Something that’s been driving me crazy this week

[now]

19 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

I've brought this up before, but what would coaches today do with players like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Rod Carew and their approach to hitting. Would they try to change their swing and gripe about them hitting so many "useless" singles, obsess on launch angles and alter their swings. Or would they let them hit they way they wanted as long as it worked and put up numbers. 

The problem is, you need a bunch of guys in the lineup who can/will do it (hit singles, passing the baton), not just one. Think 2002 Angels. Otherwise your Gwynn/Boggs/Carew just gets stranded on base. 

[GuidoSarducci]

On 5/28/2021 at 2:11 PM, Explosivo said:

Wouldn’t you have to believe that players are being instructed to hit only for power? It’s a bit embarrassing to see dramatic defensive shifts like we have seen and zero change to player’s swings. If they have you shifted to pull the ball, for the love of God, wait on the pitch. Is it an ego thing of who can hit the most home runs? Is it a contract thing? Is it just how MLB coaches coach? I am very curious why defensive shifts are so effective. Can you think of a batter currently playing that can beat the shift? Embarrassing.

I think its easier said than done, and you don't know if the fastball or the changeup/slider is coming.   Mostly MLB batters are taught to hit the ball hard and not worry about location so much.  Slap hitting for average is a lost art.  Players like Ichiro and Gwynn were the last of their kind.

[InsideCoroner]

The topic of this thread was more relevant than ever yesterday. Bottom of the 10th, down one, Stewart on 3rd and nobody out... and they can’t score. K, BB, K, F9. Ballgame. Yeesh. 

[eddie83]

I didn’t watch Hyde postgame yesterday but radio postgame brought up squeeze possibility  with Wynns. Apparently Hyde talked about how Donaldson was holding Stewart on at 3rd. 
 

As long as bunt wasn’t popped up Wilkerson would have gone to second on play either way. Not an idea I thought of at the time but made some sense. 

[Frobby]

On 6/1/2021 at 4:44 AM, InsideCoroner said:

The topic of this thread was more relevant than ever yesterday. Bottom of the 10th, down one, Stewart on 3rd and nobody out... and they can’t score. K, BB, K, F9. Ballgame. Yeesh. 

I didn’t watch that game, and hadn’t realized that’s how the 10th inning went down.   That’s awful.   Glad I didn’t see it, I might have had a stroke.   

[spiritof66]

24 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I didn’t watch that game, and hadn’t realized that’s how the 10th inning went down.   That’s awful.   Glad I didn’t see it, I might have had a stroke.   

I saw it, and one thing I'll say about watching this team: my expectations have sunk so low that I never get very disappointed. When DJ reached third with no outs, I quickly figured the odds of the Orioles not scoring the tying run were about 71.25%. (Not really, I just thought they were pretty good. Good enough that I thought to myself, if Hyde is as desperate as I would be in his place, somebody's going to try to bunt.) When the game ended with Galvis hitting what would have been a sac fly had it come earlier in the inning, it was like a pre-scripted event was playing out, and it took me about a minute and a half to move on.

Some day this team may get back to heart attack-, or stroke-, or at least nervousness-inducing baseball, but for me it's not there now. I miss it.