Snake Bytes: 10/04 - Who is angry?

Diamondbacks News

[AZSnakePit] Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 4: Scoreboard watching is fun!

A recap on a Diamondbacks’ game is hard to find nowadays. Nobody cares! Except on the AZSnakePit. Yesterday’s guest recapper was mcbenseigs who returned for yet another wrap up of a D-backs game. Bitter sweet, bitter sweet...the Diamondbacks won but threw away that #1 pick!

[dbacks.com] D-backs wrap ‘21 on VanMeter’s walk-off HR

“That’s awesome,” veteran outfielder Kole Calhoun said. “What a cool baseball moment for us, for the fans, for VanMeter. A walk-off homer, bottom of the ninth, last game of the season. Talk about going into the offseason on a high, that’s pretty dang cool. There weren’t enough moments like that this year. It’s pretty cool for us to go home, for the fans to go home, with a pretty good taste in our mouths.”

I saw the moment, vomited in my mouth and I gotta say it doesn’t taste good.

[AZ Central] VanMeter’s walk-off homer ends Diamondbacks’ brutal season on a high note

Last year the Diamondbacks were oh so happy that they ended the season on a high note in the final week of the shortened season, against a very weak opponent called the Texas Rangers. Yesterday the Diamondbacks were oh so happy to end the season on a high note. Very important for the off-season! Just like last year’s ending was very important for the off-season.

Said Torey: “I’m proud to say we fought all the way to the end.”

o_O

Now I understand how baseball players end up angry and smash walls and break their hands. I just did the same thing.

[AZSnakePit] On the difference between picking #1 and #2 in the draft

You see Josh VanMeter cross home plate and, I have to admit it happened to me, you think: in a season where everything you and the team did was insignificant, couldn’t you be a bit more insignificant just one more game and lose it? What is the difference between winning 51 or 52 games? In the case of the 2021 team it means nothing. In the case of Josh VanMeter it means a better slash line. In the case of the D-Backs it means the difference between the #1 and #2 pick in the 2022 MLB draft. In the case of the fan base it means even more frustration with a team that on top of all misery also blew the #1 pick. But does it really matter that much? Instead of making sure they pick Bryce Harper instead of Mark Appel, the D-backs will have to make sure they pick Justin Verlander and not Matt Bush. But it’s also possible that the Diamondbacks take Mike Kelly and the Orioles Brien Taylor. Or Alex Gordon and Justin Upton. Does it really matter?

[mlb.com] MLB 2022 draft order

Writes Jonathan Mayo that the MLB Pipeline does not see a clear favourite for the #1 pick in 2022 so if you were upset about losing that one, maybe you should not be too upset about it. Yes?

[AZ Central] Torey Lovullo to ‘reflect’ before deciding future of D-Backs coaches

TL hasn’t made up his mind yet on whether he will bring back the entire coaching staff. According to Nick Piecoro only first base coach Dave McKay is [OBVIOUSLY, DBE] certain of a job next year in the desert. Every coach is on an expiring contract, just like Torey was until last week, so that will certainly make the decision a lot easier to fire the pitching coaches...I mean...it will make any decision a lot easier.

Also in the article: Rojas complaining about some physical pains and Calhoun hopes he is back next season.

[dbacks.com] Injuries & Roster Moves: Ahmed eyes spring

Ahmed got plasma, Beer a surgery, Gilbert some rest and I don’t care whatever Devenski got, but I hope it is free agency.

[Arizona Sports] OF David Peralta wins D-backs’ Luis Gonzalez Award

David Peralta was given the award as “the D-backs player who best exhibits the talents, spirit and heart of Arizona legend Luis Gonzalez on and off the diamond. The award is voted on by teammates, coaches and staff members.” Last year (and the year before) the award was won by Eduardo Escobar.

Around The MLB

[ESPN] 2021 MLB playoffs preview: Everything you need to know about the teams battling for World Series glory

Predictions, predictions, they do not have a purpose other than entertainment. What should you know? The Dodgers are likely without Muncy, the Red Sox might miss JD Martinez and the Yankees had to move DJ LeMahieu to the IL.

[CBS Sports] MLB playoff brackets

The Yankees (Cole) and Red Sox (Eovaldi) play their Wild Card game on Tuesday in Boston while the Dodgers (Scherzer) and Cardinals (Wainwright) face eachother in Los Angeles on Wednesday. After that the ALDS starts on Thursday and the NLDS on Friday. There is no rest! Baseball is hot!!!

[CBS Sports] Dodgers lose NL West

Hurrah for the San Francisco Giants! First time ever a team gets 107 wins but does not clinch the division title until the final day of the regular season. The Giants send the Dodgers to Wild Card misery where LA will have to face the wrath of Goldy. Wainwright starts for the Cardinals and Scherzer for the Dodgers, so the men in blue will probably reach the series anyhow, but you never know, right?

[CBS Sports] Phillies fire several coaches

The Phillies try to be competitive with no pipeline. Bryce does not think that is a good idea but Philadelphia has no clue what they are doing so they just fire the next bunch of coaches, because what else can you do?

[mariners.com] Special Seattle ovation for emotional Seager

Officially the Mariners still have to make a decision on Kyle Seager and a $20MM option for 2022, but after last night’s ceremony it seems that decision is already taken.

Across The Pacific

[Australia] ABL season delayed by a month

While ABL teams still continue to make announcements on signings, two weeks ago the ABL released a statement saying that it will push back the start of the season by a month. The organization cited the damned COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions as cause for the delay. The league was supposed to start on November 18 and a new start date, targeted mid to late December is yet to be announced.

As The World Turns

[U-23 World Cup] Venezuela wins WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup

The U-23 World Cup is a weird thing. First of all, a lot of competitions are still ongoing all over the world, preventing the World Cup from any star talent that isn’t on a professional baseball roster already. Even competitions in non-professional but strong baseball countries like The Netherlands haven’t finished yet, so these teams are not prepared to send their best possible players to the World Cup. And of what remains: most kids with talents are already playing in minors or have just wrapped up a minors season and will definitely not get permission to play in this tournament that has little prestige. So it makes sense that the USA are no participants on this tournament.

So the U-23 World Cup is the scene of the best of the rest of the rest of the rest. Well, those best of the rest of the rest of the rest use the competition to show off their skills in preparation for the Latin American Winter Leagues. One of those examples is the winning starting pitcher for Venezuela, who won the tournament, Wikelman Ramirez. The 21-year old was released in March by the Tampa Bay Rays, pitched in his native country in the summer league, and has these kinds of platforms to face bigger competition and prepare and make a name for himself before he will return to his team in the Venezuelan Winter League, Navegantes de Magellanes, and face tougher competition to continue to dream of a bigger professional career.

Anyhow, this is a lot of text to introduce a tournament that was wrapped up in Mexico. Venezuela beat reigning champions Mexico and it was the same Wikelman who pitched a complete game shut-out in 7 innings to propel Venezuela over Mexico to a 4-0 win. Colombia clinched third place in a win over Cuba, while Panama and Taiwan filled out the rest of the participants of the Super Round.

In the consolation round Nicaragua, South Korea and Dominican Republic finished ahead of the European participants The Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic.