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Post by keystone61 on Feb 12, 2023 15:25:15 GMT -5
The bullpen should be outstanding. I think as fans, we tend to focus on the negative, plus we see these guys so much and pay so much attention to what they do, that we might not see the big picture as well as we should.
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Post by PABraveFan on Feb 12, 2023 17:04:44 GMT -5
Off topic but wanted to relay this info to all
Winter isn’t quite over yet…A brief look at late Winter and early Spring
Go Braves...maybe that makes it ON topic, LOL
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Feb 12, 2023 22:40:25 GMT -5
... and within a span of 4 months, both the Phaillies and the Eaglets lost championship
series.
Sweet
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 12, 2023 22:53:33 GMT -5
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 12, 2023 22:56:14 GMT -5
Burn that craphole to the ground!
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 13, 2023 4:09:58 GMT -5
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Feb 13, 2023 7:54:50 GMT -5
Oooo such passion.
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 13, 2023 8:02:43 GMT -5
Gosh how I wish I could brag about my teams fan base like that! |
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Post by joeyg39 on Feb 13, 2023 8:58:58 GMT -5
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Post by PABraveFan on Feb 13, 2023 9:56:57 GMT -5
The bullpen should be outstanding. I think as fans, we tend to focus on the negative, plus we see these guys so much and pay so much attention to what they do, that we might not see the big picture as well as we should. I agree but I question the use of our best prospect for Jimenez. That being said Jiminez could be a very good pitcher, maybe elite, for us. Water over the bridge though as we will have an excellent bullpen. |
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Post by wncbravesfan on Feb 14, 2023 19:26:41 GMT -5
MLB plans to emphasize enforcement of balks as changes kick inSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball plans to emphasize enforcement of the balk rule in 2023 as it implements sweeping rules changes, including a pitch clock that will place more focus on the arcane rule, league officials said Tuesday."We have slipped a little bit centrally with calling the rulebook illegal pitches and balks," said Morgan Sword, MLB's executive vice president of operations, at a media briefing to explain the rules in greater depth.The balk, which is intended to keep pitchers from deceiving runners on base, can be called by umpires for more than a dozen reasons. Balks are assessed only with runners on. Prohibited deliveries with the bases empty are deemed illegal pitches. The import of both is especially acute with the new pitch-timer rule, which mandates a pitcher throw within 15 seconds of receiving the ball with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on. If a pitcher balks, runners advance one base.Stressing the delivery of legal pitches matters because it coincides with the beginning of a delivery, which is when the pitch clock is supposed to stop. Pitchers who violate the rule are assessed a ball as a penalty. Similarly, if hitters are not in the batter's box and facing the pitcher with 8 seconds left on the clock, they will be given an automatic strike.Trying to understand what constitutes a balk is tantamount to what makes a catch in the NFL. Umpires called 122 balks in 2022, the fewest in a full season since 1973, with some umpires more vigilant than others. Umpire John Tumpane assessed a major league-record three balks in one at-bat to then-Miami left-hander Richard Bleier during a late-September game. Bleier's three balks tied for the major league lead with left-handed reliever Will Smith last year.A number of pitchers, including Houston's Luis Garcia, Toronto's Kevin Gausman, Boston's Kenley Jansen and the Chicago White Sox's Mike Clevinger, are expected to change their deliveries on account of the new rules.In the cases of Garcia and Clevinger, their potential violations come from the windup, in which they have significant movement, with Garcia rocking his arms and taking two side-steps before throwing and Clevinger looking like he's dancing with his foot movement. Clock operators are supposed to turn off the pitch timer when a pitcher starts his delivery and, accordingly, umpires have been told that a pitcher is allowed one step to the back or side before moving toward the plate to throw. Gausman's and Jansen's issues are out of the stretch. Gausman would tap his front foot and not come to a fully set position, while Jansen would come set, then twitch his front hip and leg. Out of the set position, the clock stops when a pitcher lifts his front leg.Those are just two of the ways a pitcher can be called for a balk. If he flinches after coming set, umpires are supposed to call balks. A pitcher drops the ball? Balk. Uncompleted throws to bases constitute balks, as does coming set and separating one's hands as well as perhaps the most borderline call: when left-handed pitchers step toward home plate but still try to pick a runner off first base.Already the balk was going to see a significant increase because of the new rules. One of them, which limits a pitcher to two "disengagements" during an at-bat -- either pickoff moves, step-offs or a combination of the two -- calls for a balk if a pitcher disengages a third time and does not record an out. MLB's new edicts, which also include limiting defensive shifts and larger bases, will be implemented during spring training games. The new rules will not be in effect for games at the World Baseball Classic, the tournament that will pit 16 countries against one another and is expected to include hundreds of major league players, and players involved will have to adjust on the fly to a suite of changes that people in baseball regard as potentially transformative."Frankly," Sword said, "it's probably the biggest change that's been made in baseball in most of our lifetimes."Sword said the league plans to run explanatory videos at stadiums and a special on MLB Network to further explain the rules to fans. The league hopes spring training offers enough time for players to adjust, as they did in the minor leagues, where they were tested out last year. According to MLB, in the second week of games with the pitch clock, there were 1.73 violations per game. By the fifth week, that had dropped to 0.73, and in the final week, the league said, the violation rate dipped to 0.41 per game.MLB placing greater import on balks has had significant effects on past seasons. In 1988, when MLB rewrote the balk rule, umpires called 924 -- nearly three times as many as they had in any previous season. The balk rate was halved the next season, and it has held relatively steady, between 122 and 182, since the turn of the century.www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35660530/mlb-plans-emphasize-enforcement-balks-changes-kick-in
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Feb 14, 2023 21:39:16 GMT -5
I hope games average 29 minutes longer next year as 75% of runners who reach first end up at 2nd and double plays are almost non existant.
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 14, 2023 23:36:10 GMT -5
I hope games average 29 minutes longer next year as 75% of runners who reach first end up at 2nd and double plays are almost non existant. It will likely end up with quite a few more runs being scored, which is going to extend games.
I have a feeling it's going to be quite a travesty.
Any average baserunner should take the approach of taking an extra step or two lead with the complete mindset of leaning back towards the bag so they can easily beat any throw over. For the first couple pitches. By the third or fourth pitch they can start thinking about taking off. If a guy is already a good base stealer, they can go on the first or second pitch, it's going to be like taking candy from a baby. From the pitcher's viewpoint, you REALLY don't want to throw over on the first or second pitch and get yourself in a tougher spot. What a joke.
Altering the shift will likely result in more runs too, and also adding more time to the games. What a fustercluck.
The lesson is don't try to fix what ain't broke.
I don't mind the shift rules at this point, but trying to shorten games is just stupid. At the very least if you're going to try to shorten games, go about it by limiting pitching changes and batters taking 30 seconds between each pitch. Duh.
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Post by Hart's Middle Finger on Feb 15, 2023 10:31:35 GMT -5
The thing about pitchers coming to the plate quickly and batters not stepping out 20 times were things already in the rules, just never enforced.
The answer for that is not the over-reaction we have now. I hope it blows up in MLB's face.
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Post by Fumbduckery on Feb 15, 2023 11:44:26 GMT -5
The thing about pitchers coming to the plate quickly and batters not stepping out 20 times were things already in the rules, just never enforced. The answer for that is not the over-reaction we have now. I hope it blows up in MLB's face. Yes exactly. And funny they wouldn’t enforce hitters staying in the box and using a pitch clock before turning to this stupid pickoff throw rule. |
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