is why baseball is great.

http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/1729 ... -a-pitcher

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

No its not.

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which part?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Lester launches double, sets exit velo mark
Long without a Major League hit, Cubs lefty now owns season's hardest-struck ball among pitchers

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Lester launches double, sets exit velo mark
Statcast: Lester scorches double 0:47
Statcast measures the exit velocity and distance of Jon Lester's first career double
By Andrew Simon / MLB.com | April 17th, 2016 + 11 COMMENTS
The Cubs managed a mere three hits on Sunday afternoon, in a 2-0 loss to the Rockies at Wrigley Field, but one of those knocks was a notable one.

Its source would be a surprise to many. Pitcher Jon Lester, once known in part for his inability to collect his first career hit, blistered a double to the right-center field wall off Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood in the sixth inning. Statcast™ measured the two-bagger's distance at 396 feet and tracked its exit velocity at 109.9 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball off a pitcher's bat this season.
In fact, since the Statcast™ era began last season, only two pitchers have hit a ball harder, although one of them has done it twice.
Highest exit velocity by a pitcher, 2015-16:
1. Madison Bumgarner, SF, 111.0 mph, 8/21/15 (home run)
2. Bumgarner, SF, 110.7 mph, 8/27/15 (out)
3. Sean Gilmartin, NYM, 110.1 mph, 8/24/15 (single)
4. Lester, CHC, 109.9 mph, 4/17/16 (double)
5. Steven Matz, NYM, 109.4 mph, 9/11/15 (out)
Lester's drive unseated a 108.3-mph double that the Nationals' Joe Ross stroked on Friday as the best of 2016.
Ross doubles after 10-pitch AB
Ross doubles after 10-pitch AB
Following a 10-pitch at-bat, starting pitcher Joe Ross lines a double down the left-field line for his first extra-base hit of the year
What makes Lester such an interesting case is that before hitting an infield single against current teammate and then-Cardinals pitcher John Lackey last July 7 in Chicago, he had been 0-for-66 at the plate (plus 0-for-5 in the postseason). That set a record for the longest hitless streak to begin a career.
"He doesn't have a bad swing, he really doesn't, technically," Cubs skipper Joe Maddon said after that game. "He's hit some balls really hard this year, with some bad luck. Hopefully, it's going to lead to more hits. It's one of those quirky things. And there's a lot of guys with a lot worse swings than he has that have gotten hits. That's how this game plays sometimes."
Must C: Lester's first hit
Must C: Lester's first hit
7/6/15: 10-year MLB veteran Jon Lester tallies his first hit in his 67th career at-bat and receives applause from fans and teammates
Just a manager sticking up for his guy? Well, maybe not quite. Lester picked up three more singles last September, finishing the season 4-for-62, and now is 1-for-2 this season with a walk, a sacrifice bunt and his first extra-base knock.
Beyond those surface-level results, Statcast™ shows that Lester actually had the second-best average exit velocity among pitchers last season (minimum 10 non-bunt balls in play). His 92.5-mph average trailed only Padres righty's Tyson Ross' 93.5.
There were two main issues for Lester. First, he didn't make much contact, striking out in 30 of 71 plate appearances last year. Second, he posted an average launch angle of -1.4 degrees, which means he was pounding the ball into the ground when he did connect.
But on Sunday, Lester put it all together. He put the bat on the ball and did so with a solid 17.9-degree launch angle. Combine that with the sizzling exit velocity, and you get a ball that ends up touching ivy nearing 400 feet from home.
Andrew Simon is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewSimonMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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+ 11 COMMENTS

Controls A, C and V baby.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

why does that make baseball great. It's an 101 level observation

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

A 101 level observation, perhaps?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

IMU, stay on target. Stop focusing on things that don't matter. We're going to need all your energy to survive this great season.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I feel that needed to be pointed out considering just the other day he questioned my intelligence.

Being able to quantify and analyze so much data...and being able to predict so much future performance based on that data is unseen in other sports.

It enhances the enjoyment of baseball.

Instead of "feeling" like re-signing Dexter Fowler was a great move the Cubs could make... you "knew" that re-signing Dexter Fowler was a great move.

This same type of information had me telling you all how good Jake Arrieta would be in late 2013 and early 2014.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I agree Frank. This is why baseball is great.

http://score670.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=99794

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/04/19/rodon-knocked-out-in-1st-white-sox-lose-7-0-to-angels/83219162/

USA Today · 8 hours ago

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodon felt good coming out of the bullpen before the game. It was all downhill from there. …

"an 101 level observation" is grammatically correct, if that was your intention.

If not, I still don't understand why that makes baseball great. Increased arc and/or ball velocity increases distance traveled does not seem greater than a bat flip, which everyone knows is what makes baseball great.

I didn't question your intelligence but I think you directed that at Frank.

I feel there is a lot of miscommunication in this thread.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Incorrect. "One" starts with a consonant sound, therefore "a" would be the correct article.

Would you say "He throw an one hitter?"

Would you say "IMU's posts have an universal appeal?"

Take your L.

Source: I didn't stop taking English courses after English 101.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I would say he threw a one hitter

Take a seat, son.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

And so why do we both know that that is correct but you don't understand how "An 101" isn't?

We're fucked as a nation.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.