2019 MLB Season Thread [ARCHIVED] Baseball • Page 915

Yeah losing the strategy element is the biggest negative to me. However the biggest positive in my book would be the flexibility the DH gives for using guys who don't fit somewhere defensively/have aged out of their position in the field.

 

I think it'd be amusing to me the first time when you need to put an RP in the outfield once strategically like Maddon has done. When I saw Bryan Mitchell play 1B it was hilarious. But I never needed to see that again. To me if a game gets in the 11th and you're needing relievers to bat, it has always seemed silly to me for a game to hinge on that.

I have almost no stakes in the NL game so I really don't give myself a vote in the matter. But ever since Chien Ming Wang pretty much ruined his career I don't have a ton of interest in seeing players do something that they're super subpar at.

 

One of my favorite baseball memories is Kerry Wood hitting a home run during game 7 of the 2003 NLDS. In general, I grew up watching Cubs pitchers hit bombs. Wood had 7 in his career, Carlos Zambrano hit 24 (!!!).

(I think this is a masterclass in sports TV production. Broadcasters silent for a minute+ while the crowd goes crazy, cameras cutting all over, giving a full picture of the atmosphere in the park)

Jake Arrieta in the 2016 NLDS off of Bumgarner

Travis Wood in the same 2016 NLDS hit one in relief (!)

Travis Wood was acquired in 2011 byway of sending Sean Marshall to Cincinatti, who had in 2009 been sent out to left field by Lou Pinella after walking a batter, then brought back to the mound after the next hitterstruck out.

With the DH’s seemingly inevitable implementation in the NL, those are all things I’ll miss a lot. Those are top 100 or top 500 baseball memories of all time for me.

 

Late last season, Cards rookie pitcher John Gant set the MLB record for the most career plate appearances without ever reaching base safely (35, good for a -100 career wrc+ at the time). After he had claimed that dubious record this happened:

Not only did he homer for his first-ever MLB hit, he then homered again a few weeks later for his second-ever MLB hit, now laying claim to a less-dubious record:

You can't make this shit up. No DH please.

 

These are my opinions:

• A three-batter minimum for pitchers - No thanks.
  
  
• A universal designated hitter - Yes, please. The quality ABs make up for the rarities. I'd rather see someone mash consistently over rare events, as exciting as they may be. Plus, it sucks losing a pitcher because he got hurt at the plate or on the base paths.
  
  
• A single trade deadline before the All-Star break - Not sure if this is better or not.
  
  
• A 20-second pitch clock - A pitch clock would be good, but maybe 30 seconds. I don't think it will have a drastic impact anyways on the length of the game.
  
  
• The expansion of rosters to 26 men, with a 12-pitcher maximum - Yes, add a player, but no pitcher max.
  
  
• Draft advantages for winning teams and penalties for losing teams - No, the early draft picks aren't that tremendous of an advantage anyways.
  
  
• A study to lower the mound - Sure, study away.
  
  
• A rule that would allow two-sport amateurs to sign major league contracts - Yes.

 

I don't know what could be done, but fixing extra innings needs to be looked into. Not only is it a time issue as some games get into the 4 to 5 hour range with no end in sight, but it's also a health issue. You're extending relievers much past their capacity, warming up (or putting in) starters that are either pitching on short rest or placing them in a position that they're normally not in.

I know it's been talked about before, but I'd leave the 10th inning as is, but anything past that, maybe start the inning with a runner on 1st or 2nd base. Or hell even go 11th inning a runner on 1st base, 12 inning a runner on 2nd and anything past that, runner on 3rd.

 

I could probably be persuaded on almost anything but starting extra innings with a runner on base. I think I’d rather have ties than that

Also, I love 18 inning games, especially if it’s a night game on the west coast that starts at 9pm central time. Baseball twitter turns into a total shitshow and it rules

This is good content

Also, how was that 6 years ago? jfc

 

I think expanding the roster, with not pitcher max, would help solve the issue. As health concerns go.

