What kind of baseball dork are you?

[calsnowskier]

I am a hitting dork, mainly because I see so damned little of it since Tony Gwynn played.

What year, exactly, did you go blind?

 

[JohnU]

What year, exactly, did you go blind?

Must have been the year Tony Gwynn quit playing.

Dude, Gwynn could hit.

 

[calsnowskier]

Must have been the year Tony Gwynn quit playing.

Dude, Gwynn could hit.

And Bonds couldnt?

And Trout cant?

And Pujols couldnt?

And Ichiro couldnt?

And Cabrera cant?

 

[Omar 382]

Damn, I was going to jump all over John's shit, and then cals has to come in and fuck everything up

 

[calsnowskier]

Damn, I was going to jump all over John's shit, and then cals has to come in and fuck everything up

 

[JohnU]

And Bonds couldnt?

And Trout cant?

And Pujols couldnt?

And Ichiro couldnt?

And Cabrera cant?

Sorry I intruded on your worship service with a bit of parody.

I really can't understand why you are so warped out of shape. Gwynn retired 30 years ago. He's also dead.

Geez, lighten up. I never said those guys can't hit. What the fuck?

 

[calsnowskier]

Sorry I intruded on your worship service with a bit of parody.

I really can't understand why you are so warped out of shape. Gwynn retired 30 years ago. He's also dead.

Geez, lighten up. I never said those guys can't hit. What the fuck?

You said you hadnt seen anyone hit since him. Then you stated it again.

Sorry I failed to notice your layers of subtlety in the 31 total words you typed.

 

[Omar 382]

You said you hadnt seen anyone hit since him. Then you stated it again.

Sorry I failed to notice your layers of subtlety in the 31 total words you typed.

Geez dude. Gwynn is dead. "What the fuck?"

 

[JohnU]

Sorry I failed to notice your layers of subtlety in the 31 total words you typed.

You could have just let it slide. I participate, and I don't argue over things that don't matter. It's a lot easier and way more productive.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I'm a sucker for a pitcher's duel.

 

[calsnowskier]

I'm a sucker for a pitcher's duel.

I am too. I think I voted D over pitching just because D is so under-valued in todays game.

And a bad defense can KILL good pitching.

Of the 3, hitting is definitely #3. Even though it is the one aspect that controls 70% of all discussion and attention, even from pitching-guzzlers and D-polishers.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I am too. I think I voted D over pitching just because D is so under-valued in todays game.

And a bad defense can KILL good pitching.

Of the 3, hitting is definitely #3. Even though it is the one aspect that controls 70% of all discussion and attention, even from pitching-guzzlers and D-polishers.

I like the next man up and small ball style of hitting, but a 10-8 slug fest tends to make me cringe a little bit.

Fielding is vitally important, but I really only get excited(good or bad) if it's an outstanding play or a horrific error.

With a pitcher's duel, I'm on the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire game.

 

[JohnU]

With a pitcher's duel, I'm on the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire game.

I used to be a big fan of pitcher's duels until they started taking out the starters in the 5th inning and sending out a wave of relievers. Now I can't tell if it's good pitching or just the forkball.

 

[calsnowskier]

I like the next man up and small ball style of hitting, but a 10-8 slug fest tends to make me cringe a little bit. (1)

Fielding is vitally important, but I really only get excited(good or bad) if it's an outstanding play or a horrific error. (2)

With a pitcher's duel, I'm on the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire game. (3)

1) Next-Man-Up is a beutiful thing to watch when it works. The Cards last year were very fun. The Giants in '10 were that was as well. They started with nothing at the beginning of the year, but just slowly, throughout the season replaced each position until they actually had one of the better offenses at the end.

I cant stand 10-8 games. There was a game in the '11 Series (I think it was game 3 or 4) that was hailed at the time as one of the greatest games ever played in the Series. I was cringing during the entire game because every reliever that came in, for both sides, failed to hold anything down. It was just bad batting practice. Give me a 3-2 game any day of the week. A LOT more riding on each pitch if there is a good chance the next run scored will be the last run of the game.

2) I dont know. A solid double play, turned perfectly is a thing to watch. But yes, the stellar play will pick up a crowd almost more than a HR.

3) See my point in 1.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I used to be a big fan of pitcher's duels until they started taking out the starters in the 5th inning and sending out a wave of relievers. Now I can't tell if it's good pitching or just the forkball.

I like it when starts can go deep into the games, and a starter than can consistently give you 200+ innings is still a valuable commodity in today's game.

But with it becoming more common for starters to be pulled after 5 or 6 innings, it has given a greater importance on having a solid bullpen, with middle relief being more important today than ever.

The importance of each of the 25 roster spots is greater than ever now as well IMO.

 

[calsnowskier]

I like it when starts can go deep into the games, and a starter than can consistently give you 200+ innings is still a valuable commodity in today's game.

But with it becoming more common for starters to be pulled after 5 or 6 innings, it has given a greater importance on having a solid bullpen, with middle relief being more important today than even.

The importance of each of the 25 roster spots is greater than ever now as well IMO.

Yup.

Look at the Royals in the last 2 years. Look at the Giants in '10, '12 and '14.

Compare that to the Tigers of '12 or the Dodgers in the last 2 years.

The bully has been elevated to a PRIME spot for value. The league is beginning to catch up to this fact, though.

 

[JohnU]

I was watching the Reds-Angels feed today and the TV guys were saying they had "heard" that the umpires are trying to bring the strike zone up a little this year. Presumably that means to get the ball in the zone more. If that's the case, we might see a few more hits. If anybody else has heard this, please share.

 

[calsnowskier]

I was watching the Reds-Angels feed today and the TV guys were saying they had "heard" that the umpires are trying to bring the strike zone up a little this year. Presumably that means to get the ball in the zone more. If that's the case, we might see a few more hits. If anybody else has heard this, please share.

I had not heard it, but I am not surprised. Over the last few years, the zone has shifted slightly downward, favoring pitchers.

If the FB just south of the "actual" zone is no longer going to be called a strike, that means that pitchers will HAVE to elevate their pitches, opening them up to getting crushed.

 

[JohnU]

The bully has been elevated to a PRIME spot for value. The league is beginning to catch up to this fact, though.

I don't disagree with this. In the past, bullpens were often just teams picking up washed-up starters or hard-throwing Latin guys. The problem is, how much is a bullpen worth in the total payroll? I personally think closers are overrated, though nobody in baseball agrees with me.

 

[JohnU]

If the FB just south of the "actual" zone is no longer going to be called a strike, that means that pitchers will HAVE to elevate their pitches, opening them up to getting crushed.

As well, what looks like a low strike might actually just be something in the dirt. The difference in hitting 1-1 and 0-2 is pretty significant. MLB has been aware that the K rate is too high. It's not all just bad hitting. Some of these strike zones are flat-out unfair.