In JKJ’s universal DH: NL East piece, he mentions some guys who the Marlins might ask to DH for them if/when the universal DH is implemented. Jon Berti, Jesus Aguilar, Garrett Cooper and even Lewin Diaz, and all of those names seem well within the realm of possibilities for the Marlins’ DH. Berti is obviously the most interesting and Cooper/Aguilar seem like strong possibilities too. I’d even consider Corey Dickerson there. So, JKJ is right, the Marlames will need someone. This isn’t a clearcut situation of this so-and-so slides into the DH spot. Berti is a waste at DH; he can play all over the field. Prototypical DHs are Aguilar and Cooper. Maybe even Matt Joyce on occasion. What I think the DH does in Miami is open an extra spot for one guy to get rest (Cooper, Aguilar, Dickerson) and Berti to play the field more. So, Berti will see more at-bats now. I’ve already given you a Jon Berti sleeper, which was from 2019 and that feels like it was about 17 years ago. Berti, Berti, Berti! He’s great! I love him! This post is surprisingly not about him. He can fill in for Dickerson, Aguilar, Lewis Brinson, Brian Anderson, everyone and no longer needs to take at-bats and play 2nd base over one guy JKJ didn’t mention, who now becomes a full-timer, Isan Diaz, the Forgotten Man. FoMa is giving me FOMO. So, what can we expect from Isan Diaz for 2020 fantasy baseball and what makes him a great dart throw?
Here’s what I said in the 2nd basemen to target for 2020 fantasy baseball, “Am I the only one who sees Isan and starts singing La Isla Bonita? If that shizz ain’t played for him as his walk-up music, my name is Harry Stiles and I have to tell everyone, “Yes, I’m handsome, but you’re thinking of Harry Styles with a Y.” The Marlins are going to let Isan (Bonita) sink or swim to start the year. Will he sink or swim? That guess is trickier, but he hit 26 HRs, stole five bags and hit .305 in Triple-A last year, and is 23 years old. If you were to just look at early ADP, you’d think he hit .173. Oh, wait, he did, for the Marlins after his call-up, but it was in only 179 ABs and he hit five homers. I’m on board (a charter) for La Isan Bonita.” And that’s me quoting me! By the way, that post dropped on March 11th; it feels like it’s from 1989. Yo, wait until November when the Berlin Wall falls! Steamer projections have Isan Diaz down for 10/4. *picking up a CB radio* “10/4? Loud and clear, big buddy. You think he sucks. Over and out.” Why I’m not writing him off: his minor league numbers don’t suck. Every time he came up to a new level it took some adjusting and then he started hit those hangers like Joan Crawford (very fresh reference). He hit .204 in Triple-A his 1st year there with a 29% K-rate, then hit .305, and cut his Ks to 22.1%. Last year could’ve just been his adjustment period, and he hits the ground running this year. Speaking of running, he is far from fast, but he’s never hesitated about attempting steals. Last year he was caught seven times and only stole five bags (with no successful steals in the majors). That would scare the bejesus Aguilar out of me usually, but what else are the Marlins doing? They don’t seem to care if people run themselves out of the inning. Maybe Diaz doesn’t steal ten bags, but he could sneak into four to six in a shortened season. Speaking of shortened seasons, Diaz hit those 26 homers in AAA in only 102 games. Now, I’m not saying he will replicate that year 26/5/.305 in the majors in nearly the same number of games, but if he can even come close with, say, 17/4/.260 that is more than enough for me to take a gamble on that dart throw.
Grey!!!
Great Isan Diaz dart throw!
a. When I look at Diaz I think he would be a good-looking swash-buckling pirate somewhere with that goatee on the Fantasy Island exhibit at DisneyLand in Orlando.
b. You like this guy too much, yeah he could turn it around like he did at every level but with that logjam at the UDH I can’t really see him getting the time to settle in. If he’s coming off the bench or pinch-hitting to stay alive it’s not the best tonic for a young buck trying to stay afloat.
c. Some news, but it doesn’t look like the top players will play. Let’s see, hopefully the owners will come up with an inventive way to make money so we can have baseball in empty stadiums.
d. MLB quote of the day for July 14, 1979
‘Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor’s mailbox.’
Wilver ‘Willie’ Dornell Stargell, aka ‘Pops’. He preferred his given name so we will respect that and forever call him Wilver Stargell. A legend, he tied the record of total bases (25) in a World Series with his 3HRs and 4 doubles going 12/30. Renowned for his prodigious home runs, he hit 2/6 home runs to leave Dodger Stadium – one was estimated at 507 feet, the other 470 feet. He died too early – 61 years old.
