Changes to the Game is Inevitable
NFL Attendance has peaked and is going the other direction. Baseball purists say that baseball is healthy and why change the game? The answer is really simple: while there are certainly some young fans, baseball is not as popular among the Millenials and Gen X as it was during the Baby Boomer Generation. I guarantee that in the next few years, there are going to be substantially fewer crowds watching
NFL Attendance has peaked and is going the other direction. Baseball purists say that baseball is healthy and why change the game? The answer is really simple: while there are certainly some young fans, baseball is not as popular among the Millenials and Gen X as it was during the Baby Boomer Generation. I guarantee that in the next few years, there are going to be substantially fewer crowds watching the games fn MLB keeps going down the same path. Change is inevitable – embrace it or not, but it’s coming. I see a few things that need to be changedf immediately:
- Electronic Balls and Strikes – I don’t totally want to take the human element out of baseball, so I think something like this should happen: There is an electronic strike zone with a “Red Zone” around it, which may be an inch or two. Balls and strikes become a “challenge” option. Each team get 1 challengd per inning (9 per game and you can use them all in one inning if you are so inclined). If a ball is challenged which is in the “Red Zone” (meaning it was close), it is not overturned. It has to be egregious to be overturned.
- The DH is Uniform Throughout All of Baseball – Come on, this is easy. Practically every baseball league uses the DH except the National League. Many pitches in MLB have NEVER HIT and Never Will. No other professional sports legaue has different rules for different divisions. NL pitchers are hitting .110 this year. If you like that, you are strange. The NL should have the DH.
- Shifts are Banned – If you think it is easy to “go the other way” when a pitcher throws a “inside and low slider” you have never played the game much. If you are a LH hitter and they put 4 defenders on the Right Side of the infield AND the pitcher exceutes a high and inside or low and inside pitch, I doubt you can go the other way 10% of the time. Tony Gwynn? 12% maybe. Of course, pitchers don’t always excute (some should be executed, but I digress). If fielders can be stationed anywhere, why not let the catcher and pitcher set up where they want? That is not allowed, so why can other fielders? I believe the shift makes a huge difference and that defenders should have to play in certain “zones.” A 3B could play near 2B, but he should not be able to play between 1st and 2B. That’s my opinion.
Dodger News
- For the record, I would trade Lux and May for Machado, but FAZ did not ask me. Again…
- Will Smith is smoking hot and hit another HR last night while going 3-4. Hello… the switch was flipped… he’s ready! Get him to LA!
- Alex Verdugo did not play in the AAA All-Star Game last night. Hummmmm…..
- Dump Logan Forsythe!
- Play Andrew Toles already!
- Max Muncy was robbed. I hope he win the HR Derby and has a huge chip on his shoulder.
- Congrats to Chicken Strip for being an All-Star.
- Zac Rosscup is a pitcher to watch as a LH specialist who has ntaken Edward Paredes place on the 40-man roster.
- There is a nice articvle in The Athletic (pay site) about Daniel Hudson and why he was ejected. Since early May, his ERA is 1.88. He is evolving into a set-up role.
MINOR LEAGUE RECAP by AlwaysCompete
A pair of winning streaks came to an end yesterday. The Drillers lost after 6 wins, and the Quakes lost for the 1st time in over two weeks. They had a 15-game winning streak broken.
Tulsa Drillers – 9-5 Loss to Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
Will Smith continued his drive to LA with a 3-4 night including his 16th HR and 12th double and 3 RBIs. He has now hit a HR in four consecutive games. He is now slashing .296/.391/.614/1.005. He is putting up better numbers than Yordan Alvarez who was recently promoted to AAA. He is an outstanding defensive catcher. There is no reason to keep him at AA except no place for him to play with Rocky Gale and Kyle Farmer. Somebody has to move (Barnes, Farmer, or Gale) for Smith to move up.
Jacob Scavuzzo also went 3-4 with his 13th double and the remaining 2 RBIs.
Isaac Anderson continues to show why he is a Single A pitcher. He got tagged again in his most recent AA promotion. He pitched 3.1 innings allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, with one K. Michael Boyle, Karch Kowalczyk, and Corey Copping followed with only Copping pitching without allowing a run.
I hope to see both Will Smith and Yusniel Diaz in OKC very soon.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – 6-2 Loss to Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies)
Gavin Lux went 2-4 with a walk, to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He is batting .364/.410/.473/.883 during that time with 5 walks and only 7 Ks in 61 PA. Rylan Bannon also reached base 3 times going 1-3 with a double (17) and 2 walks. Sage Jenco went 2-3 with a walk, and Connor Wong went 2-3 with his 13th HR. He is finding his stroke again.
Austin Hamilton stepped in as starter as Isaac Anderson was promoted to Tulsa. He went 4.0 IP, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, with 1 K. Ryan Moseley followed and was really tagged in his 0.2 IP. He allowed 3 runs on 2 hits but 3 walks and 0 Ks. Yeison Cespedes restored order in his 3.1 scoreless IP, while Zach Pop pitched yet another scoreless inning. He has now allowed 1 run in 27.0 IP, for a 0.33 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. I do not know what else he needs to show to get promoted to AA.
