Idiot's Guide to Baseball

[Tal]

Do the pitchers have specialisms like bowlers in cricket.  Obviously they all will have slower balls, but are there dedicated curve ball pitchers for example?

a guide to

fast balls
curver balls
sinkers
change ups
split fingers
knuckle balls

what starters, relievers and closers do


coming tomorrow

2 seams and sliders as well, please, Tighty.

[scottm]

What, & why so named, are the Cactus League & Grapefruit League?

 The Cactus League and Grapefruit League are basically where teams carry out their pre season or Spring Training as they call it. They are named after plants found in the areas that the leagues are held. Cactus League based in Arizona, Grapefruit League in Florida.

This year there is an even split between the two with 15 teams in each league but both leagues have mixture of American and National league teams. Most teams have their own complex that they will use for Spring Training but a couple of teams share facilities. My team, the Seattle Mariners (American League ) share their complex with the San Diego Padres ( National League)

Teams can start with upwards of 80 - 90 players invited to the start of Spring Training but will eventually whittle it down the 25 players that they allowed on the playing roster come opening day of the season.

[MereNovice]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

162?

Jeez, they must play 5 nights a week!

The travel fatigue must come into the betting prices, presumably?

Pitchers who have the most intense physical toll on them only play every four nights max.  The position players tend to get rested a bit especially the stars but  it isn't a massively physical game in that sense.  Bit like cricket really.

My favourite baseball statistic:

Cal Ripken (Jr) played 2,632 consecutive games for the Baltimore Orioles.

[Tal]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

162?

Jeez, they must play 5 nights a week!

The travel fatigue must come into the betting prices, presumably?

Pitchers who have the most intense physical toll on them only play every four nights max.  The position players tend to get rested a bit especially the stars but  it isn't a massively physical game in that sense.  Bit like cricket really.

My favourite baseball statistic:

Cal Ripken (Jr) played 2,632 consecutive games for the Baltimore Orioles.

Took him just under 2 years.

[Horneris]

I want to like it but I went to see Tampa Bay Rays v New York Yankees when I was last in Florida and it ended up 3-0 to Tampa after about 4 hours of play and all the fans seemed more interested in their snacks than the match.

[nirvana]

I used to really enjoy the minor league stuff in terms of live Baseball - Sarasota Red Sox.

Small crowd, sending my boy hurtling after the ball in the stands...knocking him over and getting it just before him...good times

[tikay]

How many games in a season, & what dates does the season start & end on, roughly?

162 regular season games.  Starts end of March through the end of September.  Playoffs in October.

162?

Jeez, they must play 5 nights a week!

The travel fatigue must come into the betting prices, presumably?

Pitchers who have the most intense physical toll on them only play every four nights max.  The position players tend to get rested a bit especially the stars but  it isn't a massively physical game in that sense.  Bit like cricket really.

My favourite baseball statistic:

Cal Ripken (Jr) played 2,632 consecutive games for the Baltimore Orioles.

What?

So he played EVERY game for around 15 years?

I'm going to have to google him.

Thanks Mere. You into Baseball?

[tikay]

What, & why so named, are the Cactus League & Grapefruit League?

 The Cactus League and Grapefruit League are basically where teams carry out their pre season or Spring Training as they call it. They are named after plants found in the areas that the leagues are held. Cactus League based in Arizona, Grapefruit League in Florida.

This year there is an even split between the two with 15 teams in each league but both leagues have mixture of American and National league teams. Most teams have their own complex that they will use for Spring Training but a couple of teams share facilities. My team, the Seattle Mariners (American League ) share their complex with the San Diego Padres ( National League)

Teams can start with upwards of 80 - 90 players invited to the start of Spring Training but will eventually whittle it down the 25 players that they allowed on the playing roster come opening day of the season.

Thanks Scott.

So the Squad is 25. How many in the Team? How many on the bench?

[TightEnd]

2012 Team Payrolls
No.   Team   Payroll   Average
1.   New York Yankees   $197,962,289   $ 6,186,321
2.   Philadelphia Phillies   $174,538,938   $5,817,964
3.   Boston Red Sox   $173,186,617   $5,093,724
4.   Los Angeles Angels   $154,485,166   $5,327,074
5.   Detroit Tigers   $132,300,000   $4,562,068
6.   Texas Rangers   $120,510,974   $4,635,037
7.   Miami Marlins   $118,078,000   $4,373,259
8.   San Francisco Giants   $117,620,683   $3,920,689
9.   St. Louis Cardinals   $110,300,862   $3,939,316
10.   Milwaukee Brewers   $97,653,944   $3,755,920
11.   Chicago White Sox   $96,919,500   $3,876,780
12.   Los Angeles Dodgers   $95,143,575   $3,171,452
13.   Minnesota Twins   $94,085,000   $3,484,629
14.   New York Mets    $93,353,983   $3,457,554
15.   Chicago Cubs   $88,197,033   $3,392,193
16.   Atlanta Braves   $83,309,942   $2,776,998
17.   Cincinnati Reds   $83,309,942   $2,776,998
18.   Seattle Mariners   $81,978,100   $2,927,789
19.   Baltimore Orioles   $81,428,999   $2,807,896
20.   Washington Nationals   $81,336,143   $2,623,746
21.   Cleveland Indians   $78,430,300   $2,704,493
22.   Colorado Rockies   $78,069,571   $2,692,054
23.   Toronto Blue Jays   $75,489,200   $2,696,042
24.   Arizona Diamondbacks   $74,284,833   $2,653,029
25.   Tampa Bay Rays   $64,173,500   $2,291,910
26.   Pittsburgh Pirates   $63,431,999   $2,187,310
27.   Kansas City Royals   $60,916,225   $2,030,540
28.   Houston Astros    $60,651,000   $2,332,730
29.   Oakland Athletics   $55,372,500   $1,845,750
30.   San Diego Padres   $55,244,700   $1,973,025

So, unlike the NFL, this is not a level playing field with A Salary cap.

