Around Baseball 2021

[Olerud363]

100% agreed on this. That variety doesn't exist. It's not as amazing to watch a guy put up huge K numbers when everyone does it. And there was something impressive about guys like Beuhrle who could control a game without it. It was nice watching Estrada pull that off while he was good as well.

 

 

I really do think the double hook idea is good because it reemphasizes pitchers going deep into games. Watching a matchup between Roy Halladay and Beuhrle was awesome back in the day. Roy raised his K/9 later in his career but for the most part he struck out between 5-7/9 and was dominant anyways.

 

And no openers. Limits the specialization, and analytics focus a bit there. Pushing the mound back is a bit drastic, so that can be left for later if they really can't get a handle on things.

 

I also wonder if pitchers have to go deeper into games, that means they don't go all out as much. Would having to go 6+ innings more consistently mean velocity dips slightly?

 

I'm not sure about this. I 100% agree the games need to be faster. 4 hour 9 inning games are too long... other than rules to make the game faster I think artificially constraining innovation is not good.

 

Openers are cool in my mind. Vlad Guerrero DH -- Vladdy is now the hero we always thought he would be -- .370 hitter on track for 40 homers. Better then we thought.

 

Zeuch has to pitch today because injuries! lots of injuries always. Zuech is all set... oh s*** they are bombing Zeuch... 3-0... get the bullpen going

 

Do you

 

a) Take out Zeuch when it is 3-0 but lose Vladdie (lightning cat version) for the whole game?

 

Keep Zeuch in until it is 8-0 then take him out losing Vladdie for the hole game?

 

c) Keep Zuech in no matter what.

[Olerud363]

Deadening the ball just the right amount may be the answer.

 

Get it so

 

a) Aaron Judge hitting .250 with 50 homers and 220 strike-outs becomes .225 with 40 homers and 220 strikeouts

Average hitter hitting .250 with 25 homers and 180 strike-outs becomes .220 with 10 homers and 180 strikeouts.

 

then that might force them to change hitting approach and become higher average hitters because average and hitting to all fields becomes more valuable relatively speaking.

[Spanky__99]

lol

[Thaddeus Malice]

I'm not sure about this. I 100% agree the games need to be faster. 4 hour 9 inning games are too long... other than rules to make the game faster I think artificially constraining innovation is not good.

 

Openers are cool in my mind. Vlad Guerrero DH -- Vladdy is now the hero we always thought he would be -- .370 hitter on track for 40 homers. Better then we thought.

 

I mean they're all artificial constraints in a way. The creation of the DH, lowering the mound, pitch clocks. There's always modifications happening to sports because innovation maximizing results can be great, but sometimes the changes make for a worse game and rules need to be created to stem that tide.

 

The NBA did away with hand checking to increase the flow of the game, the NHL made the single best rule change it ever could have by removing the red line.

[The Cats Ass]

I'm not sure about this. I 100% agree the games need to be faster. 4 hour 9 inning games are too long... other than rules to make the game faster I think artificially constraining innovation is not good.

 

Openers are cool in my mind. Vlad Guerrero DH -- Vladdy is now the hero we always thought he would be -- .370 hitter on track for 40 homers. Better then we thought.

 

Zeuch has to pitch today because injuries! lots of injuries always. Zuech is all set... oh s*** they are bombing Zeuch... 3-0... get the bullpen going

 

Do you

 

a) Take out Zeuch when it is 3-0 but lose Vladdie (lightning cat version) for the whole game?

 

Keep Zeuch in until it is 8-0 then take him out losing Vladdie for the hole game?

 

c) Keep Zuech in no matter what.

 

d) Pull Zuech, Move Vlad to 1st.

[wilko]

Robo umps.

[Olerud363]

d) Pull Zuech, Move Vlad to 1st.

 

Yes. That does work if you have the god awful version of Rowdy at first... if you had another good hitter at first it doesn't work.

[The Cats Ass]

Yes. That does work if you have the god awful version of Rowdy at first... if you had another good hitter at first it doesn't work.

 

Move Vlad to 3rd then.

 

Or plan to pull Zuech early (because of course you will have to), have the DH hit 9th, and plan the defense around this.

[Spanky__99]

[glory]

Honestly, the heart of the steroid era was a fun game to watch. In 1998 you had juiced up freakhows hitting 70 homers and putting up crazy power numbers, but you also had about 1000 more total stolen bases than we currently have today, with 10 different guys stealing 40+ bags. There was a huge range of player types, ranging from Mark McGwire to Tony Gwynn and Eric Young, and everything in between.

