Official 2012 MLB Thread

[alejr88]

IPK shouldn't be questioned ever. As dominant as he was in the minors, IPK is also a flyball/strikeout pitcher and like I explained in a few posts, that doesn't translate well in the AL East. Grand Concourse is right, Kennedy wouldn't even live up to the hype had he stayed here. Hughes had a great 2010 and he might have that kind of year this season if he can put away hitters. If not then he's gonna have to go to the pen and be the long reliever or Garcia.

 

I think Freddy is regressing to the mean, the numbers he put out last year were really good, but that is impossible to sustain coming into the next season because he's not that good. Yanks should have let him walk.

[Grand Concourse]

I agree, but then again I think* they were able to land both Kuroda and Pineda, and then Pettitte decided to unretire after they resigned him (give or take the order). I always figured Garcia was more a safety net (give at least a manageable 5 innings and let the pen take over - of course dependent on at least 3-5 runs from the offense), but I figured he'd be at least somewhat similar to last year's record, not like this bad. 3rd start will be the big test to see which of the 2 should move to the pen given Pineda's recovery.

[alejr88]

Man, I know as much as I don't like the Red Sox, I felt terrible for Mark Melancon the former Yankee who got lit up in yesterday. This was his line yesterday: 0 IP 4H 6R/ER 2BB 0K 3HR. Though the Yankees traded him for Lance Berkman back in 2010, still it's kinda terrible seeing this from him.

[Shortline Bus]

Shifting gears got to congrulate Jamie Moyer for making MLB history. At 49 he is the oldest pitcher to ever win a MLB regular season game.

[GojiMet86]

That's "The Ancient Mariner" Jamie Moyer, who started his career when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.

[Shortline Bus]

That's "The Ancient Mariner" Jamie Moyer, who started his career when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.

 

 

Or put in persective. I read somewhere(correct me guys if i am wrong)none of the current members of the 2012 Houston Astros was born when Moyer began his carrer.

[GojiMet86]

He's almost as old as the Mets.

 

 

Shortline, this article has some other fun facts about Moyer:

 

The Jamie Moyer 49

Everything you ever wanted to know about baseball's grand old man

Originally Published: March 26, 2012

By Jim Caple | ESPN.com

 

Forty-nine things you should know about Jamie Moyer while rooting for him to make the Colorado Rockies staff this spring:

 

1

At 49 years and four months, Moyer not only is older than Robert Redford was when he played Roy Hobbs in "The Natural'' (46 when filming began), he's older than was Wilford Brimley (48 at start of filming), who portrayed old manager Pop Fisher. "That doesn't surprise me -- he's older than everyone in this clubhouse,'' Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez said. "But I tell you what, his heart is still young and he's still hungry and the body is game.''

 

2

Hobbs is 35 years old in "The Natural'' when Pop Fisher tells him, "People don't start playing baseball at your age, they retire!'' Since turning 35, Moyer has won 178 games, two-thirds of his career total.

 

3

Moyer also is older than Mr. Met. He looks better, too.

 

4

 

This is the 28th spring training for Moyer, who is with the Rockies on a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp. "I've kind of looked at my whole career as a spring training invite,'' Moyer said. "I've always approached spring training as I have something to prove.''

 

5

Moyer missed last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, the only summer he hasn't played baseball at some level (including Little League) in 40 years. "The coolest thing was I was able to be at home and cook on the grill and be a part of our family home life a little more,'' he said. "I greatly enjoyed that and at some point I look forward to doing that on a full-time basis. But not now.''

 

6

Tommy John was still a major league pitcher, and not just a surgical procedure, when Moyer started in the big leagues.

 

7

After the surgery, Moyer said, doctors told him, "You can go through a rehab and just live your normal life, or you can aggressively rehab and try to pitch again. And I tried the aggressive rehab to try to pitch. The way I looked at it, I wanted the aggressive rehab because if I want to play catch or play in an alumni game or hit a golf ball, I didn't want to think, 'I hope my arm is OK.'''

 

8

Moyer is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and seven strikeouts in nine Cactus League innings this spring. Batters are hitting .133 against him. "If my body allow me to do this, why not? Because when I'm done, I'm done," Moyer said. Plus, "If I hadn't come to spring training in 2012, I would have asked myself 'What if I had?' until I died."

 

9

If Moyer makes the roster and wins a game this season he would be the oldest man to ever do so in the majors. "Even in the last couple years people come up to me and say, 'It's really cool what you're doing at your age,''' Moyer said. "And I'm like, the age thing really doesn't matter.''

