Does The Commissioner Of Baseball Understand Baseball?

Will These Reforms Serve Their Purpose?

It is also noticeable that Manfred’s statements refute each other. If you want the game to have additional scoring, the length will automatically increase. It is bound to lengthen the duration of an inning – it is bound to result in the match being interrupted frequently by the managers or the catchers, also the mound will be visited even more frequently. Pitching changes will be introduced. If additional action is required, stealing of the bases will be required and it is given that the game will eventually slow down.

This debate is not unlike the weird tug-of-war that has escorted the recent reforms in the history of baseball.  Batters have been discouraged from leaving the box between pitches. With this, the game can be made a few minutes shorter. However, realistically speaking, pitchers favor a brisker pace.

When baseball came up with these pre-swing rites, around the same time, the use of replay was increased. The result being the extra few minutes that are spent by everyone observing the four headset-wearing umpires standing in the field, awaiting the call of the obscure umpires at MLB HQ in Chelsea.

It is not always comprehendible what sources the changes in baseball. To cause offense in the American League, they actuated the designated hitter. It served its purpose but it also does something else. General managers made it a sort of a safety valve for themselves. They would hire a slugger for a lengthy contract, their justification would be that when the slugger declines defensively, the designated hitter spot could be stuffed by them.

Baseball Then and Now

Baseball was amid the record ebb of offensive numbers, two years back. It was like the birth of an era of new strikeout. Now almost abruptly, from the last season, the number of home runs has increased to such an extent that it has become a common debate that whether baseball has already changed. Reforms have been noticed in training, player development, even game changing medicines are hard to predict. Same goes for front-office strategy. For quite a while, players have been tempted to mimic the Yankees and Red Sox-pioneered attrition-style baseball of the past decade. However, Royals played exactly to the daydreams of Manford last year, as the World Series was won by them. It is expected that they will be imitated in the future.

Image Source: Photographed by Steffanie Dechaine @ militarybases.co

The Most Out-Of-The-Line Idea

Analyzing the rest of the rules, it is evident that the concept of 20-second pitch clock is, to date, the most terrible suggestion. Already, it has been established in the minor leagues, to conduct an experiment. Another reason of installing the pitch clock was to train the upcoming pitchers to a quicker pace. Nevertheless, it cannot be missed that it completely ruins baseball’s one-of-a-kind pastoral feel. If a clock is placed, it will be watched. There is no denying that. If we put the clock in the fame and if it changes the results of at-bats, the need to display it on TV will be there. To conclude, nobody wants to see baseball becoming a continuous microwave.

Why Altering Baseball Is Wrong

Baseball needs to be very cautious about which elements are preserved in new reforms. There is a cause which makes the slopes become steeper. At times, our intentions are only to conduct minor changes, but then it turns out that the alterations we made have completely redesigned the game. That is the reason why the designated hitter ought to be kept away from the National League on the ground that it initiate better offense. This modification alone can slide baseball towards football-ization, with individual defensive and offensive squads. This will reshape the game entirely and snappishly.

Another thing baseball needs to be heedful of is that it ought not give the umpires several new duties to handle. Policing the 20-second pitch clock, the precise locations of defensive players may accidently give in to additional dead time. It will become harder to enjoy the game if they keep making the prohibitions more and even more complex.

The reforms which are proposed are making the future of baseball seem dark. Do you actually want the headset-wearing umpires waiting in the field for other umpires in Chelsea to confirm whether the detected illegal move was made or not. Is it actually a fast-paced game? Is it more action packed?

Image Source: GrantLand.com

The Possible Solutions

If the management needs more fans of baseball and more offense, there is an adjustment which can be made: expansion. Add a couple of more teams to the league. That will tempt new fans in who will be lured to the bleachers by civic pride. This will liquify pitching talent for many seasons, and that will result in increment of offensive production. If the diverse fan base is what you are looking for, keep inside the cities like Oakland which carry diverse community. Speculation will be needed in order to develop baseball in urban areas. Lastly, the stars of the game need to marketed. The most popular and renowned players are either retired or on the verge of retirement. Take Derek Jeter, David Ortiz for instance. Some investment will be needed to make Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen household names.

It is not very difficult.

If you have been following the debacle, share your insights and ideas in the comments below. Do you agree with Rob Manfred?