[Other Sport] Baseball season 2019

[Lyndhurst 14]

Haven't seen any other threads on this. Opening day kicks off for the Mets tomorrow against the Nationals. Being a Mets fan I look forward to this with the usual mix of optimism followed by the inevitable collapse - but you gotta live in hope. They've just signed de Grom on a 5 year contract which gives me some hope, but just hope it's not another case of getting burned by an expensive long term contract. Going to watch them at CitiField next Thursday - Go Mets!

 

[Napier]

Go Dodgers!!!

 

[AZ Gull]

Go Dodgers!!!

Booooooooo! Four game sweep by the D'backs, please.

 

[Easy 10]

I've lumped on my Minnesota Twins to hit 85 wins this season @ 4/5. Slightly mingy odds, but it matters not. The Indians will probably dominate the ALC, but I'm hoping the Twins can scrape a wildcard behind them.

Just PUMPED to have an MLB option to watch pretty much every night now for the next 6 months

 

[Easy 10]

Oh, and I went to Citi Field a couple of years back, saw the Mets beat the Twins 3-1 (London mayor Sadiq Khan threw the opening pitch, for some reason)

Great stadium, and lovely fans. I literally had about 4 hours chatting with complete strangers once they clocked my limey accent and Twins shirt.

 

[Marlton & Hove Albion]

Haven't seen any other threads on this. Opening day kicks off for the Mets tomorrow against the Nationals. Being a Mets fan I look forward to this with the usual mix of optimism followed by the inevitable collapse - but you gotta live in hope. They've just signed de Grom on a 5 year contract which gives me some hope, but just hope it's not another case of getting burned by an expensive long term contract. Going to watch them at CitiField next Thursday - Go Mets!

Glad The Mets are in MLB Division with The Phillies. Means we’ll finish above at least one team this year. In Harper we trust. Next Baseball related post in October.

UTA!!!

 

[Easy 10]

The Minnesota Twins played the Cinderella role nicely in 2017, but the glass slipper fell off and shattered into smithereens in 2018. They lost 84 games and finished a distant second in the AL Central.

It's a new season now, and the Twins have a new look.

Part of it is the sheer power the Twins have lined up for 2019. Newcomer Nelson Cruz can hit them as many as 40 home runs. Fellow newcomers Jonathan Schoop, C.J. Cron and Marwin Gonzalez and incumbents Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler could hit 20 apiece.

Byron Buxton might also do that and then some if he finally realizes his potential this year. To this end, Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight noted that Buxton's red-hot spring is indeed worth getting excited about.

On the pitching side of things, Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson will need more support than they got last year. They'll get it if new pitching coach Wes Johnson's unique methods translate from college to the pros. There's already evidence that they will, as improved fastball velocity has been a theme of Twins camp.

A team like this has 95-win upside, which should be plenty good enough to win the AL Central.

*excited*

 

[PTC Gull]

Go Braves
NL East is going to be close this year.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Adding Paul Goldschmitt gives The Cardinals genuine optimism, but the NLC is not the procession it used to be as the Cubbies and the Brew crew are both strong and even the Reds have made significant additions for 2019. It could be a four or even five team contest this year.

Still, you've gotta love the Redbirds.

 

[Barry Izbak]

My son has crossed the Atlantic and set up home in Ontario. I'm going to visit next month and taking in Bluejay's A's at Rogers centre.

I then hope to go and watch the Albion Newcastle game with the Toronto Seagulls in the pub.

 

[Peter Grummit]

Hard to see how my Texas Rangers team will improve from 2018's last place divisional finish given their shocking pitching roster. Some good young positional players means runs production should improve.

PG junior has had the winter working in Whistler, BC and is heading down to Seattle next month to catch the Rangers - glad to see it's not just the Albion I've passed on to my offspring.

PG

 

[Camp Freddy]

Any comments on the MLB London series ticket situation? My experience was it was a complete shambles. I pre-registered the day it was announced, had no reminders/prompts, got nowhere with the pre and general sales and have been left with nothing. Am refusing to pay over the odds for a once in a lifetime opportunity to see my beloved Sox in the UK, which is all that seems to be available at the moment. Anyone successful? Any possibility of any spares among the NSC baseball fraternity!!!!

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Just caught the piece on BBC Sport about Joey Mellows - the Baseball Brit.

He jacked in his job as a teacher and will go around the world watching 162 baseball games. One way to see the world - doing something you enjoy.

Good luck to him

 

[brakespear]

yay Giants, please pick up from that good patch at the end of last season plz

 

[Jesus Gul]

Looking forward to a jet-lag affected Giants v Padres next month @ AT&T Park (think it's called something else now - visited in '13) and could conceivably do Petco Park for Padres v Rockies a week later - will need to run that past the better half

 

[brakespear]

Looking forward to a jet-lag affected Giants v Padres next month @ AT&T Park (think it's called something else now - visited in '13) and could conceivably do Petco Park for Padres v Rockies a week later - will need to run that past the better half

Oracle Park. I knew it had been renamed but couldn't remember either

 

[Badger]

I'm all set for the Blue Jays having another disappointing season.

 

[Simster]

I'm all set for the Blue Jays having another disappointing season.

Yep, this. Look out for the obligatory positive opening 3 or 4 results before it all turns to dogshit again.

 

[Badger]

Apparently the home opener hasn't sold out, for the first time in 10 years.

I wonder if that's related to it being on at 3pm on a Thursday.

 

[Easy 10]

Any comments on the MLB London series ticket situation? My experience was it was a complete shambles. I pre-registered the day it was announced, had no reminders/prompts, got nowhere with the pre and general sales and have been left with nothing. Am refusing to pay over the odds for a once in a lifetime opportunity to see my beloved Sox in the UK, which is all that seems to be available at the moment. Anyone successful? Any possibility of any spares among the NSC baseball fraternity!!!!

Likewise, I got nowhere despite pre-registering. Vast swathes of tickets were snapped up by your Stubhubs and Viagogo's, and soon appeared at 3-4 times face value. Absolutely disgusting process, I have no idea how this can even be legal.

Anyway, I still plan on travelling up to London on the Sunday, on the offchance of getting a ticket outside the ground. Once the game starts (3.30pm), the touts will probably be giving them away, and I'm quite prepared to miss the first 2-3 innings.

The game happens to coincide with England playing India in the Cricket World Cup at Edgbaston, so my plan is to find a pub around the London Bridge area late morning, have a few beers and watch a chunk of the cricket. Then I'll either check the prices online, or head along to the London Stadium on the offchance of picking up a ticket on the cheap. If the touts don't play ball, then I'll walk away and go back to watching the cricket, but I expect they'd rather offload for £20 than be stuck with a bunch of tickets they can't shift.

It'll be a good day out regardless.