 

You had the same variety in pitching: a few elite arms and gaudy K/9 rates of 10-12 (Big Unit, Schilling, Clemens etc...) but there were 10 or 20 guys who put up league average 175-225 IP seasons with fewer than 6 K/9. And complete games were still a thing.

 

I feel like we have a narrower distribution of player types now, as we've drifted towards most hitters being three true outcome power hitters, and very few pitchers trying to induce weak contact early in counts.

 

I just want to see a wider variety of skill sets doing a wider variety of things.

 

I agree with all of this. The variety is gone. The separation of skill set is gone. Too many players are identical in skill set, to varying degree of results, and the orgs are the cause of this because they are breeding the same type of players from the minors on up. That's why I really enjoyed watching Stroman despite people hating on his lack of K's. He is practically the opposite of what baseball preaches. He wants ground balls, he wants to go deep into games, etc, and yet still performs at a high level. Nowadays baseball is just a factory for pitchers with high velocity and high K's, and TTO hitters. If excessive TTO was entertaining to watch, then you could live with it, but the fact that it's boring as hell and makes games a lot longer/slower is a huge, huge problem.

 

MLB has to be willing to change the way the sport has functioned for a long time. They will get resistance from old time fans because baseball fans hate change more than any other fanbase it seems, but they have to be willing to take the criticism on the chin and try to grow the sport. Move the mound back a foot. Regulate (don't abolish) the shift. Limit pickoff attempts per AB/pitcher must step off rule to help increase stolen bases (much needed). Add a pitch clock. Even the extra inning rule that practically everyone hates. Consider shortening the regular season and expanding the playoffs. All of these changes will have fans cursing up a storm, but they'll get over it. The game has to evolve.

[G-Snarls]

So far so good

 

Twins 2 Red Sox 0

[G-Snarls]

You could solve so many problems by just limiting the amount of pitchers on a roster. They all come in for 10 pitches of fastball/slider and then leave. They've basically been bred for years now to pitch this way and it's coming to a head.

 

Like Borucki said, oh I'm a reliever now, time to throw 98, I only have to throw 10 pitches lol.

 

Less pitchers = you need more stamina. If you need more stamina, you have less gas. More balls in play.

 

Even young starters like Snell and Buehler

 

They don't expect to go 7 or 8 innings pretty much ever let alone a complete game

 

It's 5+ innings maybe and hand it over to the pen. It all perpetuates the pattern.

 

I'm not saying it's good or bad. What matters is winning games with the roster available to you and the rules MLB sets. If using more pitchers throwing fewer innings each accomplishes that then smart teams will do that.

Edited April 15, 2021 by G-Snarls

[Spanky__99]

How much of this pining for the old days is due to nostalgia?

 

I’m 27. I always liked baseball and recognize it’s different compared to when I was a kid in the late 90s and early 00s. But I’m not sure I find one era better than the other. They’re different and I like them both. Even watching ball from 10 years ago is different than today.

 

I also find it confusing as to why pro AL and pro DH people are unhappy with the modern game. They’re very anti NL and yet these same people want to see more stolen bases and stuff. Interesting.

 

I've been rolling with it since the early 80's, man!!! *puffs pipe*

[BTS]

You could solve so many problems by just limiting the amount of pitchers on a roster. They all come in for 10 pitches of fastball/slider and then leave. They've basically been bred for years now to pitch this way and it's coming to a head.

 

Like Borucki said, oh I'm a reliever now, time to throw 98, I only have to throw 10 pitches lol.

 

Less pitchers = you need more stamina. If you need more stamina, you have less gas. More balls in play.

 

This is why I hated the roster expansion to 26. It exacerbated the problem, and there was no reason for it except throwing a bone to the union. Nobody finds it fun watching a parade of relievers come in throwing 97 with a sider for three hitters each.

[wilko]

You know what else is stupid and unnecessary? All the information these guys are allowed to put in their pockets. Shouldn't intelligence matter? Like, if you can remember where to stand on the field or what pitch to throw? These pitchers looking at cards taped to their hat are hilarious.

 

Do you really have to ban shifts, or can you just ban the stupid binders these dudes pull out of their pants to know where to stand. Make the coaches use signals at least. I watched a Rockies/Dodgers game and I swear Trevor Story hit 3 nukes to RCF and Bellinger was standing there every single time because he pulled a f***ing card out of his pocket.

 

It's becoming more and more part of the game. You see players/coaches glued to tablets in the dugout looking at data constantly during the games now. I wouldn't be surprised sometime in the future that all players will have Google prototype glasses feeding them information.

[Spanky__99]

This is why I hated the roster expansion to 26. It exacerbated the problem, and there was no reason for it except throwing a bone to the union. Nobody finds it fun watching a parade of relievers come in throwing 97 with a sider for three hitters each.

