MLB Master Thread

[Dan]

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1574732082110115840/photo/1

[jj1000]

Going to guess he meant if next at bat is an out the his average goes down but he was on base 3 out of 4.

0-1 tonight with 4 walks. He's .548 OBP since hitting his 60th HR. It's ridiculous already.

[WAM]

0-1 tonight with 4 walks. He's .548 OBP since hitting his 60th HR. It's ridiculous already.

It's .547 over his last 30 games.

[yuneeq]

A walk in baseball is kinda a fault in the game. Guys like Judge and Bonds get walked and it’s beneficial? Penalties in other sports are usually a bit lopsided, definitely is like that in the other 3 major sports. Free throws, DPI, and Power play/penalty shot. All 3 have equal or better outcomes than the penalized play. In baseball you avoid throw 4 balls to avoid the star and he goes to first. Walk is nowhere close to penalizing.

[WAM]

A walk in baseball is kinda a fault in the game. Guys like Judge and Bonds get walked and it’s beneficial? Penalties in other sports are usually a bit lopsided, definitely is like that in the other 3 major sports. Free throws, DPI, and Power play/penalty shot. All 3 have equal or better outcomes than the penalized play. In baseball you avoid throw 4 balls to avoid the star and he goes to first. Walk is nowhere close to penalizing.

If your team is built well, the next batters will make them pay. Analytics says to bat AJ leadoff.
I would love to see all the numbers they factor in (and, perhaps more importantly, what they don't factor in).

[jj1000]

A walk in baseball is kinda a fault in the game. Guys like Judge and Bonds get walked and it’s beneficial? Penalties in other sports are usually a bit lopsided, definitely is like that in the other 3 major sports. Free throws, DPI, and Power play/penalty shot. All 3 have equal or better outcomes than the penalized play. In baseball you avoid throw 4 balls to avoid the star and he goes to first. Walk is nowhere close to penalizing.

Yep.

New Rule: Every additional walk to the same player in a game they advance one base. I.e. second walk is a double, 4 walks to the same player equals a home run... Or cap it at a triple and it resets. Would make the game scoring sky rocket lol

[Yehuda57]

There have been a few proposed rules to curb intentional walks. If it is a 4 pitch walk, the hitter can refuse the walk, the hitter gets two bases, every runner advances one base, not just the hitter.
I do think there should be a bigger penalty than just one base. IBBs kill the competitive spirit and create a really awful fan experience. I don't think any other sport has such a cowardly way of avoiding the other team's best player.

[Yehuda57]

If your team is built well, the next batters will make them pay. Analytics says to bat AJ leadoff.
I would love to see all the numbers they factor in (and, perhaps more importantly, what they don't factor in).

Analytics have shown that batting order barely makes any difference at all.

[CountValentine]

A walk in baseball is kinda a fault in the game. Guys like Judge and Bonds get walked and it’s beneficial? Penalties in other sports are usually a bit lopsided, definitely is like that in the other 3 major sports. Free throws, DPI, and Power play/penalty shot. All 3 have equal or better outcomes than the penalized play. In baseball you avoid throw 4 balls to avoid the star and he goes to first. Walk is nowhere close to penalizing.

1st and 2nd and two out. They walk AJ to load the bases to get Rizzo who has 32 homers. Don't blame the walk if Rizzo does not deliver.

Not sure how you can compare the others to a walk.

[Yehuda57]

1st and 2nd and two out. They walk AJ to load the bases to get Rizzo who has 32 homers. Don't blame the walk if Rizzo does not deliver.

Not sure how you can compare the others to a walk.

I'm absolutely blaming MLB for allowing them to walk AJ with minimal consequences. Fans want to see the best players doing what they do best, not get avoided so we can watch lesser players do the same thing but not as well. No other sport gives a team as cowardly an option as the IBB. The comparison is trying to avoid an individual player on a team. All the other options Yuneeq mentioned end up hurting the team much more than giving up 1st base hurts the pitching team. If you can't find a comparison, you're making his point.

