Quote:
Originally Posted by Syd Thrift
I honestly thought the product on the field was as good as it's been in years. I didn't realize how much good enforcing the pitch clock was going to do until I saw it in practice. Just hope that sticks around and doesn't get slowly eroded.
The "purist" (that is, the kid who remembers watching a different brand of baseball) in me thinks there are way too many strikeouts but I don't see a way of fixing that that won't outrage other "purists". I think large bullpens, starters who go 5-6 innings, and openers are just a part of the game now, like it or not, and I don't really want to try to legislate that out of the game just because I miss guys going 7-8 innings on a regular basis. I would be OK with experimenting with a slightly larger and deader ball - obviously you use it in the minors before exposing it to the big leagues - and/or moving the mound back.
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Smallball is a lost art. Bunting and stealing doesn't excite the fans or make money. Players are going to focus on home runs because that's what gets them paid. Now with exit velocity and angle analytics its easier that ever to know what it takes to get a ball out of the ballpark. That said, pitchers are throwing faster too, so it makes for an interesting dynamic but I personally love the evolution of baseball, aside from the rules.