 

Funny seeing you against data in the game, seriously. Have we stopped to think how many times a league wide K rate was similar to these after 2 weeks? Or is this a real thing, always seems pitchers are ahead at this stage of the game concerning batters timing, etc... interesting nonetheless.

[Virgil_Hiltz]

How much of this pining for the old days is due to nostalgia?

 

I’m 27. I always liked baseball and recognize it’s different compared to when I was a kid in the late 90s and early 00s. But I’m not sure I find one era better than the other. They’re different and I like them both. Even watching ball from 10 years ago is different than today.

 

I also find it confusing as to why pro AL and pro DH people are unhappy with the modern game. They’re very anti NL and yet these same people want to see more stolen bases and stuff. Interesting.

 

The most enjoyment i ever got was watching the 1980 Expos with Dawson, Rodney Scott (alltime fav player) and a 20 yrs old Rock Raines. Excitement on the base paths every game!

[Spanky__99]

It's becoming more and more part of the game. You see players/coaches glued to tablets in the dugout looking at data constantly during the games now. I wouldn't be surprised sometime in the future that all players will have Google prototype glasses feeding them information.

 

Every Major Sport uses them. I don't see the harm.

[glory]

How much of this pining for the old days is due to nostalgia?

 

I’m 27. I always liked baseball and recognize it’s different compared to when I was a kid in the late 90s and early 00s. But I’m not sure I find one era better than the other. They’re different and I like them both. Even watching ball from 10 years ago is different than today.

 

I also find it confusing as to why pro AL and pro DH people are unhappy with the modern game. They’re very anti NL and yet these same people want to see more stolen bases and stuff. Interesting.

 

I think everyone will have a bias towards what they grew up with and/or are accustomed to, but with baseball it's probably a legitimate argument. I mentioned before that I think basketball today is too 3 point happy, and I much preferred the 90s/00s style, but look how popular the NBA is with young people and in general. It's not impacting the sport in a negative way, it's just a difference of opinion. With baseball, I very rarely see people (young or old) saying how much better the game is today. No one is talking about the beauty of three true outcomes, or openers, or players taking notes out of their pockets to tell them where to stand/what to throw, or 4 hour games, etc. Every time the topic of baseball is brought up on a more national level it's always about "how does MLB fix the game?", or some variation of that. There is a real problem. That doesn't mean people who enjoy today's game are wrong, at the end of the day it is all subjective, but MLB is testing out an insane amount of rule changes because the people who genuinely enjoy today's product from an aesthetic standpoint are likely the minority.

 

If today's MLB resembled 1998-2003 (or whatever years you want to group with the "Steroid Era") when it comes to the variety of skills you were watching everyday, then the "get off my lawn" arguments would likely closer resemble what's going on in the NBA today, and not what's actually happening.

[Brownie19]

How much of this pining for the old days is due to nostalgia?

 

I’m 27. I always liked baseball and recognize it’s different compared to when I was a kid in the late 90s and early 00s. But I’m not sure I find one era better than the other. They’re different and I like them both. Even watching ball from 10 years ago is different than today.

 

I also find it confusing as to why pro AL and pro DH people are unhappy with the modern game. They’re very anti NL and yet these same people want to see more stolen bases and stuff. Interesting.

 

People want to see stolen bases and more BIP. They don't want to see pitchers hit/bunt. These are mutually exclusive.

[Spanky__99]

The most enjoyment i ever got was watching the 1980 Expos with Dawson, Rodney Scott (alltime fav player) and a 20 yrs old Rock Raines. Excitement on the base paths every game!

 

You old goat, lol... I loved the 'Spos too. Great times back then, although I was so young. Loved the '79 Pirates at 6 years old, lol.

[Spanky__99]

Twinkies walk off, Yay!

[z3r0s]

Sounds like Tatis is right on the doorstep of returning. Good. Looked scary.

[Spanky__99]

Sounds like Tatis is right on the doorstep of returning. Good. Looked scary.

 

Next week, can't wait!

[z3r0s]

Next week, can't wait!

 

Friday now according to MLBTR

[Spanky__99]

Friday now according to MLBTR

 

Woohoo!!!

[G-Snarls]

Red Sox lost

 

Orioles lost twice

 

Woohoo!

[BTS]

Emmanuel Clase is throwing a 100 mph cutter right now.

[BlueRocky]

Red Sox lost

 

Orioles lost twice

 

Woohoo!

 

Scoreboard watching way too early edition:

 

We're 2nd in the AL East and tied for 6th place in the AL.

[Deadpool]

Scoreboard watching way too early edition:

 

We're 2nd in the AL East and tied for 6th place in the AL.

 

Time for the bats to get hot and go on a big f***in' run!