St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon made his big-league debut on Monday night in memorable fashion, throwing seven no-hit innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

Poncedeleon, who before this was known for nearly dying last season after being struck in the head by a line drive, tossed 116 pitches and recorded three strikeouts and walks apiece. He did most of his work with his fastball, which sat around 93 mph, and finished the night having coerced 10 swinging strikes on his heater. He also induced three swings-and-misses on his breaking balls, and threw 65 percent of pitches for strikes overall.

Former Royals star wrecking local softball league

What, exactly, does a not-technically-retired but definitely-not-active former MLB star do to kill time? Destroy pitchers in his local men’s slow pitch softball recreational league, apparently.

Former Royals star Billy Butler has reportedly been wrecking the opposition as a member of a team called Pharmgrade in the Idaho Falls Parks & Rec league, according to The Athletic.

The 32-year-old Butler carried his team to a fall season championship in 2017, and with his MLB-level talent, it wasn’t even fair.

“I can hit the ball out of the park every time,” Butler told The Athletic. “Obviously, we do well.”

But in this league, there are rules to prevent exactly that. If his team out-homers the opposition by more than five, long shots start to count as outs. So Butler has to actively try to put the ball in play; luckily, double-plays are rare in a league where most players have been removed from serious athletics for years (he grounded into 207 as a professional).

“You have to work on hitting it the other way,” Butler explained. “You can’t just hit it out of the park. You have to work on things.”

Butler’s MLB career began in 2007 and spanned ten years, most of which were spent with the Royals. He was a career .290 hitter with 147 home runs and 1,479 hits, and in 2012, he earned an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger Award; he split his playing time between first base and DH.

He signed a 3-year, $30 million contract in 2015 with the Oakland Athletics, but was released late in his second year with a slash line of 258/.325/.394. He went on to finish out 2016 with the Yankees.

So for lack of video or photo evidence, just imagine this: a 6-foot, 260-pound MLB player formerly known as “Country Breakfast,” absolutely mashing softballs in a park whose outfield field wall is probably only 200 feet away.

AL Non-Hustle Award: Gary Sanchez

NL Non-Hustle Award: Trea Turner

Sanchez wins the overall MLB award, since he was lazy batting and fielding.

Gotta love getting flamed by Yankee fans when I said Gary Sanchez isn’t the best catcher in the AL, nonetheless the MLB. He’s really proving me right.

Cabrera of the Mets. While having a good year, frequently dogs it on ground outs. Not a good role model for the young un's. The opposite of Nimmo

Fire alarm interrupts Austin Gomber's no-hit bid, but Joey Votto ends it altogether

The Cardinals rookie held the Reds without a hit for six innings before an alarm got in the way

First time in Blue Jays history tonight that a starting pitcher and catcher made their MLB debut together. Hasn't happened in the AL since 1967 (I couldn't find the last time it happened in the NL). Pitcher Sean Reid-Foley did okay, giving up 3 runs in 5 innings while striking out 3, but took the loss. Catcher Danny Jansen did better, going 2 for 3 and gunning down the only runner who attempted to steal.



By the way, the pitcher from that 1967 game, Boston's Billy Rohr, came within one out of tossing a no-no. He didn't have much of a career (started just 7 more games, winning 2 of them), but that's a heck of a highlight.

The best pitcher in baseball just re-wrote the record books.

6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.

That's the 25th consecutive start Jacob deGrom has allowed three runs or less, a new major league record (since 1913). #deGrominant

Baseball's next star Cuban prospects are now reportedly eligible to sign with MLB teams

Victor Victor Mesa and his brother Victor Jr. are officially free agent

It's unclear whether the Mesa brothers will look to sign as a package deal with one team, or split up and sign with separate teams. I suppose it depends on the offers.

Also, because both are under 23, the Mesas are subject to MLB's international hard cap, so this is not a true free agency. Teams can only offer whatever is left in their international budget, and, in some cases, teams have already maxed out their cap space on other players. The Yankees, for example, have spent all their international money already.

The international signing period opens on July 2 each year and MLB's bonus pools are based on market size, with small market teams getting the most money and large market teams getting the least. Sanchez reports the Orioles have the most money to offer the Mesa brothers at the moment.

The Orioles have $6.5 million in bonus pool money to spend on international prospects, the most money in baseball. The Marlins are next, with $4.3 million, followed by the Rays at $3.6 million and the Dodgers at $2.78 million. The brothers are expected to participate in a showcase for all 30 teams, possibly this month or next.

The O's ignored the international market in recent years, but as part of their rebuild, the team has renewed their focus on Latin America. They've already signed several international prospects this year and they've aggressively traded for international bonus money. (Teams can acquire as additional 75 percent of their hard cap space.) That puts them in position to make a big splash with Victor Victor and/or Victor Jr.

I've been trying all summer to decide if Victor Mesa's naming of his children was based on extreme arrogance or utter lack of creativity.

I wonder if his daughter is named Victoria

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is planning to let veteran catcher Russell Martin manage the Jays' final game of the 2018 season against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After 11 seasons spread over two managerial stints in Toronto, Gibbons was officially let go by the Blue Jays this past Wednesday. The Blue Jays will finish well under .500 this season, and are currently 73-87.

Oakland A’s OF Khris Davis finished the 2018 season with a .247 batting average. It’s the FOURTH straight year he’s hit .247 for the season. Bizarre.

Posted by ML_dad on 10/1/2018 7:27:00 AM (view original):
Oakland A’s OF Khris Davis finished the 2018 season with a .247 batting average. It’s the FOURTH straight year he’s hit .247 for the season. Bizarre.

He hit .244 5 years ago, so he was only 3 points (or a few hits) away from pulling this off FIVE straight times. What are the odds?

Do we know when the 2018 players will be uploaded?