Do you like the style of baseball that is currently being played?

[24fps]

12 hours ago, Greg Pappas said:

I'd like to thank everyone for their input... it's an interesting topic, as pretty much everyone has an opinion on these matters, and reading so many well-thought posts is enjoyable for me. 

As with some of you, I get torn between the purist side and the change-the-game-for-the-better side. For one, I really can't stand wondering every game what the strike zone will be... and often it shifts around during a game, leaving me, the fans, and the players wondering what the strike zone is. Umpires calling balls and strikes is the way it's always been, but I'd absolutely love it if they were given some electronic assistance to help with the calls. If there were a device that the home plate umps could carry on them that registered the right call, they would still give the call behind the plate, but their often erroneous judgement would be eliminated.  If, again, if there is such technology, it would enable both pitchers and batters to have an unflinchingly consistent strike zone, the way it should be. From the fans standpoint, nothing would change.

Regarding shifts, I'm torn. I don't like them because it is killing batting averages and eliminating much of the game action. However, if players were better hitters, able to hit the ball the other way, etc, the shifts would stop.  They should be able to do that, but many can't. That's a tough call. I'm open on this matter.

I like replays, as I'm a big advocate of getting the calls right, but wish the decisions would be made a bit quicker.

The DH matter is another I have mixed feelings on. While having the DH in both leagues is a consideration, and for the most part pitchers cannot hit, it bothers me that there are pitchers, like Ohtani, that CAN hit. It's only fair that if you have a great talent that can both pitch and hit, and the other team's pitcher is awful, you should be rewarded by having them both hit, like the NL does currently.  Of course, those good-hitting pitchers are few in number, and pitcher injuries running the bases or swinging when they're not used to it, poses a real problem.  The idea one of the posters had about having a home team decide to DH or not, is interesting.  I guess if it came down to it, I'd vote towards having a DH in both leagues.

I'd love to get an educated opinion on the matter of catchers being unable (maybe never taught?) or not being given the opportunity, to call games.  I feel like it's becoming more and more common for managers or someone on the bench making the calls. 

The idea of having a salary cap, like the one employed by the NFL, appeals to me, as I find it ridiculous that teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers can afford to spend often far more than their competition.  It's never been an equal playing field. However, the odds of that ever becoming a reality, at least in the next decade, seem remote.

Electronic assistance on balls and strikes would immediately and permanently render umpires eunuchs.  Furthermore it would substantially erode the umpries bargaining status as a group.  Don't hold your breath.  This one ain't about accuracy.

The DH is a philosopical sinkhole.  It ain't about nuance.  Nor is it about balance, or schemes based on contrived notions of "fairness".  Just what is the reasoning behind the home team deciding this issue on an ad hoc basis anyway?  What this really is about is having one's bias satisfied.  Embrace it if you must - Lord knows many have - but watch out for that slope.  It can get slippery.

 

[ExileAngelos]

I like the style of baseball that is being played a lot more than the style of football that is being played these days I'll say that.  NFL is going to be unwatchable before long. 

[OFFNY]

On 8/6/2018 at 1:43 PM, Sessh said:

 

We don't stop at designated hitters. We do have designated fielders, they are called defensive replacements. We have designated runners called pinch runners and designated pitchers called relief pitchers. Pinch hitters are basically DH's anyway, but the AL only has one while the NL has three or four a game. You are deliberately being obtuse and unrealistic.

 

o

 

A pinch-runner and/or a defensive replacement and/or a relief pitcher is not the same as a designated hitter. A designated hitter is in the game from the beginning until the end, hitting in place of the pitcher each and every time. A pinch-runner and/or a defensive replacement is not in the game from the start, but is rather used as a substitute in the same manner as a relief pitcher is used to come in and replace a starting pitcher. 

In all of those cases (pinch-runner, pinch-hitter, relief pitcher) the player that is being substituted for may not reenter the game, which makes it completely different than the designated hitter rule that is currently in place in the American League.

 

Even though you alluded to this fact this in your penultimate sentence, your assertion that we have designated fielders and designated runners in the first place is not accurate in the context of this conversation.

 

o

[CanadianOriole]

Totally fine with most of the aspects of today's game. Love the shifts - that's just good analytics and scouting. Defense should be able to position itself wherever it wants - offense needs to beat it. If a guy doesn't like the ball down and away - that's where you try to pitch him. If a guy pulls the ball on the ground 90% of the time - that's where you play him.  I would not support any measure to artificially restrict the defense's ability to get a batter out - it's up to offenses to adjust back with the type of hitter they employ. Just as teams eventually learned not to start 9 lefthanded hitters that struggle with offspeed stuff against a lefthanded pitcher with a good curveball - so too will they learn not to employ lineups full of dead pull hitters incapable of adjusting to shifts.

100% in favor of electronic balls and strikes - the technology exists - let's use it. Arbitrary strike zones and missed calls in key counts absolutely decide games - and the easy fix is there - just needs to be deployed.

I'm good with reasonable pitch clocks and reasonable time limits for batters getting set in the box - let's keep things moving. 

This is CBA issue rather than a rule of baseball - but I'd like to see the league innovate some way so that's there's no service time incentive for leaving guys in the minors who are clearly ready and can help the big league team in order to gain an extra year of control. Don't know what the solution is there - but baseball is better when each franchise fields the best team they can - early in the year especially - when everyone theoretically has hope.

On the flip side - I hate the expansion of rosters in September - we play all year with one set of roster rules - now the races for playoff spots are really heating up - and suddenly teams can have 40 players? What kind of crazy nonsense is that? I'm a team battling for a playoff spot but I've struggled all year with getting enough innings out of my starters - presto - Sept 1 rolls around - problem solved - I can carry 15 relievers if I want. It's bizarre.

Let's see, what else - my rant is gaining steam here - can we do something with the schedules to try to tilt the home series for West Coast, Southern, and teams with domes to more in March.April and the back half of September? Not full blown no home series at all at that time for times in the North and Northeast - but as much as is reasonable tilt it so that as many of the games of the season are played in whether that is semi-fit for playing baseball?  It'll cutdown the early and late season cancellations which result in weird makeup days, double headers, and teams losing precious offdays to make up games and have to play 54 days in a row in the heat of the summer.  Plus, it's a better overall product - more total games played in conditions fit to play baseball in.  While were at it - when executing this tilt - start earlier and end earlier - let's get going on the West and in the Domes in mid-March and wrap the playoffs by mid-October - so that Playoff and World Series aren't played in ice-sleet and with pitchers that can't feel the ball to throw it.

NBA style soft cap/increasingly punitive luxury tax/ hard cap system. I don't need total payroll equality - I'm okay with owners that want to spend doing so - but let's dial down the spending inequality some so that the Red Sox rotation doesn't make more than an entire franchise's payroll.

Full international draft. Why is this not a thing? It's bizarre that half the talent in the game is acquired through these other complex systems. 

That's probably enough from me for now.

 

 

[LookitsPuck]

The shift I love. It's really a pendulum swing going on right now...with the totality of the league largely focused on homers, this is either going to force some of the legacy sluggers like Chris Davis to change their game...or they'll be gone in short order. Either hitters need to adjust their approach or the league will take advantage. This has always been the case. Whether it be a scouting report on what pitches a hitter is weak to (or location of said pitches) down to where to orient the defense.

I do think the league needs to do something with calling balls/strikes via electronics. You can still keep the umpire back there for things that are difficult to handle via technology (i.e. foul tips, swing/no swing, home plate collisions/no collisions and whether the plate was touched) as well as even to ornamentally call balls/strikes...but it needs to change. 

As for speeding up the game? Get pitch clocks going. There's just something to going to be a ballgame and seeing a starting pitcher work quickly vs. guys like Trachsel. 

Also, I've grown to appreciate bat flips. I hate traditionalist baseball and all the old guard whining about respecting the game. The unwritten rules are absolute trash, too. 

Finally, if MLB gave two craps about injury, they'd levy heavy suspensions to pitchers for intentionally hitting batters. If they're a starting pitcher, they need to miss 4 starts. If they're a reliever? They need to miss a few weeks. It's absolutely asinine that the old guard polices the game like this. They essentially masquerade and pretend to care about batter injuries, but they put these horsecrap suspensions in place even in situations where pitchers are clearly head hunting. 

MLB isn't the NFL. And honestly as a society we should be moving towards LESS violence and not cater to the mob.

[ExileAngelos]

I understand arguments being made pro shift but it IS hurting the game.  It is leading to even more of a swing from the heels philosophy since the most obvious way to beat the shift is to hit the ball over the wall.  More home runs, more strike outs, less action on the field.  

[UpstateNYfan]

This has been a very nice thread. Many well thought out replies. There are trends in the game I don't care about. I don't like the all or nothing offenses and the lack of strategies because of it. I realize the data shows the team that hits a 3 run homer has a great chance of winning (maybe not so much with recent O's staff), but also the team that scores first has a greater chance of winning. I also think managing in the AL is easier than the NL, because of the DH.

My chief gripes:

1) I hate shifts (yes, good hitters should work around them..but teams are looking for power vs hitting). I think all four infielders should be on the dirt when the pitch is delivered.

2) I think rosters should be expanded to 27-28, dress only 25 for any game. It would lead to more pinch hitting, running (more managerial strategy). In September, bring up all you want, but dress only 27-28 for a given game.

3) I do like umpires, but the pitching speed and movement at those speeds stretches the limits of human vision. Balls and strikes should be called electronically. All other calls should be made on the field by blue (over 162 games, mistakes should balance out). The playoffs, WS...use replays.

4) Too many pitching changes late in the game slows the game.

5) World Series games should complete at a decent hour..East Coast time. I lived in an era when in school the teacher would give us the treat of watching or listening to games if we got our work done early. We carried transistor radios  around on the way home from school. I cannot tell you the last time I saw the final game live.

The game is great, but slowly dying. Kids have too many choices and kids (maybe parents) select "a specialty sport" too early for the kids. Travel teams are not a reality for many talented kids because of expense.

[NCRaven]

6 hours ago, UpstateNYfan said:

2) I think rosters should be expanded to 27-28, dress only 25 for any game. It would lead to more pinch hitting, running (more managerial strategy). In September, bring up all you want, but dress only 27-28 for a given game.

I think this would lead to teams carrying more relief pitchers, meaning more AAAA fodder on ML rosters, resulting in more pitching changes during the games, and making the games even harder to watch.

[MMussina35]

I don't like two recession proof teams. 

[Dipper9]

I miss winning.  

 

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, Dipper9 said:

I miss winning.  

 

But when the team wins you don't post here.

[atomic]

On 8/5/2018 at 2:40 PM, Tx Oriole said:

Not really like that style. I hope I never see the NL use the DH. As far as I am concerned the AL should drop that silly ass DH rule. 

 

I agree. I hate the DH.  They should eliminate it in the minors as well.  I prefer to see guys stealing bases and trying to bunt for base hits.  Hit and runs and hitting behind the runner.  I don't like the replay.  Don't like so many strike outs.  The idea of changing the rules so teams can't implement the shift is ridiculous. If you don't want a shift hit the ball to the other side of the field.  

I would like to see them limit teams to 10 pitchers on the active roster. 5 starters and 5 relievers is enough.  It would speed up the game.  I find the game going the way hockey was going 20 years ago. Luckily hockey smarted up and changed rules so the game is faster and more interesting. 

Baseball has become a snooze fest with guys striking out all the time and base to base. Plus constant pitching changes. If you can't pitch  multiple innings you don't belong in the big leagues. 

[atomic]

31 minutes ago, NCRaven said:

 I think this would lead to teams carrying more relief pitchers, meaning more AAAA fodder on ML rosters, resulting in more pitching changes during the games, and making the games even harder to watch.

I agree I would rather reduce roster size so there wouldn't be so many pitchers.  But Union wouldn't agree to that.

[Dipper9]

In all seriousness, here are my thoughts.

1. Love replay in getting blown calls corrected.  Hate replay when they slow it down and watch super duper close up and replay it for 5 minutes to see if the call was correct.  If its THAT close, you go with the umpire's call.

2.  Hate the shift.  I agree with others who say if a guy can't hit against a shift, then shame on him, but I still hate it.  The NFL has rules regarding number of guys on the line, illegal shifts, etc. that I don't quite get because I never played organized football, but I do think MLB should do something similar.  Have certain basic areas where the infielders need to play.  Just say no to the third baseman playing short right field.  

3.  I don't like specialized pitchers, but I don't think that's going away.  The whole one guy pitches to one batter and then the next reliever comes in and does the same is pretty lame.  

4.  I despise sluggers swinging for the fences on every pitch.  I miss strategy, hit and runs, bunting a guy over, sacrificing a guy in with a fly ball, etc.  The strategy of the game is all but gone.  Its gotten to a point where the "in game managing" can be done by 90% of the people on this board.  

5. I'm a safety engineer, so I "get it" but I hate the netting.  How about this...how about putting down the cell phones, stop eating and drinking constantly, and actually pay attention to the game.  There's a novel idea.  

[Dipper9]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

But when the team wins you don't post here.

Damn work got in the way for a while.  I'm happy to be back.