2018 MLB Season

[weezie]

Interesting article from USA Today (that's a sentence not stated often) talking about how baseball has become a snooze fest with a ridiculous number of strikeouts and hardly any action leading to fan apathy this season (attendance numbers way down)

Lol, can say that again. The ever fluid strike zone and umpire weaknesses aren't helping. So few guys can cover the knee area correctly.

[riverside6]

As some know, I've created a few relevant websites to DBR, namely SCACCHoops.com and NCAAGameSim.com. I have a new Game Simulator site that I thought the Major League fans in this thread might enjoy, MLBGameSim.com. As with NCAAGameSim.com you can see daily predictions and simulate games and see play-by-play and box scores. It's a lot of fun and quite addictive if you enjoy numbers.

Check it out and share with your friends!

[Matches]

Interesting article from USA Today (that's a sentence not stated often) talking about how baseball has become a snooze fest with a ridiculous number of strikeouts and hardly any action leading to fan apathy this season (attendance numbers way down):
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...uts/718162002/

I definitely find MLB harder to watch now. I really really dislike the constant stream of pitching changes and the emphasis on working counts. I don't like the extreme infield shifts. I understand the reasons those things exist and the analytics behind them, but they have impacted the watchability of games in IMO a negative way.

For my money, let's bite the bullet and get the DH in the NL, severely limit mid-inning pitching changes, put some limits on infield shifts, and limit roster moves that aren't injury-related. Stop the constant shuffling of pitchers between MLB and AAA to "keep arms fresh" and force managers to be more judicious with their relievers. That will hopefully add some value to SPs going deeper into games.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I definitely find MLB harder to watch now. I really really dislike the constant stream of pitching changes and the emphasis on working counts. I don't like the extreme infield shifts. I understand the reasons those things exist and the analytics behind them, but they have impacted the watchability of games in IMO a negative way.

For my money, let's bite the bullet and get the DH in the NL, severely limit mid-inning pitching changes, put some limits on infield shifts, and limit roster moves that aren't injury-related. Stop the constant shuffling of pitchers between MLB and AAA to "keep arms fresh" and force managers to be more judicious with their relievers. That will hopefully add some value to SPs going deeper into games.

I agree with you 100%. As a Yankees fan, I enjoy their games, but I am much less likely now to watch a random game. I recently watched highlights of a game from the early 80s and it was amazing how much more quickly batters got in the box, they stayed in the box, and the pitchers got the ball back from the catcher and very quickly pitched it.

I recently heard someone on sports radio make many of the suggestions you did, including putting the DH in the NL and limiting infield shifts. He suggested only having four people on a side of second base at a time (i.e. first baseman, second baseman, RF and CF) as a way to implement that. Watching the Yankees last night, it was great to see Neil Walker lay down a successful bunt to the left side to offset an extreme shift. I think MLB thought this would happen more often but it is not so it is time to deal with this.

I agree that changes have to be made to reduce the number of pitching changes. Teams are carrying ridiculous numbers of pitchers, so perhaps this could be limited (maybe to 11?) with limits on the number of times that a pitcher can be called up/sent down. Exceptions can be made for injuries, though the injured pitcher would have to be put on the DL to make this have some teeth. Some might argue that this will lead to more tired arms and injuries, but I think it will also slow down the quick hooks on starters.

[El_Diablo]

I don't see the shift as a problem at all, much less a problem that needs MLB intervention in the form of rule changes.

The designated hitter is not real baseball and should not be expanded to the NL.

I would be okay with a pitch clock.

[camion]

I don't see the shift as a problem at all, much less a problem that needs MLB intervention in the form of rule changes.

The designated hitter is not real baseball and should not be expanded to the NL.

I would be okay with a pitch clock.

How about a rule that a relief pitcher must pitch to at least 3 batters, or until the end of the inning.

[Matches]

I agree that changes have to be made to reduce the number of pitching changes. Teams are carrying ridiculous numbers of pitchers, so perhaps this could be limited (maybe to 11?) with limits on the number of times that a pitcher can be called up/sent down. Exceptions can be made for injuries, though the injured pitcher would have to be put on the DL to make this have some teeth. Some might argue that this will lead to more tired arms and injuries, but I think it will also slow down the quick hooks on starters.

I think the way they're doing it now leads to more tired arms and injuries. The average MLB SP goes something like 5.1 innings now, which means the bullpen is being relied upon for 4 innings of work even when there are no extra innings. Usually that means at least three relievers per game, and even if they only pitch to one batter, they've got to warm up etc. Also, because they're pitching shorter stints everyone's throwing as much gas as they can now - it's more of a strain on the arm and that leads to a loss of control, which means higher pitch counts.

[kmspeaks]

I agree with you 100%. As a Yankees fan, I enjoy their games, but I am much less likely now to watch a random game. I recently watched highlights of a game from the early 80s and it was amazing how much more quickly batters got in the box, they stayed in the box, and the pitchers got the ball back from the catcher and very quickly pitched it.

