BASEBALL / power numbers down ?

[hardpr]

spring training is underway gents. i get excited this time of year as Baseball is one of my favorite sports and past times. I am a Yankee fan, thats right i said it loud and proud. There has been a lot of talk about the power numbers being down for the last 2 years. as much as i hate to say it i believe its from the close eye of the league for ped,s. players to me look smaller across the league. i could be way off on this and wanted to start this thread for discussion. what are your thoughts people. i watched yesterdays st game yankees v washington Arod looked about 15 lbs lighter to me however he was swinging the bat pretty good for 40 yrs old and not seeing major league pitches for 17 months. anyway lets hear some thoughts on the game. hows your team and who is gonna make a run to the pennant. i want to add i believe the long ball is a great thing for the fans people want to see home runs period so the league better lighten up imo.

 

[Rancor418]

I have not keep up with ARod but I cant wait for baseball to start.

Yeah we are seeing a major drop in power numbers and I also though HR's were good for baseball with the mind set of people now. Personally I think it also took away from baseball because its more that just hitting 450ft home runs.

Baseball is now looking to change the speed up the game, I'm against that. I love sitting with my wife and son, sipping on a beer, relaxing, and watching the game. Why would I want to rush this?

#Baseball

 

[hardpr]

yeah i agree why try and speed it up. theres going to be a clock for pitching i guess

 

[TheKnife]

There are many factors behind the fall of power numbers (and in fact all aspects of offence) - tougher testing and punishment for PEDs is clearly a significant one, but among others we have, in no particular order:

1) the specialisation of pitchers in the bullpens, which leads to tougher match-ups in later innings
2) a slightly shrinking strike zone
3) the increasing realisation by clubs of the value of defence, especially by catchers behind the plate in pitch framing
4) related to 3, the increasing use of shifts

But at least the big home run fans will always have Giancarlo Stanton And as a Yankee fan, you'll always have the short right-field fence for lefties to pop those 310 feet "big flies"!!!

As for the "pace of game" changes, I believe it is the hitters who are getting the blame from MLB for slowing the game rather than pitchers - the new rule is going to call on umpires to issue a strike against any hitter who steps out of the batter's box between pitches for no good reason (yes, there's a list of acceptable reasons!). So the actual play is not being affected, it is just the unnecessary adjusting of gloves in between every pitch which certain players do which is being targeted. I don't think anyone really wants to see a pitcher having to rush to throw the ball before a siren goes off, that just leads to reduced quality.

For the record, I'm a Bluejay, and given how tight the AL East looks this year I could genuinely see us finishing anyway from 1st to 5th! Just looking forward to another year riding the rollercoaster.

 

[DaSarge]

I'm a Giants fan but, more importantly, a HUGE fan of the game in general. In fact, baseball card collecting has been one of my hobbies for quite a few years now. Although the HR numbers are down from the steroid "era", they're still higher than in the 80's so THAT'S a good thing. I also think that instant replay has slowed things down quite a bit, but I like it overall. Can't wait for the season to begin!

 

[hardpr]

i have collected myself sarge. i have not collected recently however but i have a basement full of cards and sets.

 

[DaSarge]

i have collected myself sarge. i have not collected recently however but i have a basement full of cards and sets.

Very cool...I've got a bunch of HOFers, but overall I consider myself more of a "set" type collector. I'm just finishing up a 1960 Fleer set and will probably try and put another small set together this year (thinking about maybe the 1961 Golden Press set but I haven't decided yet)...It's a fun hobby and keeps me out of trouble......

 

[RAIDEN]

All i know is my SF Giants have won 3 Championships in the last 5 years!!!! Would be perfect to see them play the Skankees and beat them in the World Series but to be honest, I think baseball lost its appeal for power numbers or ball smashing home runs when The Great Barry Bonds quit playing. Nobody changed or could change the entire game by stepping up to home plate like Barry, dude struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers and bullpens.

 

[DaSarge]

All i know is my SF Giants have won 3 Championships in the last 5 years!!!! Would be perfect to see them play the Skankees and beat them in the World Series but to be honest, I think baseball lost its appeal for power numbers or ball smashing home runs when The Great Barry Bonds quit playing. Nobody changed or could change the entire game by stepping up to home plate like Barry, dude struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers and bullpens.

YUUP!!!......AND, their AAA team is moving to West Sacramento this season, so I'll get to see them play in my backyard!!! SWEET!!!