Also our best lineup ever. League average slugging percentage was 2nd highest ever (.002 behind height of the steroid era). League average home run rate was highest ever. Total bases is 3rd highest ever, again behind steroid era. I wonder if there was something to what Verlander and other pitchers complained about with baseballs being juiced... Last year was an insane year in terms of slugging. It's not totally ridiculous to say that with our best lineup ever, we also had our best OPS ever.
"2019 was their highest OPS yet; therefore it's clear they cheated. Because the statistics are my evidence." Orrrr, maybe the statistics that demonstrated the cheating DIDN'T HELP AT ALL can also be trusted, which would prove that both the MLB and the Astros were right when they both said: The Astros didn't cheat in 2019.
So according to you, Springer incapable of having a plus 900 ops. He should always be at the level he was his rookie season. sound analysis... or lack there of.
I would agree with you that If Springer is less than 900 ops this year it is 100% sign he was cheating and gaining advantage. That's a decline of over 70 ops in just one year and would be considered a significant decline in production unattributable to anything else. Your analysis is sound on that one. We haven't tried to break this down into individuals since it was a team scandal, but sure, I can agree with you on that. Let's watch and see what he does in 2020.
It’s painful to think that you actually believe the drivel you just typed. anyways, sounds like the rest of the bbs was spot on about you. You’ve had ample opportunities to respond to what I’ve asked and try and analyze something with a semblance of data other than: “player x has his best year last year... he must be cheating... and if he can’t match his best year this year (in 60 games) it’s proof he was cheating”. It’s clear that you have no real grasp of anything regarding this team or likely baseball in general. At least it’s on display for all to read now...
Mike Trout’s OPS increased by 80 points in 2017. Same year as Codebreaker took hold - he must be part of the conspiracy!!
I called you out on Springer. No response from you. Done and done. I hated embarrassing you. But you did that to yourself.
The difference. The Angels ops has literally stayed within 20 ops the last 4 years .726, 712, 726, 746. Almost no variation whatsoever. Right? And they have not admitted to cheating. Their story makes perfect sense. It's logical. They win about 75 games a year consistently, but had modest gains. Same for Trout. His OPS had been as consistent as it gets. in the last 3 years it hasn't really even moved. The results aren't in question. Everything makes absolute sense. The Astros data tells a different story. Their results are in question. Admitting to doing what they did just backs up the ops leap by the entire team. Again, 2020 will give us the answer. As nick said, the team ops should not decline one iota if clean. Whether or not they fall off is the final nail in the coffin and that's what everyone is waiting to see.
Angels ops is real. Look it up Big M. The angels haven't shown any signs of violating the rules. They may have some drug problems though.
I think a .070 fluctuation may not be as abnormal as you suggest for individuals (and certainly not for teams). Have you observed trends in different eras? Baseball-reference.com would be a good place to start.
One player. Plausible. But the entire team going up 125 ops under code breaker, and then dropping 70 ops exactly when code breaker is revealed and stripped aligns to the steroid era quite well. We are talking a whole team here. Not one or two players. That's a major curve shift when you add it all up. They were like the 1927 Yankees as a team. Not typical. Like Nick said, there's no reason to see a decline like that from last season to this season with the same lineup. Everyone is entering or in their prime according to Nikestrad, and I can agree with that. I bet if you look at the Yankees and RedSox you will see similar ops patterns from 2014 to 2019. Sudden team ops upticks during their periods of cheating vs pre-2015. All three teams allegedly doing the same thing. The just weren't as good at it. I think what this thread hoped to do was catch the Yankees, so shifting our attention there is more fun for everyone. When did Beltran become a Yank? Check those ops jumps. I bet they take hikes within a year.
Who says codebreaker was stripped? Dude: they were punished for getting signs electronically and communicating them to the batter with trash can banging, NOT FOR A SPREADSHEET. They're probably still using that spreadsheet, because it's NOT cheating.
Also, it's definitely impossible for Springer to become a better hitter as he entered his prime. In conclusion, every hitters best season was the season they definitely cheated.
I think the intent of this thread was 1) to discuss the seemingly preferential treatment of the Yankees (and Red Sox) compared to the Astros 2) if new information was released, to discuss the irony and hypocritical nature of teams like the Yankees complaining. MLB clearly not wanting more information to get out, and if there is no new information (or anything incriminating) then why block its release? MLB certainly did not gaf about airing out the Astros dirty laundry. They saw what happened with the media and decided they didn't want to make a mockery of the whole league. Let's be very clear: Manfred himself acknowledged there were complaints about multiple teams. The Astros weren't acting alone. I think most Astros fans acknowledge what happened, but also understand that it was a rampant, widespread problem throughout the sport. I think most of us realize we became a scapegoat (bc we won - easier target). And I definitely don't know many who think we "stole" or "heisted" a WS. We were the better team, and we won. Not to mention I find it hard to believe they were using trash cans as a method of sign stealing during the playoffs, when the stadium would be too loud for that to be an effective tool. As an Astros fan your thought process seems really bizarre to me, but to each their own.