“I would assume a weight shift to the outer portion of the ball would produce a more stable flight that takes just a little curve off the curveballs and other pitches.”
Very good. Also, for many years the “magic” to the fastball was not exactly the speed of the pitch as it was the movement. That was guided by seams more than gravity. The seems have been lowered also. And that not only straightens out the pitch, it also adds to the speed a pitcher can produce.
There used to be a hand full of 95 MPH pitchers in the majors, now it’s a bushel full. A major league hitter can hit a straight pitch at any speed. What made pitchers like Nolan Ryan, Sandy Kofax, Randy Johnson, and Bob Gibson so hard to hit was not because they threw hard. It was location of their fastball and the second or third pitch like a curve, slider, or change. If any got straighten out, it created a real problem.
Additionally, the parks they play in are not as big as they used to be. They have a better choice of bats and they all have them made for them specifically. You don’t see many .300 hitters anymore. In 2017 there were only 11 in the American league and 14 in the National league.
The emphasis, big money and the glamore comes from the guy who can hit 25 homers in over 500 at bats, not the guy who can go 2 for 3. The whole theory of the game has changed from a game to entertainment. And the long ball is a major part. As long as money dictates the production, it will be the deciding factor for who plays and who doesn’t. And the game will be modified to fit it.
I mentioned the stadiums and lack of average hitting, little things like speeding up the game between non-movement times, the changing of the strike zone, the DH in the American league, the lowering of the mound, the idiotic announcers that protect the player using foolishness, the almost complete disregard for defense inviting players to go the other way with shifts on players that could bat .850 on them if they just did what they were given. Instead, they hit .250 and 25 home runs. Not near as productive. (But it sells)
But home runs make money so everyone must hit them and, according to USA today, .280 is the new .300.
Not a game anymore. A business.
rwood