2018 MLB Thread

[Scraps 13549]

Im guessing the 4th one is a person who retired in 2000 if i read the question correctly

[shakahorn 1630]

3 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Mark Teixeira has to be one

Good one I think.  How about our boy Adam Dunn?

[shakahorn 1630]

Just now, shakahorn said:

Good one I think.  How about our boy Adam Dunn?

Beat me to it.  I thought I was the only one screwing off this morning.

[Huckleberry 32710]

5 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Im guessing the 4th one is a person who retired in 2000 if i read the question correctly

Correct. Last season was 2000, although IIRC I don't think he exactly "retired."

I should rephrase, I don't think he wanted to retire.

Edited July 17, 2018 by Huckleberry

[Scraps 13549]

Beat me to it.  I thought I was the only one screwing off this morning.

Trivia is my jam lol

[Scraps 13549]

Damn was thinking Canseco for a second lol...but he played more than 14

[UrbanAchiever 276]

I'll offer up Albert "Joey" Belle.

[Scraps 13549]

I finally thought of it.

Fernando Vina is not fond of him

[Huckleberry 32710]

Correct, all named now.

1. Adam Dunn, 462
2. Mark Teixeira, 409
3. Ryan Howard, 382
4. Albert Belle, 381
5. Rocky Colavito, 374

[Beau Vine 54015]

27 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I was just poking around Baseball Reference and noticed something that I thought I'd pose as a trivia question to the folks on this thread.

Rocky Colavito retired after 1968 as the all time home run leader for players who appeared in fewer than 15 Major League seasons with 374 career homers. That mark stood until 2000. Since then, 4 players have passed his mark. Name them.

That's not a question.

[Huckleberry 32710]

All I said was I thought I'd pose it as a trivia question. I skipped the part where I changed my mind.

[UrbanAchiever 276]

My other guess was going to be Juan Gonzalez, but I looked it up, and he played 16 seasons + 1 AB in a 17th.

[Beau Vine 54015]

 

For real?  A "growing consensus" that shifting is a bad thing?

Boras is the only one I've seen complaining about it.  Any of you assholes think shifting should be limited?

[Huckleberry 32710]

 

For real?  A "growing consensus" that shifting is a bad thing?

Boras is the only one I've seen complaining about it.  Any of you assholes think shifting should be limited?

No. The suggestion is fucking absurd.

 

Similar reason is why I hate the DH. If teams discover more efficient allocations of resources they should be commended, not have the rules changed. Pitchers provide waaaaay more value on the mound than at the plate so that's where their skills for scouting and practice time once signed should be focused.

 

Now we know that fielders can be aligned more effectively against certain batters. GOOD. Let them do it. Or are we going to make the shortstop play behind the infield and outfield like the good old days? I mean it's position number 6 so why isn't he playing between number 5 and number 7?

 

[TornACL 7684]

Baseball needs to get out of this current obsession with over-regulation.

Pitch clocks, mound visits, considering shift limitations, etc. etc.

 

[You don't know me 1161]

9 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

 

For real?  A "growing consensus" that shifting is a bad thing?

Boras is the only one I've seen complaining about it.  Any of you assholes think shifting should be limited?

I hate when people that decide that they need to make rule changes to make the game easier for some players.  If they think that the game is boring with guys hitting into the shift, maybe those guys should learn to hit the other way. 

[Beau Vine 54015]

I'm trying to think of all the other stuff we need to outlaw with the no-shifting rule.

1.  Can't play the corners in when expecting a bunt.  Because that's the exact same idea as playing the SS on the right side if a lefty is expected to pull.

2.  No more "double play depth" allowed.

3.  "No doubles" outfield defense prohibited.

4.  Runner on third with 1 out?  Can't bring the infield in.

5.  Outfielders must play Billy Hamilton and Mike Stanton at the same depth.

 

Let's just draw 4 little circles on the IF and 3 in the OF and make the players stand in them to begin each pitch.  I mean, we already have a catcher's box, so this isn't a radical idea!

