Ohtani Rotation Perturbation

Tom Gatto at The Sporting News looks into how Shohei Ohtani might be used in the Giants rotation if the Japanese star signs with San Francisco:

Evans told the San Francisco Chronicle and other media that he sees Ohtani starting out as a once-a-week pitcher, just as he was in Japan’s Pacific League, and a semi-regular outfielder, perhaps as a center fielder.

Finding time for Ohtani in the outfield will be relatively easy; keeping him on his Japan pitching schedule will be difficult. In theory, the remainder of the Giants’ rotation would be adversely affected by such a setup; MLB starters generally require a day or two less of rest between starts than do starters in Japan.

And here’s where the two/five construction from earlier returns: What if the Giants were to adopt a hybrid rotation that would afford Ohtani lots of rest, keep their most durable starters on a regular schedule, and protect the other starters from wearing down or being exposed?

Teams will have more off days this season, which will help, but it may be time to try the starting duo, with two starting pitchers scheduled to go through the batting order twice in each game. That way, they could occasionally make a start on short rest to give Ohtani an extra day to rest.

I don’t think it will go over well, however. It seems baseball players really do like to work regularly. Over time, I suspect they will rebel and want to return to a very set rotation.

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WAR for War

Via Marginal Revolution, using a model of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) for generals, Ethan Arsht rates the greatest generals of all time:

Among all generals, Napoleon had the highest WAR (16.679) by a large margin. In fact, the next highest performer, Julius Caesar (7.445 WAR), had less than half the WAR accumulated by Napoleon across his battles. Napoleon benefited from the large number of battles in which he led forces. Among his 43 listed battles, he won 38 and lost only 5. Napoleon overcame difficult odds in 17 of his victories, and commanded at a disadvantage in all 5 of his losses. No other general came close to Napoleon in total battles.

Napoleon Lajoie amassed 107.4 WAR in his career, far outdistancing the general.

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Improving Miles Away

The Cardinals signed traveling Miles Mikolas to a significant deal:

As momentum starts to build for a winter that they hope will reshape their roster, the Cardinals signed Mikolas to a two-year contract Tuesday that will guarantee the righthanded starter $15.5 million. A native of the Jupiter, Fla., area who came to Cardinals spring training games as a boy, Mikolas, 29, returns to the majors for the first time since 2014 and after three resounding seasons in Japan’s top league. He went 14-8 this past season for Yomiuri with a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts for every walk.

“Our scouts have watched him as he refined his repertoire, improved his velocity and became one of the most effective pitchers in Japan the last couple (of) seasons,” wrote general manager Michael Girsch in an email.

In his time in the North American major leagues, Mikolas posted a walk rate a bit too high, a walk rate a bit too low, and did not keep the ball in the park. His last ten MLB games were starts, and there were a number of terrible ones in that group.

His first year in Japan, he got his walk rate way down. In his second year, he raised his strikeout rate. Both of those came together in his third season, and he reduced home runs as well. He pitched well enough that the Cardinals believe he will be a one-WAR player this year and next.

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3 Ways to Avoid Bathroom Condensation

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

A constantly moist environment leads to growth of mold and mildew—health hazards that you don’t want anywhere near your home. Preventing the presence of condensation in your bathroom helps get rid of these dangers. Here’s how:

Image Source: Flickr

Install an extractor fan
We produce an average of one liter of water a day just by breathing. You can, therefore, only imagine how much moisture a bathroom produces considering the frequency it is used and that most of its uses involve water. If this moisture is not let out, it will settle on cold surfaces and seep into little cracks, causing damp and mildew. The ideal way of preventing all this build-up is by having an extractor fan. When this is not possible, open the window until all the moisture dries off. Source: DoItYourself

Warm up the air
Turn up the thermostat a few degrees in your home to warm the bathroom air to a warmer, constant temperature. The warmer air will help to warm cool surfaces, such as mirrors and walls, reducing condensation. You can also use an electric towel rail or 120-watt tubular heater to warm your bathroom during the winter. These can help to keep your bathroom windows and walls above condensation temperature, are inexpensive to operate, and can be left on 24 hours a day. Keep your bathroom warmer, and less prone to condensation, by improving your window insulation. Replace single-pane windows with double or triple panes, and insulate your bathroom walls by injecting insulating material into poorly insulated walls. Source: HomeGuides.SFGate

Use a dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers take moisture from the air and collect it as water, so if you have one of these running whilst you use the bathroom you’ll get a big drop in condensation.

Unfortunately, dehumidifiers tend to be on the pricey side so only use them as a last resort.

Renting one for a few days would be your best option, and it will allow you to work out what’s really causing the problem. Source: DenGarden

Find out more bathroom tips when you call or email us today!

 

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Baby Braves Start Leaving the Nest

The Angels sign the first of the players the Braves lost due to their international signing violations:

The Angels signed 17-year-old international prospect Kevin Maitan, who was most recently with the Braves, was the top prospect in the 2016 international class and Atlanta had acquried him with a $4.25 million bonus. Of course, due to the international scouting scandal that was revealed recently, the Braves had to give up some of their prospects and Maitan was easily the best of that castaway bunch.

The Braves’ loss is the Angels’ gain here, as they now get a new #1 prospect in their system, all to the tune of $2.2 million.

He hit .241/.290/.340 as a 17-year-old in rookie league ball in 2017 in just 176 PA. That is not much by which to judge a player. He struck out 49 times; that seems like a lot for a player who didn’t show much power. He is a shortstop, however, so if his glove is great and his offense is okay, he’ll be a fine major league player.

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Concord Brentwood Phase II – Hillside East in Burnaby

Concord Brentwood – Hillside East consists of two strikingly elevated towers overlooking Central Burnaby, a new wave of luxury residence. Eloquent architecture, super-sized curvaceous balconies, thoughtful indoor and outdoor amenities and timeless interiors demonstrate a truly elevated lifestyle. Steps away from SkyTrain and a new generation of Brentwood Mall.

• easy access to Trans-Canada and Lougheed highways
• double corner sliding doors for a seamless transtion between indoor & outdoor
• porcelain tiled balcony floors
• panel system for balcony soffit
• inset radiant ceiling heater for all-season enjoyment
• LED ambient lighting

• 24-hour concierge/building security

  

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Playing to the Lunch Crowd

On the surface, it would appear that Shohei Ohtani’s choice of teams he might join may have something to do with the time shift:

The seven teams that will meet Ohtani, confirmed to The Athletic from sources: #Dodgers; #Angels; #Padres; #Mariners; #SFGiants; #Rangers; #Cubs. Every other club is out.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2017

Most of those are west coast teams, and a couple are in the central time zone. During daylight savings time, which now encompasses the entire baseball season, night games on the east coast would be on the air at 8 AM in Japan. (All times here assume a 7 PM local start time.) Central games hit the airwaves at 9 AM in Japan, while west coast games would begin at 11 AM in Japan. If Ohtani plays on the west coast, many people in Japan could watch during their lunch break. That would maximize his exposure in his home country, and also bring the team that signs him an advertising boon. That would be nice to take into free agent negotiations.

Gaslamp Ball believes the Padres have the inside track. San Diego has a working relationship with the Fighters, and employ a number of former Japanese players.

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