3 Changes That Will Upset Some Fans During the 2020 Season

[Platoon]

 

Green Bay in January is magical and glorious! There are few experiences like it, and even Viking fans should experience it.

That being said, I think a neutral site WS is the only way to keep the players safe. Air travel is so dangerous, it must be mitigated every step of a season and post season.

Well, this makes the first time I have ever saw Green Bay, magical, and glorious in one place, let alone one sentence! I have been in Green Bay, in January, in March, in July, and in November. Magical and glorious did not come to mind......  but Bloomington and Waite Park did.  

[Trov]

For the three changes, the only one I am on board with is the universal DH, or no DH rule.  If you are going to have interleague play, you need one set of rules for all teams, not two different ones.  This season, you will need to increase interleague play it would seem, so this makes it even more important.  

 

Expanded playoffs would be terrible idea.  Baseball is a difficult game to always have the best team win, even in a series.  To expand playoffs would weaken the regular season and weaken the playoffs as a whole.  Right now it is 10 teams, 5 in each league.  That is enough.  If you expanded to even 12, former NFL layout with top two teams getting a bye, having a three game series for for remaining teams and move on that would weaken the playoffs.  We have seen seasons were teams get super hot and fly through playoffs getting to WS then cool off after lay off and get crushed.  By giving a bye this would lead to teams risking that.  If you went to 14 or 16 it would get even worse with poor teams getting to playoffs and get lucky knocking out good teams in a best of 5 or 7 series.  

 

Neutral site WS is even worse idea than expanded playoffs.  Teams have constantly built teams to fit their ball park, or ball park to fit their teams.  Imgaine a team built on good OF defense with fly ball pitchers in good pitcher park having to now play all their games in a hitter friendly park that routine fly balls in their home park now are HR.  You can do neutral site when the dimesions of the playing area are the same, like other major sports.  Baseball has always had home field advantage not just by rules, but by design of fields.  Also, unlike football where fans will flock to super bowl because it is the super bowl, fans will not flock to neutral site WS games.  Maybe in a game 7 only, but not in the rest.  Of course this year may be the exception with no fans so you take fans out of it.  Also, if WS needs to be in November neutral site may be need for this year alone, but never moving forward when a season can be back to some what normal, even if fans cannot be there, but timing can be.   

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Actually, there are four aspects to baseball. Baserunning is the fourth.

 

Baserunning is completely dependent on hitting, as it can only be performed by someone who has come up to hit in the current half-inning, or was subbed in for someone who came up to hit in the current half-inning; therefore I categorize it under the hitting aspect.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Green Bay in January is magical and glorious! There are few experiences like it, and even Viking fans should experience it.

That being said, I think a neutral site WS is the only way to keep the players safe. Air travel is so dangerous, it must be mitigated every step of a season and post season.

 

All MLB teams exclusively fly charters, where the only people on the plane are members of the organization (and the flight crews).  This seems like a fairly low-risk proposition; simply require the flight crew to wear masks and remain in designated areas whenever not actively performing necessary duties--with the airlines hurting for revenue, I'm sure they will be more than happy to implement almost any requirement MLB can come up with, assuming it doesn't impact safety or contradict FAA regulations.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

My biggest fear is that Manfred will decide he likes some of these changes and they will end up permanent.

 

I do not want realignment.

 

I do not want expanded playoffs.

 

I don't even want interleague play, multiple divisions, or the last two rounds of expansion.

 

Basically, I just want everything to go back to how it was when I was 10.

 

This seems to suggest to me that when you were 10, the internet essentially didn't exist.  Does this mean we will never see you post again, in pursuance of your "frozen-at-10" agenda?

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

For the three changes, the only one I am on board with is the universal DH, or no DH rule.  If you are going to have interleague play, you need one set of rules for all teams, not two different ones.  This season, you will need to increase interleague play it would seem, so this makes it even more important.  

 

Expanded playoffs would be terrible idea.  Baseball is a difficult game to always have the best team win, even in a series.  To expand playoffs would weaken the regular season and weaken the playoffs as a whole.  Right now it is 10 teams, 5 in each league.  That is enough.  If you expanded to even 12, former NFL layout with top two teams getting a bye, having a three game series for for remaining teams and move on that would weaken the playoffs.  We have seen seasons were teams get super hot and fly through playoffs getting to WS then cool off after lay off and get crushed.  By giving a bye this would lead to teams risking that.  If you went to 14 or 16 it would get even worse with poor teams getting to playoffs and get lucky knocking out good teams in a best of 5 or 7 series.  

 

Neutral site WS is even worse idea than expanded playoffs.  Teams have constantly built teams to fit their ball park, or ball park to fit their teams.  Imgaine a team built on good OF defense with fly ball pitchers in good pitcher park having to now play all their games in a hitter friendly park that routine fly balls in their home park now are HR.  You can do neutral site when the dimesions of the playing area are the same, like other major sports.  Baseball has always had home field advantage not just by rules, but by design of fields.  Also, unlike football where fans will flock to super bowl because it is the super bowl, fans will not flock to neutral site WS games.  Maybe in a game 7 only, but not in the rest.  Of course this year may be the exception with no fans so you take fans out of it.  Also, if WS needs to be in November neutral site may be need for this year alone, but never moving forward when a season can be back to some what normal, even if fans cannot be there, but timing can be.   