[Huckleberry 32710]

Why would you post that in a public forum. Scott Boras has probably already forwarded it to Manfred to show him "it's what the fans want!"

[Mez2 4022]

no more cut fastballs, off speed pitches, or bat boys. 

[Dewey 3280]

Whiffle ball in the middle innings would be a nice change of pace.

[WBT 20432]

It baffles my mind that in some ways Manfred seems even shittier than Selig

[torre 1284]

Weather may be a factor.

 

 

It's looking more and more likely that the weather will impact the 2018 MLB All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

Here is the latest forecast from the National Weather Service as of 12:27 p.m.:

Today: 
A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2pm and 5pm, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and 2am. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 69. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

According to the Washington Post, MLB is working on a contingency plan to account for the rain:

"It would be dependent on a lot of factors -- the forecast being the main one," Pat Courtney, baseball's chief communications officer, said Sunday. He said the league would be in close contact with both Fox Sports, its broadcast partner, and the MLB Players Association over any weather-related decisions.

...

The first priority would be to start on time Tuesday night, even if rain later in the evening forced a shortened game -- as occurred in 1952 in Philadelphia. In 1961, the second of two All-Star Games held that summer ended in a 1-1 tie when the game was called for rain after the ninth inning. They remain the only rain-shortened All-Star Games.

Although MLB controls the decision whether and when to start the game Tuesday night, a move to Wednesday would require coordination with the players' union, owing to the travel plans of the players. The season's second half used to start on the Thursday after the All-Star Game but now begins on the Friday after the game.

If rain delays the start of Tuesday night's game, every effort would still be made to get the game in, but there would be a point, probably sometime before 11 p.m., when the league would no longer want to start it. At that point, the focus could shift to Wednesday.

https://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2018/07/mlb_all-star_game_2018_weather_rain_forecast_washi.html

[Beau Vine 54015]

^^^^^^^

Don't the Cubs and Cardinals play Thursday?

 

[UTexasFight 9387]

Yeah. But fuck those two teams

[Beau Vine 54015]

11 minutes ago, UTexasFight said:

Yeah. But fuck those two teams

That's a good point.

[torre 1284]

Heavy rain in DC at present,  but evening doesn't look too bad.     Machado may be pulled after the intro.

 

3:15 PM   TUE	Thunderstorms/Wind	78°	83°	90%	84%	SW 22 mph
4:00 PM   TUE	Heavy Thunderstorms	79°	84°	90%	82%	WSW 8 mph
5:00 PM   TUE	Scattered Thunderstorms	81°	87°	40%	79%	W 7 mph
6:00 PM   TUE	Cloudy	81°	87°	25%	78%	WNW 6 mph
7:00 PM   TUE	Cloudy	80°	86°	25%	78%	WNW 6 mph
8:00 PM   TUE	Mostly Cloudy	80°	86°	10%	75%	NW 6 mph
9:00 PM   TUE	Partly Cloudy	80°	84°	15%	77%	NW 5 mph
10:00 PM   TUE	Partly Cloudy	78°	83°	15%	80%	NW 5 mph
11:00 PM   TUE	Partly Cloudy	76°	80°	15%	81%	NNW 7 mph
12:00 AM   WED	Partly Cloudy	75°	79°	15%	80%	NNW 7 mph

 

https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USDC0001:1:US

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

2 hours ago, You don't know me said:

I hate when people that decide that they need to make rule changes to make the game easier for some players.  If they think that the game is boring with guys hitting into the shift, maybe those guys should learn to hit the other way. 

I think it has more to do with the fact that the shift is “unfair” to left handed pull hitters compared to right handed pull hitters. You can’t shift the same way against right handed pull hitters (because you can’t put the 1B in the 2B spot the same way you can put the 3B in the SS spot). I agree that its ridiculous that they would essentially make a rule because Bryce Harper can’t beat the shift, but that’s why. It’s not as simple as just “hit it the other way”. 

