MLB Off-Topic

[Steven78]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

In real life if I throw a baseball at someone, my big manly self is going to jail.

Wtf does this have to do with anything?

[CMH]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Wtf does this have to do with anything?

It's very clear.

If you don't like someone because of their actions or behavior and throw a baseball at them, you're likely going to face a lawful situation.

Yet there is a segment of baseball fans that root for their pitchers to do the very thing we know we shouldn't do outside a baseball field. And they're okay with it. Because bravado and being a man or something ridiculous.


I realize I'm taking what will likely be an unpopular opinion for those that think baseballs should be thrown at players to send a message, but I'm cool with it.

To me, nothing about the sentence "hit him to shut him up or send a message" is baseball. We can move on if it bothers anyone. Not trying to make a huge debate about it. No one's mind is changing. I said my piece. I agree with Donaldson.

[fatleg3]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

It's very clear.

If you don't like someone because of their actions or behavior and throw a baseball at them, you're likely going to face a lawful situation.

Yet there is a segment of baseball fans that root for their pitchers to do the very thing we know we shouldn't do outside a baseball field. And they're okay with it. Because bravado and being a man or something ridiculous.


I realize I'm taking what will likely be an unpopular opinion for those that think baseballs should be thrown at players to send a message, but I'm cool with it.

To me, nothing about the sentence "hit him to shut him up or send a message" is baseball. We can move on if it bothers anyone. Not trying to make a huge debate about it. No one's mind is changing. I said my piece. I agree with Donaldson.

You are not alone. I agree also and always have thought their should be a zero tolerance when it is clear a pitcher intentionally throws at a batter. These guys have a small projectile that they can throw at me anywhere from 90-100 mph whenever they feel like it. You are intentionally putting my paycheck at risk. That's why I never have any problem with guys charging the mound.

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[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Agreed CMH.
But if they don't get rid of this in the game, then I'd prefer an alternative.

Since pitchers are the only ones with the power to hurt or 'send messages', then I suggest a ball be placed on a pedastal behind the home umpire.
If a hitter is intentionally thrown at, then the batter has the choice of throwing a ball back at him.
Or maybe we allow him to throw his bat at the pitcher?

I don't see how my suggestion is any less ridiculous than the establishment thinking it's fine to throw at a hitter because he celebrated too hard or dared to steal a base during a lopsided game.

So a guy did a ridiculous bat-flip? Strike him out next time and do a cartwheel on the mound.
I'd love to see that.
But the whole "I can't believe he fist-pumped after he went yard on me! I'm going to take this rock-like object and throw it at his head at 100MPH." Sounds fair.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

That's my issue with it, throwing a baseball at someone is childish, but doing it knowing you're safe and they can't do anything is cowardly and more importantly, dangerous. He used the Giancarlo example and it's valid, we've seen a star go down as a result of a HBP, now imagine Donaldson takes one in the neck and misses the rest of the season because the Twins didn't like something he did, its ridiculous. There's already payback in baseball, if a guy hits a home run against you, he's going to have to come back up to the plate against you, if not immediately then on another day. Just strike him out. There's nothing better you can do than that.

On another note, I was reading an article yesterday about the best stats in baseball which led me to an article on the worst stats and it made me wonder how some of the decisions are made.

OBP. You get a hit, it goes up. Makes sense. You get a walk and it goes up, makes sense. HBP and it goes up, makes sense because while involuntary, you did reach base. But reaching on an error doesn't make it go up. I've reached base, and done more to influence that result than an instance where a pitcher hit me, but am penalized for it. Sac hits are counted against OBP and not average, which makes sense to me as youve "intentionally" given yourself up and decided against trying to reach base, but the error scenario doesnt make sense to me. Just something that bugs me.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

It's very clear.

If you don't like someone because of their actions or behavior and throw a baseball at them, you're likely going to face a lawful situation.

Yet there is a segment of baseball fans that root for their pitchers to do the very thing we know we shouldn't do outside a baseball field. And they're okay with it. Because bravado and being a man or something ridiculous.


I realize I'm taking what will likely be an unpopular opinion for those that think baseballs should be thrown at players to send a message, but I'm cool with it.

To me, nothing about the sentence "hit him to shut him up or send a message" is baseball. We can move on if it bothers anyone. Not trying to make a huge debate about it. No one's mind is changing. I said my piece. I agree with Donaldson.

Furthermore, I don't like how they cowardly lie behind the microphone during an interview after the game when they are asked, "Did you hit him on purpose?" and they say, "No."

If hitting him was to shut him up, then speak up. "Yes, I did it. He deserved it." He'll be suspended, but maybe his cause would be heard if he really believes there is an issue with what Donaldson is doing.

By the way, I have no idea what it is that Donaldson even did lol.

OBP. You get a hit, it goes up. Makes sense. You get a walk and it goes up, makes sense. HBP and it goes up, makes sense because while involuntary, you did reach base. But reaching on an error doesn't make it go up. I've reached base, and done more to influence that result than an instance where a pitcher hit me, but am penalized for it. Sac hits are counted against OBP and not average, which makes sense to me as youve "intentionally" given yourself up and decided against trying to reach base, but the error scenario doesnt make sense to me. Just something that bugs me.

Sac flies are counted against OBP, but sac bunts are not.

And I don't know, if a pitcher hits me (or walks me, though I know you didn't use that as an example), I don't chalk it up to a pitcher being ineffectively wild, I see it as a pitcher preferring to miss inside as opposed to missing over the plate. Too bad I'm saying this the day after Vogelsong got nailed in the eye, but my stance on that still doesn't really change. I guess when you "take one for the team," we are also saying there is some pain for pleasure and that you have well earned your OBP to increase regardless.