Cheers,
Ante
Great quote!
Thanks!
A. Haha, that’s Jose Osuna, the Pirate of the Caribbean
B. Damn, flipped script on me
C. Think it’s still posturing, but we’ll see
D. Haha, that’s awesome!
Grey!!
a. Haha on Osuna! At least he has a fall-back plan in case his baseball career is over (hint: it’s over!).
b. Well, I hope you do a ranking at the end of all the Dart Throw reports and then we can see who is the least attractive dart throw. I bet Isan will be near the bottom. Though you do like bottom feeders like Miami, Detroit and the White Sox.
c. Hopefully it gets done ASAP.
d. The connection for today’s quote….Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Willie Stargell (found out he didn’t like Willie and preferred Wilver, my bad). Free Willie and Wilver.
Cheers,
Ante
A. Osuna is the Pirates best bet for DH! Which is to say, he’s the 30th worse DH and a terrible fielder
B. Yeah, he might be, but he does have some MI pop
D. Look forward to tomorrow’s quote from Willie Wilson!
Grey!!
Ga!! Or it could be Dick Allen referring to your comment from yesterday who was more dangerous….
a. McCovey
b. Allen
Tune in tomorrow.
Cheers,
Ante
Dick Allen was no joke, agreed
Gregg Jefferies was my favorite Met during his time there. Between my tender age and lack of media consumption, I had no idea about the drama off the field that basically stunted his career and sent him packing. A buddy of mine mentioned this article during poker last night. It makes so much sense now.
https://nypost.com/2020/05/23/gregg-jefferies-complicated-mets-failure-looks-different-now/
Other than hitting for the cycle Greg Jefferies was a disaster as a Philly. We all thought we were getting a pure hitter to round out an already great line up he was mediocre……other than punching the wall ……the phillies probably would have won the series in 94 w/o the strike
You were, but his knees started to bother him in Philly. He was still at or near .300. I wouldn’t call that a disaster, but I hate the Phillies so I hope it was.
He sucked here
Expos would have won the series that year.
I still have a couple of dozen Rated Rookies that I’m waiting to pay off. Does anyone know if it affects the value if the cards are used as a neonatal bedding for possums?
I tried selling my binder of cards 20 years ago. Guy offered me $100 for the whole thing. I still have them all.
Haha, they’ll come back around in price!
I wonder what they are worth i have complete sets from 86 thru 94 …..i guy i know was a teacher and he bought in bulk and had students put complete sets together for him….sorted numerically
They’re priceless, because you can’t sell them to anyone
Complete sets can be worth a good amount if you find the right buyer on eBay. I have a buddy who buys complete sets and flips them. Not sure how that works, going through the middle man, but he makes a profit.
I’m about to start selling all my cards
Let me know how it goes. I don’t understand eBay…like this Gary Sheffield Topps Future Star card I have is going for anywhere from $5 to $100. WTF? *shrug*
I have to first get my cards from NY — wanna drive them out to me?
Haha. What do you still keep stuff at your parent’s house?
HAHA — I’m a child
I have to hunt them down too…would not be surprised if they were some animal’s home right now…
Neonatal possums, obvi.
Great rookie cards too!
Wow, I had no idea about Jefferies either, interesting perspective…Makes you think if he was a top rookie in 1989 in Seattle, he might’ve had a great career
Yeah, different place, or different time.
Yeah, never thought he could’ve been great, but maybe different circumstances
I think that is a wishful retrospective; that guy was arrogant and thin skinned….anything is possible but now matter where he went he would have still had the greg jeffries mentality………..plus he was lacking in the field…really sucked in left field
Honestly, I don’t know Jefferies’ career enough to know…As he was, he wasn’t good from what I remember
He was awesome in the 100 ABs he had in his rookie callup. Then the hype train took over. He led the league in doubles 2 years later. Hit .342 and .325 in 2 years in St Louis. 2 time All-Star. Stole 46 bases one year. He just couldn’t put it all together with any consistency.
Those two years sound pretty damn good, especially in retrospect with no one hitting for AVG or stealing bags anymore… I just remember his cards being way overvalued — hype really killed him
Maybe a little thin skinned, but the Mets players tortured the F out of him. He was an arrogant 19 year old kid in a hostile environment. Not saying he would have been great, but the Bryce Harper mentality is only lauded if he performs.
What the Hell are MLB and the Players association doing ……….these guy can’t fight this out in public for too long and expect good things……..they are blowing it Hockey is back , NBA on the way to get the jump on live sports….they are now talking pushing back to the Series in November……..they will get drawfed by the NFL that time of year…their best bet is to be first thing out of the gate.