[yuneeq]

Analytics have shown that batting order barely makes any difference at all.

Batting leadoff gives AJ more at bats

[Sammy82]

1st and 2nd and two out. They walk AJ to load the bases to get Rizzo who has 32 homers. Don't blame the walk if Rizzo does not deliver.

Not sure how you can compare the others to a walk.

How about when Barry Bonds was intentionally walked with bases loaded? I don't remember it but heard about it WFAN and just watched it on Youtube

[jj1000]

How about when Barry Bonds was intentionally walked with bases loaded? I don't remember it but heard about it WFAN and just watched it on Youtube

Amazing

[Ralphie]

Amazing

That's Buck for you.

[CountValentine]

I'm absolutely blaming MLB for allowing them to walk AJ with minimal consequences. Fans want to see the best players doing what they do best, not get avoided so we can watch lesser players do the same thing but not as well. No other sport gives a team as cowardly an option as the IBB. The comparison is trying to avoid an individual player on a team. All the other options Yuneeq mentioned end up hurting the team much more than giving up 1st base hurts the pitching team. If you can't find a comparison, you're making his point.

Do you want cheese and crackers with that whine? AJ gets plenty of balls to hit. IBB is part of baseball.
ETA: Hack-a-Shaq was way worse than what AJ is going through.

[Dan]

Do you want cheese and crackers with that whine? AJ gets plenty of balls to hit. IBB is part of baseball.

+1.

[Yehuda57]

Do you want cheese and crackers with that whine? AJ gets plenty of balls to hit. IBB is part of baseball.
ETA: Hack-a-Shaq was way worse than what AJ is going through.

People have been whining about this long before this season with Judge. "It's part of baseball" is so lame. If it's bad, change the rule. Sports change things all the time to make the game better, including basketball and baseball.

I disagree that hack a Shaq is worse, as the name suggests, there are very few players the strategy was used for, as the penalty is enough to discourage the strategy. Plus, the NBA did make rule changes to lessen its usage!

[Dan]

People have been whining about this long before this season with Judge. "It's part of baseball" is so lame. If it's bad, change the rule. Sports change things all the time to make the game better, including basketball and baseball.

I disagree that hack a Shaq is worse, as the name suggests, there are very few players the strategy was used for, as the penalty is enough to discourage the strategy. Plus, the NBA did make rule changes to lessen its usage!

A walk is an inherent part of the game.
The proposals mess with the game's fabric a lot more than other rule changes that I also despise, like extra innings man on 2nd, which feels like having money in the middle when playing Monopoly.

Slot a good hitter after guys you don't want IBBd and you won't have many IBBs.

[Yehuda57]

A walk is an inherent part of the game.
The proposals mess with the game's fabric a lot more than other rule changes that I also despise, like extra innings man on 2nd, which feels like having money in the middle when playing Monopoly.

Slot a good hitter after guys you don't want IBBd and you won't have many IBBs.

Saying a walk is an inherent part of the game is meaningless. Watching the best hitters hit baseballs is what I enjoy about baseball. Watching pitchers figure out what pitch to throw and bamboozling those great hitters is what I enjoy. No one cares about the IBB. What are you defending? It's a valueless cowardly move that deprives you from what's really enjoyable about the game.

The man on second was a great idea to try. It was covid, they had a shortened season, they tried something different. They should have tried more things. But people don't like it, so they're switching it back.

There is nothing about the intentional walk that will change the fabric of baseball at all. It will just increase the opportunities to see the best parts of baseball - game on the line, good hitter up with the chance to win the game.

And none of these proposals even get rid of the ibb, they just make it more costly, so you have to really really not want the guy to hit.

[CountValentine]

If it's bad, change the rule.

That's the whole thing, it isn't bad. There is a lot of strategy and options both teams have.

Look at this situation. It was a great baseball move that resulted in a win.

1st and 2nd and two out. They walk AJ to load the bases to get Rizzo who has 32 homers. Don't blame the walk if Rizzo does not deliver.

AJ gets an IBB about 1 out of 25 at bats. Is that high for the best hitter in the league?