 

10

The current record is held by Jack Quinn, who was 49 years, two months in September 1932 when he pitched five scoreless innings in relief for a victory with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

 

11

 

Moyer made his major league debut at Wrigley Field on June 16, 1986, five days after "Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' opened in theaters. "He may have (still been there),'' Moyer says of the movie's title character, who attends a Cubs game at Wrigley. "Funny you say that, because that's one of my favorite movies. I love watching that movie and I love the creativity of the movie. … Actually, I should be in the second or the third or the fourth Ferris Bueller's Day Off.''

 

12

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there were 263 major leaguers last season who had not yet been born when Moyer made his debut.

 

13

Moyer gave up five runs to the Phillies in his major league debut but got the win over his boyhood hero, Steve Carlton, who was 41 and would be released by Philadelphia a week later. Carlton's big league debut was in 1965, which means the two have spanned 47 major league seasons.

 

14

A pair of club-level season tickets to the Cubs in Moyer's rookie season would have cost about $1,400. If a season-ticket holder had instead invested the same amount in Apple stock, that stake would be worth approximately $185,000 today. But then, he/she wouldn't have seen Moyer's debut … or the Cubs lose 38 games at Wrigley Field.

 

15

 

When Moyer started his career, there were no lights at Wrigley. He was Chicago's starting pitcher the last afternoon at Wrigley before the Cubs started playing night games in 1988. "That was a big thing going on in Chicago at that time,'' he said. "Wrigley Field itself is its own institution. You look back, there were no bleachers out on the rooftops across the street on top of the apartment houses. There might have been someone who sat on the ledge of a house back then, but that was kind of taboo. … For me it's an honor to have had just a minute opportunity to have played in a place with such great history.''

 

16

Because he pitched in both leagues before the wave of new stadiums and in both leagues after the new stadiums, Moyer has pitched in a record 49 big league ballparks (plus three more in Japan during an MLB tour). The only ballparks in use during his career he missed are Exhibition Park in Toronto, Mile High Stadium in Denver and Target Field in Minnesota. If he makes the team, Miami's new stadium could be his 50th.

 

17

Win yourself some barroom money by betting people they can't name who is second with 47 parks (ex-reliever Rudy Seanez).

 

18

 

The Cubs traded Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro in 1989 for Mitch Williams and assorted prospects, thereby giving up 544 future home runs from Palmeiro and 239 future wins from Moyer in exchange for 52 saves and five wins from Williams. And you wonder why the Cubs haven't reached the World Series since well before Moyer was born.

 

19

Moyer was out of a major league job in 1992. He vividly recalls driving across the Ohio Turnpike to join the Toledo Mud Hens. "I remember telling myself, 'This potentially could be your last opportunity. So approach this in a way that you have fun with it. Just be yourself and go throw whatever you want to throw, when you want to throw it, where you want to throw it.' I honestly did that. And things just started to turn around. I really took pressure off myself. … I relaxed a little bit. It wasn't like every time I pitched I was pitching for my career and my career was on the line. Things just started to fall in line.''

 

20

Moyer was 34-54 with a 4.56 ERA in his 20s. He was 130-71 with a 3.97 ERA in his 30s. He's 103-79 with a 4.40 ERA in his 40s. "A lot of it was my mindset,'' he said of his turnaround.

 

21

Moyer has worn No. 50 since 1996, when he was with the Red Sox. He says seeing the number on his jersey gives him a little pause now. "I've thought about it a couple times, like, 'Wow, I'm getting close to that number on my back,''' he said. "Ask me at the end of the season. If I make the team and make it to the end of the season, I'll say, I'm going to play for that 50th year.''

 

22

Based on the experience of others nearing 50, Moyer can expect to receive his AARP application soon, but he has been hearing jokes about his AARP card for the past five or six years. "By now I've pretty much heard all the old knocks or jokes,'' he said. "I don't know whether I've gotten to have thick skin or I've just heard them all and you can't really offend me. Most of them I just laugh at and move on. I think for some people, they're just jealous.''

 

23

Three Great Things About Pitching at Age 49:

 

The scouts no longer point the radar gun at you, they just count "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi.''

 

Opposing batters can't study your old game films because they're on Betamax.

 

There are plenty of young players around to explain the new-fangled technology, like the Sony Walkman.

 

24

The most amazing thing about Moyer's career may be this: Harry Caray set him up with his eventual wife, Karen. "She was an intern with WGN, working for Harry, Steve Stone and Arne Harris in the truck,'' Moyer said. "It was kind of a joke between Harry and Steve all summer that they would introduce her to a player and her last day of work they introduced us.''