Like a mudder in the rain…after a few mint bourbons…running for the roses…if you ain’t outta the gate first, your vision becomes blurry almost immediately…never mind the horse
nice did you make that up?
Yes.
From my Louisville Tome…
What is your Loisville Tome? post it up
Is that Meat Loaf?
You are not allow to make Meat Loaf out of horse….illegal in PA at least….not sure about Oklahoma
That’s my bad!
His mudder was 66% meatloaf…
Dem thighs right?
Harold’s recipe?
He keeps them moist
lol
his Fadder was a Mudder and his Mudder was a Mudder…..nyuk nyuk nyuk
oui!
Think it’s posturing, but I don’t know…MLB heard counter, which was their offer wasn’t worth a counter, so let’s see what owners say to that, my guess is they’ll say here’s some more $
One of my favorite names from this period was Shawn Green. What a sweet swing and showed some speed on the basepaths. Dude clubbed 7 HRs in a 3 game stretch-effing seven! The dude you mentioned yesterday Madrigal hasn’t hit 7 in his life.
Dude was so much fun to own in fantasy
“You never hear about those Joan Crawford eyes do you bitch” Bette Davis
Crawford would whoop bette with a wire hanger
Think it would be a good fight (totally kidding, she’ll devour her)
they should do one those claymation celberity death match episondes
They should do a Joan Crawford vs. Bette Davis battle where they’re both dressed up bones in dresses
HAHA, what a total cat-off
Bette and the Beast…
I’m here for any Cougs Off
Graves’ consequences…
That’s what got Gritty
Do you think managers will be spreading save chances around more so this year to keep the top closers and middle relievers fresh in a shortened and condensed season? Could narrow the gap between quality set up guys and closers for counting stats in a saves+holds league? Guys like Ryan Presley, Pagan, Will Smith, etc. ?
Depends if the season is jammed together with games on top of each other…I think it’s very possible closers are not used as much — yes, narrows gap considerably
For 2021 how would you rank Sale, Severino & Syndergard and could any be a top 100 ranked player next year. Thinking of a draft & stash. Thanks
Severino, Noah
Grey, thabks fir the write-up.
A few years back ago, I never thought I’d ever question this, but does Chris Archer meet the criteria to be considered a dart throw? And if he does, would you qualify him as being a legit dart throw or would you back away from him?
Not sure if he’s still too mainstream to be considered a dart throw in the first place.
Thanks.
I wouldn’t touch Archer, have no faith in him
Potential lineup spot for Isan? Thoughts.
Cleanup/5th
That sounds, um, good. For cheap. At 2b. I see the OBP is pretty decent in the minors too.
Yeah, not terrible
Where’s the Brendan Rodgers Dart Throw?
Watched LetterKenny yet?
Ha, maybe soon on Rodgers…That DH right?
I haven’t watched yet
Yup, plus the Rockies need a way to keep Hampson on the bunch.
Dumb Canadian Comedy. Trailer Park Boys for present day essentially. Had to power through first three episodes, but after that I was in. It’s solid.
I’m struggling with getting thru Schitts Creek’s 1st season right now, hearing it gets better
Baseballeven happening?
Here’s hoping!
As a follow up from Lennydykstra’s post above (thread was getting long) – I was wondering if anyone is aware of the financial health of MLB teams or the league itself. I was under the impression that the league itself was in a similar state to the NBA and NFL where organizations were doing well enough that revenues were increasing year over year – but then the majority of teams, in addition to having to negotiate with the players, are furloughing front office people, and going to stop paying minor league players at a certain date. I think the A’s are doing the most to curb expenses. I’m a little surprised at how bad things got for MLB after so many good years (unless those good years weren’t really that good?)
As another thought, if I were the Yankees or other well enough organization, would I be free to poach some of these front office people from other organizations like the A’s?
Honestly, I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think any MLB team has lost money ever — it’s like the only business you can say that about — and the A’s should be ashamed of themselves
Grey,
Pitchcon? Did it have a little cosplay feel and you had to dress up like your favorite pitcher?
Haha, who’s that?
https://www.pitcherlist.com/wp-content/uploads/Day-1.png
Probably John Candeleria in the Pirates yellow painters cap.
Hahaha, The Candy Man!
Grey,
You know what? Harley Earl likes this Diaz kid. He likes him a lot. He likes him more than Teoscar. And he likes him more than Tyler O’Neil.
Harley Earl has one dart in his holster and he’s going to throw it at Diaz. Stop Harley Earl now or forever hold your peace.
Harley Earl anxiously awaits your reply!
I want to love him, I really do…but I smell an Odor here, and it could be a Rough Odor.