MLB Offseason 2014-15: Wait, pitchers and catchers report WHEN?

That's his second in three weeks, but let's be honest: If you're rich and famous, you get treated differently in the criminal justice system than everyone else -- and that's in America. You can imagine what kind of criminal justice system exists for the rich and famous in impoverished, publicly and famously corrupt countries like the Dominican Republic.

Put another way, Alfredo Simon killed a dude a couple of years ago and was allowed to leave the DR for spring training while under indictment.

It's a real, real bad look for Castro, and you aren’t on the potential shooting side of two reported shootings in a few weeks time if you aren’t into some seriously bad shit, but the likelihood of this having any consequences for him are minimal.

 

I look forward to Juan Vene's Hall of Fame ballot every year for its sheer insanity, and this year does not disappoint:



Leaving Bagwell, Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, Mussina, Piazza, Raines and Schilling off, while voting for Fred fuckin' McGriff, is patently absurd. (Last year, Vene's ballot had Glavine, Maddux, Morris and Lee Smith; in 2012, his only vote on his ballot was for Morris.)

 

Isn't he the crime dog?

 

Your belief that Jack Morris is a Hall of Famer suddenly makes so much more sense.

 

I haven't followed the game seriously in years... longer than that... and even I know who Fred McGriff is.

 

Edgar over Walker and Bonds is the most absurd thing I've seen in a long time.

 

If you're going to use steroids against Bonds (while keeping in mind that he never failed a test) then, if you're being intellectually honest, you must also argue for the recall of Maris and Mays from the Hall.

As for Edgar Martinez, his numbers wouldn't even merit a lick of consideration if he actually played a position. Being the best DH ever (of the seven career DHs in history) isn't exactly a sign of greatness, and he won't even have that title much longer, as Ortiz is closing in on or has already passed Edgar in most of the important stats outside of a handful of rates. Walker was a far better hitter than Edgar, and he had the added benefit, you know, of being able to actually play defense and run the bases.

This is a fucking stacked ballot, and especially given the rule changes that are going to bone no-brainers like Mussina and Schilling, wasting a vote on Edgar fucking Martinez is sheer madness.

 

Bagwell, Biggio, Bonds, Clemens, Johnson, Pedro, Mussina, Piazza, Raines, Schilling, Smoltz, and I could probably be persuaded to put Sheffield on there. Which is 12 instead of the maximum of 10 allowed, but that just goes to show 1) how stacked the ballot is (and next year adds Junior Griffey, Jim Edmonds and a borderline / iffy case with Trevor Hoffman; 2017 has Vlad Guerrero, Ivan Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez) and 2) how moronic the BBWAA's rules are.

 

The argument for McGwire not getting in isn't because of the drugs, it's because outside of hitting a shit-ton of dingers, he wasn't a particularly good player; his defense was beyond atrocious, he struck out a ton and wasn't a particularly talented hitter. .263 isn't a world-class bat.

And I'll say it again: Anyone who says the drugs issue should keep Bonds (literally the greatest hitter of all time) and Clemens (literally one of the greatest pitchers of all time) out of the Hall must also support the recall of Mays and Maris, otherwise they're making an intellectually dishonest argument that holds no water.

Nice dog whistle.

As I said, Ortiz has already beaten Edgar in everything but a few rate stats. The bigger knock on him is that his peak was only really ten years or so -- he didn't start hitting like a moon monster until his seventh season.