 

25

Karen Moyer is the daughter of former Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps. Jamie vividly recalls asking Phelps for permission to marry Karen. "He was eating a piece of pie. As he was eating his pie, he looked at me and without hesitation, he said, 'So are you going to get your degree?' I was thinking, 'Wait a minute, I just asked if I could marry your daughter and you're asking if I'm going to get my degree?'"

 

26

Although 65 credits short when Phelps asked the question, Moyer earned his B.A. in general studies. When speaking to young students about the importance of getting a degree, "I was always worried there would be a sharp kid who raises his hand and asks, 'Do you have your degree?'''

 

27

The Moyers have eight children, ranging in age from 20 to five. The oldest, Dillon, was picked by the Twins in the 2010 draft. Dillon didn't sign and currently is a sophomore infielder at UC Irvine. Asked recently by writer Michael Martinez why he didn't become a pitcher like his father, Dillon joked, "I guess I wasn't blessed with the genes to throw very hard.''

 

28

Moyer never threw much harder than 82 or 83 mph, and according to fangraphs.com, his average fastball was 80.2 mph in 2010. "I came to realize in my late 20s that my velocity is not going to grow so I had to learn to utilize what I had.''

 

29

His changeups have been clocked in the mid-60s. A player once described Moyer's repertoire as "throwing feathers'' while Colorado's Jason Giambi says, "You don't think the ball can stay in the air that long.''

 

30

Not surprisingly, Moyer thinks there is too much reliance on radar gun readings. "I'm not saying it's inaccurate, but I wonder if it is. I think a lot of that is for fans.''

 

31

 

The major league minimum was $60,000 when Moyer made his debut. Alex Rodriguez made more than that every time he stepped up to the plate last season ($74,000).

 

32

When Moyer spent the entire 1992 season in the minors, he was 34-54 with a 4.56 ERA for his career. His career earnings were just over $1 million after six major league seasons. He has won 233 games and earned nearly $82 million since.

 

33

According to baseball-reference.com, Moyer has had approximately 600 teammates, including Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson. He singles out Ryan, Ripken and Dawson as his favorites for the examples they set on the field and off. "I've had some great examples in my career of how to do things the right way.''

 

34

Moyer saw Ryan strike out his 5,000th batter when Nolan was 42 and throw a no-hitter and win his 300th game at age 43. "I was probably like, 'Wow, it would be pretty cool to play at his age,''' Moyer said. "But I was 29 and kind of floundering. Now, 20 years later, I'm 49 … and kind of floundering.''

 

35

Six Degrees of World Champions: Nolan Ryan was a teammate with Bob Friend, who was a teammate with Murry Dickson, who was a teammate with Pepper Martin, who was a teammate with Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was a teammate with Pat Moran, who played for the last Cubs world championship team in 1908.

 

36

The Red Sox traded Moyer to the Mariners for Darren Bragg in 1996, which is when Seattle manager Lou Piniella gave him a regular spot in the rotation and his career took off. That trade almost made up for Seattle trading Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb in 1997.

 

37

Moyer won 20 games for the first time at age 38 for the 2001 Mariners, who won a league record 116 games. "That was quite a special regular season,'' said Moyer, who was 3-0 in the postseason. "Unfortunately, we didn't get very deep into the playoffs, which would have made that a magical season people would have talked about for many, many years. It's kind of faded away a little bit.''

 

38

Moyer finally reached the World Series a month short of his 46th birthday in 2008 when he pitched for his boyhood team, the Phillies. He dug out the pitching rubber as a souvenir the night Philadelphia won the series. "Being in the parade was pretty cool because in 1980 I went to the parade the last time they won the World Series.''

 

39

When Moyer was 46, the world champion Phillies signed him to a two-year contract.

 

 

40

When Moyer two-hit Atlanta in May 2010 at age 47, he became the oldest major leaguer to ever throw a shutout. "We knew it was Eighth Wonder of the World-type stuff,'' reliever Chad Durbin told reporters that night.

 

41

Moyer's bosses have included a Japanese video game tycoon (Nintendo founder and Mariners owner Hiroshi Yamauchi) and a future president of the United States (ex-Rangers minority owner George W. Bush).

 

42

If pitching doesn't work anymore, perhaps Moyer can come back as a hitter. He has 34 walks in 485 career plate appearances, a better walk rate than Robinson Cano or Adrian Beltre had last year.

 

43

Or maybe not. Moyer has never hit a home run. He has allowed a record 511, however.

 

44

Stirrup socks were in fashion when Moyer began his career. He still wears them. "I'm keeping them in fashion,'' he said.