 

If the negative part of the playoffs is that it can potentially prevent the "best" team from winning, due to unpredictable hot/cold streaks, shouldn't we just do away with the playoffs all together, and award the trophy to whomever has the best record after the last day of the season?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

This seems to suggest to me that when you were 10, the internet essentially didn't exist.  Does this mean we will never see you post again, in pursuance of your "frozen-at-10" agenda?

Age 10, but with Internet. Problem solved!

[Nine of twelve]

 

 

I would dump DH for all interleague competition and WS because I think it's a competitive advantage - DH for those NL teams is their 9th best hitter.

If we continue to have two sets of rules I think it needs to go further if we are to make things equitable. I'll use Nelson Cruz to make my point. He is too good of a hitter for a NL team to sign him strictly to DH in 10 regular season games and get an at bat as a pinch hitter every other game or so. AL teams would outbid for him because his value is much higher because there are 152 games available for him to DH.

NL teams and AL teams build their rosters differently because of the different rules. In a game with the DH the AL team has an advantage because, as lukeduke points out, the NL team's added batter is not likely to be one of the team's best hitters. In a game with no DH the NL team has an advantage because the batter sitting out for the AL team is likely to be one of the team's best hitters.

I think it would be somewhat more equitable for the visiting team to be allowed one unrestricted roster change for interleague games. There would be no time restrictions for a player removed to be reactivated. There would be no option used for either the player added or removed. Matters like this would have to be written into the CBA but it would address the differences, at least somewhat.

[Nine of twelve]

 

Baserunning is completely dependent on hitting, as it can only be performed by someone who has come up to hit in the current half-inning, or was subbed in for someone who came up to hit in the current half-inning; therefore I categorize it under the hitting aspect.

Not completely. True, you can't steal first base, but there is a huge difference between having Byron Buxton on first base and having, say, Bartolo Colon on first base.

[Trov]

 

If the negative part of the playoffs is that it can potentially prevent the "best" team from winning, due to unpredictable hot/cold streaks, shouldn't we just do away with the playoffs all together, and award the trophy to whomever has the best record after the last day of the season?

What I mean is if you increase the amount of teams into the playoffs you increase the likelihood of lessor teams advancing in the playoffs.  Of course you will not always have the "best" team win the WS, but if you knock out better teams by pure chance by a lessor team, it will make the later rounds potentially less entertaining.  That was more the point.  Also, if you expand to allow in more teams the regular season becomes more pointless. 

 

Some argue, that by expanding playoffs more teams figure they are "in it" later into season and continue to draw interest.  However, I feel if you expand too much then you make the regular season a joke and there is little interest in it.  Right now the typical bench mark is about 90 wins to make playoffs.  If you made an 8 team per league playoff look at last 5 years, you would average 2 teams at or below .500. Only 1 of those would have been at .500 Personally, I do not want teams that were below .500 making playoffs, but to each their own.

 

Additionally, if you expand playoffs you would either need to reduce regular season, which I doubt will happen, or take playoffs into November, which then would either require neutral site games, or having games played in snow, which already is possible but would increase if you play into mid-november. 

[Squirrel]

Green Bay in January is magical and glorious! There are few experiences like it, and even Viking fans should experience it.

 

Where’s my laugh emoji?

[DocBauer]

I like the DH. I hate the virtual automatic out of pitchers batting. To me, pitching is so specialized it's almost like asking a QB to block and tackle. Or as someone pointed out earlier, if pitchers should hit, then position players should know how to pitch. It just doesn't work.

 

I often see references to the NL game. In both leagues, more so the NL, there used to be more bunting, hit and run plays and stolen bases. It was never just based solely on pitchers in the lineup. But the game has changed. The DH is here to stay and I'm glad. But I'd really like to see it in both leagues.

 

I prefer the divisions the way they are now. We've been arguing in other threads about how ridiculous this idea is. And IF it is to save money, it only does so if you STAY in your division for the whole abbreviated season.

 

The WC has added a lot of excitement to September and October baseball. I'm fine with keeping it the way it is. The ONLY caveat I could see is another WC brought in to avoid the 1 game playoff. How about a couple of 3 game series to continue on?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

 

All MLB teams exclusively fly charters, where the only people on the plane are members of the organization (and the flight crews).  This seems like a fairly low-risk proposition; simply require the flight crew to wear masks and remain in designated areas whenever not actively performing necessary duties--with the airlines hurting for revenue, I'm sure they will be more than happy to implement almost any requirement MLB can come up with, assuming it doesn't impact safety or contradict FAA regulations.

Can you site the exclusive charter flights? Minor leaguers certainly fly commercial. Regardless of carrier, they fly in and out airports, correct? Go through security and such?

[notoriousgod71]

 

This seems to suggest to me that when you were 10, the internet essentially didn't exist.  Does this mean we will never see you post again, in pursuance of your "frozen-at-10" agenda?

