From a fans point of view......

[Rick2583]

The sport of baseball was never more popular over the last quarter century then when guys were hitting 40 & 50 HRs a year during the steroid era. Remember, "Chicks dig the long ball"?

Just look at the last 15 years......

2000 = 832 runs per team, 190 HRs per team, 270 team average.
2014 = 595 runs per team, 127 HRs per team, 252 team average.

The fans are being asked to spend more money for less product. So what can be done to increase the action a little bit? I have 2 suggestions......

#1 lower the mound. And,
#2 (and I'm serious) eliminate the shift. Deem it as an Illegal defense. I believe such a rule applies in every other sport, why not in baseball? Hell, don't even go back 15 years, just look at last year to this year....

2014 = 595 average runs per team.
2013 = 675 average runs per team.

I mean, I don't mind a good pitchers duel from time to time but the game has just become very boring with all these drawn out low scoring games.

Discuss...................

 

[Messiah717]

I believe there's a good chance the shift does get eliminated.

 

[yankeesince59]

...I don't see how MLB can do away with it...fact is, it would die a slow death all by itself if hitters weren't so self centered and stubborn.

...I don't have a problem with a power hitter sitting on a FB early in the count, but once there's 2 strikes on him there's no reason not to take the gift hit/bunt to the vacated side of the infield.

 

[Rick2583]

...I don't see how MLB can do away with it...fact is, it would die a slow death all by itself if hitters weren't so self centered and stubborn.

...I don't have a problem with a power hitter sitting on a FB early in the count, but once there's 2 strikes on him there's no reason not to take the gift hit/bunt to the vacated side of the infield.

I agree Ron but unfortunately they're just to many Mark Teixeira types in the game today.

They have to do something though to increase interest in the games. Right now they're just to many games where the average fan can fall asleep. We need to bring the excitement back somehow.

 

[blgridesagain]

Give it a few more years at this pace and MLB is going to be taking a serious hit amoung the young people with all the access they have at instant results and faster paced sports like the NFL and BASKETBALL - The good old days of the 1960's when the pitchers were smothering the hitters with the higher pitching mound, higher strike zones just won't play too well in today's world amoung the young people....imo

Watching these lineups having trouble scoring runs against so many mediocre pitchers is nauseating.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Over expansion IMO, has led to a watered down lesser quality of play.....to many players these days in the Major's would be in the Minors back in the 60s-70s, IMHO....just saying....!

 

[Rick2583]

Over expansion IMO, has led to a watered down lesser quality of play.....to many players these days in the Major's would be in the Minors back in the 60s-70s, IMHO....just saying....!

I agree on that point 100% Rob. I can't believe how many players I've seen hitting in the ML today with batting averages around or under 200. I mean seeing a guy like Drew standing at a ML park with a bat in his hand while hitting around 150 is just sick. And in Cleveland I saw Jason Giambi at bat for the Indians hitting (I kid you not) 128. This league seems to be so watered down today its no wonder why production is down.

 

[yankeesince59]

...pitchers are throwing harder today than they ever have...more specialized and accomplished relievers, advanced sabre scouting reports on hitters, and the shift have all contributed to the downward spiral of offense.

 

[Hammerojustice]

The sport of baseball was never more popular over the last quarter century then when guys were hitting 40 & 50 HRs a year during the steroid era. Remember, "Chicks dig the long ball"?

Just look at the last 15 years......

2000 = 832 runs per team, 190 HRs per team, 270 team average.
2014 = 595 runs per team, 127 HRs per team, 252 team average.

The fans are being asked to spend more money for less product. So what can be done to increase the action a little bit? I have 2 suggestions......

#1 lower the mound. And,
#2 (and I'm serious) eliminate the shift. Deem it as an Illegal defense. I believe such a rule applies in every other sport, why not in baseball? Hell, don't even go back 15 years, just look at last year to this year....

2014 = 595 average runs per team.
2013 = 675 average runs per team.

I mean, I don't mind a good pitchers duel from time to time but the game has just become very boring with all these drawn out low scoring games.

Discuss...................

I like both ideas!

 

[mrmel29]

I believe there's a good chance the shift does get eliminated.