Great Lakes Loons – 1-0 Win over Clinton LumberKings (Mariners) in 10 innings
Josh McLain hit a 2 out single in the 10th inning for the shutout victory. That’s right…the Loons got a shutout last night. 20-year-old Edwin Uceta pitched the 1st 6.0 innings allowing 4 hits and 1 walk, with 7 Ks. Stephen Kolek and Jasiel Alvino pitched the final 4 innings (2.0 IP each) for the shutout victory. In 74.1 IP this year, Uceta has compiled a respectable 3.75 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He has 76 Ks and 24 walks. He needs to learn command, but once he does he should be someone to follow up the organization. Command is something Caleb Ferguson already had at this age and stage in his career.
Ogden Raptors – 11-0 Win over Missoula Osprey (DBacks)
Julio Chacin started and pitched 5.0 innings allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and 4Ks. A pair of 2018 draftees, Hunter Speer and Justin Hagenman both pitched 2.0 innings to complete the shutout victory.
OF Drew Avins went 4-5 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs. Both of his HR were with 2 outs. He now has 3 with Ogden and with 3 at AZL, Avins has 6 HRs combined in the short season (58 AB and 68 PA). Jacob Amaya continued his hot start with a 3-5 night. Jefrey Souffront went 3-4, and James Outman went 2-4 and is starting to get more comfortable at the plate. Miguel Vargas got his 6th double, and Ronny Brito got his 3rd HR. It might be fun to watch a pair of 19-year-old middle infielders (Amaya and Brito) move up the organizational ladder. Both are primarily SS and with Jeremy Arocho playing 2B, the team has three middle infielders to monitor.
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Discussion (136)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The DH is lame and should be banned throughout baseball. The game was played 100 years before the American League came up with the stupid idea to keep old players in the game longer, which isn’t even the case anymore as it is being used mostly as a rotational resting spot tired starters. Shifts shouldn’t be banned, players should adapt. Boggs, Gwynn, Carew made careers out of hitting where they aren’t. See Bellinger’s double last night. I thought you were more of a purist.
Good morning Mark.
I’m almost sure I can make a mistake about it, since I’m not an expert, but I do not see Hudson as a set-up, the name of Baez comes to my mind, who seems very similar to Hudson in confidence for the team, also he the only one who could throw two innings….
1. Electronic strike zone but no challenges.
2. DH in both leagues or not at all.
3. Ban the shift. Plus, infielders can no longer position themselves on the outfield grass.
The game needs more offense.
Maybe three balls instead of two (and I’m not talking anatomically).
I liked what I saw from Dylan Floro last night. He was in the mid90s with some good movement. Hopefully gets back out there tonight. It’s an audition for him before the trade deadline as well.
Dont rush will Smith. He shouldn’t even see la until next year.
Free Andrew Toles!
Free Andrew Toles!
Free Andrew Toles!
Free Andrew Toles!
Free Andrew Toles!
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Makes me want to drive to SD just to try to start the chant
I don’t loathe the DH; I don’t care either way. If it comes, great, that’s less Rich Hill at bat and more good hitters at bat
Electronic strike zone, but keep the home plate umpire. He can make all the other calls he does now and can make better decisions on half swings and balks if he doesn’t have to watch the ball. Would he still be positioned behind the catcher?
Why not DH for catchers as well? Because that’s not what baseball is. There’s nothing wrong with pitchers having to deal with both sides of the game and for a few of them they excel. I don’t believe bringing DH to the NL will sell more tickets either. I’m not a purist but when it isn’t broke there’s no reason to fix it. The umpires calling balls and strikes is a different story and that’s broke more than 50% of the time. While the heads of MLB are always patting umpires backs of the umps for doing an outstanding job I wonder were they watching the games I watched. When it ain’t right is when it needs fixing and it ain’t right that calls favor for the brethren factor. And I’m not for changing for what the fans want either. The whole world goes crazy over soccer and I have a hard time understanding why that is. Football is becoming just as lame and basketball jumped ahead and now is just another talent show like American Idol. The only way soccer is any good is when it’s played on ice. Baseball is the unique sport and most of the other sports are just the same game with different scenery. There I go again upshifting with my ADD…….sorry.
I don’t like any of Mark’s proposed changes. I don’t like interleague play anyway. The distinctive of the All Star Game and the World Series is that these were the only 2 times that the players in different leagues faced each other. Since this is no longer the case, baseball runs the risk of doing what the NBA has discussed and just put the 8 teams with the best records in the post-season, regardless of league or division affiliation. I would hate that!
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I hate the DH! Get rid of it. Pitchers who have to hit are a little more circumspect about dusting hitters off.
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You say you’re worried that Millenials and Gen Z don’t like the game in part because it’s too slow? Then by all means allow for challenges of balls and strikes!