I don't know what the best rule would be to accomplish this but there definitely needs to be a culture change in terms of speed of the game. The re-adjust the batting gloves for 10-15 seconds while the pitcher walks a complete circle around the mound and then takes his hat off and puts it back on after every pitch has got to stop.

I recently heard someone on sports radio make many of the suggestions you did, including putting the DH in the NL and limiting infield shifts. He suggested only having four people on a side of second base at a time (i.e. first baseman, second baseman, RF and CF) as a way to implement that. Watching the Yankees last night, it was great to see Neil Walker lay down a successful bunt to the left side to offset an extreme shift. I think MLB thought this would happen more often but it is not so it is time to deal with this.

Why are shifts a problem? I don't see why defenders shouldn't be allowed to position themselves anywhere they want.

I agree that changes have to be made to reduce the number of pitching changes. Teams are carrying ridiculous numbers of pitchers, so perhaps this could be limited (maybe to 11?) with limits on the number of times that a pitcher can be called up/sent down. Exceptions can be made for injuries, though the injured pitcher would have to be put on the DL to make this have some teeth. Some might argue that this will lead to more tired arms and injuries, but I think it will also slow down the quick hooks on starters.

I don't get why pitchers get to throw more warm-ups after they come out of the bullpen. The purpose of the bullpen is to give you a place to warm-up. Hand the man the ball and let's go. Let's see how much that speeds up the game before we make some more drastic changes like limiting the number of pitching changes, minimum batters, or roster rules.

[camion]

...

I don't get why pitchers get to throw more warm-ups after they come out of the bullpen. The purpose of the bullpen is to give you a place to warm-up. Hand the man the ball and let's go. Let's see how much that speeds up the game before we make some more drastic changes like limiting the number of pitching changes, minimum batters, or roster rules.

I think throwing a few pitches after being called into the game is to familiarize themselves with the mound as much as actually warming up. Every mound is somewhat different and has generally been sculpted a bit by the previous pitchers in the game.

[weezie]

How about a rule that a relief pitcher must pitch to at least 3 batters, or until the end of the inning.

Wow, I dunno. That's tinkering with "strategery" and, as a lefty, I want a lefty throwing to a lefty. Everybody breaks out in a rash when that happens.

[Bob Green]

Cardinals fire Mike Matheny.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2...dinals-manager

[Jim3k]

As we come up on All-Star week, there appears to be some atmospheric disturbance on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The AL West team in that location seems to have suddenly gone from slightly less than .500 ball to .567 and is now 13 games over .500 at 55-42. That would put them in first place in the AL Central, if that was their division. As it is, they are now officially in the hunt for the second wildcard, only 3 games behind current placeholder Seattle. They have the third best road record in the league, behind only Boston and Houston. Since June 16, they are 21-6. In the long run, that factoid is not entirely meaningful, but it shows what’s been happening. It also explains why they are under the weather radar, which only now has begun to register their barometric presence.

As most of you know, for years I had partial season tickets to the A’s games and had a pretty good understanding of the league. Unfortunately, for health reasons Mrs. Jim3k and I had to drop them and can now only follow them on the tube. But we are addicts.

Anyway, if this continues, we may have go to the Coliseum again. We’d like to try, anyway. Whether we can or not will not have any direct effect on the team’s performance, but as fans we find ourselves pleasantly surprised and engaged.

Offensively, the team is quite good. Everyone bats well and they are hitting the long ball well. There is a lot of late innings offense. The starting pitching is held together by chewing gum; only one of those who began the season is still here, Manaea (9-6) (threw a no-hitter in Boston in April). The remainder is on the DL or worse. So ‘next player up’ is the name of the game. The bullpen, though, seems to be the best in the majors, anchored by closer and all-star, Blake Treinen, 24 saves, .94 ERA and rookie setup man Lou Trivino, 1.25 ERA who should have been chosen for the ASG.

Defensively, they are led by catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who is as good as anyone I have seen and over the years I have seen some good ones. The infield is pretty good. Matt Chapman, but for an injury stretch, is an all-star quality third baseman. At second, Jed Lowrie is having a career year both in the field and at the plate. First baseman Matt Olson is a terrific defender (and decent long-ball hitter). Yeah, SS Marcus Semien could be better. But the outfield of mostly unknowns, Pinder, Canha, Piscotty, Fowler and Joyce–DL, is outstanding.

So pay attention to the atmospheric disturbance out west. There’s more here than the East Coasters currently perceive.

[YmoBeThere]

Khris Davis hardly fits the old Moneyball model...

[Jim3k]

Khris Davis hardly fits the old Moneyball model...