 

Actually, the more I think about it, I couldn’t care less either way.

Edited July 17, 2018 by youdunnf'dup

[Beau Vine 54015]

Just now, youdunnf'dup said:

I think it has more to do with the fact that the shift is “unfair” to left handed pull hitters compared to right handed pull hitters. You can’t shift the same way against right handed pull hitters. I agree that its ridiculous that they would essentially make a rule because Bryce Harper can’t beat the shift, but that’s why. It’s not as simple as just “hit it the other way”. 

 

It's unfair that left handed hitters get to run to the closest base when they hit the ball.

Rob Manfred needs to let righties run to third.

[Beau Vine 54015]

Tweets coming in that Machado will be traded to the Dodgers.

[txhorns 2408]

9 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Tweets coming in that Machado will be traded to the Dodgers.

It will be interesting to see what the Orioles get in return.  Hopefully not Buehler.

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

15 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

It's unfair that left handed hitters get to run to the closest base when they hit the ball.

Rob Manfred needs to let righties run to third.

Just to be clear, this is not my argument/reasoning. This is just THE argument against it.

[WBT 20432]

They should hit right handed then

[APMP 686]

One of baseball's little treasures is seeing what teams do to entertain themselves during a rain delay. Lately even team Twitter Feeds have gotten into it.

So, here's hoping that MLB figures out and televises side game(s) during the rain delay. Or maybe somebody who doesn't give a crap (Bregman) streams the clubhouse shenanigans. Arm wrestling? FIFA tournament? Altuve dwarf tossing?

[UTexasFight 9387]

Allow the shift.

Allow the batter to decide which base to run to.

Profit

 

 

 

[henrygandorf 29182]

outfielders play deep when a power hitter is up.  they play shallow when a pitcher is up.  it's kindergarten research, but it's still research.

why shouldn't teams be allowed to use their non-kindergarten research to help their team stop the other from scoring.  it's not like teams are bringing in the left fielder to stand right next to the batter and wave his arms around.

[WBT 20432]

This is good...

Sarris: Ten players explain the adjustments that made them All-Stars

Spoiler

The All-Stars weren’t born this way, though that would be some kind of story. Instead, they shined in fits and starts, dominating at times and scuffling at others, as they made the journey from school through the minors and into the majors. They picked up knowledge along the way, no matter the shape of their baseball upbringing. Tonight, we’ll see them at the top of their games.

That makes it a great time to ask them about the journey that got them here.

It’s a crazy thing, All-Star week. Every room is bursting at the seams with prodigious talent in every respect: the best in television, print, and digital media push each around to get a chance to speak to the best players in baseball. So we didn’t get every All-Star this week, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a little from the men on both sides of the ball tonight.

So, you’re an All-Star. What was the major adjustment that got you to this moment? 

The National League

Lorenzo Cain, Brewers

I’ve just been trying to improve as a player as I’ve gotten older, trying to improve my game as much as I can. Since I’ve been in Milwaukee, I’ve been more of a leadoff type guy, so I’m trying to be more of an on-base guy this year, that’s a little different than I’m used to since I hit second or third in KC.

Season	Team	O-Swing%	Swing%	BB%	OBP
2017	Royals	31.7%	49.3%	8.4%	.363
2018	Brewers	20.9%	40.3%	13.4%	.393

Cain has been a new man with the Brewers this year, focusing on getting on base and not reaching at bad pitches. 

Whatever they ask to do, I just try to be the best at that, if getting on base is something they want me to do, I just try best I can. The power comes from me focusing on hitting line drives. I need to go out there and do a little bit of everything, stealing bases, get on base, and I’ll hit a home run every once in a while.

Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers

When I started learning that two-seamer back in 2013, I just learned it and I started attacking the zone with it, understanding that movement messes with the hitters. If I stick to that, I have confidence in it.

