THE PALLILOG
MLB owners and players still have one big obstacle to overcome
May 29, 2020, 9:36 am
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
I don't think the expression "it's darkest before the dawn" is true, but it better ring true for the negotiations between the owners and players if there is to be any 2020 Major League Baseball season. Both sides are easy to dump on as their talks have gone nowhere this week while the NBA, NHL, MLS, NWSL, EPL, and probably other sets of letters made meaningful progress toward resumption of play. It should be remembered that in stark contrast to the NFL, NBA, and NHL, MLB does not have a salary cap. That adds a crucial and difficult layer to negotiations those other leagues do not have.
Still, if the two sides can't work it out let them all burn in sports hell. The owners made a ridiculous proposal this week asking for absurd salary reductions. We all get that if hoping to win 20 million dollars in a lawsuit you probably sue for 40, but the owners' offer was garbage and designed at least in part to split the players' union. The players' expected counter proposal isn't much better. The owners contend that with no fans in the stands they will lose money every game that is played, so for the players to come back with let's play more games than the 82 the owners suggest and with zero further pay cuts for the players, come on!
There is more nuance to this than generally gets discussed on the radio, or for that matter than most want to hear. In the end, baseball fans don't want to hear about the labor negotiation pains. Show us the baby!
Astros legacy
Not to make an older generation of Astros fans feel old, but…Billy Doran Thursday became eligible to cash Social Security checks. 62 years old for Billy D. The Astros' second basemen heritage is excellent led by Craig BIggio, Jose Altuve, and Joe Morgan so Doran is only the fourth best 2B in franchise history. The Astros' shortstop heritage is shall we say, underwhelming, so if Doran had been a shortstop he'd be the greatest the Astros have had until Carlos Correa came along.
In September of 1982 Doran got the call up to the big leagues at 24 years old. He held down the 2B position until the Astros dealt him to his hometown Cincinnati Reds in late August 1990. In 17 games with the Reds Doran batted .373 with an OPS of a nifty 1.007. Alas, his back gave out. Doran needed surgery and hence didn't play at all in the postseason as the Reds went on to win the World Series.
Doran's 1990 season was excellent and a huge bounce back after he'd looked washed up the season before. Over the last three months of the 1989 season Doran hit .148 in July, .122 in August, and .167 in September. That's three months and more than 200 at bats batting .139. I don't remember the quote exactly but Doran said something along the lines of "I am so bad that guys in bad slumps don't call them slumps anymore they call them Bill Dorans." Self-deprecating humor can be a very positive thing.
Doran was a tough and steady player. Offensively, he was never special but was a very balanced switch-hitter. For his career Doran hit .267 right-handed and .265 left-handed with .373 slugging percentages from each side. Defensively, there are those who saw them all who would argue Doran is the best defensive second baseman the Astros have had. Biggio has four Gold Gloves that suggest otherwise (Altuve one), but hardware doesn't tell everything. Doran had no chance at Gold Gloves because his Astros' career ran concurrently with Ryne Sandberg winning the Gold Glove every season with the Cubs.
NFL rule proposal
The NFL passed on putting in a rule that would have given teams an option of instead of attempting an onside kick when trying for a late game comeback, playing one down as a fourth and 15 from their own 25 yard line. Struck me as gimmicky, but onside kick recovery percentage has dropped sharply since rules changes designed to make them safer. Trying it couldn't have gone any worse than the now-aborted one year rule allowing review of pass interference calls/non-calls.
So, do you reckon the cash available shifts the Texans from their arrogant and lame keep the NRG Stadium roof closed for all Texans games policy? If the Texans can sell 25 percent of their tickets if the roof is kept open vs. zero ticket sales if the roof is closed, gee, what do you think they do?
Buzzer Beaters:
1. How do you think supply vs. demand plays if the Texans are allowed roughly 18-thousand people at open-air home games? 2. No, Pete Rose does not make the cut… 3. Baseball's greatest switch-hitters: Bronze-Eddie Murray Silver-Chipper Jones Gold-Mickey Mantle
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.