The clubs negotiate individual TV deals with local affiliates for Fox, ESPN etc which then carry all of the games on cable in the catchment area for that team

The Yankees have YES, their own TV network

So we can see that by and large the clubs that spend the most moeny are those in the biggest markets on the East and West coast

We can also see what a phenomenal achievement it is for a small market team like Oakland to make the play-offs

Oakland and San Diego being small markets where LA and San Fran dominate California TV funding

[TightEnd]

The typical 25 man MLB roster is made up of position players and Pitchers

A point to note for starters is that the AL and NL have different playing conditions

in the AL you play 9 position players and a pitcher who does not bat, and a Designated hitter that does not field

in the NL 8 players and the pitcher bats. No designated hitter

When the AL plays the NL in intra-league games in mid season, you play under the rules of the home team

Generally, very generally, the AL is the glamour league with money and more hitting stats, because as we can see the pitchers do not bat


Positions

Catcher - 2 on a 25man roster
1st base - generally the weakest fielder, as they have to move little
2nd base - generally extremely athletic as they have to move side to side and throw plays out to 1st or 3rd
3rd base - a crucial defensive position as, against batting right handers, the fielder has less time to react (think short leg in cricket)
shortstop - needs to be rangy,postioned between infield and outfield

outfield

right field
left field
centre field

these guys need to be able to cover big distances, always with great throwing arms


pitchers

starters
relievers
closers

the relievers and closers form the bullpen

the starters, normally 5 on a roster, the Ace being 1, the most marginal starter being 5 play in rotation
they have to get through the majority of the innings in the game, but an be pulled by thr manaer at any time
the relievers try and eat up the mid innigns and can often be specialists..ie left handers, or good at getting left handers out
they can be called upon to get rid of one batsman, and then get replaced

closers, as the name implies..for the last innings. usually the toughest pitchers, and a really well paid role to "save" games if a team is leading

most storied closer is Mariano Riveira of the Ynakees, now in his 40s but virtually unhittable for two decades

[TightEnd]

behind the 25 names are a variety of minor league teams, all Incorporated companies in their own right but all associated with a MLB team in a series of leagues

as one example

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (INT)
Stats | Schedule | Roster | Tickets
Trenton Thunder (EAS)
Stats | Schedule | Roster | Tickets
Tampa Yankees (FSL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster | Tickets
Charleston RiverDogs (SAL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster | Tickets
Staten Island Yankees (NYP)
Stats | Schedule | Roster | Tickets
GCL Yankees1 (GCL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster
GCL Yankees2 (GCL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster
DSL Yankees1 (DSL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster
DSL Yankees2 (DSL)
Stats | Schedule | Roster

are the minors for the Yankees

Players are drafted out of High school or college and get put, usually, into minor leagues and work their way up to the majors

players get dropped from the majors, promoted into the majors etc etc


the MLB has two drafts...Amateur draft and the main draft with masses of rounds where young players are picked

worst team the year before gets the top pick etc, but in this system the player has more power than in the nfl, with young players frequently refusing to sign for poor teams

High school players can get drafted and decide to go to college...its all pretty fraught for the MLB teams

This is one of the reasons why trades, within season and blockbuster off-season trades are very important in baseball

a) the draft is a crapshoot
b) every team has many many players in the minors that can be scouted
c) when a team falls out of contention in a season, they can dump salary and often trade stars to teams in contention in exchange for prospects....

[cdw1111]

The Chicago Cubs have not won the World series since 1904 many people attribute this to being cursed by a billy goat after he was ejected from a championship game for smelling bad(he had a ticket).Despite being one of the richest and well supported teams,success has elluded them you could call them the Newcastle United of baseball.These are my teams.

[TightEnd]

In the AL and the NL there are 3 divisions each

East
West
Central


For the playoffs the winners of each advance
the two best runners up get in as wild cards, play each other then play the best divisional winner


so, with 30 MLB teams only 10, 5 in each conf, get to the playoffs

with each team playing 162 games each april-oct, many many teams are out of contention by the mid summer all star team break

this means that attendances in some markets have been decline for a long time..for the Colorado Rockies, for example, in a small market and trading away talent..how do they achieve success?

[TightEnd]

rivalires and comparisons

the Yankees are the richest, in the biggst market with huge stars like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodrigues etc. Think Man Utd

The Texas Rangers, big market, lots of money...Man City....acquire a lot of stars

The Anaheim Angels, big market, big trade players...Chelsea.

Boston Red Sox...huge club, very traditional and family run, lots of history. underperforming..Arsenal maybe

Miami Marlins - current joke club, think Blackburn, constantly churnign the roster, spending fortunes

Teams like St Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves etc much more conservative, but well managed and consistently competitive 

Oakland A's..shouldn't be competitive but are  WBA

San Diego Padres, Wigan

etc
etc


Red Sox and Yankees is probably the biggest rivalry.....
obvoiusly teams in the same town like the Cubs and the White Sox

[TightEnd]

Two really iconic stadia

Boston's Fenway Park

Here's the big green monster in right field

Click to see full-size image.

the stadium is very green

Click to see full-size image.

Cubs Wrigley field. A hedge forms the boundary.






both the oldest, most evocative stadia...both would be torn down and replaced with more modern facilities but both are much loved