2017 MLB win totals.

[Track Collector]

With my hometown bias, I would take the over on the Orioles. Buck Showalter usually gets the Orioles to over-achieve IMO.

With no real money on it, that was an easy pick!

[magwell]

This is the first time since I've be here I agree with Mostpost on most of what he said, unbelievable.........

[barahona44]

Originally Posted by mostpost

A lot. One source I saw said more than half.

That makes sense math-wise.Most teams carry 12 pitchers on a 25 man roster.But if an analysis was done, I'd bet that position players would have longer stays on the DL because their injuries tend to be more serious.Often pitchers are put on the DL because it is riskier to try and have them play through the pain.Also, a lot of pitchers, especially those lower in the pecking order devolp all kinds of 'maladies' when they're ineffective, warranting a trip to ye Olde disabled list.

[1st time lasix]

[QUOTE=mostpost]Atlantis Sports Book in Reno, Nevada has released its 2017 predictions for win totals by all the Major League teams.

AL EAST
Red Sox 90.5
Blue Jays 86.5
Orioles 84.5
Yankees 83.5
Rays 75.5

AL CENTRAL
Indians 92.5
Tigers 85.5
Royals 80.5
White Sox 73.5
Twins 70.5

AL WEST
Astros 87.5
Rangers 86.5
Mariners 85.5
Angels 76.5
Athletics 66.5

NL EAST
Nationals 90.5
Mets 89.5
Marlins 77.5
Phillies 72.5
Braves 71.5

NL CENTRAL
Cubs 95.5
Cardinals 87.5
Pirates 85.5
Reds 73.5
Brewers 72.5

NL WEST
Dodgers 91.5
Giants 87.5
Rockies 79.5
Diamondbacks 78.5
Padres 64.5


Comments? Opinions? my two cents--- Al East- Yankees under and Rays over.....Al Central-Tigers under and Royals over...NL East-Marlins under and Phillies over. NL Central- Pirates over and Cards under. You reminded me---I have tickets from last year I have not sent in to cash! thx....

[Valuist]

Getting back to Schwarber, I heard on MLB radio that he wants to catch again. I hope Theo will step in and tell him he's the 3rd string emergency catcher, and needs to spend the time working on his outfield play.

Not even thinking about defense, you don't want to put a guy coming off ACL surgery continuously in a crouch if you don't have to.

[Secondbest]

Originally Posted by barahona44

That makes sense math-wise.Most teams carry 12 pitchers on a 25 man roster.But if an analysis was done, I'd bet that position players would have longer stays on the DL because their injuries tend to be more serious.Often pitchers are put on the DL because it is riskier to try and have them play through the pain.Also, a lot of pitchers, especially those lower in the pecking order devolp all kinds of 'maladies' when they're ineffective, warranting a trip to ye Olde disabled list.

Nowadays if a pitcher gets hurt they do Tommy John right away if there's any doubt about the injury.

[Secondbest]

Originally Posted by Secondbest

Nowadays if a pitcher gets hurt they do Tommy John right away if there's any doubt about the injury.

Cards pitcher Alex Reyes out for year. Tommy John.

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by barahona44

That makes sense math-wise.Most teams carry 12 pitchers on a 25 man roster.But if an analysis was done, I'd bet that position players would have longer stays on the DL because their injuries tend to be more serious.Often pitchers are put on the DL because it is riskier to try and have them play through the pain.Also, a lot of pitchers, especially those lower in the pecking order devolp all kinds of 'maladies' when they're ineffective, warranting a trip to ye Olde disabled list.

True, and let's not forget the injuries where there is NO trip to the DL. If a guy tears a groin, he's on the DL for quite a while. A pulled groin? He's probably out a few days then tries to play thru it. There's many injuries that effect performance but aren't serious enough to warrant a minimum 15 day DL visit.

