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Post by mandelbro on Jul 2, 2018 10:33:32 GMT -5
The shift is ingenious. Don't like it? Beat it.
Baseball has a bit of an identity crisis right now. Rob Manfred thinks the game isn't "exciting" enough. With the subtext being that other sports that are more popular with young people (read: NBA) are "exciting".
But no matter how badly Mr. Manfred wants to snap his fingers and turn baseball into basketball, its not going to happen. You can't make baseball games as short and fast-paced as basketball ones. All these arbitrary and frivolous rule changes will only serve to make baseball an inferior version of a hypothetical fast-paced and exciting product. Rather than a superior version of the product that baseball already is.
As for the Boras angle, his interests aren't mine, or baseball's, and that's OK. He's a great agent.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jul 2, 2018 10:42:53 GMT -5
As Umassgrad points out, it wouldn't be crazy to implement rules limiting the shift (number of players per side of second base, etc.). There's plenty of precedent across professional sports: The NBA limits defenses with things like defensive 3 seconds, has the 24-second shot clock, offensive 3 second rule, etc. The NFL has rules about how defensive backs can cover receivers, how many guys you need to have on the line of scrimmage, etc.
Major League Baseball is an entertainment product. It is in the business of making money. If limiting the shift opens up offense, making it a more exciting game, then yeah, limit shifts. I don't really care either way, but I don't think it's this sacred thing that needs to be left alone.
Just FYI, at a recent Potomac-Salem game, at least 3 guys in the Salem lineup were getting shifted (I think it was Dalbec, Downs, and Washington? I can't quite remember.). Not necessarily germane to the discussion, but this is up and down the minors now as well as in the majors.
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Post by James Dunne on Jul 2, 2018 10:54:34 GMT -5
Just FYI, at a recent Potomac-Salem game, at least 3 guys in the Salem lineup were getting shifted (I think it was Dalbec, Downs, and Washington? I can't quite remember.). Not necessarily germane to the discussion, but this is up and down the minors now as well as in the majors. That's good though, right? Seems like it would lead to players who hit the ball to all fields having a bit more of an advantage, and ones who hit the ball into specific lanes not getting a rude awakening in the majors. Not everyone is entertained by the same thing - some people like homers, others like people who use the whole field. The shift counters hard-hitting pull hitters who don't adjust their approach based on the defense. Should a hitter adjust his approach based on the defense? Seems to me that David Ortiz, who hit the ball over the shift a lot, doesn't need to adjust, but Jackie Bradley damn well should. I dunno, if players are so pull-heavy that a team can beat them stacking one side of the field, they should do it. If you don't like it, become a better-rounded hitter. Suppose in football some team had a really good passing offense and never ran the ball. Would it make sense to make a team playing against that have a traditional 1980's defense 4-3-4 or 3-4-4 defense? So it is in baseball. Keep the defense honest or accept the consequences. If everyone knows what you're trying to do (in this case, pull the ball as hard as you can) they should be able to defend that. Also, too - lefthanded hitters have had, like, 140 years of an advantage because the first baseman needs to stay closer to first (making that 3-4 hole larger than the 5-6 hole needs to be) and because they are a running step closer to first base. Teams have found a way to counter that advantage. So find a lefty willing to bunt a double to where the third baseman should be standing. |
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Post by kingofthetrill on Jul 2, 2018 11:05:06 GMT -5
If they do that then they might as well make 1 batter platoon-oriented pitching changes illegal. That would speed up the game and limit the offensive black hole that some left handed batters are as pumpkins whenever a lefty pitcher is on the mound.
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Post by mandelbro on Jul 2, 2018 11:07:52 GMT -5
Lets make overhand pitching illegal. Think of all the "action"!
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Post by jrffam05 on Jul 2, 2018 13:36:52 GMT -5
FTFY Now to be fair (and ignoring the motives behind his statement) MLB should do their due diligence and explore this, I just don't agree with requiring 2 infielder on each side of the bag at this point. I'm all for bunting against the shift, even if you're a power hitter. You have two attempts to bunt the ball vaguely down the left field line, and if you succeed 40% of the time you have a 400/400/400 line + whatever you can do with two strikes. |
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Post by michael on Jul 5, 2018 15:58:17 GMT -5
Basketball has many rules that favor offense, as does Football. It just makes sense. Much more enjoyable watching teams score than great D. Things like the 3 second rule in Basketball really opened up the game, no touching after 5 yards and no illegal contact opened up passing in the NFL. I just have to ask how is the shift the best thing to happen to Baseball in a hundred years? The DH and wildcards were much better for baseball than some stupid shift. Do we really want more bunting in Baseball? Would successful bunting help reduce the shifts? |
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Post by jimed14 on Jul 5, 2018 16:05:08 GMT -5
The more I think about this, the more dumb it gets. Using the word discrimination is a complete insult to anyone who has ever been discriminated against. These poor tortured millionaire athletes. You know what's great? They could escape the discrimination by quitting, unlike every other person who suffers from it.
Boras is a joke of a human being for spewing this calculated garbage.
Also notice that he didn't mention the advantage that LHB have because they face 70% RHP.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Jul 5, 2018 17:07:13 GMT -5
Boras is a joke of a human being for spewing this calculated garbage. Also notice that he didn't mention the advantage that LHB have because they face 70% RHP. I'm telling you, if Harper was having a big year this year average wise, you don't hear a peep from him on this subject. |
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