titanrick

When I asked AI what "Matos" meant in Spanish, one of the options it gave me was "scrub". I wish I were joking.

I see more Molitor than Votto, but to each his own!

Any other old guys see Molitor when they look at Black. Similar game but moreso in looks. Hoping he can become an ignitor too.

My only issue so far has been a couple instances where it looked like a batter or catcher inadvertently challenged. There shouldn't be a way to accidentally challenge a pitch. If someone taps their helmet, I thought the ump confirms verbally first. But it looks like that may not be the case. Are we going to get someone adjusting their helmet and accidentally burning a challenge? That needs to get cleaned up.

I always thought if Pratt put on some more muscle, his frame would work better at 3B than SS. But I understand they're enamored with his defense at SS. I don't understand the anxiety over Made. If he is as good as Pratt defensively at SS, then one of them moves to 3B or 2B (if Turang is gone by then). These seem like really good "problems" to have.

I count 7 "balls" that clipped the zone in Drohan's 2.2 innings of work. Sanchez successfully overturned one of those seven. What's the website that grades each ump's performance behind the plate?

Yesterday was brutal, missing Chourio, Vaughn, Yeli (until late), Turang and Mitchell. Arguably 5 of our 6 best hitters. Just need to hang on until guys get healthy again. Koenig is the only one who worries me. I think he's headed for season-ending surgery. But we are flush with leftys in the pen so that shouldn't be a fatal blow.

If Harrison and Drohan are considered spare parts, what are Mona and Seigler considered?

It was fantastic seeing old Completely Blind Bucknor ring up Suarez on an inside pitch, calm tap of the helmet, call corrected to ball 2. Very next pitch, Bucknor rings him up again on an outside pitch, calm tap of the helmet, call corrected again to be ball 3. The crowd cheered more for that sequence than the home runs, according to their announcers. I still believe the driving factor in switching to fully automated will be the umps getting embarrassed repeatedly. Can't understand why they are opposed to getting every pitch fed into their earpiece instantly. And I think Sanchez and Frelick both incorrectly challenged strike 3 calls over the weekend. They see the scoreboard, shrug, and head back to the dugout. No arguing, no feeling robbed, just excellent pitches rewarded correctly.

I guess I'll believe it when I see it. That split-second decision on a pitch that is 90-100 mph painting the black, while the catcher is deceptively framing it, is incredibly difficult to consistently get correct. Just because they keep getting their calls overturned doesn't seem like it would help them suddenly see those pitches better or call them differently. And there is certainly not enough time for, "That looks like a ball to me, but in the past I've called similar pitches a ball, and they were overturned, so I'm going to call this one a strike." If they are second-guessing themselves to that extent, they're already cooked.

What evidence are you referring to?

I think this challenge system is quickly going to embarrass umpires. Yes, they get a large percentage of calls correct, but no one remembers all the ones called correctly. They just remember that three pitches have been overturned already, and we're only in the second inning. And because you retain your challenge if it's correct, it could get quite ridiculous. I don't understand why the umps are fighting this. If every pitch is called correctly and immediately in your earpiece, it just looks to everyone like you're calling a perfect game. Aside from ego, why else would umps fight this change? Is the thought that MLB will want to pay them less if they're not making strike/ball decisions?

I agree with your point. I worry about how big of a role Contreras plays in the success of our pitching staff. I think that sometimes goes under the radar. Of course, I was worried when Derek Johnson left for the Reds, and he was definitely not the "secret sauce".

Would Arnold consider giving Contreras a long-term extension if Quero doesn't hit or return to his previous defensive level this year? Or do we think Dinges is the backup plan and Contreras is 100% gone in the next two years?

The real question is how do we replace Seigler's bloop single every other month?