The one that is really unfortunate in this situation is the fielder's choice though, especially the one that is due to a result of another baserunner's screwup. Say you got a bloop single into the outfield, but one that the runner on first base had misread, and gets thrown out at second. I guess the message is, "If you hit a cleaner single, everyone would have advanced their next base as a result, so you do not earn it." Maybe there are ways to look at and change these in baseball if they were voted in favor of, but I'd only take it if statistics could be retroactively changed, and I think it would either be too timely or too impossible to do that for historical games, so something like this just wouldn't ever change.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I guess I feel if you reach base, your OBP should go up. I don't think a batter is more involved in a HBP than when the batter actually puts the ball in play in a way that the defender can't cleanly field it, there's no justification for that to me. I can hit a screamer to the 3rd baseman, he bobbles it and I reach, and then they act like he just gave me the base, whereas a HBP is actually someone giving you a base. One way your OBP goes down and the other goes up. The distinction doesn't make sense to me I guess.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I guess I feel if you reach base, your OBP should go up. I don't think a batter is more involved in a HBP than when the batter actually puts the ball in play in a way that the defender can't cleanly field it, there's no justification for that to me. I can hit a screamer to the 3rd baseman, he bobbles it and I reach, and then they act like he just gave me the base, whereas a HBP is actually someone giving you a base. One way your OBP goes down and the other goes up. The distinction doesn't make sense to me I guess.

The distinction is statistical thresholds. We already reserve far too much judgment on one individual to determine hits versus errors, passed balls versus wild pitches, earned versus unearned runs, etc. that we can't possibly consider differentiating good errors from bad.

I mean look, Pence yesterday got a walkoff RBI double on a clown pop-up that was too far out of reach for the Padres' defense to handle, and it kicked away from a diving Kemp... yet it comes out as a gapper in the box score. I think most people would agree that Pence's OPS boosting from that pop-up is a bit of a farce, as is true for the pitcher's WHIP and ERA.

Yet, if we give scorers too much control, we have to get more scorers IMO. Not only that, but as I said, if something like that ever went into place, then they would have to retroactively change historical statistics to accurately reflect this as well. Also my opinion.

I think that softball should have in place what you are referring to regarding slap hitters. I can't count how many times an infielder bobbles a ball on a grounder when a slapper is up. You can call them all coincidence, but I know exactly what they were: the threat of speed promoted the rush job, and that's what caused the error. I don't mind those going against the girl's batting average, and furthermore I don't mind it even being called an error in the box score; however, the slapper's OBP should go up in that case, not down. I think in softball very specifically, this should definitely be included for those hitters alone. But they should also not be getting sacrifice bunts if they truly were bunting for a base hit, no matter whether they moved a runner over while getting out or not. They did not sacrifice their AB in any sort of way to do what is a norm for them.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Interesting, you have undoubtedly sent me down a rabbit hole of thinking about baseball statistics and the different ways in which they can be influenced or doctored. It's crazy to think in a game so reliant on numbers how some of the numbers are devised. There's a ton more judgment in a lot of these calls than I ever thought about.

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Interesting, you have undoubtedly sent me down a rabbit hole of thinking about baseball statistics and the different ways in which they can be influenced or doctored. It's crazy to think in a game so reliant on numbers how some of the numbers are devised. There's a ton more judgment in a lot of these calls than I ever thought about.

Speaking of which, there was a time and place when I was writing "Onion" baseball articles (yes, fake news spun off a fake news website) with my friend, if not at least the headlines. We would exchange them back and forth routinely. I even posted one on here once (about Reynolds receiving an "intentional strikeout" from the opposing manager... I have to find that one again -- EDIT: Here it is!). There was another one about Matt Murton being knocked unconscious from a home run ball thrown back into Wrigley Field from Waveland Ave.

Anyway, several years ago my prized possession was an article back in 2011 celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the Mets beating the Red Sox in the World Series, and the official scorer changing Bill Buckner's error into a Mookie Wilson infield single (not because the play didn't require ordinary effort, but upon further review he deems Wilson would have made it to 1B). I obviously don't think that should be the case, and furthermore there must be a statute of limitations on statistical changes especially twenty-five years down the road, but that idea for The Onion always gave me a chuckle. But hey, they can do it this year for the 30th anniversary!

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Anyone remember the gyroball?

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Are you referring to the mysterious death pitch Dice-K was going to use to take down the banners in Yankee Stadium and restore supremacy to the great Red Sox Nation? Yeah, I remember it.

Reading that article, the hype is even more embarrassing in retrospect lol. People really thought this guy had solved pitching.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Watching the Cubs game and a kid pitching for STL was drafted in the 36th round.

It's really not necessary to have nearly 1,000 new players entering professional baseball every year, and the vast, vast majority of guys drafted will never play at the MLB level, so I wonder if MLB will ever consider cutting down on the number of leagues at the Minor League level.

I think there are 6 levels now (Rookie, Short Season, Low A, High A, AA, AAA). Most of the teams are independently owned, so maybe Major League Baseball doesn't care since they aren't paying for operating costs.

I don't know where I'm going with this.. just started thinking about it watching the game.

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

But if they don't get rid of this in the game, then I'd prefer an alternative.

Since pitchers are the only ones with the power to hurt or 'send messages', then I suggest a ball be placed on a pedastal behind the home umpire.
If a hitter is intentionally thrown at, then the batter has the choice of throwing a ball back at him.
Or maybe we allow him to throw his bat at the pitcher?

I don't see how my suggestion is any less ridiculous than the establishment thinking it's fine to throw at a hitter...

Nice analogy.

[redsox4evur]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Hacksaw Jonny Gomes has decided to retire.

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