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Not Everything about this Era of Baseball is Bad!

AUTHOR
DATE
May 21, 2021

This is probably not the most ideal timing in the world considering I just watched the Phillies strikeout 15 times against Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins bullpen in one game, but here we are. There is so much hate regarding today’s game of baseball and it’s hard for me to fully comprehend. I am fully aware that the strikeout rate is insanely high, no-hitters are getting thrown daily, and games are long. Every sport has it’s issues to be fair.

This is where I have a problem with people who complain about the time it takes to get through 9 innings: If a game is 3 hours 22 minutes and you implement a pitch-clock resulting in a 3 hour 3 minute game, is that “fan” thoroughly enjoying the game now? I don’t see how 19 minutes is the difference in the love for the sport.

You either love the chess match between the pitcher and batter or you don’t. If you just want to see the ball get hit without processing the mental battle and the adjustments made by each player, then baseball isn’t for you. What did the pitcher throw last time this hitter was up? Does he have his fastball command or is he relying on off-speed pitches? Is he constantly getting ahead in the count? What was his previous start like? Is his ERA inflated by 1 bad outing? What’s his numbers against the stars on the opposing team? When is the manager going to the bullpen? How will the three-batter rule effect the reliever selected? Etc, etc, etc.

I just feel that you either love the “games within the game” or you just complain about the lack of action. Those thinking sequences are a part of the action!

Back in 2020, Joe Pompliano of Huddle Up, referenced the similarities between baseball and the NFL, but no one seems to argue that football is too long.

Trust me, I understand the difference in the physicality of football and why it’s more appealing to the eye, but this proves my point. The argument is not about how long it takes to watch a sporting event. It’s either you love the sport or you don’t.

Anyway, let’s get into a couple positives because that’s why we are here.

Passion!

Some would consider me a passionate guy, am I right?

There is nothing more ridiculous to me than old school baseball where it’s frowned upon to show emotion after making a good play. “Hit a home run and trot around the bases professionally,” whatever that means!

Fuck that.

Pound your chest, scream, bat flip, look at your teammates, and pump up the crowd. This is the perfect way to spice up the 3+ hours watching your favorite team play, not a damn pitch clock! The good news is we are definitely headed in the right direction as the new generation takes over. The more we weave out older fans and even veteran players, the energy we see today will be the norm. (I hope that statement doesn’t backfire like Doug Pederson’s classic “this is the new norm” after winning Super Bowl 52, by I digress.)

When Alex Ovechkin scores a goal, it’s time to slide on one knee, raise your stick into the air, and jump into the glass at full speed. After a monster slam dunk, we watch Ben Simmons roar while flexing his biceps. When Rob Gronkowski catches a touchdown, it’s encouraged to admire the moment by spiking the football as hard as you can into the ground. Hell, in tennis it’s fair game to scream as loud as possible after a big point even at the expense of your opponent’s poor play.

Let use golf as an example: I was going to bring up the fact that you won’t see golfers cheer when someone else misses a putt, but that’s not even close to the same thing. Don’t yell at me for even referencing that as I am just trying to cover all angles. These hitters are not bat flipping because the opponent made the wrong pitch. Sometimes they make the right pitch and that’s what makes the moment even sweeter. You are celebrating your own success. So if we are going to bring up anything with golf, imagine Tiger Woods in a red polo on a Sunday without the famous fist pump. Ew, that would be horrendous. How about sinking a 20 foot putt to go up 1 stroke on Hole 18. TWIRL THAT CLUB AND LET THE EMOTIONS POUR OUT OF YOU!

These clips below are beautiful and I’d be focusing more on making this a common scene more so than taking away the shift.

By the way, let’s not act like the pitcher isn’t able to deliver moments right back at the hitters after a beautiful strikeout. Aroldis Chapman on Tuesday night threw 103mph on the inside corner perfectly and followed that up with a HARD stare. Basically letting everyone in the Rangers organization know that you will not touch his electric heat he was bringing that night. It was completely acknowledging his dominance and I love it!

I do find it hysterical that most of the older generation looks at today’s society, labeling it soft. Deservingly so at times for sure, but I just witnessed outrage because Yermin Mercedes smoked a 3-0 pitch off an infielder, Willians Astudillo, out of the damn ballpark in a blowout. How about this? Don’t get your ass kicked so badly that you are in the position to throw an infielder on the mound. When does that come into play? Now all of the sudden the same people anti participation trophies are the ones that find it disrespectful in a double-digit win to hit a homerun? Am I the only one that finds this hypocritical? Pound the team in into the dirt. Make them pay. Make it sting. Let’s not forget to mention arbitration and financial impacts are in play for Mercedes.

