The official Hot Stove League Thread 2025-26 Offseason

[DavidGee24]

Why? And like I said JK only hit 4 HRs in 399 AAA PAs. Major power outage.

Because it's correlation rather than causation, and it's a bad correlation because Bonds and Boone were both credible major league hitters and Kelenic just isn't. And in particular with Bonds, saying that he only had a .288 BA prior to the turn of the century completely ignores what a dominant player he was at that time. I mean, just look at the numbers. If he had retired after the 1999 season he would have been a first ballot HOF inductee.

And with JK, the lack of HR output is a function of hit tool just not working that well, not his power. Unless he's all of a sudden gotten weaker, his raw power is 70 grade. But that doesn't matter if ML and AAA pitchers know your weaknesses and systematically exploit them so that you can't square up the ball.

Too bad Bonds was a horrible person. And you can't deny that both Bonds and Boones Contact skills took a massive jump once they got on PEDS.

https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?p ... man/060823

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the mental aspect. Confidence is a huge thing, as is self-doubt.

There's a reason why as far as we know nobody on PEDs saw his numbers actually dwindle.

[GL_Storm]

Why? And like I said JK only hit 4 HRs in 399 AAA PAs. Major power outage.

Because it's correlation rather than causation, and it's a bad correlation because Bonds and Boone were both credible major league hitters and Kelenic just isn't. And in particular with Bonds, saying that he only had a .288 BA prior to the turn of the century completely ignores what a dominant player he was at that time. I mean, just look at the numbers. If he had retired after the 1999 season he would have been a first ballot HOF inductee.

And with JK, the lack of HR output is a function of hit tool just not working that well, not his power. Unless he's all of a sudden gotten weaker, his raw power is 70 grade. But that doesn't matter if ML and AAA pitchers know your weaknesses and systematically exploit them so that you can't square up the ball.

Too bad Bonds was a horrible person. And you can't deny that both Bonds and Boones Contact skills took a massive jump once they got on PEDS.

https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?p ... man/060823

I'll agree they became better hitters, but I don't know that their contact skills improved. I think they just hit the ball harder.

[D-train]

Because it's correlation rather than causation, and it's a bad correlation because Bonds and Boone were both credible major league hitters and Kelenic just isn't. And in particular with Bonds, saying that he only had a .288 BA prior to the turn of the century completely ignores what a dominant player he was at that time. I mean, just look at the numbers. If he had retired after the 1999 season he would have been a first ballot HOF inductee.

And with JK, the lack of HR output is a function of hit tool just not working that well, not his power. Unless he's all of a sudden gotten weaker, his raw power is 70 grade. But that doesn't matter if ML and AAA pitchers know your weaknesses and systematically exploit them so that you can't square up the ball.

Too bad Bonds was a horrible person. And you can't deny that both Bonds and Boones Contact skills took a massive jump once they got on PEDS.

https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?p ... man/060823

I'll agree they became better hitters, but I don't know that their contact skills improved. I think they just hit the ball harder.

So their flyouts became HRs??? Plausible but I would have to take a closer look.

[GL_Storm]

Too bad Bonds was a horrible person. And you can't deny that both Bonds and Boones Contact skills took a massive jump once they got on PEDS.

https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?p ... man/060823

I'll agree they became better hitters, but I don't know that their contact skills improved. I think they just hit the ball harder.

So their flyouts became HRs??? Plausible but I would have to take a closer look.

It's a lot of marginal stuff where line drive singles become doubles, ground balls move faster through the infield and don't get caught, and some fly balls go over the fence.

[harmony]

Three Venezuelans on the Mariners' 40-man roster -- Leo Rivas, Eduard Bazardo and Jhonathan Diaz -- apparently are not playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, which faces an uncertain immediate future after the U.S. attack:

https://worldbaseball.com/the-latest-ml ... uncertain/

https://worldbaseball.com/amid-military ... e-tonight/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

The Milwaukee Brewers reportedly are working to bring rising star Jackson Chourio and others back from Venezuela:

https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/milwaukee- ... certainty/

[D-train]

Three Venezuelans on the Mariners' 40-man roster -- Leo Rivas, Eduard Bazardo and Jhonathan Diaz -- apparently are not playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, which faces an uncertain immediate future after the U.S. attack:

https://worldbaseball.com/the-latest-ml ... uncertain/

https://worldbaseball.com/amid-military ... e-tonight/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

The Milwaukee Brewers reportedly are working to bring rising star Jackson Chourio and others back from Venezuela:

https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/milwaukee- ... certainty/

US attack? lol

[Seattle or Bust]

Three Venezuelans on the Mariners' 40-man roster -- Leo Rivas, Eduard Bazardo and Jhonathan Diaz -- apparently are not playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, which faces an uncertain immediate future after the U.S. attack:

https://worldbaseball.com/the-latest-ml ... uncertain/

https://worldbaseball.com/amid-military ... e-tonight/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... d=b7ddf4d1

The Milwaukee Brewers reportedly are working to bring rising star Jackson Chourio and others back from Venezuela:

https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/milwaukee- ... certainty/

US attack? lol

What else would you call bombing the country and stealing the President lol?

Venezuela drops bombs on DC and takes Trump back are you not calling that an attack?

[Lamda]

Well, I doubt the moronic lefties would protest it lol....

[Coeurd’Alene J]

Well, I doubt the moronic lefties would protest it lol....

[DavidGee24]

So another day of looking at Mariner news and seeing just pictures of crickets and tumbleweeds.