Can anyone hit the #$%&! dang ball.....?

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Yossarian said:

Aside from the flacid bats at the plate, we are not doing anything to try to manufacture a run.  We have had situations with Mullins or Mateo at first and have not attempted a steal of second - both are very capable of doing this.  No hit and runs,  no bunt attempts with guys on base.  Nothing at all to put pressure on the defense and speed the game up.  It is very bizarre.  How can the entire team be in an 11- game slump and still not try to manufacture a run.  We need to put the pitcher/ defense in its collective heels.  They are all way too comfortable. 

Most likely because analytics told Hyde that it is better to sit on base and wait for a hit because statistical probability suggests it will eventually happen. the problem with that is it takes away the human factors and emotions. Sometimes guys just need something different. Sometimes they need little emotional pick me up of a double steal or the pressure it puts on the pitcher to account for fast runners on base.

I love a lot of what statcast and some other analytics do for baseball, but it's become a very walk/strikeout/home run outcome heavy league now because of all of this. The lack of shifts should help next year, but really I miss base stealing, caught stealings, hit and runs, and all the little things that made things a little more interesting. 

[interloper]

1 hour ago, Yossarian said:

Aside from the flacid bats at the plate, we are not doing anything to try to manufacture a run.  We have had situations with Mullins or Mateo at first and have not attempted a steal of second - both are very capable of doing this.  No hit and runs,  no bunt attempts with guys on base.  Nothing at all to put pressure on the defense and speed the game up.  It is very bizarre.  How can the entire team be in an 11- game slump and still not try to manufacture a run.  We need to put the pitcher/ defense in its collective heels.  They are all way too comfortable. 

This is the problem when Mullins isn't getting on base. He really makes this offense go and unfortunately he's looking a lot like 2019 version of himself, which is about the worst case scenario we could have imagined. And because it's the Orioles, that's exactly what's happened. Our two best players, Means and Mullins, aren't really a factor  already 10 games into the season.

Another issue is we've faced some lefties while Mateo has been on base, limiting his ability to steal. He does not look comfortable stealing with a lefty on the mound. He also can't bunt.

[Moose Milligan]

7 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

 

I love a lot of what statcast and some other analytics do for baseball, but it's become a very walk/strikeout/home run outcome heavy league now because of all of this. The lack of shifts should help next year, but really I miss base stealing, caught stealings, hit and runs, and all the little things that made things a little more interesting. 

Yeah, baseball is in a pickle.

Looking back on it, it seems logical that baseball would have been reduced to this but I'm not sure where the game goes from here.  The game needs less strikeouts and more balls in play.  I'm not sure how they accomplish that without starting to mess with sacred things like moving the mound back.  I'm not a purist but I think 60 feet 6 inches is one thing you don't change.  

I miss base stealing, doubles, triples, etc.  The game needs more action.  100 mph relievers were a novelty back in the day, they're a dime a dozen now.  

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yeah, baseball is in a pickle.

Looking back on it, it seems logical that baseball would have been reduced to this but I'm not sure where the game goes from here.  The game needs less strikeouts and more balls in play.  I'm not sure how they accomplish that without starting to mess with sacred things like moving the mound back.  I'm not a purist but I think 60 feet 6 inches is one thing you don't change.  

I miss base stealing, doubles, triples, etc.  The game needs more action.  100 mph relievers were a novelty back in the day, they're a dime a dozen now.  

Maybe it's time for the fences to be moved back in most stadiums. With launch angles and hitters trying to hit home runs over making contact, I don't see many ways too change that without doing something drastic.

This way legitimate home run hitters will still hit home runs, but other players with less power might be incentivized to go for solid contact over trying to always hit home runs. 

I don't know if this is a good idea or not because 100 MPH relievers are not going away even with larger ballparks. 

[SteveA]

34 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Most likely because analytics told Hyde that it is better to sit on base and wait for a hit because statistical probability suggests it will eventually happen. the problem with that is it takes away the human factors and emotions. Sometimes guys just need something different. Sometimes they need little emotional pick me up of a double steal or the pressure it puts on the pitcher to account for fast runners on base.

I love a lot of what statcast and some other analytics do for baseball, but it's become a very walk/strikeout/home run outcome heavy league now because of all of this. The lack of shifts should help next year, but really I miss base stealing, caught stealings, hit and runs, and all the little things that made things a little more interesting. 

So that must mean you have enjoyed our aggressive 3rd base coaching which has resulted in a lot of guys being thrown out at the plate, right?

[Moose Milligan]

15 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Maybe it's time for the fences to be moved back in most stadiums. With launch angles and hitters trying to hit home runs over making contact, I don't see many ways too change that without doing something drastic.

This way legitimate home run hitters will still hit home runs, but other players with less power might be incentivized to go for solid contact over trying to always hit home runs. 

