OnlyBucs

Some good news here, as far as I'm concerned. And some bad news.



1. 7 inning double headers likely over (wonderful!)

2. Gimmicky extra innings ghost runner rule likely over (even more wonderful!)

3. NL DH is a possibility, but not a guarantee. (one can hold out hope, can't he?)

4. Likely some type of ban on defensive shifts (yuck...just like the three-batter minimum rule for pitchers, managers shouldn't have things like this mucking with how they manage a game, IMO)



https://www.sharonherald.com/sports/man ... 1f02e.html

7D7576415772555A340 wrote: Some good news here, as far as I'm concerned. And some bad news.



1. 7 inning double headers likely over (wonderful!)

2. Gimmicky extra innings ghost runner rule likely over (even more wonderful!)

3. NL DH is a possibility, but not a guarantee. (one can hold out hope, can't he?)

4. Likely some type of ban on defensive shifts (yuck...just like the three-batter minimum rule for pitchers, managers shouldn't have things like this mucking with how they manage a game, IMO)



https://www.sharonherald.com/sports/man ... 1f02e.html




Here's the PG version of the story, complete with Manfred loving him some Bob Nutting.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pir ... 2107130180

Banning shifts is ridiculous. Should a manager be able to move an OFer to add an IFer when trying to keep a run from scoring from 3rd at the end of a game? Of course. Just teach hitters to beat the shift enough to make opposing managers play it straight. Dumb rule if they do that.

584F596E7878741B0 wrote: Banning shifts is ridiculous. Should a manager be able to move an OFer to add an IFer when trying to keep a run from scoring from 3rd at the end of a game?  Of course. Just teach hitters to beat the shift enough to make opposing managers play it straight. Dumb rule if they do that.


I'm pretty sure the rule book doesn't say teams have to have 3 outfielders or any specific number of infielders or places for them to play.

5B7D7C6B7D6D1E0 wrote: Banning shifts is ridiculous. Should a manager be able to move an OFer to add an IFer when trying to keep a run from scoring from 3rd at the end of a game?  Of course. Just teach hitters to beat the shift enough to make opposing managers play it straight. Dumb rule if they do that.


I'm pretty sure the rule book doesn't say teams have to have 3 outfielders or any specific number of infielders or places for them to play. 




My take on the shift is for the hitters to learn to hit the ball the other way instead of being constantly pull happy. But then hitting the long ball is the sexy thing to do right now.

The long ball's been sexy since Babe Ruth did it way back when. The long ball practically made baseball baseball.



Right now and every now.

04252D042F27400 wrote: Banning shifts is ridiculous. Should a manager be able to move an OFer to add an IFer when trying to keep a run from scoring from 3rd at the end of a game?  Of course. Just teach hitters to beat the shift enough to make opposing managers play it straight. Dumb rule if they do that.


I'm pretty sure the rule book doesn't say teams have to have 3 outfielders or any specific number of infielders or places for them to play. 




My take on the shift is for the hitters to learn to hit the ball the other way instead of being constantly pull happy.  But then hitting the long ball is the sexy thing to do right now.


IMHO, the odds never favor a HR so if the defense is giving you a hit the other way, take it. Going back to the last full season of 2019, Pete Alonso led MLB with 53 HRs. That was out of 693 PAs. So he hit a HR in about 7% of his trips to the plate. The MLB HR leader did not hit a HR in 93% of his PAs. So even for the MLB HR leader, the odds of getting a HR in any particular PA are slim. If they give you half a field in which to get as hit, take the free hit. Once you get a few runners on base thanks to the defense giving you half a field in which to hit safely, they have to position themselves honestly. Then you can swing for the fences.

5E737E6F68796E2E2D1C0 wrote: Banning shifts is ridiculous. Should a manager be able to move an OFer to add an IFer when trying to keep a run from scoring from 3rd at the end of a game?  Of course. Just teach hitters to beat the shift enough to make opposing managers play it straight. Dumb rule if they do that.


I'm pretty sure the rule book doesn't say teams have to have 3 outfielders or any specific number of infielders or places for them to play. 




My take on the shift is for the hitters to learn to hit the ball the other way instead of being constantly pull happy.  But then hitting the long ball is the sexy thing to do right now.


IMHO, the odds never favor a HR so if the defense is giving you a hit the other way, take it. Going back to the last full season of 2019, Pete Alonso led MLB with 53 HRs. That was out of 693 PAs. So he hit a HR in about 7% of his trips to the plate. The MLB HR leader did not hit a HR in 93% of his PAs. So even for the MLB HR leader, the odds of getting a HR in any particular PA are slim. If they give you half a field in which to get as hit, take the free hit. Once you get a few runners on base thanks to the defense giving you half a field in which to hit safely, they have to position themselves honestly. Then you can swing for the fences. 


Precisely this. Learn to hit the opposite way. On the three batter minimum rule (which I also loathe), learn to hit same-handed pitchers. I don't get why they rob managers of that advantage. Or why they want to drive LOOGYs and ROOGYs from the game.



I get the whole pace of play argument, but I just don't think modifying the game is the way to address it.

My opinion is that hitters attempt to do whatever their bosses (coaches) tell them to do. Coaches have their reasons (assumed.)



I see no reason to ban defensive strategy. Hitters have enough chance to counter, and if they're successful enough, teams will stop shifting.



These things go in cycles.

6C594E4E457C4E4E45424E2B0 wrote: My opinion is that hitters attempt to do whatever their bosses (coaches) tell them to do.  Coaches have their reasons (assumed.)



I see no reason to ban defensive strategy.  Hitters have enough chance to counter, and if they're successful enough, teams will stop shifting.



These things go in cycles.
Exactly. It makes perfect sense to position your fielders where you think the ball will be hit. And the counter is to hit the ball where they don't put fielders. Just because the hitters are too stupid to employ the obvious counter doesn't mean a rule should be enacted to prevent fielders from taking advantage of hitters' stupidity.