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Over/under was 76.5 wins for the year….looked like they would definitely go over at end of May
Now I think it will be real close, I’d project 78 wins right now looking at the schedule, but the pitching is starting to take on a lot of water
Another months worth of opportunities for these guys. Learn a little something more about them going into winter.
It’s been my experience that it’s difficult to learn much about how any player will perform until he’s engaged in the sort of competition that’s staged when there’s still something worthwhile to win. In my view, these end of the season rehearsal games are almost as meaningless as the games played in FL during Feb. and Mar. I’m aware that these looks can afford an indication but, to me at least, they’re not unlike a dry run.
Thinking about this upcoming series with the Marlins, I think you are right TD. Not exactly a pressure cooker.
Is it being suggested that the players fighting to stay in the majors aren’t going to try as hard because neither team is in playoff contention?
Not at all. But, in my view, it’s infinitely more valuable to observe how a young player performs in game situations which determine whether or not the team he plays for will contend for something worthwhile. I remember McGee in ’82, Van Slyke in ’85, and Wainwright in ’06. Show me something during the genuine heat of battle and I’ll immediately sing your praises. I’m not too impressed when a young guy taters up a couple of times in an 11-3 loss in a Sept. game played at a time when his team is already out of contention. That’s only my personal view of things, but that’s what I’m suggesting.
I agree with 1TD that when two teams that are not contending play each other late in the season the stats can be deceiving as you have AAA level players all over field.
The level of competition does matter.
Non-contenders play contenders too. Do the Yankee players get credit for their last 3 games? Who decides “when it matters” for their production?
Down 8-1 after two innings can win 9-8, or lose 8-7. Only hindsight can say whether those comeback runs mattered, or didn’t. During the game every pitch matters to their wallet.
There’s so much $ involved, I think they’re all giving a lot of effort. But it still isn’t playing in high pressure situations. Some excel some disappear.
The reason you see some teams pad their win totals the final 4-6 weeks of the season is because they play some teams that have thrown in the towel.
Yes, the players on the field are trying their best to play well and win games but many will be AAA guys getting their shot.
Our viewpoint is what’s different. The contender vs AAAA has always gone on. Now we are on the receiving end, as we battle to be the best of the rest.
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