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Welcome to the first day of the off-season. Ders is on vacation this week, so instead there will be a ragtag crew covering the links for you this week (and let’s be honest, probably forgetting at least one day. It’s been a long season.). I still have no voice after attending Félix’s last game and absolutely losing my stuffing over Dylan Moore’s catch. I have never been tempted to run on the field, but in that moment I wanted nothing more than to vault the center field fence and lift Dylan Moore onto my shoulders for a celebratory tour of the stadium. I saw it with my own eyes and I still don’t believe it happened.
On to the first day of off-season links!
In Mariners News...
- Oh look, the Mariners are hosting Enchant again. Because that didn’t totally destroy the turf last time. Confidential to head groundskeeper Bob Christofferson, aka The Sodfather: if you want my sword, sire you have it.
- Congratulations to Mallex Smith, who led MLB in stolen bases this year with 45. That’s so many! I hope he gets 61 next year and breaks Harold Reynolds’s record.
- According to their airport Instagrams, various prospects are headed to Peoria for High Performance Camp. Jonathan Clase, a pop-up prospect from the DSL, was there in person to watch Julio Rodriguez and the rest of the Javelinas and recorded this shot of Julioooooo’s double from the AFL game that night.
Thanks to Jonathan Clase, who just got to Peoria today for HPC, we have video of Julio’s double! pic.twitter.com/k6o1nptNn6
— Lookout Landing (@LookoutLanding) September 30, 2019
Around the League...
- It’s manager firing season, y’all. Joe Maddon is out with the Cubs, which I think we knew, but here’s another one:
#Pirates firing manager Clint Hurdle, sources tell The Athletic. GM Neal Huntington will stay. Coaching staff to be determined by net manager.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 29, 2019
- Is Joe Maddon the problem though, really?
The Cubs have drafted and signed 105 pitchers since Theo Epstein was hired to lead baseball ops. They’ve combined for 2.2 fWAR to date.
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) September 29, 2019
- Speaking of managers on the hot seat, Brad Ausmus might be out as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Orange County, California, USA, Milky Way Galaxy, after just one season. Last I checked it wasn’t Brad Ausmus who handed out 34.35 million in free agency on Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Cody Allen, Jonathan Lucroy and Justin Bour, but what do I know.
The #Angels have a press conference set for tomorrow at noon PT. Here’s the latest: https://t.co/zEWKvzvRqE https://t.co/pPlNfG8eF8
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 30, 2019
- Hunter Renfroe is having some minor foot surgery. Possibly to correct webbed feet? I did not read the full article so that’s what I’m choosing to believe. Old Webfoot Renfroe, I’ll call him.
- If I’m reading this correctly, Ned Yost is...haunting Jorge Soler’s baseball bat?
My most sincere gratitude to Ned Yost, a true mentor and a friend. You will always have a presence in my baseball bat. Muchas Gracias Señor Manager
— Jorge Soler (@solerpower12) September 29, 2019
- Pete Alonso is very good, has snatched Aaron Judge’s wig (that is not the headline of this Ringer article, somehow)
- I imagine there will be a lot of screaming in this meeting. From the Mets fans outside, at least.
Mets higherups will meet this week to discuss Mickey Callaway and other key personnel decisions. Exact day/time of meeting has not been set but they understand it needs to be soon.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 30, 2019
- You’ve probably seen this but if you haven’t, holy cats in pajamas, THIS CATCH:
I want to cry pic.twitter.com/MGnrRZt1CB
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) September 29, 2019
Kate’s Pick:
Globe Life Park is now Globe Dead Park. Here’s the final pitch thrown at GLP (cut to Kyle Seager and Khris Davis weeping silently, bearing lighters aloft):
Michael Young to Pudge Rodriguez to Elvis Andrus for the final pitch pic.twitter.com/4zIs8pmYGd
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) September 29, 2019
If you are a collector of baseball memorabilia, Levi (who is a friend of the site and has pretty dope handwriting) is selling prints/digital art of his scorebook from the final game at Globe Life. He’s donating all the proceeds to Refugee Services of Texas, so it’s for a good cause, and hey, the holidays are right around the corner (more info in the tweet thread).
Okay, I think I have done this correctly. If you want to order a print of my scorebook from the final game at Globe Life Park, you *should* be able to do that here, with full mat / framing / sizing options. https://t.co/2t1l8Wvgas pic.twitter.com/9s7Tafc2sA
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) September 30, 2019