MLB Considering Stupid Rule Changes

[leftwinger]

Again, if you can’t beat the shift, you can be replaced by someone who can
Learn to bunt, choke up on the bat, use a lighter bat.... If your career depends on it

Right, so some fool owner gives Manny Machado $250M for 10 seasons and he won't bunt or "go the other way" (sounds fag right off the bat (pun)....Guaranteed contract, can't fire him, release him and you have to pay him anyway. Now what? Keep the shift, but keep the infielders on the infield dirt...it's common sense so you'll probably disagree.

A lot of it depends on " situation" IMVHO. Playoff game down by 3, RF shift? It would seem a real player knows you need runners. The risk of trying for an HR is not worth it? Maybe the P hates the stretch?

Hey, how come you dont see many LF shifts? if so many RH pull hitters?

 

[WillPower]

?

Hey, how come you dont see many LF shifts? if so many RH pull hitters?

Lefties are notorious low-ball pull-hitters...they're bred that way and tend to lift the ball more which results in bloops a shifted-infielder can handle like a popup while an unshifted infielder would have to race back for it and risk a collision with the RFer. Most RH hitters are taught to swing for the power alleys....I can't recall a LH hitter who had opposite field power other than Jim Gentile and Wally Moon when the Dodgers first moved west and played in the Coliseum....the LF porch was like 250' and Wally figured out how to close up his stance and shoot the ball over the short wall.

 

[Pogo]

Stupid rule changes? I'm still pissed about "defensive indifference" and this bullshit where you don't have to actually throw the ball to issue an intentional walk, whatever that's called.

That intentional walk thing was to save time? Pitch count? It was fine the way it was, in case of mistake.

Defensive indifferrence? Is that no SB awarded when they don't try to hold you on or don't throw?

Yes to the latter. It purports to read people's minds. The defense may just figure they're taking a chance on throwing the ball into center field, so they hold it --- that's not "indifference". It's strategy. The baserunner has an advantage, and he uses it -- but he still has to execute it. Calling it in effect "no play" is bullshit.

I don't see any time saving on a no-pitch walk. I DO see that it takes away the hitter's chance of poking at the ball in the event the pitcher throws it too close, and that's removing an aspect of the game. Nothing about "pitch counts", I don't think there's any rule on that.

 

[Pogo]

?

Hey, how come you dont see many LF shifts? if so many RH pull hitters?

Lefties are notorious low-ball pull-hitters...they're bred that way and tend to lift the ball more which results in bloops a shifted-infielder can handle like a popup while an unshifted infielder would have to race back for it and risk a collision with the RFer. Most RH hitters are taught to swing for the power alleys....I can't recall a LH hitter who had opposite field power other than Jim Gentile and Wally Moon when the Dodgers first moved west and played in the Coliseum....the LF porch was like 250' and Wally figured out how to close up his stance and shoot the ball over the short wall.

Ryan Howard was always sending moonshots to left field. That's when you knew his stroke was on. When it wasn't he would pull, into the shift.

 

[Pogo]

Again, if you can’t beat the shift, you can be replaced by someone who can
Learn to bunt, choke up on the bat, use a lighter bat.... If your career depends on it

Right, so some fool owner gives Manny Machado $250M for 10 seasons and he won't bunt or "go the other way" (sounds fag right off the bat (pun)....Guaranteed contract, can't fire him, release him and you have to pay him anyway. Now what? Keep the shift, but keep the infielders on the infield dirt...it's common sense so you'll probably disagree.

Manny's a righthanded batter. And probably overrated.

 

[HenryBHough]

Baseball and Football are both doomed.

In the new America we'll instead have fun Muslim games like speed beheading contests. Participator sports!

 

[Pogo]

Lefties are notorious low-ball pull-hitters...they're bred that way and tend to lift the ball more which results in bloops a shifted-infielder can handle like a popup while an unshifted infielder would have to race back for it and risk a collision with the RFer. Most RH hitters are taught to swing for the power alleys....

It's always been a curiosity --- when I was a developing kid in little league batting righthanded I could pretty much poke the pitch anywhere I wanted, depending on how the defense was playing, just find a hole. Didn't have much power, just line drives and ground balls, but enough bat control to spray it anywhere including down the RF line. Round about age 11 or 12 it occurred to me that a lefty batter has a step-and-a-half head start to 1B so I turned around and practiced swinging lefthanded --- no coaching, just on my own. Suddenly there was no more bat control, I pulled everything, and suddenly had all this deep power I never had before while batting righty. Way deep. So I made contact less often but when I did it was going a long way.

It's something about hand-eye coordination and being righthanded. I guess.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Plenty of lefty hitters have great bat control. Wade Boggs, offhand.

 

[rightwinger]

Plenty of lefty hitters have great bat control. Wade Boggs, offhand.

Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew were left hand batters

 

[Pogo]

Plenty of lefty hitters have great bat control. Wade Boggs, offhand.

Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew were left hand batters

I idolized Rod Carew growing up. And Tony Gwynn was awesome. But while they were lefthanded batters, apparently Wade Boggs was an "offhand" batter.

Maybe those guys started swinging lefthanded younger than I did, but that was my experience and it still holds -- but that's completely raw, with no coaching. Maybe I could have learned more, I'm just saying that's what came out naturally.

 

[Jarlaxle]

What in the world are you babbling about?

 

[WillPower]

Tony Gwynn and Rod Carew were left hand batters

I already mentioned both of them in post #10....neither had any power.

 

[WillPower]

What in the world are you babbling about?

STFU doorknob.

 

[Jarlaxle]

What in the world are you babbling about?

STFU doorknob.

You aren't sure either, then? Figured.