	ERA	BB/9	Four-Seam%	Sinker%
Before 2013	4.89	7.0	72%	5%
Since	2.86	3.2	18%	52%

The sinker gave Jeffress the ability to aim for the middle and let the movement take the pitch to the edges. His walk rate thanked him for it.

That’s what literally drives my attitude on the mound is to be stubborn down, and be confident, and attack the hitter. If I think middle think down and let it happen… hitters can’t stand movement.

Nolan Arenado, Rockies

Getting in my legs, not trying to lunge. Too much body movement is a problem for me, that’s when I get into trouble hitting, is when I move too much.

An overactive Arenado lunged at pitches in his rookie year.

When I slow my body down, I can get my swing off and stay behind the ball and that’s usually when good things happen.

There’s still movement, but there’s less of it, and Arenado now uses his legs better for more power. 

It was in the big leagues, after my rookie year, I was lunging so much and getting jammed a lot and getting beat, and I thought I couldn’t continue to get beat like that. that’s when I realized I really had to slow it down and really back leg the baseball and really drive the ball, and that’s what I started to do.

	SLG	GB/FB	O-Swing%
Rookie Year	0.405	1.26	41.5%
Since	0.565	0.81	34.1%

Arenado stopped lunging at pitches outside of the zone, used his legs more, and his power exploded. 

Scooter Gennett, Reds

The biggest thing that stands out is just being more relaxed with my hands, not being tight. I relate it to boxing. Now I’m thinking of throwing a jab — that’s quicker, that’s more accurate — not a big power punch. That’s how I was in the past. I’d get real tight, and my swing was long, and I’d have to cheat a little more because I had to start my swing earlier because it’s slower.

In 2013, Gennett was tight and had to swing earlier because of it. 

That relates to swinging at bad pitches and not getting myself into good counts to get good pitches. Just being more relaxed and knowing that I don’t have to start my swing so early.

In 2018, a freer and looser Gennett could take his time. Watch his hands move before the pitch comes in. 

You’re talking about a split second to make that decision. I haven’t done much of the launch angle stuff. It’s really hard to hit, hitting a round ball with a round bat. I just want to hit it hard.

	O-Swing%	Swing%	SLG
2013-15	41.5%	54.8%	0.424
2016-18	34.2%	50.3%	0.482

The biggest change in Scooter’s arsenal has been better plate discipline… and the resulting power, of course.

Mike Foltynewicz, Braves

Mechanics-wise, I cleaned it up. It’s not as aggressive as it was before. I used to take a big step back and then get into my motion.

A huge step back before he started his delivery was part of all that velocity, but also that wildness for Foltynewicz in Houston. 

But now it’s a little step back so my eyes are not going all over the place, and they’re stationed in one place. That’s been huge for me to stay quiet.

The slider has been a big pitch for me, I have a lot of confidence in it. I kinda brought it back in the ’16 season, because Houston kinda took it away from me and then I brought it back when I came here. It was hard for me to throw it over 85 mph, and then I’ve been playing with it over the past few years and getting the different grip down and throwing it different ways I’ve been getting a good feel for it.

Smaller leg kick, less hair, and more slider velocity these days.

It’s been a few years for me to figure it out, and it’s really hard to play with it in a big league game, but over the years I found a grip and a release point, and I have the confidence to throw it any count now. It’s been a long ways, but that pitch has been big for me this year.

	Slider%	Slider Velo	Slider Whiff%
2015	14%	84.9	14.6%
2018	26%	86.8	20.2%

Folty has retained the same drop on his slider, but the pitch goes harder, and gets more whiffs… so he’s throwing it more. 