 

45

One thing Moyer would like to do before he retires? "If I could hang on long enough to play against one of my sons, but I don't know if that will happen."

 

46

 

One more thing he would like to do? "After having the surgery, to come back and pitch a complete season healthy and really contribute, pitching 180 or 190 or 200 innings, I would really relish that,'' he said. "That would be really cool at age of 49. People might say that's soooo farfetched, and maybe it is. But the way I look at it, sitting here right now, it could happen.''

 

47

The next oldest player in spring training? Omar Vizquel, who turns 44 next month.

 

48

Satchel Paige had "Six Rules for a Long Life,'' including, "Don't look back -- something may be gaining on you.'' Moyer's seven rules are: "Work hard. Stay focused. Play the game with passion. Respect your teammates. Respect the team across the field. Respect the umpires. And have fun.''

 

49

The record for the oldest person to pitch in the major leagues is held by Satchel, who threw three scoreless innings for Kansas City at the age of 59 in 1965. That record appears safe, but you never know with Moyer.

 

"I just believe you're never too old to be active,'' Moyer says. "In doing this, it makes me feel pretty good -- to keep myself in shape, physically and mentally. When you're in shape in those regards, your life goes a little nicer and easier. You get out of shape and mentally you start thinking you're old and it slows you down a little bit.''

[alejr88]

Completely forgot about Jamie Moyer, the oldest pitcher to win a game at 49. I thought Satchel Paige won a game at 59? Or was it appear in a game. Maybe it's the latter.

[Shortline Bus]

Completely forgot about Jamie Moyer, the oldest pitcher to win a game at 49. I thought Satchel Paige won a game at 59? Or was it appear in a game. Maybe it's the latter.

 

 

The latter. You not the only one alejr who thought satchel had this record . Until RTS corrected me earlier in the thread i also though Mr. Page was the oldest to win a MLB regular season game. Moyer is also the oldest to win a MLB playoff game w/ the Phillies as well.

[alejr88]

Cool thanks.

 

 

I shall never make a prediction about the Twins and Yankees ever again, especially when Staten Island's own Jason Marquis was pitching.

[B35 via Church]

Bartolo Colon had a string where he threw 38 strikes in a row... in a 6-0 win against the Angels last night....

funny thing is, I thought he retired - come to find out he's on Oakland.....

 

Not for nothin, but I think that streak doesn't mean much of anything... b/c groundouts, popouts, flyouts, and base hits are all counted as strikes..... Had Colon tried to implement a gameplan like that to a team like the Tigers, the Rangers, or the Yankees, he wouldn't have lasted past the 2nd inning.... He knew what type of team he was up against......

[7LineFan]

So how 'bout that Phil Hughes guy? 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

 

Seriously, if he and Garcia want to keep their rotation spots they'd better pick it up right now. Especially since Garcia is lined up to pitch against the Sawx this weekend.

[Shortline Bus]

So how 'bout that Phil Hughes guy? 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

 

Seriously, if he and Garcia want to keep their rotation spots they'd better pick it up right now.

 

 

I am sure the boobirds are out in full force for Mr. Hughes lol. Also changing gears anyone notice how the Angles are spending $200 Million on free agents i.e "King Albert" are in last place in the AL West? Ditto for the Red Sox as well.

[7LineFan]

I am sure the boobirds are out in full force for Mr. Hughes lol. Also changing gears anyone notice how the Angles are spending $200 Million on free agents i.e "King Albert" are in last place in the AL West? Ditto for the Red Sox as well.

 

 

Someone pointed out last night that this is fifth straight season the Sawx have been under .500 at this point in the early season so this isn't too surprising for them.

 

Has Pujols hit a home run yet?

[B35 via Church]

How about Granderson having the first 3 HR game at new Yankee stadium....

 

 

....and Pujols is still stuck on zilch - this is the longest "drought" of his career....

[Shortline Bus]

How about Granderson having the first 3 HR game at new Yankee stadium....

 

 

....and Pujols is still stuck on zilch - this is the longest "drought" of his career....

 

 

 

I am sure John Sterling voice was tired tonight lol.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxfeRWCdU5k

 

 

 

The Grandy man

 

[Grand Concourse]

Bartolo Colon had a string where he threw 38 strikes in a row... in a 6-0 win against the Angels last night....

funny thing is, I thought he retired - come to find out he's on Oakland.....

 

Not for nothin, but I think that streak doesn't mean much of anything... b/c groundouts, popouts, flyouts, and base hits are all counted as strikes..... Had Colon tried to implement a gameplan like that to a team like the Tigers, the Rangers, or the Yankees, he wouldn't have lasted past the 2nd inning.... He knew what type of team he was up against......