Yes, now I'm going to go play Tecmo Super Bowl while my mother makes me pizza rolls.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Not completely. True, you can't steal first base...

Jean Segura begs to differ

 

[IndianaTwin]

 

Age 10, but with Internet. Problem solved!

 

From what I see, most things on the Internet seems to be written by 10-year-olds.*

 

 

*Exception being Twins Daily, of course. 

[IndianaTwin]

 

Years ago Dusty Baker was asked if he favored the DH. He said he liked it the way it is, pitchers hitting in 1 league, but the DH in the other.

Me, too.

 

I wish the Twins had had a shot at Bumgarner this off-season. But he likes hitting, which I believe factored into his staying in the NL. 

 

Football is a cookie cutter sport. They have rules for how high you wear your socks. Everything made uniform. In baseball, the outfield walls vary. There's more variety. The individual is emphasized. A guy stand alone in the batters box.

 

Fine for the universal DH in this coronavirus year, but I wish they'd go back to how it was from '73 to 2019 next year.

 

If we're going to change anything, bring on the automated strike zone.

 

I don’t know if this is Baker’s rationale, but one thing I like about the current situation is it gives one more thing for fans to argue about. 

 

I do have a proposal for interleague, however. I think they have it backwards. Use the DH in the NL park so that NL fans get to see the Nelson Cruzes of the world hit. Go without it in the AL parks so that AL fans can see the novelty of pitchers flailing. I mean, of Bartolo hitting. 

[ashbury]

but one thing I like about the current situation is it gives one more thing for fans to argue about.

 

[Twodogs]

I've never understood people who oppose the DH because they think it's ridiculous that a pitcher not be required to hit, but don't think it's ridiculous that hitters aren't required to pitch.

 

In fact, if the concept behind baseball is that there are three separate aspects to the game (hitting, pitching, and fielding), shouldn't each spot in the lineup be required to do all 3?

I see what you are saying, I'm thinking maybe that they should have 9 guys who go out and play the field and maybe a different 9 can hit? Then every team could just throw a bunch of DH's out there. The hitting and the defense would both get better.

[Twodogs]

Yes, now I'm going to go play Tecmo Super Bowl while my mother makes me pizza rolls.

I always picked the Bears on Techmo bowl.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Not completely. True, you can't steal first base, but there is a huge difference between having Byron Buxton on first base and having, say, Bartolo Colon on first base.

 

But neither of them can be on first base without their spot in the lineup having first come up in that half inning.  You cannot run the bases without first having your lineup spot hit--as such, baserunning is dependent on, and therefore a subset of, hitting.  There is not other baseball activity a player needs to perform in order to pitch, field, or hit; that's why those are the only 3 aspects.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

What I mean is if you increase the amount of teams into the playoffs you increase the likelihood of lessor teams advancing in the playoffs.  Of course you will not always have the "best" team win the WS, but if you knock out better teams by pure chance by a lessor team, it will make the later rounds potentially less entertaining.  That was more the point.  Also, if you expand to allow in more teams the regular season becomes more pointless. 

 

Some argue, that by expanding playoffs more teams figure they are "in it" later into season and continue to draw interest.  However, I feel if you expand too much then you make the regular season a joke and there is little interest in it.  Right now the typical bench mark is about 90 wins to make playoffs.  If you made an 8 team per league playoff look at last 5 years, you would average 2 teams at or below .500. Only 1 of those would have been at .500 Personally, I do not want teams that were below .500 making playoffs, but to each their own.

 

Additionally, if you expand playoffs you would either need to reduce regular season, which I doubt will happen, or take playoffs into November, which then would either require neutral site games, or having games played in snow, which already is possible but would increase if you play into mid-november. 

 

Your point is exactly the point I'm making; the more teams in the playoffs, the greater the odds of a lesser team advancing, and that includes if the number of teams in the playoffs is 2.  If the goal of the playoffs is to crown the "best" team, having any more than 1 team reduces the chance the "best" team wins, and is therefore counterproductive to the point of the playoffs.

 

Logically, it follows that the point of the playoffs (at least from a competition standpoint) is NOT to crown the "best" team, but rather to provide a reduced ecosystem of only the top tier of teams in order to provide a way to adjust for injuries and uneven schedules that might otherwise obscure the identification of the "best" team.

 

As such, expanding the playoffs is completely fine, as long as it doesn't include everyone, which the current proposals do not.  You also wouldn't need to shorten the regular season or extend the playoffs into November--simply play 3 game series in the first round, 5 in the second, and 7 for the LCS and WS.  That's a maximum of 22 games to win the title, compared to 20 right now.

[Cap'n Piranha]

 

Can you site the exclusive charter flights? Minor leaguers certainly fly commercial. Regardless of carrier, they fly in and out airports, correct? Go through security and such?

 

I used to work for Delta, and worked a couple of charter flights.  The team is on a coach bus with their equipment and luggage underneath, that rolls right onto the tarmac--no one goes through security (at least not at the airport).  I was also speaking exclusively about MLB; whether or not an MiLB season can happen due to a desire to avoid air travel has no bearing on whether or not the MLB season can happen.