NEWS/RUMORS/AROUND MLB Thread

he has reason to be paranoid

 

And Kershaw ha

 

NL Rookie of the Year Power Rankings: It's Corey Seager and then everyone else
by Dayn Perry | CBS Sports — 8 hours ago

Less than two weeks remain in the 2016 regular season, and that means it's time to check out where the races for individual awards stand. This time out, we'll take a peek at the NL Rookie of the Year derby.

Before we dive in, let's point out that these are not our predictions or even necessarily how we would vote. Rather, it's a snapshot of where things stand, and we're making subjective judgments on how the vote could turn out based on recent historical voting tendencies. Now let's jump in with the leading candidates for NL Rookie of the Year in 2016 ...

1. Corey Seager SS / Los Angeles Dodgers
Yes, this one's Seager's no matter how the rest of the season plays out, and it would be a surprise if he's not a unanimous selection. He's played in 146 games and counting, and he's batted .313/.372/.522 with 25 homers and 39 doubles. Along the way, Seager's spent more than 1,200 defensive innings at shortstop. He's hitting like an All-Star first baseman, but he's answering the ball almost every day at the most premium position on the diamond. He's the no-doubt Rookie of the Year in the NL, and he's also an MVP candidate.

2. Kenta Maeda SP / Los Angeles Dodgers
There's been much carnage in the Dodger rotation this season, but the 28-year-old rookie Maeda has made 29 starts. Over that span, he's pitched to an ERA of 3.24 and a K/BB ratio of 3.67. As well, he's allowed just three unearned runs in 164 innings (yes, pitchers bear some responsibility for unearned runs). In 22 of those 29 starts, Maeda has allowed three runs or fewer.

3. Trea Turner CF / Washington Nationals
Turner's obviously light on playing time, as he's logged just 61 games and 272 plate appearances. However, he's definitely made the most of his time on the roster. Turner's batting .350/.371/.581 (148 OPS+), and he's racked up 31 extra-base hits and 27 steals. Scaled to a 162-game pace that comes to 61 extra-base hits and 53 stolen bases. Need more? Turner's also taken the extra base an impressive 57 percent of the time and spent time at three different up-the-middle positions.

4. Aledmys Diaz SS / St. Louis Cardinals
Diaz missed a good bit of time thanks to a fractured thumb, but he's been highly productive when healthy -- especially by shortstop standards. In 103 games/426 plate appearances, Diaz has put up a line of .303/.368/.516 with 16 homers and 26 doubles.

5. Trevor Story SS / Colorado Rockies
A thumb injury shut down Story 97 games into his rookie campaign. However, he banked a lot of value before that untimely and unfortunate ending. He manned short for the Rox and along the way batted .272/.341/.567 with 27 homers. Sure, Coors Field aided his cause at the plate, but his OPS+, which is park-adjusted, still checks in at a strong 121.

 

well deserved...

Chase Utley named 2016 Roy Campanella Award winner
by Craig Minami | True Blue LA — 11 hours ago

LOS ANGELES —- The Los Angeles Dodgers announced tonight that Chase Utley had been named the 2016 Roy Campanella Award winner. Joni Campanella Roan, Campanella’s daughter, will present the award to Utley before Saturday’s game.

The award is given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the three-time MVP and Hall of Fame inductee. Dodger players and coaching staff are the voters for this award.

“That’s a fitting award for Chase,” said manager Dave Roberts after the game.

“Just the way we go about playing every pitch with intent, attention to detail, preparedness and all that stuff, that was Chase does, said Roberts, “a guy that everyone in the clubhouse has respect for, has learned from.”

“And as I said today in our little gathering, me as a coach,” said Roberts, “I’ve learned a ton of things from him just watching him on the day to day, and I think I can speak for every coach, we certainly would not be here without him.”

Chase Utley has scored 74 runs and has hit 25 doubles and 12 home runs this season. He has started 112 games at second base and has primarily batted in the leadoff spot.

Zack Greinke was the 2015 Campanella Award winner. Prior winners are Clayton Kershaw (who won in both 2013 and 2014), A.J. Ellis (2012), Matt Kemp (2011), Jamey Carroll (2010), Juan Pierre (2009), James Loney (2008), Russell Martin (2007), and Rafael Furcal (2006).

 

nah son
kkkendrickkk would have been way more racial

 

the guy is an idiot
to discount/dismiss advanced stats [probably because he doesn't understand them] is sheer stupidity
and calling any division race over at the break was arrogant and short sighted
serves him right
but whatev
our guys proved him wrong so that's the best vengeance

 

Dodgers clinch fourth straight NL West title
by David Schoenfield | ESPN — 3 hours ago

The Los Angeles Dodgers send Vin Scully out in dramatic style and clinch the NL West. It was Vin Scully's final home game, and though he'll broadcast the final series of the year from San Francisco, he won't do any playoff games. In typical Scully fashion, never wanting to be bigger than the game itself, he didn't want to become a distraction in the playoffs, in which any series-ending game would have been his last. But this one was special, his finale at Chavez Ravine. Charlie Culberson won't ever forget his game winning home run.

Los Angeles Dodgers ✔ @Dodgers
Then...@cculberson23 stepped to the plate and the rest is history. #WeLoveLA

6:46 PM - 25 Sep 2016​

Afterward, Scully thanked the fans:

Los Angeles Dodgers ✔ @Dodgers
We're not crying...YOU'RE crying. #VIN
7:33 PM - 25 Sep 2016

Dan Evans @DanEvans108
All of us in baseball needed that Dodger Stadium #WinForVin parting
gift on a day that began so tragically. So happy for such a great man.
5:06 PM - 25 Sep 2016 · Oakland, CA, United States​

As for the division title, it's not that remarkable that the Dodgers ended up here. Even after the San Francisco Giants signed Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, the preseason computer projections rated the Dodgers as the division favorites, though the humans tended to go more often with the Giants (or even the Arizona Diamondbacks). The Dodgers did have to use 15 different starting pitchers. Get this: Since 1980, 41 teams have used at least 15 starting pitchers in a season. Only two made the playoffs: the 2015 Dodgers and the 2016 Dodgers.

Back on June 26, the Dodgers were 41-36, had playoff odds of 24.1 percent and sat eight games behind the streaking Giants, who ended the first half with baseball's best record. The Dodgers, however, went 49-30 since then, even though Clayton Kershaw missed much of that stretch while on the disabled list. The Dodgers soared past the slumping Giants and won a fourth straight division title, a franchise first. They've won 38 more games in the regular season than the Giants the past four years, but there are two seasons in baseball, and -- frustrating as it might be for those of us who love the long grind and test of the regular season -- legacies are created in October. The Giants won the World Series in 2014, not to mention 2012 and 2010. The Dodgers haven't been there since 1988. Will the 2016 Dodgers create a legacy to remember?

 

I feel like this season really taught me to never take a division win for granted. Sure, it's not the end goal but there were definite moments I thought we'd be fighting simply for the wild card. Divisions are hard to win, having to have a lot of patience for it. I'm glad we don't have a whole season gone to waste, and although I hate the heartbreak that comes in the playoffs, there were some amazing regular season moments this year

 

Yes.