Contraction

[USCDoom]

Seeing as there are a bunch of new baseball posters here...

Baseball has had a downward spiral ever since the Rockies and Marlin entered the league. Pitching is 100% worse than in 1989.

Fact is there are not enough Pitchers to have 30 teams. Hell there were barely enough pitchers to field 26 teams. Time has proven this ever since expansion.

Now there is ZERO Chance of baseball losing money to make the game better. So I guess this was a useless thread...

Go Expos!!!

 

[steveringo]

Seeing as there are a bunch of new baseball posters here...

Baseball has had a downward spiral ever since the Rockies and Marlin entered the league. Pitching is 100% worse than in 1989.

Fact is there are not enough Pitchers to have 30 teams. Hell there were barely enough pitchers to field 26 teams. Time has proven this ever since expansion.

Now there is ZERO Chance of baseball losing money to make the game better. So I guess this was a useless thread...

Go Expos!!!

Are you sad because your team can't afford the good pitchers?

 

[rmilia1]

There are about an average of 2 decent starters per team right now. We would have to contract to 12-15 teams in order for pitching to be really quality. LOL

 

[TexasMan]

There should be contraction in every American sport sans football.

 

[HammerDown]

With revenue sharing, it'll never happen. I know for a fact that Nashville (for one) wants and will support an MLB team.

 

[calsnowskier]

The more teams that exist means that the definition of a "good pitcher" changes. Back in the 50's, a pitcher who would currently be considered a #3 would at best be a long reliever are low-end #4. In todays game, he a solid member of the rotation.

Given that, I would prefer to see a higher level of talent in the league, but contraction simply is not going to happen. These orgs are worth a billion dollars in some cases. They aint going nowhere.

Given THAT, I would prefer expansion by two more teams so both leagues can have 16 teams, and we can introduce a fourth division to each league. That would solve a LOT of scheduling issues we currently have in the game.

I think Sacramento, Portland, Charlotte, Richmond, and Nashville (among others) are decent options for new teams. Maybe San Juan or Mexico City if they want to open things up a bit...

 

[HammerDown]

I vote Nashville and Mexico City. The demographics must be mouth-watering to MLB bean counters. Or even move the Rays to Nashville if they decide not to expand. Nashville would utterly shame Rays "fans."

 

[tabascojet]

contraction will never happen unless there is another economic crash like the 1920s. plus the majority of americans love offense (right soccer fans?) so why would they want to improve pitching. Selig wont rest until he has ruined the game and squeezed every penny he can out of the fans pockets.

 

[steveringo]

I vote Nashville and Mexico City. The demographics must be mouth-watering to MLB bean counters. Or even move the Rays to Nashville if they decide not to expand. Nashville would utterly shame Rays "fans."

I like the idea of "moving" a Florida team to TN. I always thought the Rays and Marlins should be combined into one team, "Florida Fish", and they should split the home games. I'm not sure why I think that will draw more fans per game down there...

 

[steveringo]

And, to the idea that the pitching is 100% worse now than in 1989, I say hogwash. There is indeed a slight drop-off statistically, but it has more to do with advanced training than watered down pitching.

1989
NL – 3.94 R/G, 3.49 ERA, 1.281 WHIP, 94 OPS+
AL – 4.29 R/G, 3.88 ERA, 1.355 WHIP, 100 OPS+

2012
NL – 4.22 R/G, 3.94 ERA, 1.311 WHIP, 94 OPS+
AL – 4.45 R/G, 4.08 ERA, 1.309 WHIP, 100OPS+

 

[Bulldog]

Contraction won't happen anytime soon. There would have to be a financial calamity for that to happen.

Now-a-days there is such a disparity between great, good, adequate and poor pitching that it just makes it seem like pitching has declined greatly.

 

[Beggs]

I vote Nashville and Mexico City. The demographics must be mouth-watering to MLB bean counters. Or even move the Rays to Nashville if they decide not to expand. Nashville would utterly shame Rays "fans."

Mexico city would be an awesome addition. But I would really worry about a cartel kidnapping a star player

 

[calsnowskier]

Mexico city would be an awesome addition. But I would really worry about a cartel kidnapping a star player

This is my primary concern as well. Ultimately, I doubt we will see any Mexican city with a team in any of the big 4 until they clean up their house. So it probably will not happen in our life-times.

 

[element1286]

Um, hasn't offense been declining for the past decade?

 

[USCDoom]

Are you sad because your team can't afford the good pitchers?

No, I am mad my team does not exist anymore...

 

[BUCCS469]

I vote Nashville and Mexico City. The demographics must be mouth-watering to MLB bean counters. Or even move the Rays to Nashville if they decide not to expand. Nashville would utterly shame Rays "fans."

thats fucking bullshit


put the padres an hour and a half from the vast majority of the fans....ohhh then put a 2 lane seven mile bridge in the way....top that off with the biggest dump of a stadium in mlb history....oh yeah and they were puke for the first ten years

 

[OregonDucks]

No good pitchers anymore?

Why then is my phone blowing up daily in this so far young season with ESPN Scorecenter alerts telling me Pitcher A is pitching a No Hitter through 7 innings?