I don't know if this is a good idea or not because 100 MPH relievers are not going away even with larger ballparks. 

Moving the fences back is probably a good idea for a lot of places.

Doesn't fix the strikeouts, though.  IMO, the strikeouts are the biggest problem.

[SteveA]

16 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

 

I don't know if this is a good idea or not because 100 MPH relievers are not going away even with larger ballparks. 

Wait until you see Manfred's next rule proposal:  relievers all have to wear 5 pound weights on their pitching arm.

[Frobby]

41 minutes ago, SteveA said:

So that must mean you have enjoyed our aggressive 3rd base coaching which has resulted in a lot of guys being thrown out at the plate, right?

Lots of guys?   Two this year.  I saw someone said the Mancini one was bad. Mateo was the other one.   I didn’t see either one.  

[SteveA]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Lots of guys?   Two this year.  I saw someone said the Mancini one was bad. Mateo was the other one.   I didn’t see either one.  

Two last night, right?   And I thought they weren't our first?

[Tony-OH]

51 minutes ago, SteveA said:

So that must mean you have enjoyed our aggressive 3rd base coaching which has resulted in a lot of guys being thrown out at the plate, right?

Why? Making obvious bad decision at 3B is part of the new analytics. This whole run on contact from 3B and one out on ground balls to a drawn in infield is definitely new. It's complete garbage, but i bet some program spit it out that there's a 23.9999998 chance the runner will be safe but if they stay and have score with two outs, there's probably like a 23.999997 percent chance they'll score historically. not taking into considering the next batter, the pitcher, weather, or anything else. Just slaves to the analytics.

I have never, ever been in support of over aggressive third base coaches. I can still remember yelling at Tom "the human windmill" Treblehorn for getting guys throwing out by 20 feet often. Maybe he was ahead of his time.

[Il BuonO]

The running on contact play from 3rd base is idiotic.

Years ago I’d be talking baseball with my dad who’s a big Angels fan and Mike Scioscia was their manager at the time. He loved to run that play and have his guys run into outs at the plate. Drove my dad nuts.

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Why? Making obvious bad decision at 3B is part of the new analytics. This whole run on contact from 3B and one out on ground balls to a drawn in infield is definitely new. It's complete garbage, but i bet some program spit it out that there's a 23.9999998 chance the runner will be safe but if they stay and have score with two outs, there's probably like a 23.999997 percent chance they'll score historically. not taking into considering the next batter, the pitcher, weather, or anything else. Just slaves to the analytics.

I have never, ever been in support of over aggressive third base coaches. I can still remember yelling at Tom "the human windmill" Treblehorn for getting guys throwing out by 20 feet often. Maybe he was ahead of his time.

I think you’re overplaying the “this is the fault of analytics” card.   A coach is always going to need to factor in many things, and make a split second decision.  Sometimes they misjudge badly.   At best, analytics might give them a very general idea of how aggressive or passive to be.   It’s not like they’re coaching 3B with an iPad in their hand.   

[seak05]

Statistics are a tool, it becomes a problem when people confuse them for a tool belt. The relative success rates for running on contact are something that a good 3B coach should both know, and consider. But if they're not also factoring in who will be up next, speed of the runner on 3b, the relative strength of different players arms etc, then they're not using statistics correctly.

On the other hand the Orioles currently have 0 players with a better then 30% chance of getting a hit...so if the next batter needs to get a hit in order for the run to score....you probably are better off taking the 33% chance they'll score by running on contact 

[Frobby]

6 hours ago, Yossarian said:

Aside from the flacid bats at the plate, we are not doing anything to try to manufacture a run.  We have had situations with Mullins or Mateo at first and have not attempted a steal of second - both are very capable of doing this.  No hit and runs,  no bunt attempts with guys on base.  Nothing at all to put pressure on the defense and speed the game up.  It is very bizarre.  How can the entire team be in an 11- game slump and still not try to manufacture a run.  We need to put the pitcher/ defense in its collective heels.  They are all way too comfortable. 

So Mullins got hit by a pitch tonight and then was thrown out attempting to steal.  The next batter, Santander, hit a double.   If Mullins had stuck at first, he probably would have scored.   Damned if we do, damned if we don’t, it seems.   (Yeah, I know, if Mullins had still been at first maybe Santander doesn’t hit that double.   Flapping wings of a butterfly…)

[Yossarian]

21 minutes ago, Frobby said:

So Mullins got hit by a pitch tonight and then was thrown out attempting to steal.  The next batter, Santander, hit a double.   If Mullins had stuck at first, he probably would have scored.   Damned if we do, damned if we don’t, it seems.   (Yeah, I know, if Mullins had still been at first maybe Santander doesn’t hit that double.   Flapping wings of a butterfly…)

It's a fickle game