True as far as it goes. His first year A's salary was only $500,000+. This year he's at $10.5 mil. I really like Khris as a hitter; good HR (24) and RBI (64) guy. OPS .827. Wish he was a better outfielder. He's not terrible out in left, but has a weak arm. As it is, he's best as a DH. Haven't looked at the salaries for the other outfielders, but it's likely that Moneyball analysis does apply to them. Probably to Olson, too.

[Blue in the Face]

Looks like* we have have the first big trade of the season - Machado seems headed to the Dodgers, for prospect Yusniel Diaz, ranked in the bottom part of most top 100's, and other yet unknown pieces. There was some noise about the Yankees, but it seems like the final contenders the Dodgers beat out were the Phillies and Brewers.

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/st...04014088278017

* The Orioles are pretty notorious for scuttling trades at the last possible moment, so nothing's official with them until it's official, but it sounds like this is happening.

[Mal]

there definitely needs to be a culture change in terms of speed of the game...Hand the man the ball and let's go. Let's see how much that speeds up the game before we make some more drastic changes like limiting the number of pitching changes, minimum batters, or roster rules.

I'm on the same train as you on these things. Artificially managing personnel decisions by limiting how many pitching changes can be made in a game or an inning or whatever feels too contrived for me. It's the wasting of time in the midst of a change in pitchers that's the problem, not the change itself. I'd actually be in favor of putting a clock on this aspect of the game. Have the ump say "play ball" for the next pitcher exactly one minute after the manager comes out of the dugout. This would force him to motion for the bullpen immediately, instead of stalling to get his reliever four or five more pitches out there. The new guy can run in (instead of loping), get three or four pitches in to get a feel for the mound while the manager's talking to him (instead of sit and discuss strategy for 15 seconds before even handing him the ball), and away we go. I know introducing a clock into a game without one is itself controversial, but it's not adding a time element to actual game play, it's limiting the time spent not playing.

I'm generally on the thumbs up side when it comes to analytics and advanced metrics and such, but naturally once everyone bought into that mindset it became an incremental arms race to apply statistical science to not just pitching matchups but individual pitches and other marginal things. That's where the game's really slowed down. Every at-bat, every pitch, is seen as so critical we've gotten to the point where it's OK for a batter to clear his head and re-adjust his gloves for 10 seconds and reset every pitch, 'cause this next pitch is important! This is intense! But he doesn't need to do that. We don't need the entire infield conferencing during every pitching change, and we don't need mound visits by catchers every time there's a 3-1 count in the 7th inning or beyond.

At some point it needs to be throw the ball, swing the bat and see what happens. If the pitcher and catcher have properly internalized the tactical options, they don't need a manager telling them what pitch to throw every time. And if they haven't, well, too bad, and more often than not they don't execute the chosen pitch precisely right and more often than not the batter doesn't fulfill the statistically most likely outcome of a given placement, anyway. For those reasons I'm in favor of the mound visit limitations implemented this year, and I'd be in favor of a more strictly enforced, shorter pitch clock. Take one foot out of the box and get a sign from the third base coach, fine. But then get back in there and bat.

The idea of outlawing defensive shifts in the infield strikes me as both reactionary and misguided. Extreme shifts have evolved as a defensive strategy to counter an evolution of offensive strategy, toward three true outcome batting. As more and more batters are aggressively swinging for the fences, more of them have become dead pull hitters. A defense should be able to make them pay when they miss, and pull an outside corner pitch for a grounder, by shifting. Players have become less adept at intentionally taking a pitch the other way, and at bunting, both of which are very easy ways of beating the shift. If you want to see less homerun swinging and more Ichiro (who would have hit about .600 if you put three infielders on the right side against him) and Wade Boggs type players in the future, the last thing you want is for infielders to be forced to play in their "traditional" positioning.

As a formal matter, the rules of baseball require 9 defensive players, two of whom are the pitcher and catcher, and the other 7 are limited only in that they have to start in fair territory and can't stand between the mound and the plate. There are no other specified "positions" besides pitcher and catcher in the rule book. So arguing that they shouldn't be able to move around from batter to batter is just trying to codify aesthetic preference.

[weezie]

Don't tell anybody but I have a secret crush on Manny Machado.

Love his game.

[Blue in the Face]

Cleveland picks up two solid relievers in Brad Hand and Adam Climber from the Padres. The bullpen's been a sore spot for them, so this is big add. Throw Andrew Miller back into the mix when he returns, and that should be a major improvement. They're well behind the top teams in the league, but their top starters are really good, and they should have a really solid pen now too - in a short series they'll be tough. Hefty price though - top catching prospect Francisco Mejia.

https://www.mlb.com/news/indians-tra...nd/c-286418278

[jimsumner]

Don't tell anybody but I have a secret crush on Manny Machado.

Love his game.

It can be our little secret.

Ssh.

[budwom]

The Toronto Blue Jays are now officially Happless.