2026 MLB (Non-Tigers) Thread

[Sports_Freak]

On 5/1/2026 at 8:34 PM, Tiger337 said:

14 for me, probably also saw Mantle on TV vs the Red Sox, but I was only five and don't remember it.  

Same...14 for me. Only a couple in person, most on TV.

[papalawrence]

Saw that JHM is really struggling in aaa. Hope he gets another shot at the show

Justyn-Henry Malloy Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com https://share.google/VqIFBNbSpJkXg2cnS

[NorthWoods]

6 hours ago, papalawrence said:

Saw that JHM is really struggling in aaa. Hope he gets another shot at the show

Justyn-Henry Malloy Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com https://share.google/VqIFBNbSpJkXg2cnS

Nice kid and I don't wish him ill but he's the classic 4A player.

[chasfh]

 

 

[lordstanley]

 

[tiger2022]

Shea Langeliers is emerging as a legit star.  I thought he was going to be a top tier player.

I didn't see Ben Rice emerging as a bona fide star.  i think he's the early favorite for AL MVP.

Mickey Moniak and Matt Olson are off to hot starts but I'm sure they'll find some way to give the NL MVP to Ohtani.  They really want someone to win more mvp's than Bonds.

Edited Monday at 09:54 PM by tiger2022

[Tenacious D]

Uh-oh

 

[NorthWoods]

3 minutes ago, Tenacious D said:

Uh-oh

 

Word on the street is that he called McGonigle Magoo.

[oblong]

The Deuce still lingers

 

[Sports_Freak]

On 5/4/2026 at 11:37 AM, lordstanley said:

 

A wacky play called by Sterling,

 

[lordstanley]

 

[monkeytargets39]

Couldn’t have been that light-hearted if he’s getting fired over it 

[lordstanley]

40 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

Couldn’t have been that light-hearted if he’s getting fired over it 

I don’t see why he put out a statement at all. The entire statement is intended to downplay it as a silly mistake by a great guy that someone took the wrong way. 
People will draw their own conclusions anyways, so why not just “I sent an offensive text that has resulted in my termination. I apologize to the recipient, the Tigers organization, and my family for doing so”. 

[chasfh]

8 hours ago, monkeytargets39 said:

Couldn’t have been that light-hearted if he’s getting fired over it 

Or maybe they were looking for an excuse to part ways with him anyway? Probably not too likely, but if it were true, this is the kind of thing they might come down harder on with certain people than with certain others.

[diaspora04]

On 5/5/2026 at 11:05 AM, oblong said:

The Deuce still lingers

 

Hessman might be Interim Manager in name, but we all know who is calling the shots.

[NorthWoods]

38 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Or maybe they were looking for an excuse to part ways with him anyway? Probably not too likely, but if it were true, this is the kind of thing they might come down harder on with certain people than with certain others.

I think they have zero tolerance based on past incidents within Illitch companies.

[Tiger337]

24 minutes ago, diaspora04 said:

Hessman might be Interim Manager in name, but we all know who is calling the shots.

And they never have to worry about Deuce offending women.  

[oblong]

I can totally see it as a zero tolerance thing.  It could have been "light hearted" but from an HR perspective you really can't mess around and set a precedent that you are tolerant.  Especially given the history, as pointed out above, by this org. 

 

[RedTeamGo!]

Why and how is it possible that the AL only has 2 teams over .500?

[monkeytargets39]

3 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

And they never have to worry about Deuce offending women.  

Women always accept Deuces transgressions

[casimir]

2 hours ago, RedTeamGo! said:

Why and how is it possible that the AL only has 2 teams over .500?

10 teams with winning records, 2 at even, and 18 with losing records.

[IdahoBert]

There’s an interesting article on the resurgence of the use of bunts not just for sacrifices, but for base hits in MLB and the Rays of all people are leading all baseball with bunts.

The article asks the question if the disparagement of bunting common for many years is making a comeback for sound strategic and statistical reasons.

I would provide a link but mlb.com doesn’t support posting something directly to Safari for some reason and I’m not interested in going directly into Chrome or anything.

And if you can’t look it up yourself, you’re pretty remedial.

[Tiger337]

22 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

There’s an interesting article on the resurgence of the use of bunts not just for sacrifices, but for base hits in MLB and the Rays of all people are leading all baseball with bunts.

The article asks the question if the disparagement of bunting common for many years is making a comeback for sound strategic and statistical reasons.

I would provide a link but mlb.com doesn’t support posting something directly to Safari for some reason and I’m not interested in going directly into Chrome or anything.

And if you can’t look it up yourself, you’re pretty remedial.

Sac bunts, in the AL, dropped steadily from .45 per game in 1978 to .08 in 2024.  It was .10 in 2025 and this year it's back up to .13 which is close to what it was in 2016 (.14).  I am pretty sure it will never come close to what it was in the 70s, but perhaps they have recognized that they overdid the non-bunting just a little bit.  

[Sports_Freak]

11 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Sac bunts, in the AL, dropped steadily from .45 per game in 1978 to .08 in 2024.  It was .10 in 2025 and this year it's back up to .13 which is close to what it was in 2016 (.14).  I am pretty sure it will never come close to what it was in the 70s, but perhaps they have recognized that they overdid the non-bunting just a little bit.  

Putting the ball in play puts pressure on defenses. And I heard the Rays theory is many teams don't practice defending bunts. IDK how much they teach infielders these days, with many players being rushed to MLB. Also, bringing infielder ln to defend them creates holes for more hits. I like the concept, putting balls in play makes for more action.

[gehringer_2]

4 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Putting the ball in play puts pressure on defenses. And I heard the Rays theory is many teams don't practice defending bunts. IDK how much they teach infielders these days, with many players being rushed to MLB. Also, bringing infielder ln to defend them creates holes for more hits. I like the concept, putting balls in play makes for more action.

There is/was maybe also a bit of over-simplicification going on with the application of the run probabilities. The average run probability applies to the average hitter(s) coming up next in the line-up. Half of hitters are below average. Logic would argue that there is some cross-over point where the you are still better of bunting if the hitter(s) to follow at the plate has a lower than average probability of doing anything productive (e.g. high K rate) but can be taught to put down a bunt with decent reliability.

Edited 51 minutes ago by gehringer_2