GAME/FESTIVITIES/BULLSHIT Thread

you're probably right
could make an argument for zack with the considerably lower era
but they've got = war, and max has lower whip, more k's and less bb's

 

i need a patting myself on the back smiley...

Kershaw said he understood Bochy's decision and that he’d expect to be picked if the situation were reversed and Don Mattingly were the manager.
LINK​

 

don't really care if kersh gets the nod tbh
but if the missouri fans vote martinez [and moustakas] in, they should cancel the fucken game
or hold two games; one with the true all stars and the other with the cards playing the royals

Final Vote overview: Making a case for each candidate
ESPN Stats & Information — 2 hours ago



Is Clayton Kershaw having an All-Star-worthy season?

As it turns out, fans will be answering that question, as the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher is one of the five Final Vote candidates for final roster spot on the National League All-Star team.

Fans will choose between Kershaw, Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, Mets pitcher Jeurys Familia, Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez and Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the National League.

Fans will pick among five position players in the American League: Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas. Voting, which takes place at MLB.com, ends at 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

Let’s look at some of the statistical storylines tied to these votes.

NL Vote: Is Kershaw worthy?

Getting back to the question we posted atop this article, consider this.

Kershaw ranks 14th in Wins Above Replacement among NL pitchers that weren’t selected for the All-Star Game (at least as of 8 p.m. ET on Monday). Martinez (2.5 WAR), Cueto (2.3) and Familia (1.8) all are ahead of Kershaw’s 1.7 pitching WAR. Kershaw doesn’t even rank first among pitchers who fit this criteria on his own team. Fellow southpaw Brett Anderson has 2.0 WAR this season.

Kershaw’s best argument is that he has the lowest FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching, which measures a pitcher based on strikeouts, walks and home runs allowed) among the four candidates at 2.55. The only NL pitcher with a better FIP is an All-Star, Max Scherzer.

Martinez’s best argument for earning a vote is his WAR is best of the group. Cueto’s candidacy is shaped by consistency. His season ERA has been under 3.00 after all but one start this season. Familia is 22-of-24 in save chances and has an 0.47 ERA in his past 16 appearances.

For those looking to take Tulowitzki over any of those pitchers, the best argument for that is Tulowitzki’s recent performance. He entered Monday hitting .392 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in his past 31 games.

AL vote: Is there someone missing?

There is likely to be a lot of talk about a player not among the Final Vote candidates -- Alex Rodriguez -- as there is those among the choices.

But from a statistical perspective, this is a respectable candidate combination. All five of the Final Vote options have higher WAR this season than Rodriguez does (2.2).

In fact, two candidates can make a far bigger case for being snubbed than Rodriguez- Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts (4.0 WAR) and Kevin Kiermaier (3.6).

In terms of evaluating the Final Vote choices, Gardner (3.1 WAR) and Dozier (3.0) are virtually even by advanced stats, with Cespedes (2.8) and Moustakas a smidge behind them (2.7). Xander Bogaerts (2.4) is also close.

Gardner has nine home runs and 15 stolen bases, making him one of the top power/speed guys in the American League. Dozier is hitting .275 with 14 home runs in his past 52 games, which is be a 40-plus home run pace.

Cespedes is a threat both with his power (10 home runs) and his arm (he has seven defensive runs saved).

Moustakas is arguably the most improved player in the American League, as his OPS, which was .632 last season, stands at .793 entering Monday.

Bogaerts’ best case is his hot streak. He entered Monday hitting .348 with 21 RBIs in his past 33 games. He leads all AL shortstops in WAR, as well.​

 

Kershaw currently 4th in NL Final Vote
by Ken Gurnick | MLB.com — 4 hours ago

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers reigning National League MVP Award winner Clayton Kershaw is a close fourth in Wednesday's first update of the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote.

Kershaw narrowly trails Johnny Cueto of Cincinnati, Troy Tulowitzki of Colorado and Carlos Martinez of St. Louis in the voting, with Jeurys Familia of the Mets ranking fifth. Cueto has 4.7 million of the 44 million votes cast. The top four are within one percent of each other, putting Kershaw roughly 140,000 votes from the lead. The total votes cast is more than double that of the first day of voting a year ago.

If the 27-year-old Kershaw is elected, he would be an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season. The most recent Dodgers pitcher to have more than that was Fernando Valenzuela (1981-86).

A Kershaw win also would give the Dodgers five All-Stars this season for the first time since 1995. The others named on Monday were Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal.

Nomar Garciaparra is the only Dodger to make an All-Star team via the Final Vote (2005). Matt Kemp ('09), Andre Ethier ('11), Gonzalez ('13), Yasiel Puig ('13) and Kenley Jansen ('14) also have been Dodgers Final Vote candidates.

Voting is open now at MLB.com to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each League until 1 p.m. PT on Friday.​

 

wow dick
surprised you don't have red hair

 

http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/135513326/home-run-derby-contestants-announced