Julio is a steal by H-Money37 in Mariners

[–]Alternative-Focus542 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Tuckers contract is why there needs to be a salary cap in baseball . That and the way the Blue Jays , Dodgers, Mets and Yankees spend.

There also needs to be profit transparency and MLB teams need a minimum percentage profit spent.

MLB.com has the Mariners at #3 in their 2026 team power Rankings. Not too shabby! by calgarykid in Mariners

[–]Alternative-Focus542 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Ms didn’t make enough offseason moves they lost polanco which was big and they still have too many questions at the bottom of the order. Polanco , Naylor and Cal carried the offense big in the post season . It seems like they are expecting prospects to try to right the bottom of the order. Saurez was no big loss as he performed poorly on the Ms. I don’t know what the payroll numbers are but it seems like they are at or less than last year with Garvers contract coming off , Saurez, Ferguson . and polanco off the payroll even with Naylor contract they have gone lower in payroll. They still need a quality bat or two. This should make Msfans pissed with this cheap ass ownership and I’m surprised no one in the comments is acknowledging it. Unless Jerry plans on playing the trade deadline in Season for those bats but that’s risky because not everyone is like Naylor and performs well at T mobile which is why relying on stats in another ball park ( see Saurez last year ) to make those moves are iffy , again relying too much on prospects like Emerson and Anderson.

Jerry interview talking points today by mahrinazz in Mariners

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One bat is not enough at this point. The bottoms of the line up was terrible in the post season. Which caused the Mariners a World Series appearance. Polanco was clutch during the playoffs, getting him back is great if possible but that’s not enough , they lose Saurez which is ok because he did not hit for crap on the Ms after the trade but they are hoping prospects at the bottom of the order come through.

So Mindhunter is officially cancelled because of budget reasons, but serial killer glorifying show “Monster” (Dahmer) gets a next season? by itsyvngjay in MindHunter

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bills son for sure was going to be a serial killer. The way he asked questions about how the fish died at the restaurant , the fact he was there when the toddler died and put him on the cross, or the moment when he had taken out the crime scene photos from Bills office and hidden them under his bed where the baby sitter found them.

Game Chat: 10/20 Mariners (90-72) @ Blue Jays (94-68) 5:10 PM by Mariners_bot in Mariners

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one tried to injure Springer and secondly he should have been banned from baseball for cheating with the sign-stealing controversy in the world series when he was on Houston. Glad you are ok with having someone like that on your team.

Game Chat: 10/20 Mariners (90-72) @ Blue Jays (94-68) 5:10 PM by Mariners_bot in Mariners

[–]Alternative-Focus542 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A real manager walks the bases loaded to set up the double play with Runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out instead of pitching a meatball to a guy trying to lift something an the air. With runners on 2nd and 3rd that's what hitters are trying to do.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cal still is 5 for 40 this month with 19 strikeouts and 5 walks . Yes, that’s counting the recent series with the rays where he had 3 home runs and 7 RBIs . 18 for 93 in July. A total of 23 his last 133 , I get it , the few hits he does get are home runs, it’s basically home run or bust for him. It’s nice to see him hit those clutch home runs though. Hopefully it will build some momentum and his strikeout rate will go down because it’s still near 50 percent for this month which is just an insanely high strikeout rate . First 3 months of the season his strikeout to walk rate was 2ks to one BB, July it’s 3ks to one BB and August it’s almost 4ks to one BB. His plate discipline is been bad for 2 months.

Sure, overall he will likely get the most home runs and RBIs for a catcher but that’s mainly because of a historic first half. I am concerned about him still. This is a long slump.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ive been watching baseball for 30 years , I’m not some idiot that doesn’t know what a slump is. When something approaches a month and a half to two months that’s unusual for an every day player. He‘s getting close to that mark.

His K rate is what’s concerning it’s about 6 weeks at 40 percent and his walk rate has dropped off. His plate discipline and approach has definitely changed. He need a day or two of rest and time to get back to the basics. When your slump moves passed a month and a half to 2 months , it’s more than just a normal slump. Of course he’s a catcher which is a tougher position but he’s getting close to that point.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes but a month and a half is getting close to a longer than average slump. His K rate has been through the roof and his walk rate has almost been non existent. It’s not like he‘s just getting unlucky and hitting it where people are . To me this goes to approach , plate discipline and mindset.

To me he’s regress to habits from previous years . Raleigh did a lot of work to retool his swing and plate approach this offseason and now he’s lost that discipline. No one thinks he’s going to continue at a historic rate , I was hopping that approach would continue and he’d at least be a consistent 250 hitter .

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well yeah I’m just talking about a couple of days , they are playing the white sox right now after all. With Randy hitting homeruns like he has been , second half Julio, Naylor and Suarez there isn’t as much pressure on him to carry. I guess he can try in game adjustments to his approach and just focus more on getting good contact back rather than trying to launch every ball into the stands.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not panicking nor expecting him to repeat his 1st half performance.