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After you ban “the shift” are you also going to ban playing the infield deep in double play situations and in to cut off the run on a grounder? Ban moving outfielders deeper when power hitters come up? Make pitchers throw from a flat surface instead of a mound? Outlaw the slider? Geez.
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I would figure some way to dump Forsythe for sure. Utley is the best pinch hitter on the team so maybe he keeps his job. (He’s hitting .345 in 29 PA as a pinch hitter.) For sure they have to see what Toles can do now that Puig is on the DL and Toles is on the roster.
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Zac Rosscup is not going to be the answer to any question. Here are his numbers
4 seasons not including this year, 71 games.
3 – 1, 5.30 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 54 IP, 52 H, 34 BB, 10 HR, 67 K.
Geez.
1. Electronic Balls and Strikes — I prefer to totally go with electronic strike zone. No appeals. No challenges. Keep the ump behind home plate to call everything but non-swung on pitches.
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The DH is Uniform Throughout All of Baseball – Agree but with caveat that both leagues use it.
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Shifts are Banned – While I really like positioning the defense where it can have the highest likelihood of making a play, like football uses the prevent defense or the nickel defense, or the three man line, or the four man line, or stacking 8 on or close to the line to thwart the run. But like football has protected the quarterback, or stopped certain contact with receivers maybe baseball needs to help produce more offense.
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Glad to see Smith supporting my early faith in him. Unless Ruiz is seen as a second base prospect, I would include him in a package for a player that can better help the Dodgers.
Minor League Update – Update Above. Some good games and good performances. And as Mark indicated Alex Verdugo did not play in the AAA All Star game.
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Mitchell White and Dustin May are due to start for Tulsa and RC respectively today.
Most analytics show that Ball and Strike calling by umpires is pretty accurate and constantly becoming even more.
Your proposal to allow challenges will turn the game into a snore fest. ONE PER INNING? Are you nuts? Can you challenge check swings? Catcher interference? It’s a silly idea.
Today we take over first place.
Where is Verdugo? Mark, Ac why the mystery? I must say Floro is off to a fantastic start with la. How in the world does his fastball jump into the 94-95 range? I don’t know how that happens, maybe the radar was in error.
Thanks for the responses about Floro. It just seems he may be more valuable than his previous record might indicate.
The NBA and the NFL have made a lot of changes over the years that I think have improved their games. If MLB wants to continue to attract new fans in larger numbers they will have to change. I agree with all of Mark’s proposed changes – except the challenges. Maybe 2 or 3 per game max. The Hawk-Eye system they use for Tennis has worked great.
In response to Bluto’s post above about umpire calls. There is a 2016 article that talks about the award winning sports show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel that states, “Oct 1, 2016 – MLB claims its umpires call 97 percent of balls and strikes correctly. … the study showed that only about 88 percent of the calls were accurate.” It went on to state that 1/3 of their calls on close pitches (not obvious strikes or balls) were incorrect. That is not very good and needs to be corrected, especially since there is a method to correct it.
Sorry, I meant to add the address of the article…. https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/gil-lebreton/article105378146.html You will have to cut and paste, I don’t know how to add a link.
Insofar as the challenges, I purposed 9 because if they can’t be overturned in 30 seconds, they stand. Ball and strikes will be the most challenged and that will be instant!
I personally hate both the DH and the pitcher hitting.
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So here’s a crazy idea… why not just have an 8 man lineup for both leagues. In that scenario, you eliminate both problems with one easy rule change.
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I know that this will probably never happen, but I think it makes the most sense.
I think a study of how young (12-18) fans react or perceive the shift needs to happen soon. I took my 15 year grandson to the Dodgers vs Angel’s game 11/6 and was shocked at his reaction to seeing the shift in person. He was adamant that that wasn’t how baseball should be played. Of course from his limited experience from tee ball til now they never use a shift. Still I was completely caught off guard by his reaction.
I was for replay and I still would rather than not. However, it still doesn’t assure that the calls are accurate. I am getting very weary of the umpires make a call and it is not overturned because of not enough evidence to overturn. I believe the Dodgers got hosed big time with the out call on Gonzalez at home plate against the Cubs 2 years ago. I believe that call turned the whole series. The other night against the Angels bellinger was called out twice when if the umpire would have called him safe on the field he would have been safe. The fact the umpire called him out there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn. It cost the Dodgers the game when I feel he was safe. I thought the replay showed him safe with the bases loaded. It was a tie which goes to the runner. Forget the call on the field just rule whether he was safe or not.
I like the idea of having a older player like Kemp, Big Poppy or someone like that play a few years longer. It add more offense and excitement. Hardly any youth league are letting pitchers hit, then they can’t hit when they come up. The horse is already out of the barn. I believe that at the very minimum, next season, there will be the DH in both leagues and roster expansion to 26 or 27… and maybe the end of shifts!
More importantly, AZ just lost again at Col. Let’s get today with our all star Stripling and take sole possession of first place