

[gehringer_2]

On 1/31/2026 at 11:30 AM, tiger2022 said:

Jeter refused to move positions.

He also should have gone to DH the last couple of years at least. He may only have ever been an adequate SS to begin with, but fielding a 40yr at SS is not the signature of a serious team, and indeed the Yankees were out of the playoffs his last couple years.

[Tiger337]

Eugenio Suarez signs with the Reds - 15 million with a mutual option for a second year.  

[tiger2022]

Paul Skenes is excited for the World Baseball Classic.  Other than the 2 all star games he's appeared in, this will be the first time he has played with mlb caliber players 

[NorthWoods]

15 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Eugenio Suarez signs with the Reds - 15 million with a mutual option for a second year.  

Glad to see the Reds spend that $$ and not the Tigers.  Once the Tigers win on Weds and use the savings to sign Valdez the mood around here should improve.

[Tigermojo]

23 minutes ago, NorthWoods said:

the mood around here should improve.

We're a bunch of grumpy old morans.

[Tiger337]

24 minutes ago, NorthWoods said:

Glad to see the Reds spend that $$ and not the Tigers.  Once the Tigers win on Weds and use the savings to sign Valdez the mood around here should improve.

That would be great.  I'd be interested in him too, but I was figuring they wouldn't pursue him.   

[chasfh]

16 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Eugenio Suarez signs with the Reds - 15 million with a mutual option for a second year.  

His market was ****. That's why he fell to Cincinnati for a single year. At least the team is a devil he knows. I for one am glad Harris didn't sell the farm off to get him last year.

[tiger2022]

I'm not saying the Tigers should have pursued Suarez but 3rd base is going to be a disaster for Detroit this year.

[NorthWoods]

21 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

I'm not saying the Tigers should have pursued Suarez but 3rd base is going to be a disaster for Detroit this year.

We'll see, but I respectfully disagree.   We have too many options to settle for disaster.   Keith, Vierling, McKinstry, Baez, McGonigle, Lee, even Sweeney or Jung might figure out how to hit.   Somewhere in that pile of potential there's at least an average season for Hinch to squeeze out.

[GalagaGuy]

Greene was 2nd in K's last year and Tork was 21st.  The last thing the Tigers needed was to insert the dude with the 4th most K's into the lineup.  Tigers need guys that can hit, even if it's just singles and the occasional extra base hit.  

[Tiger337]

6 hours ago, chasfh said:

His market was ****. That's why he fell to Cincinnati for a single year. At least the team is a devil he knows. I for one am glad Harris didn't sell the farm off to get him last year.

He knows Detroit too! But not very well.  I didn't want him.  He doesn't fit the team well. I was pushing for Bregman last year because he was a perfect fit.  Suarez isn't.  

[Tenacious D]

I’ll bet on one or more of the following 3B candidates emerging this season: Keith, Baez, McGonigle, Vierling. Jung, Lee and Anderson.

I think we’ll be OK

[gehringer_2]

3b is Keith's. The only question is whether he can close his platoon split down closer to where it was in '24 (when he had no platoon split) and play there full time, or whether he'll remain on the long side of a platoon there.

I'll aslo disagree with a lot of the apparent consensus that assumes Baez is going to fall back to utility status. I don't think that is likely.  I think the probabilities are highest he ends up nearly fully time, though possibly with a lot of his PA's coming as the  CF if McGonigle make the team.

Edited 14 hours ago by gehringer_2

[lordstanley]

 

[Tiger337]

When I see the name Ledbetter, I remember Jeff Ledbetter who broke the NCAA home run record with 42 in 1982, was drafted in the first round by the Red Sox and was hyped like he was going to be the next Babe Ruth.  He never even made the majors and was dubbed Jeff "Bedwetter".  

[oblong]

Did Bob Ryan give him that nickname? I can hear him saying it.

I was in New Orleans once when the Super Bowl was there.  I saw Bob leaving a bar at like 2 pm, looked pretty lit. By himself.  In my defense i had just arrived  and was meeting co workers who were already there.  Our work was already done.  I arrived a day early to party.