This is a really good point. For sure contemporary pitchers vs. pitchers in like the 80s/90s know they aren’t going to go deep in games. Is there good data on the recent year by year trend? You’re probably right but I have no idea how the pitchers/start for starters is trending. I think you’re probably right that a lot of improved pitching performance (not just velocity but also results) is coming from improved management of pitchers.
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I guess rosters finally expanded to 26 in the last couple seasons, but it was stuck at 25 forever. And in that time, teams went from carrying 9 or 10 pitchers to carrying 13 with only 3 guys on the bench. So pitchers had fewer hitters to study and prepare for, while hitters had more pitchers to prepare for. That alone probably counts for something in terms of the drop in offense.
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While pitch velocity was always something heavily selected for, it’s even more so today. There are training academies now that focus just on increasing throwing velocity. It used to be a cannon arm was something you either had or you didn’t, but velocity increasing training methods are definitely more common now than they used to be. I’ve definitely heard MLB pitchers talk about how they are constantly being emphasized to throw and spin harder at the expense of command. Guys that can throw 95+ have been around as long as radar guns. But what’s new is just how many of the MLB pitchers can hit that with their fastball consistently.
I have no idea where it ends. Sports science, analytics, training methods, and selected traits are constantly evolving and changing. The history of baseball has always been a back and forth between hitting and pitching. Sometimes rule changes kicked in. Sometimes it was just a focus on certain skills that mattered. Others were more random. Who knows what era we are in now, and if/when there will be another adjustment. Maybe against faster pitches with more movement contact hitting makes a resurgence.
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The most obvious answer to me is that it’s a structural flaw of baseball yet something they’ll never change: there are simply too many defenders on the field. Nine guys on defense is too many guys in a sport where pitching already has a decisive advantage over hitting, but then to make things worse, aNaLyTiCs gUyS broke everything and figured out shifting. I mean just think about what a ridiculous abundance and luxury it is to be able to park FOUR PLAYERS with gloves on one half of the infield 15 feet apart and still have three outfielders.
Forcing teams to not shift seems arbitrary and reactionary with no good thinking behind it. Remove one defender and defenses have to make meaningful choices. Right now, the incentives for hitters are almost perfectly aligned to TTO because ground balls are worthless. If grounders are worthless, there’s a selection bias toward players who don’t hit them: teams and hitters figured this out and now everyone is trying to optimize launch angle and avoid grounders. I remember reading an article that the Rays scooped up Yandy Diaz–a notorious ground ball pounder–because they “saw something” in his swing that led them to believe a slight tweak could turn him into a crusher.
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Huh? Pitchers today are clearly better. Nolan Ryan used to be the only guy in MLB that could throw 100. Now every team has 5 or 6 pitchers that can do it.
I think the point was simply that there are many contributing factors. I dont think that’s controversial.
I love watching highlights from the 70’s and 80’s. Every pitcher looked like he was throwing batting practice and every hitter stepped in the bucket every swing.
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Think how terrible they would have been without the greenies.
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What i dont get is why they aren’t trying new things. The biggest asset the mlb has is like 500000 leagues. Do some experiments in the minors. Juice the ball, deflate the ball, pitch clock, robo umps.
(Maybe they are and i don’t know about it).
The rule about putting a runner on 2nd base in extra innings was done in the minors first.
In one independent league, a batter was allowed to steal first base (basically the way dropped third strikes work).
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BUT YOU CANT STEAL FIRST PLAY THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY MOVE THE RUNNER OVER RBIS JACK MORRIS
Minors has a pitch clock.
They are also testing automated strike zone on a few leagues, as well as a few other things (bigger bases and restricting shifts).
Harder to mess with things like the ball, since players will get used to that.
yankees-white sox have 26 combined strikeouts through 7 innings. the AL 9-inning record is 31. can they do it?
Probably not unless Chicago scores 2 runs. Yanks won’t bat in the 9th.
This shit is getting ridiculous. Yankees haven’t given up a run in like 30 innings.
You guys jinxed everything.
White Sox score 1 run and strike out zero times in the top of the 8th.
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Lol yea Yanks didn’t K either. Still at 26, top 9th
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They had to find a record somewhere there
I had tons of tigers stacks today rightfully assuming minor will be ultra chalk. I x’ed out miggy in all of them because he hits as well as i do. He homered twice.
Yanks with another shutout. 1 run in 40 innings.
oh hey (from newest to oldest)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Reds/comments/n6cmi3/reds_ama_i_am_kyle_boddy_director_of_pitching/
also
https://www.reddit.com/r/Reds/comments/kmkdk5/reds_ama_i_am_kyle_boddy_director_of_pitching/
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/Reds/comments/dzoexb/reds_ama_i_am_kyle_boddy_director_of_pitching/
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