Posted on 09/30/2022 8:09:48 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
What Baseball Has Done to Baseball, in 25 words or fewer:
The winner is reader John Fleming, who submitted, “It is really sad seeing one entire side of the infield open while a .188 hitter tries to hit a home run.”
Sad, pathetic, self-destructive, mindless, idiotic, senseless, ludicrous. Take your pick, collect them all, trade ’em with your friends.
Every baseball fan who realizes that the fastest way back to home plate is to first reach first base, preferably by running there, by now recognizes that some analytics are, at best, junk science, and at worst, a coast-to-coast con.
Instead of reading the room — or in this case, reading a dugout — managers and front office geeks rely on analytic probabilities that suggest not only that various moments will unfold exactly as others, but that these repeated events happen by the dozens.
And every artificially added “cure” for The Game seems to worsen its afflictions.
The paucity of hitting caused by the analytical willingness to hit into shifts and to strike out in exchange for a few home runs, inspired foresight-bereft commissioner Rob Manfred to “add” offense through using the designated hitter in both leagues.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Yeah. That’s a real problem with kids. I tried to tell them we need base hits, and lots of base-runners, not sluggers who strike out a lot...
When you get to the pros, it’s different, but in the park leagues, not so much. Kids need to have fun and develop skills. I don’t even like the competitive leagues for kids. Too many parents think their kid is the next MLB hall-of-famer, and you better not contradict them. IMO, so much pressure is not good for a kid’s emotional/mental health.
Excellent point.
Like I needed yet another reason to dislike the Bronx Babies?
Switch the rules back to 2015 but start every at bat with a 1-1 count. That’s all you need to do to shorten the game.
There’s also a “universal DH” rule that I like. Tie the DH to the starting pitcher so that, when the starting pitcher is pulled, so is their DH. You start with an AL game and finish with an NL game that has double-switches and other end-game strategy.
Only team in the playoffs I can root for is the Cardinals.
Everyone is talking about Moneyball. How about a team decides to play "small ball". Acquire hitters like Tony Gwynn and speedsters like Rickey Henderson? They should be cheap because everyone is looking for a slugger who can hit a home run.
I like that proposal. Max Scherzer is actually a pretty decent hitter for a pitcher. But he's getting paid 43 million dollars. So why should he risk his investment and potentially get hurt? So I get that the DH is here to stay in the National League. But this is probably the best of both worlds. And it will encourage the starter to stay in the game as long as possible.
“The sample size for playoff baseball where strategies change radically is too small for the techniques that work over 162 games to have the same result over 7.”
The other area when analytics is a total fail is the old baseball adage:
“A hot hitter is better than a good hitter.”
Teams that have relatively low rated players hit well above expectations for that short period of time can cause havoc during the playoffs—and it is very difficult to predict who those players may be.
Baseball is the ultimate “head game” where self-confidence is critical and it can go away as quickly as it arrives.
I kinda like the DH idea. But two strikes and you’re out? Nah.
A man after my own heart...
I wonder how much longer they’ll allow Ohtani to pitch and play every day?
The Commissioner has the power to institute the DH MLB-wide?
Back around 1980, the NL owners voted it down.
I think there’s a mutual respect between Tigers and Cardinals fans after that 68 World Series.
Odd rule but I guess MLB is trying to appeal to the fanbase in Japan.
Just wish he was on a better team. I thought the Angels with Trout back would have been a contender.
Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Duke Snyder, Ty Cobb, Ted Simmons, Boog Powell, Tony Conigliaro, Frank Robinson. ALL had one thing in common - NO DAMN BATTING GLOVES!!!!
You want to make the game better and a hell of a lot faster then get rid of these damn things. Nearly every player that wears them steps out of the box and fiddles with them after every pitch like they are magically going to make them hit the ball. Their focus is on their gloves and not the pitcher. The exceptions are rare but in today’s world a parent buys their kid batting gloves as soon as they pick up a bat. It becomes a crutch.
The feel of the bat in your hands is the focus - not the bat slipping because your gloves need tightening. Now you don’t have to pee on your hands to toughen them up like Moises Alou did but the hands will get hard and they will be the focal point - not the gloves. If you use the excuse that all the batting practice will cause blisters and possibly bleeding then think of how many guitar players you have seen wearing gloves. They practice until their fingers bleed but they eventually develop callouses which help them control the instrument.
Joe Sewell is an amazing story of seldom striking out. Bat control was his thing. He wanted that feeling of his hands being in control. Players today will give you the song and dance that they are they same way. If that is true then get rid of the gloves because if there is a layer of material that can possibly slip between your hand and the bat then you really don’t have total control. And it will take 15-20 minutes off of the game to boot.
They adopted that rule from slow pitch softball. I first saw it used in a tournament a few years ago.........it sucks!
I think it's called the "International Rule"
My kid bought a car from Joe Morgan’s dealership. Joe called him into the office and chatted while signing a bobblehead. One of the good guys.
Back in the day, I used to STUDY the sports page to visualize games. Haven't watched anything for years. Back to the ol' standing's stats for me. This year, Cleveland wiped out the division and third place San Francisco, which is 30 games out, has not been eliminated from playoff contention.
The mentality of pulling the ball while batting against the shift has ruined baseball.
Joey Gallo and Cody Bellinger rarely hit to the opposite field and are below the Mendoza line while Freddie Freeman hits to all fields and will win the batting title.
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