The American League

Charlie Morton, Astros

You throw your best pitches more. I thought my best pitch was my sinker down and into the righty. They were convinced my best pitches were actually in locations that got swings and misses. I wasn’t used to doing that, I hadn’t had that approach, I had the attitude that I wanted to get you out in three pitches or less. Now if I get swings and misses, I feel like I’m doing the right thing and if I get a ground ball sometimes I wonder if I’m doing it right.

	GB%	Whiff%	K/9
2008-2015	55.3%	7.7%	6.3
2017-2018	50.7%	11.7%	10.7

The tale of two Mortons: he used to get grounders, now he gets whiffs. 

That manifested itself in the attitude when I have I’m pitching. Now I’m trying to throw hard, I’m trying to throw four-seamers, which I didn’t do before. Before, I would try to manipulate sinkers down in the zones. Now I’m just throwing. I’m throwing into areas into spots and locations that are more specific. Now I’m kind of a hybrid because I’m still throwing a lot of two-seamers and trying to make the ball run, but I’m also trying to throw four-seamers up in the zone. That’s the Astros’ analytics.

	CB%	Two-Seamer	Four-Seamer
2008-2015	20%	49%	18%
2018	30%	26%	31%

Morton has really upped his curve and four-seamer usage over time with the Astros, as their analytics said he should. 

Alex Bregman, Astros 

One of the biggest things for me was learning who I was as a player. In college, I kinda wanted to be the guy that hit .400 and sprayed singles around the yard, and once I grew more and figured out what I could do and what I couldn’t on the baseball field, I decided I wanted to be a guy that hits the ball in the gaps, and tries to hit the ball over the fence.

Time	Batting Ave	AB/HR	XBH%
College	0.336	39	33%
Majors	0.282	25	44%

Bregman hit for a higher batting average in college, but he hits homers (and extra-base hits) much more often now. 

Swinging at strikes has been huge for me, hitting the ball on a line, not in the air, but on a line, and definitely not hitting ground balls. Trying to take all that into the equation along with not swinging at balls.

Bregman has slowly reached at pitches outside the zone (O-Swing%) less as his career has progressed, and his production (wOBA) has increased with it.

Francisco Lindor, Indians 

Better bats, better environments, better fields, and learning how to hit. The minor leagues are the minor leagues, it’s all about learning, it’s all about experience, it’s all about having more at-bats. In the big leagues, you have more experience behind you, and that’s when you start hitting for more power. It’s just a matter of understanding which pitches I can drive, and which pitches I won’t drive, and when I gotta take the base hit, when I gotta drive the ball.

Francisco Lindor started swinging at high fastballs more in 2017 (right) than he did in 2016 (left). His power surged accordingly. 

My mechanics are the same, my swing is going to be the same swing from when I was eight, till my last at-bat.

Blake Snell, Rays 

I think it’s confidence. You gotta be in the zone, and confidence allowed me to do that. I’m aware of how good I am with pitching ability, the stuff that I had, so for me it was confidence to put it in the zone against good hitters. When you’re not ahead of these guys, that’s when you get in trouble, and that’s when they really hurt you. It’s more confidence in throwing my pitches in the zone, I knew they were good, but I didn’t throw them in the zone.

Season	Zone%	Breaking Ball Ball%
2017	41.7%	43%
2018	46.0%	35%

Blake Snell is throwing most of his pitches in the zone more often, but most notably his breaking balls are not called balls as much this year. 

I was driven this offseason, and that thing was to throw strikes to get outs and go as deep as I could in the games, and what allowed me to do that was: Be in the zone. Once I started doing that, I started seeing success.

Corey Kluber, Indians

Having a fastball that I feel like I could command, I think that was the biggest thing for me. Having command of the fastball allows me to use the other pitches like I use to use them. To me, when I exclusively threw four-seamers, I didn’t throw my fastball for strikes much, or I left it in the hitting zone, so to speak, as opposed to really being able to throw quality strikes.

I wasn’t necessarily seeking movement when I switched to throwing more two-seamers, it was just more a pitch I could command better. I could locate it to the sides of the plate and down better.