 

I think the bigger issue is time. Baseball already has a major problem with 9-inning games averaging over 3 hours. In 2018, the average time of a game (3:04) was third highest in MLB history. 2017 was the highest at 3:08. The top 5 times in history are all in the past six years.

I always say, when you put on a NFL or an NBA game, you pretty much can ballpark the end of the game within 10-15 minutes either way. When you put on an MLB game, you don't know if you'll be watching for 2 1/2 hours of 5 hours.

 

Hey remember what a huge difference holding up 4 fingers for an intentional walk made last year?

 

Do not give up Bohm too, jesus christ

 

If your issue is time, why start from a position of advocating something being done about extra innings? What percent of all games go to extras? I’m assuming single digits and within that I’m assuming most end in the 10th or 11th (lot of assumptions, maybe I’ll do the work sometime to figure it out)

If the end result must be quicker games, the way to do that is an enforced pitch clock (20/25/30
seconds) and quicker commercial breaks. Probably less warmup pitches for pitching changes.

Of course, the league will never give up commercial/ad revenue.

Personally, I think the issue isn’t length of game, but quantity of action in-game. The three true outcome style of play can be super not compelling. A tighter strike zone or lowering the mound could help induce more balls in play.

 

That'd be the only thing that'd make me hate this trade....otherwise, I love it.

 

I love it if Harper or Machado is gonna sign, but why not do that part first?

 

I wonder if Harper wanted to see them make a move like this before him or Boras would agree to sign? Doubtful but still wonder about it. Harper is a real big fan of Realmuto so I can't help but think the Phils are willing to give up Sixto ++++ for him because it could be a precursor to him signing.

 

thank you syndergaard

 

Oh yes, my issue with baseball is most definitely time of game overall - or as you put it better, length of game combined with little action in-game. Football is not far behind in average time of game, but we all know, there is mass amounts of action going on in football at almost all times, so it doesn't feel like three hours. Also, you KNOW a football game isn't going to go 4-5 hours. Ever. With baseball, you don't know that. I honestly don't know what could be done to shorten the overall time of a 9-inning game other than perhaps implement a pitch clock.

My point about extra innings was to definitely try to eliminate the games that are going on for 4, 5, 6 hours because that is just absurdity. And yes, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

I myself still watch every single Indians game, but I very rarely ever go to a game anymore (other than the playoffs). The reason for me is, when I go to an Indians game, I don't know if I'm going to be home by 10 p.m. or midnight. Whereas, I go to a Cavs game and I know I'm going to be home by 10 and if I go to a Browns game I know I'm going to be home by 4:30. Last year, at least 20 Indians games went over 3 1/2 hours. Seven of them over 4 hours and one over 5 hours.

Indians went so far as to change their 7 p.m. home games to 6 p.m. during the school year so families can still try and get home at a decent hour. But again, no guarantee with baseball.

 

Why is this a common held belief? The ball in play time for football is incredibly low.

I found this for Super Bowl LI:

Ball in play for a total of 16 minutes and 4 seconds during Super Bowl LI

 

I would assume actual 'ball in play time' for baseball is just as low - if not lower - as football (a quick Google search shows 11 minutes from a 2013 baseball study). Either way, a football game is just faster paced than baseball.

 

When it comes down to it, for me at least, the potential for a baseball game to go 18 innings/6 hours/last forever is a feature not a bug.

 

I found this blog talk about the various sports. It has a easy to read table in it. Its from '14, but I can't imagine it has changed too drastically.

How much live action occurs in each sport? Ball in Play studies summarized at Nationals Arm Race

 

All my favorite moments from the last 3 world series came in extra innings of those games. And I'd say the same for the regular season too probably. I see baseball as a game of building tension so the longer that builds the more exciting it is when its finally resolved.

 

Dodgers rule in extra innings