[mostpost]

Originally Posted by Valuist

Getting back to Schwarber, I heard on MLB radio that he wants to catch again. I hope Theo will step in and tell him he's the 3rd string emergency catcher, and needs to spend the time working on his outfield play.

Not even thinking about defense, you don't want to put a guy coming off ACL surgery continuously in a crouch if you don't have to.

I mostly agree with that. Whatever is done, the first priority is to protect the leg.
If it is physically possible, I would like Schwarber to catch 10 to 12 games plus the occasional late inning when Montero is catching and is pinch hit or pinch run for.

For me, this is not so much about Schwarber being a catcher. Being continuously in a crouch has a debilitating effect even on healthy knees. For that reason, I would like to see Willson Contreras catch no more than 115 to 120 games. But I would like to see him in 145 to 150. He could do this by exchanging positions with Schwarber in some games, by platooning with KS in left field in some games, and by occasionally spelling Rizzo at first.

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by mostpost

I mostly agree with that. Whatever is done, the first priority is to protect the leg.
If it is physically possible, I would like Schwarber to catch 10 to 12 games plus the occasional late inning when Montero is catching and is pinch hit or pinch run for.

For me, this is not so much about Schwarber being a catcher. Being continuously in a crouch has a debilitating effect even on healthy knees. For that reason, I would like to see Willson Contreras catch no more than 115 to 120 games. But I would like to see him in 145 to 150. He could do this by exchanging positions with Schwarber in some games, by platooning with KS in left field in some games, and by occasionally spelling Rizzo at first.

I think you will see Contreras catch around that 115-120 games you list, but no way will he get into 145 to 150. The Cubs have a lot of depth, and there's already multi-position guys like Zobrist, Baez and Bryant who need to be in the lineup before Contreras. And if Contreras is catching the 115-120 games, you want him to be fresh for those games.

Maybe St. Louis has more problems than I thought. Reyes out for the year now, and I heard a clip on Wacha that was not encouraging for St. Louis fans.

[mostpost]

Originally Posted by Valuist

I think you will see Contreras catch around that 115-120 games you list, but no way will he get into 145 to 150. The Cubs have a lot of depth, and there's already multi-position guys like Zobrist, Baez and Bryant who need to be in the lineup before Contreras. And if Contreras is catching the 115-120 games, you want him to be fresh for those games.

Baez and Bryant can play a lot of positions and play them all well. That doesn't mean that is the best way to use them. Bryant should be the regular third baseman. Baez should be the regular second baseman. A Russell-Zobrist double play combo is quite good. A Russell-Baez combo is extraordinary.

Zobrist should be your super utility guy. Last year he had to play 147 games because of the injury to Schwarber and the fact that Baez did not seem to be ready. I would say that Zobrist should play in more than 110 games this year. There are plenty of opportunities for him when you want to give a day off to any of the infielders or outfielders.

Another thing I should point out is that I am not advocating that Contreras replace Schwarber in left while Schwarber in left while Schwarber sits on the bench. They are just exchanging positions. The Yankees did this a lot in the late 50s and 60s. Yogi Berra and Elston Howard shared the duties at catcher and in left field.

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by mostpost

Baez and Bryant can play a lot of positions and play them all well. That doesn't mean that is the best way to use them. Bryant should be the regular third baseman. Baez should be the regular second baseman. A Russell-Zobrist double play combo is quite good. A Russell-Baez combo is extraordinary.

Zobrist should be your super utility guy. Last year he had to play 147 games because of the injury to Schwarber and the fact that Baez did not seem to be ready. I would say that Zobrist should play in more than 110 games this year. There are plenty of opportunities for him when you want to give a day off to any of the infielders or outfielders.

Another thing I should point out is that I am not advocating that Contreras replace Schwarber in left while Schwarber in left while Schwarber sits on the bench. They are just exchanging positions. The Yankees did this a lot in the late 50s and 60s. Yogi Berra and Elston Howard shared the duties at catcher and in left field.