 

He'll start off strong, but as lucky as the Yankees were to sign him, they were wise to let him leave. Colon's arm won't last a long season if he keeps going deeper into the end of the game.

So how 'bout that Phil Hughes guy? 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

 

Seriously, if he and Garcia want to keep their rotation spots they'd better pick it up right now. Especially since Garcia is lined up to pitch against the Sawx this weekend.

 

Yeah, this is the 3rd game where Hughes can't make it past the 5th. I don't see an upside to him as a starter anymore. Just put him in the pen and hopefully he'll take Robertson's spot and Robertson eventually transitions into Rivera's replacement.

How about Granderson having the first 3 HR game at new Yankee stadium....

 

 

....and Pujols is still stuck on zilch - this is the longest "drought" of his career....

 

Awesome for Granderson. Though he's really more a 3 hitter and Cano should be more a clean up hitter now. I'd move ARod to 5 and Texiera to 6. Gardner when he comes back, should be the leadoff or 2 hitter.

 

Lol, looks like the Angels have it worse than the Yankees and ARod's $30 mil per year contract.

[Shortline Bus]

Shifting gears. The Yanks visit New England to play the Red Sox. However the big story of friday game is the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park which opened on April 20, 1912.

 

Not to mention today, in honor of the anniversay fenway offered a free tour of the ballpark and over 50,000 fans showed up.

 

 

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/sports/12007257157949/fans-flock-to-fenway-for-an-upclose-look-at-the-ballpark/

[Grand Concourse]

Seems like Yu Darvish has been doing very well for 1st place Texas.

[alejr88]

Sometimes I wonder, why the hell the Yankees game was played at 7pm instead of 1pm. I thought today was getaway day and turns out those guys are on their way to Boston right now instead of leaving earlier if the Yankees and Red Sox are playing a day game on Friday. Can't wait to see the Yanks throwback unis.

 

As for Curtis Granderson, wow what a night. 5 for 5 with 3 HRs which bailed Hughes with a cheap win. Sure he allowed 2 EARNED RUNS but he has to pick up his teammates after an error. He did settle down though but...(sigh).

 

Yu Darvish pitched well against a power offense today, the Detroit Tigers.

 

I wouldn't be fooled with Bartolo Colon. As good as he was last year with the Yankees, I got tired of seeing him get lit up or allow runs to the Blue Jays. He'll be better in the AL West where 3 of the teams parks are big and they benefit the pitchers.

[Grand Concourse]

What a 'happy 100th for Fenway with a slugfest by the Yankees. Chavez leading the day with 2 homers, another plus for a 'has been' player. And Nova goes 6 innings further cementing his place (maybe even a number 2 right now given his consistency) even though it was a battered Boston team.

[B35 via Church]

I'ma keep sayin this.... and I've done so since like 2010.....

Boston - Yankees rivalry is just about dead... It doesn't have that same feel as it once did.....

 

even the attempt w/ the commercials for this series were half-hearted attempts to get fans riled up for the "big" rivalry.... lol.....

[Shortline Bus]

I'ma keep sayin this.... and I've done so since like 2010.....

Boston - Yankees rivalry is just about dead... It doesn't have that same feel as it once did.....

 

even the attempt w/ the commercials for this series were half-hearted attempts to get fans riled up for the "big" rivalry.... lol.....

 

 

I agree bro (B35)1,000% that the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is not the same as say between 1999-2005. In those early years, at the turn of this (21st)century, they were usually the '2 best teams in MLB during that period and was 'must watch tv' during that time.

 

With that said, even with the Red Sox IMO falling off, the Boston-NY games on TV i.e Fox, ESPN and TBS/TNT are still by far the highest rated regular season games on network tv each season.

 

Kind of like why the Cowboys-Eagles are always on Sunday or Monday Night Football in NFL. The Dallas-Philly teams are at best 'wild card teams' in recent years and not super bowl contenders. Yet the Cowboys-Birds still draw among the highest rated games of the season.

 

Thus reputation and market size does matter in all '4' of the major North American sports leagues.

[alejr88]

According to Joel Sherman on twitter, Michael Pineda has suffered a setback and was immediately shut down.

 

EDIT: Link here:

[Grand Concourse]

Not looking good for him. If Montero lights things up for Seattle this year, I can imagine people will be demanding Cashman's head on a platter.

 

@B35, agreed, I didn't bother watching that Boston game. Bobby V can mouth off all he wants, but the team is a mess and has his own problems to worry about. Tampa is the real threat with the pitching and the Yankees inconsistent hitting are bad 1-2 punches.