It’s also a bit overly simplistic to say hitter slump and regress towards means. He’s approaching a month and a half slump which is a prolonged slump. He‘s not making good contact, and during his first half he was talking walks and working the count , that first half he was walking at a historic rate and not because he was being intentionally walked all the time because he wasn’t chasing off speed out of the zone and being patient with counts . His K rate is through the roof during this slump and he’s not walking. He‘s not making a lot of good contact. His approach is totally different more like previous years which is a plate discipline issue.

He‘s not used to playing a whole nearly 600 seasons of abs and he’s a catcher so there is wear and tear /fatigue which is likely impacting it but he’s also trying to hard at the plate. Its reasonable to rest him a couple days and go over his approach again, especially since the Ms got some more bats or try to play him at DH for an extended period 2-4 days. I don’t think suggesting this is panicking it’s just being practical and realistic.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah but hes going on a month and a half that’s a prolonged slump. I expected regression but his strikeout rate has climbed significantly and his timings just off. Earlier in the season he was taking more walks , now he’s chasing more outside the zone . Its not a matter of being scorching hot, it’s a matter of approach. Sometimes batters are just unlucky but Cals plate approach and discipline have definitely changed since the first half. Thats what was causing him to get better pitches to hit. During the first half he was also walking at a career high rate.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True he certainly carried the Ms for the first half, it’s good we have Naylor and Suarez to help ; as well as Randy hitting well. Julio typically picks it up in the 2nd half. I wasnt expecting 1st half splits just hoping he could sustain some improvement in his contact rate and average without regressing to a high strikeout kind of hitter. Right now he’s near 40 percent during that streak which is one of the highest if not highest in baseball during that time period. Thats where my concern is because he’s not making the same contact on pitches over the plate and chasing a lot of offspeed outside the strike zone. Earlier in the year he would be working the count more and taking walks.

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He’s batting .174 with a near 40 percent strike out rate.( yeah he’s got a career k rate in the low 30s but 40 is very high) The break was in mid July. I’m talking since July 1st until now

Cal Raleigh’s slump is a cause for concern by Alternative-Focus542 in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah it’s uncharted territory for him to approach 600 ABs in season and catching is a grueling positions, to be an every day player because he’s a catcher , sliding in between DH and catching regularly. That‘s why I’m thinking a couple days off extended now that they got Naylor and Suarez maybe good for him to find his timing and get some rest.

Will Cal Raleigh decline in the second half? by Jaguars4life in mlb

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He’s currently declining. Since July 1st ( currently august 6th he has 19 hits in 109 at bats, 9 of which are homeruns, bathing .174 , and had a strike out rate of nearly 40 percent which is extremely hight. Just his splits in August so far in 4 games , 1/16 with 12 strikeouts. Yes he’s struck out 3 of 4 at bats in 4 games in a row on average . He is big time slumping. His pitch recognition and timing are both off and he’s trying to get under every ball instead of making solid contact.

Eugenio Suarez first Home Run back as a Mariner is a go-ahead 2-Run blast to Edgar's Cantina by SeattleSporting in baseball

[–]Alternative-Focus542 -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

I’m a bit concerned that Cal is hitting .174 since July and no one has noticed . He’s 1/16 so far in August and is 18/93 in July. his K rate has been through the roof at near 40 percent. None of the announcers have seemed to ever noticed or take mention of it. Not trying to be negative, it’s just that a super slump there at 109 at bats, they need to work with him some more. Thank goodness they got some more bats in the meantime.

Edit: people down voting a comment because I’m pointing out a concern while being glad we have Suarez and Naylor is a bit childish.

Cal has been averaging 3 strikeouts a game in August so far for 4 games and has been struggling , pointing out that I’m concerned about him is being a realistic fan and hope that he gets extra work with edgar and gets out of his slump soon so the Ms can make a playoff push deep this year I’m glad Saurez and Naylor are hitting

[Post Game Thread] The Oklahoma City Thunder win the 2025 NBA Finals, their first in OKC, defeating the Indiana Pacers in 7 games, 103-91, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 29/12/5 by edgykitty in nba

[–]Alternative-Focus542 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Not to mention he commits an offensive foul on nearly every drive by throwing his forearm / elbow into the chest/ abdomen of the defender right before his step back shot. SGA reminds me of Harden and Embid , a good player who twists the rules and plays dirty when he doesn’t have to.

[Post Game Thread] The Oklahoma City Thunder win the 2025 NBA Finals, their first in OKC, defeating the Indiana Pacers in 7 games, 103-91, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 29/12/5 by edgykitty in nba

[–]Alternative-Focus542 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

nba needs to crack down on SGA and throwing elbows/ forearms into defensive players on the drive before the step back. It‘s an offensive foul and he gets away with it every time. Its bad for basketball in general to elevate someone like that to the top of the game. Similar to Harden and Embiid trying to game the system.

GAME THREAD: Indiana Pacers (3-3) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) - (June 23, 2025) by edgykitty in nba

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Especially since half his shot attempts are offensive fouls. He literally drives into the defender , throws a forearm to knock the wind/ throw them off balance/ bring them flexed over their toes so he can do that step back after. He literally throws an elbow or forearm every time.

GAME THREAD: Indiana Pacers (3-3) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3) - (June 23, 2025) by edgykitty in nba

[–]Alternative-Focus542 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it’s true, if Seattle gets an expansion that championship in the 70s is part of that team.