 

Edited July 17, 2018 by WBT

[Pato del Muerto 52357]

1 minute ago, henrygandorf said:

outfielders play deep when a power hitter is up.  they play shallow when a pitcher is up.  it's kindergarten research, but it's still research.

why shouldn't teams be allowed to use their non-kindergarten research to help their team stop the other from scoring.  it's not like teams are bringing in the left fielder to stand right next to the batter and wave his arms around.

Less of a stretch is playing 6 infielders (pitcher and 5 others) when needing to cut off all ground balls to stop a run from scoring. That’s been happening for a hundred years. 

That, and “hit it where they ain’t” used to be how mlb hitters approached batting. 

How far can fielders move from a predetermined spot and still be considered ok?

if a team wants to put 7 guys in right field like the kids at the hr derby, they should be allowed to. If a team gives you a third of the field to hit it safely to, learn to hit it there. 

[Beau Vine 54015]

I think Sarris is one of the best writers going, and that one was particularly great.

This part really made me cringe, though:

Quote

Lorenzo Cain, Brewers

I’ve just been trying to improve as a player as I’ve gotten older, trying to improve my game as much as I can. Since I’ve been in Milwaukee, I’ve been more of a leadoff type guy, so I’m trying to be more of an on-base guy this year, that’s a little different than I’m used to since I hit second or third in KC.

Season	Team	O-Swing%	Swing%	BB%	OBP
2017	Royals	31.7%	49.3%	8.4%	.363
2018	Brewers	20.9%	40.3%	13.4%	.393

 

A guy hitting second or third should  be less of an on-base guy and swing at over 30% of the pitches out of the zone?

[WBT 20432]

Yeah, maybe that's how they had to phrase it to get him to buy in.  

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

Just listened to rob manfred on mlb network talking to the guys, and he basically just said the next change is going to be “the game returning to the game we grew up watching with more balls in play”. The follow up question was, “so no more shifts?” And he said it’s something we’re gonna have to talk about. 

 

Shifts being outlawed are right up there with universal DH. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t love it, but i don’t hate it either. But this rule doesn’t get changed if guys like Bryce Harper could beat the shift more frequently. That’s what makes it kind of funny to me

Edited July 17, 2018 by youdunnf'dup

[henrygandorf 29182]

31 minutes ago, youdunnf'dup said:

Just listened to rob manfred on mlb network talking to the guys, and he basically just said the next change is going to be “the game returning to the game we grew up watching with more balls in play”. The follow up question was, “so no more shifts?” And he said it’s something we’re gonna have to talk about. 

 

Shifts being outlawed are right up there with universal DH. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t love it, but i don’t hate it either. But this rule doesn’t get changed if guys like Bryce Harper could beat the shift more frequently. That’s what makes it kind of funny to me

see, i think of those two as opposites, because one is easy to enforce and one isn't.  

enforcing the shift isn't as easy as calling illegal defense in basketball (closest analogy i could come up with).  will there be an invisible circle "fielder's box"?  can you shade one way or the other?  what if you don't stay in it?  how long do you need to stay in it?  can you start drifting when the pitcher is in the windup?  on the rubber?  is it just a matter of having two infielders on each side?  can the ss play directly behind 2nd base but 1 inch to the left?  if so, can the 2nd baseman still play in shallow right?  can the outfielders shade as well, or do they have to play everybody straight away?

dh is easy to fix (if it ever gets fixed) and you can claim pitcher injuries as a good reason - which is a reason lots of stuff changes.  you can't claim that with the shift.  i don't think they'll change it until they have a 100% perfect way to do it, and i don't think we're close to that.

i think they talk about it because it's out there, but i think mlb is secretly hoping it kinda works itself out, either thru hitters changing approach, or teams getting burned and moving away from it.