I agree with both you guys. The shift sucks and it is an easy rule adjustment for the league to make. I want to see homers not sluggers bunting down the 3rd baseline. Enough already with the 2nd basemen catching a line drive to right center

 

[Rick2583]

I agree with both you guys. The shift sucks and it is an easy rule adjustment for the league to make. I want to see homers not sluggers bunting down the 3rd baseline. Enough already with the 2nd basemen catching a line drive to right center

That's my point, position players should only be able to play there position. A shortstop should not be fielding a ball between 1st & 2nd. its way out of hand. You eliminate the shift you get more hits, more hits create more runs & the game goes back to being played the way it was meant to be played.

 

[yankeesince59]

...but the shift does not affect home runs. And as far as playing the game the way it was meant to be played, what ever happened to "hitting them where they ain't"?....what happened to players putting the team first instead of their stats? Again, if many of these players weren't so freakin' stubborn and insisting on pulling the ball into the shift, the shift itself would soon be phased out.
...defensive positioning is and always has been a strategic part of the game...aligning the IF/OF based on whether it's a LHed or RHed batter or what a batter's tendencies are, should not be tampered with. What's next?...not allowing defenses to bring in the IF and/or OF in certain situations?...or maybe drawing circular chalk lines all over the field and force defenders to stay in those circles until the ball is pitched?

... leave the game alone. Instead of changing the rules to accommodate the hitters, maybe the hitters should be more accommodating by taking what the defense gives them. If they did, like I said, the "shift" would soon disappear.

 

[yankeesince59]

...also, RPG is a cyclical thing and should not be attributed to any one thing, such as the shift ...the fall of offense is due to many factors...this helps explain it.

http://www.sportingcharts.com/artic...age-number-of-runs-scored-in-an-mlb-game.aspx

 

[Rick2583]

...also, RPG is a cyclical thing and should not be attributed to any one thing, such as the shift ...the fall of offense is due to many factors...this helps explain it.

http://www.sportingcharts.com/artic...age-number-of-runs-scored-in-an-mlb-game.aspx

I saw this a while back & its a great measuring stick of where the game has gone. And yes its true that the shift has nothing to do the home run it does reduce the runs scored by taking away what may be RBI singles now into outs. And yes I know that if players just took the time to develope the inside out swing to put the ball the other way the shift would eventually die out. I've just seen so many times this season where a player is in an RBI situation & he lines a ball to short RF (a sure hit & RBI) only to now have it caught by the 2nd baseman.

Honestly I think they need to make the game a little more exciting to bring fans back & to create new one's. And eliminating the shift would at least get us away from all these boring 1-0, 2-0 & 2-1 games. JMO.

 

[yankeesince59]

...no need for a power hitter to mess with his swing. No problem with them swing for the fences early in the count, but once they have 2 strikes on them, no one can convince me that if their life depended on it, they would still be unable to slap/bunt the pitch the other way.
...yeah, I know their life wouldn't really be at risk but the chances of their team scoring would be. This would be something the coach would have to insist on and if someone like Tex refuses to conform to this strategy, well, let them watch from the bench as their replacement shows them how it's done.

 

[Rick2583]

...no need for a power hitter to mess with his swing. No problem with them swing for the fences early in the count, but once they have 2 strikes on them, no one can convince me that if their life depended on it, they would still be unable to slap/bunt the pitch the other way.
...yeah, I know their life wouldn't really be at risk but the chances of their team scoring would be. This would be something the coach would have to insist on and if someone like Tex refuses to conform to this strategy, well, let them watch from the bench as their replacement shows them how it's done.

I agree & I'd vote for the first mgr with balls enough to do it as MOY.

 

[blgridesagain]

I would love to see the Yankee lineups try and bunt for a hit at least once or twice a game with a runner on first base or 2nd base and no outs......

Chances are good that there will be at least a runner on 2nd with one out... best case scenario is the pitcher/3b throws the ball awat. But in any case, a decent bunt down the 3rd base line does put pressure on the defense a forces the defense to MAKE A PLAY.

Many of these pitchers are doofs who would get tangled up half the time. lol