Contreras is a decent player, but he is not remotely close to a Buster Posey or the early days Joe Mauer, where you will put them at another position on a day they don't catch. You want your catcher fresh. The most important thing for him is to learn the hitters in the league.

I agree Baez is their best 2B and you want Bryant at 3B, but I want to keep Zobrist ready. He's too valuable to rot on the bench.

But there are two questions that have to be answered: CF and RF. Almora is certainly ready defensively for CF. It remains to be seen how well he will hit. John Jay is a decent backup, but you don't want to have to rely on him for 140 games. And we know Heyward can handle RF very well but can he rebound to his pre-2016 form at the plate? Probably a good chance, but if he doesn't, have to think Zobrist gets some playing time in RF.

[Jess Hawsen Arown]

Y'know 73.5 is a Pretty low number, but I don't think the Reds will even do that. I'm making The Reds my best bet for UNDER.

[mostpost]

Originally Posted by Valuist

Contreras is a decent player, but he is not remotely close to a Buster Posey or the early days Joe Mauer, where you will put them at another position on a day they don't catch. You want your catcher fresh. The most important thing for him is to learn the hitters in the league.

I agree Baez is their best 2B and you want Bryant at 3B, but I want to keep Zobrist ready. He's too valuable to rot on the bench.

But there are two questions that have to be answered: CF and RF. Almora is certainly ready defensively for CF. It remains to be seen how well he will hit. John Jay is a decent backup, but you don't want to have to rely on him for 140 games. And we know Heyward can handle RF very well but can he rebound to his pre-2016 form at the plate? Probably a good chance, but if he doesn't, have to think Zobrist gets some playing time in RF.

I read a couple of articles today, detailing the work Heyward has been doing over the winter. The first one is
https://theathletic.com/38588/2017/0...fix-his-swing/

You may not be able to access that one without a subscription so here are some highlights.
(After the World Series), Heyward took a brief respite from the game before moving to Arizona in December and starting work on his swing.

Cubs hitting coach John Mallee explained the goal this offseason was for Heyward to bring his swing back to what it was in 2012, when he hit a career-high 27 home runs and posted a 121 wRC+, his best offensive season outside of his rookie year.

“The hitting position that he got into,” Mallee said. “In ’12, he was in better position to strike the ball. In ’16 somehow that got away from him. And then he started rushing and hurrying. I think in ’12, if you see the position that he gets in, from the bat angle to his launch angle to the sequence of his swing to his ability to stay inside the ball are all in direct relation to the positioning he was getting into. So just getting into the position he got into when he was such a successful hitter all of these years.”

“When you get around some balls or your path is a little off sometimes, the ball doesn’t spin right off the bat,” Mallee said. “When it doesn’t spin right off the bat, it’s hard to project the exit velocity and proper launch angle that you’re looking for. So getting him on plane with the pitch, staying on plane with the pitch and creating true backspin like he did in ’12 and different parts of his career after that, so trying to get back to that path. The path created by the positioning was there when he was ready to swing and it just changed over the course of time.”

. Last season, especially by the end of the year, Heyward’s overall swing and mechanics were a mess. His head was rarely in the right position, he was already on his front side by the time he struck the ball and he was hitting with a wide, open, unbalanced base.

Another big issue from last season was Heyward’s tendency to roll over the ball, leading to all those grounders to the left side that became commonplace last season. One of the things that causes rollover is that Heyward is very dominant with his left hand.

(To correct that, Heyward has been doing a drill where he swings only with his left hand)

If you don't have a subscription to theathletic, I hope this gives you some idea what the article is about.


Two more links. I hope they work.
http://boysofspring.com/hey-hey-its-...ng-with-video/

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2...plifies-swing/

[wisconsin]

If they can avoid the injury bug, the Cubs could win 100 games each year for several more seasons. They have so much young talent that is still in it's raw form. I think people are underestimating what this team is really capable of.