Unfortunately, we have morons like Tony La Russa back in the game trying to hinder the growth of exciting baseball.

Young Stars Taking Over

Look, I’m not going to go into insane depth here as some of the names are obvious. There will also be some players I leave out, but it’s pretty damn clear there is a ton of young talent throughout the majors. When I say must watch television, I mean must watch television. MLB.TV, thank you for all of the out-of-market fun.

Shohei Ohtani – 26 years old – is probably the most entertaining player for me right now. Not only is he LEADING THE ENTIRE LEAGUE with 14 home runs, but he is slugging .627, has 33 RBI, 6 stolen bases, and a .272 batting average. Oh by the way, in 6 starts, he has posted a 2.37 ERA over 30 innings. His last start wasn’t the smoothest as he went 4.2 and allowed 2 earned runs against the Cleveland Indians. Prior to that, on May 11th, he went 7 strong with 10 strikeouts in Houston. That’s even with trash cans! Bad joke? I’ve had better.

To have this level of production on both sides of the plate is truly remarkable. Hopefully we continue to see this part of the game expand, too. It’s wild to think we have a scenario where a starting pitcher for the Angels must be utilized as a DH. Here’s to praying there are 5 billion little boys and girls that are looking up to Ohtani with posters on the wall so one day they’ll grow into a similar style player.

Ronald Acuna Jr. – 23 years old – is a legit stud. Seeing how the financial market has progressed over just the last two years, inking Acuna to a 8 year – $100M deal is robbery. He falls right behind Ohtani in homeruns with 13. He is currently hitting .286 with a 1.018 OPS. In 2019, he was an all-star that stole 37 bases total. He is electric, clutch, and filled with energy. I feel I have watched him grow over the last 2 years as fan of the Phillies and the ceiling is still higher which is concerning. I remember watching Brian Snitker, in that same 2019 all star campaign, yank him from a game for not hustling. I’d argue that’s more rare in today’s era, but totally understandable. Not that he is perfect in that area, but I think that just shows the little things he has improved on that is helping his game take the next step. If he continues to bring his power along with the buzz and work ethic? Good luck to whoever is on the other side. Definitely helps when Freddie Freeman is a clubhouse presence as well.

Juan Soto – 22 years old – I’ll be honest, I can live without the scraping of the batter’s box with his cleats, the nut-grab, the stare down, and the lick of the lips after every pitch. If you execute the way Juan Soto executes though, by all means man, do you. In 2019, he literally slashed .333/.438/.741 with a 1.178 OPS in the fucking World Series. He was 2 years younger then! So ridiculous. This season, the Nationals are off to a really tough start as they find themselves in last place of the NL East, a division that isn’t necessarily filled with lethal squads at the moment. He is doing his job though individually at the dish. Organizationally, it’s obviously hard to lose a player like Bryce Harper. The Nats had their next franchise guy ready right around the same time and that sure is a blessing.

Fernando Tatis Jr. – 22 years old – Style. Swag. The Look. Steeze. Power. Pop. He has it all! There is a reason why him and Manny Machado had Slamdiego rocking the way that they did. He is another player battling some ups and downs this season with injury. He came back into the lineup executing well though especially in that heated Dodgers series on the road earlier this season. He has been in the league for 170 games so far in his very short career, rocking a .296 batting average while slugging .588. Defensively, I can see the concern as he recorded 9 errors in 14 games at one point. That’s unacceptable, but there is plenty of time to grow in that area. He sells tickets, jerseys, and is an absolute rockstar.

Cody Bellinger – 25 years old – I just praised Soto for already being a champion. Cody Bellinger is that and he won league MVP in 2019. Pitchers were so afraid of him that he recorded 21 intentional walks. I would do the same damn thing if I realized he was on pace to hit for 351 total bases. At the current moment, he is battling some injuries along with what seems the entire Dodgers team. I know Bellinger hasn’t been able to reproduce that season again, but to be fair, 2020 was a weird COVID season without fans along with a major back and forth between MLB/MLBPA that caused a ton of drama. Now he is hurt. There is plenty of talent in him that I’m confident we will see again soon.

Other notable names: Vlad Guerrero Jr, Kyle Lewis, Rafael Devers, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Jazz Chisholm, Bo Bichette, Sixto Sanchez, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, and the list goes on and on and on and on. Some of these players aren’t just intriguing, but they are dominating the league. This doesn’t even include that 28-year-old (ish) grouping of: Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Aaron Judge, and plenty more.

There is so much young talent out there to dive into even during this era of “dying baseball!”

Appreciate it. That is, if you truly enjoy the games within the game.