Off-Topic Forum

Yes, indeed, the game has changed. I can't remember the last time I saw a guy NOT pop up a bunt! Nobody teaches it anymore. It's all about launch angles and all that stuff to make the HR numbers go up. 

полностью с вами согласен, игра стала не той(.

I was just complaining in a different thread a month or so ago about how nobody steals bases anymore! The stolen base leads to the bunt coming into play as a possibility. It is also the reason the "shift" started in the first place. The bunt is meant to move the baserunner to the next base. The shift is meant to stop the baserunner from advancing on a bunt. A well-placed bunt defeats the shift and moves the baserunner anyway. But it seems that nobody teaches basestealing or baserunning anymore. The last person to steal 100 bases in a season was back in the 1980's (and it wasn't Rickey Henderson). It's been quite a while since anyone even stole 60 bases in a season. The top basestealer this season is in the 30's at this point! There are more players with 30 HR's so far in 2021 than there are with 30 SB's this season! Those numbers are not just because the catchers are better at throwing them out these days. The top basestealers are still getting thrown out 30-40% of the time. It's so uncommon to steal a base now that the catchers and even the pitchers are catching on to the intent before it even happens.

As for the hitters, I'd be fine with a solid .280 or better hitter who just puts the ball into play. Don't hit it straight into someone's glove but always try to move the baserunners forward. If you are the first batter in that inning, get on base! Then hope the other batters provide you the opportunity to either steal a base or get driven in off hits. Most players today seem to just hang out at the base they are on hoping for that big shot from the next batter. Now it is just strikeout for the pitcher or homerun for the batter and that's it. That is just boring! Yes, I want to see scoring instead of a pitchers battle that ends with a 1-0 victory. But I still want to see some excitement. That can still happen in a 1-0 game, but not the way most teams are playing this year or the past several years.

Homeruns aren't THAT exciting and neither are strikeouts! What IS exciting is the gameplay itself and how each team deals with every situation. I want to see REAL strategy come back to baseball, not the statistics. As a major fan of statistics across everything in my life, that says a LOT about my opinion of MLB's current situation.

The other day I just read a chapter In one of Tim Kurkijan's book about how much people are striking out. I think the, "record," is 229 with Mark Reynolds and then there is Adam Dunn and he hit like 420 homeruns so it just put in persepective that we might be where for a long time but a reassuring thing is that we are seeing more stolen bases, (thanks padres,) which I think is good. Players think that hitting the ball of the fence is key than just getting on and starting a chain of hits that will produce 1 or 2 more runs.

SO MANY STRIKEOUTS! I can't believe it. 

They should stop changing the freaking baseball and trying to make the game shorter. since they've started doing those things it's not been the same.

Speaking of dumb rules

How about that extra innings rule? It's so bad it's laughable

Some people on Twitter say average isn't important anymore. Which is kinda true, but it shouldn't be like that. There aren't many players who are able to put up lots of hits in a season.

Also heard someone say something about "made up stats" and I disagree a whole lot with that

That rule should (operative word) be going away next year. It was only on place to protect the players due to the pandemic. With that said, there are plenty of rules to be reviewed for next year so hopefully this isn't carried over.

This is just every sport now though, right? Basketball is the same way with 3s and dunk and nothing inbetween. That's what happens when you analyze it all to death. Every team does the same thing and tries to have the same personnel. The shift in particular is especially frustrating when all the batter has to do is hit to the other side of the field (or bunt it for a free hit). If you start doing that enough the shift goes away.

I like the idea of the shift, but it has been done to death nowadays.