[Beau Vine 54015]

42 minutes ago, youdunnf'dup said:

Just listened to rob manfred on mlb network talking to the guys, and he basically just said the next change is going to be “the game returning to the game we grew up watching with more balls in play”. The follow up question was, “so no more shifts?” And he said it’s something we’re gonna have to talk about. 

 

That doesn't make any sense.  Outlawing shifts won't cause more balls in play.  

If you want more balls in play, deaden the ball.  

[henrygandorf 29182]

yeah, i would hope that was just the reporter asking the follow up question not really paying attention.

the strikeout is huge right now, so i guess you fix that by what, lowering the mound?  isn't that what they did following the crazy 1968 season?

[TonyTexas 10482]

Baseball floats crazy ideas all the time. 2 that come to mind was starting an extra inning with a man on 2nd and/or you could lead of an extra inning with anyone in your lineup.

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

12 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

see, i think of those two as opposites, because one is easy to enforce and one isn't.  

enforcing the shift isn't as easy as calling illegal defense in basketball (closest analogy i could come up with).  will there be an invisible circle "fielder's box"?  can you shade one way or the other?  what if you don't stay in it?  how long do you need to stay in it?  can you start drifting when the pitcher is in the windup?  on the rubber?  is it just a matter of having two infielders on each side?  can the ss play directly behind 2nd base but 1 inch to the left?  if so, can the 2nd baseman still play in shallow right?  can the outfielders shade as well, or do they have to play everybody straight away?

dh is easy to fix (if it ever gets fixed) and you can claim pitcher injuries as a good reason - which is a reason lots of stuff changes.  you can't claim that with the shift.  i don't think they'll change it until they have a 100% perfect way to do it, and i don't think we're close to that.

i think they talk about it because it's out there, but i think mlb is secretly hoping it kinda works itself out, either thru hitters changing approach, or teams getting burned and moving away from it.

They were basically saying you couldn’t move the SS to the other side of the bag, or the 2B to the other side of the bag. Basically, you have to stay on your side of 2B. So you could obviously play with that to an extent.

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

4 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

yeah, i would hope that was just the reporter asking the follow up question not really paying attention.

the strikeout is huge right now, so i guess you fix that by what, lowering the mound?  isn't that what they did following the crazy 1968 season?

Well it was Pedro lol. For what it’s worth.

[WBT 20432]

I don't buy it but people make the connection that the shift forces guys into trying to elevate/hit more HRs and that approach leads to more strikeouts.

I think the cause is more that the ball being more juiced led to more guys trying to hit homeruns

[shakahorn 1630]

4 minutes ago, youdunnf'dup said:

They were basically saying you couldn’t move the SS to the other side of the bag, or the 2B to the other side of the bag. Basically, you have to stay on your side of 2B. So you could obviously play with that to an extent.

I agree with HG, you would need a whole set of rules to enforce that type of rule.  For example, at what point can the SS dash over to the other side of second?  Would it be like volleyball and you have to say there until the ball is "served" which I guess would be analogous to the ball being pitched.  And if you violated the rule, what would the penalty be?  Ball on the batter?  Free base if someone is one base?

[youdunnf'dup 2147]

7 minutes ago, shakahorn said:

I agree with HG, you would need a whole set of rules to enforce that type of rule.  For example, at what point can the SS dash over to the other side of second?  Would it be like volleyball and you have to say there until the ball is "served" which I guess would be analogous to the ball being pitched.  And if you violated the rule, what would the penalty be?  Ball on the batter?  Free base if someone is one base?

I think you guys are overthinking this. It would be pretty easy to enforce IMO. As for a punishment, that’s a different story. Although, it probably wouldn’t get to that point if a rule was actually put in place.

[henrygandorf 29182]

well that's the point.  the dh is a black and white type of thing.  the shift is not.  since there's not one clear way to "fix" it, and no one clear way to "penalize" for breaking the rule then they're not likely to change that rule anytime soon.  there would need to be several conversations before the main one.  that shit takes time.