MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[rok]

The article says that the stitching change makes the balls akin to the balls they use in MLB already. Can the stitching be adapted that much more in the bigs?

Not 100% certain, but Craig Calcaterra on HardballTalk seems to think more tweaking can be done, as in the past. Not quite sure what specific modifications were made between '87-'93, but it would be interesting to research.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/0...t-offense/

[rok]

Smaller strike zone coming? I wouldn't mind this at all.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/23635...ng-offense

[jstraw]

Change the zone or change the expectation that the umpires honor the existing zone?

 

I don't see any reason to change the rulebook definition of the strike zone.

[bz]

Just another reason to bring in the robots.

[rok]

And Donaldson thought he was escaping a cheap FO in Oakland. Won't be in any way be an awkward clubhouse now.

Josh Donaldson, who was acquired from the As in November, lost his arbitration hearing against the Blue Jays and will make $4.3 million this season instead of $5.75 million.

[Kid]

Let's check in on how things are looking in Cincinnati and ... oh god.

 

https://twitter.com/LanceMcAlister/statu...4391438336

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

At least when Harry Caray's brain went to goo, he was fun.

[Kid]

RIP Wavin' Wendell Kim

[Andy]

RIP Wavin' Wendell Kim

 

Does this begin to explain things?

 

<span>No cause of death was given, but Kim was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease after retiring from baseball in 2005. In a story published by StL Sports Page in August, writer Sally Tippett Rains detailed how Kim began experiencing short-term memory loss while still coaching with the Chicago Cubs.</span>

[rok]

Damn. He was a nice fellow.

[MickKelleherWasMyHero]

Smaller strike zone coming? I wouldn't mind this at all.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/23635...ng-offense

 

I'm not sure so this a good idea. The two problems baseball has with casual fans are that (1) the games are too long and (2) lots of boring stuff happens between the action (or, this seems to get translated into "need more offense," but good defensive plays are just as exciting). If you shrink the strike zone, the games will be lengthen due to increased walks. I would also guess that casual fans would consider a bunch of walks boring.

 

Also, I wonder if an unintended consequence will be that pitchers get hurt more often. (They'll want to throw harder or get more movement on their pitches because of a hitter friendly strike zone.)

 

So, I think they'd be better served expanding the strike zone, if anything. It'll shorten games (fewer walks, hitters forced to hit, pitchers might go deeper into games) and lead to more action (hitters will be forced to hit, leading to more defensive plays and/or hits, which for the casual fan is more exciting that a walk). Scoring probably would go down, but there will more hits and more hits for outs as batters will be forced to swing.

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

"Casual fans" are incorrect. NFL games run longer than MLB games on average, and I would argue that the moments in between football plays are as or far more "boring" than in between MLB plays. What's the point in chasing the casual fan anyway?

[jstraw]

$

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

Yeah, yeah. I think that ship has sailed.

[rok]

We've lost the children for a generation or two. I'm not sure how baseball undoes that damage. Bring back PEDs?