MLB Rule Changes

[roncollins]

As a rule, it's probably fair to say I agree with Bob. But, then, I'm a bit of a fuddy-duddy on these things. Limit warm-up pitches, and limit TV commercials and the game will chug right along.

[Rory]

Reducing commercials is awesome spin from you guys. lol I love it,

Limiting warm up pitches is a career suicide for a pitcher. He needs to get heat back into that shoulder before unleashing pitches at full speed. Especially their breaking balls, their fast balls, cause they waited for 15 mins. or more while their team hit, cause every mound is different. Even if they are in the same stadium, measured exactly the same. It's impossible to pack dirt exactly the same on any 2 mounds. They will feel different.

Limiting throws to 1st base or times stepping out of the box. If anyone watched that KC/Oak play in game (which was an absolute classic) you may have noticed the Royals playing the step out of the box game against Lester. They tried to control Lester's rhythm, but to combat this Lester started to take longer between deliveries and when they did step out, Lester made them wait a little longer the next pitch. An awesome display a of baseball chess match. From that point on he mowed down the Royals lineup til he got tired and his numb skulled manager waited too long to take him out.

Now if the A's would've thrown over to 1st once in a while would the Royals have stolen that many bases? I think not. So limiting a pitchers throw to 1st (or any base) will let the runner dictate the game. The runner can take a big lead to get the pitcher to throw over and then he can go at 1st movement. A huge disadvantage to the defense. And takes away the chess match that makes baseball.....well, baseball.

In my opinion, baseball is about as perfect a game that man has ever come up with. But they continue to try and screw it up with replays, the no blocking the plate etc... BS. I say Just "Play Ball".

[roncollins]

The limits I would put on warm-up pitches would be during pitching changes in the middle of an inning. If you want your guy warmed up, get him throwing in the pen. Make a change, he gets two pitches to familiarize himself with the mound, and then get going. Every in-inning pitching change adds 3-5 minutes to every game of pure idle time. There seem to be at least three per game, sometimes many more. That's 9-15 minutes of pure dead-time that get's cut. I would rather than than remove other portions of the game that have actual value.

[Arroyos]

The limits I would put on warm-up pitches would be during pitching changes in the middle of an inning. If you want your guy warmed up, get him throwing in the pen. Make a change, he gets two pitches to familiarize himself with the mound, and then get going. Every in-inning pitching change adds 3-5 minutes to every game of pure idle time. There seem to be at least three per game, sometimes many more. That's 9-15 minutes of pure dead-time that get's cut. I would rather than than remove other portions of the game that have actual value.

So why not just limit the number of times managers can go to their bullpen in an inning? Make those overpaid, underworked bullpen slobs earn those megabucks!

[Borealis]

The limits I would put on warm-up pitches would be during pitching changes in the middle of an inning. If you want your guy warmed up, get him throwing in the pen. Make a change, he gets two pitches to familiarize himself with the mound, and then get going. Every in-inning pitching change adds 3-5 minutes to every game of pure idle time. There seem to be at least three per game, sometimes many more. That's 9-15 minutes of pure dead-time that get's cut. I would rather than than remove other portions of the game that have actual value.

So why not just limit the number of times managers can go to their bullpen in an inning? Make those overpaid, underworked bullpen slobs earn those megabucks!

Or how about making them actually record an out before they can be removed! It's the Age of the Specialist that has all these pitching changes happening - make them get an out and there will inherently be fewer changes (all those guys who don't get an out go longer - and maybe even last more than 2 batters)...

[Leones]

I retract my earlier position on the automatic walk. Whilst watching an intentional walk last night I was reminded that it does add a dramatic build up to the next at bat and gives the guys in the booth time for some generally useful and informative analysis. All four pitches should be tossed to intentionally walk a batter. :)

(learning all the time)

[John]

I retract my earlier position on the automatic walk. Whilst watching an intentional walk last night I was reminded that it does add a dramatic build up to the next at bat and gives the guys in the booth time for some generally useful and informative analysis. All four pitches should be tossed to intentionally walk a batter. :)

(learning all the time)

That's an interesting point, Patrick. I was in the camp that favored axing the four-pitch intentional walk, but your argument may have swayed me. You're right about how the announcers can utilize that time to build excitement for the upcoming at bat. Narrative-building is important in this game, as it is in every game.

[Borealis]

I retract my earlier position on the automatic walk. Whilst watching an intentional walk last night I was reminded that it does add a dramatic build up to the next at bat and gives the guys in the booth time for some generally useful and informative analysis. All four pitches should be tossed to intentionally walk a batter. :)

(learning all the time)

That's an interesting point, Patrick. I was in the camp that favored axing the four-pitch intentional walk, but your argument may have swayed me. You're right about how the announcers can utilize that time to build excitement for the upcoming at bat. Narrative-building is important in this game, as it is in every game.

Case in point - tonight's playoff game!! Make them throw that pitch!!!

[John]

I retract my earlier position on the automatic walk. Whilst watching an intentional walk last night I was reminded that it does add a dramatic build up to the next at bat and gives the guys in the booth time for some generally useful and informative analysis. All four pitches should be tossed to intentionally walk a batter. :)

(learning all the time)

That's an interesting point, Patrick. I was in the camp that favored axing the four-pitch intentional walk, but your argument may have swayed me. You're right about how the announcers can utilize that time to build excitement for the upcoming at bat. Narrative-building is important in this game, as it is in every game.

Case in point - tonight's playoff game!! Make them throw that pitch!!!

I was thinking about that as I watched the replay of the game. Kind of a prescient discussion we're having here, huh?

[Coqui]

Narrative-building is important in this game, as it is in every game.

Has anyone else caught the anti-narrative undercurrent this RL postseason that has become popular amongst the sabermetric kommenteriat? Such as, "benching Puig for Ethier fits the narrative, so it must be wrong", or "Harold Reynolds and his tipping pitches narrative is, like, so gauche, man".

Postseason "Narrative" is the new sabermetric dirty word, joining "clutch" and "intangibles" and "chemistry" among those concepts that must be mocked.

[Arroyos]

Narrative-building is important in this game, as it is in every game.

Has anyone else caught the anti-narrative undercurrent this RL postseason that has become popular amongst the sabermetric kommenteriat? Such as, "benching Puig for Ethier fits the narrative, so it must be wrong", or "Harold Reynolds and his tipping pitches narrative is, like, so gauche, man".

Postseason "Narrative" is the new sabermetric dirty word, joining "clutch" and "intangibles" and "chemistry" among those concepts that must be mocked.

No wonder I turn off the sound to watch baseball games. Sports reporters have been reading too much Derrida.

[Coqui]

No wonder I turn off the sound to watch baseball games. Sports reporters have been reading too much Derrida.

Well played, sir.

[Lions]

I was mocked this week for listening to the Fox Sports 1 games on the radio, but I kinda like it. I don't have cable and can't figure out how to stream those games on my computer. My kids think it's perfectly normal.

I was also thinking about this thread when the intentional walk pitch went wild. My wife didn't understand at all why I was so excited.

[Arroyos]

I was mocked this week for listening to the Fox Sports 1 games on the radio, but I kinda like it. I don't have cable and can't figure out how to stream those games on my computer. My kids think it's perfectly normal.

I was also thinking about this thread when the intentional walk pitch went wild. My wife didn't understand at all why I was so excited.

The baseball goddess was reminding us why NOT to change the way intentional walks are delivered.

[Rory]

No wonder I turn off the sound to watch baseball games. Sports reporters have been reading too much Derrida.

I'm really gonna miss Vin Scully when he decides to hang up his mic.