MLB 2018-19 Offseason Thread

Pitch clock for spring training:

 

Farewell, One Good Place on the Internet

Jeff Sullivan leaves Fangraphs for Rays front office.

 

I loathe the idea of a pitch clock. Baseball is the only major sport without a clock. Let's keep it that way.

The length of baseball games is literally not an issue that is holding down the game's popularity. NFL games last, on average, 3 hours, 8 minutes. MLB games last 3:09 and, have more action (about 18 minutes of live gameplay vs. 11 minutes for the NFL). Hell, major college football games lasted an average of 3:24 in 2017.

 

Watching Machado's interview on MLB Network with Avsinger, it's really hard not to root for him. It just makes me like the guy. He was honest, he seemed happy, he didn't dodge questions. I hope he doesn't spike anyone next season, but his interview made you think SD got a really solid player and person.

 

Pitch clocks have been in effect in the minors for 3-4 years now, no?

 

I don't watch MiLB, so I have no idea. I don't like it in theory, but in practice, I would hope it would assimilate young pitchers to have their own clock so that by the time they reach the bigs, they just pitch quickly.

I hate the idea that a Game 7 of the World Series could potentially come down to a bases-loaded walk when a pitcher, who is taking in the pressure of the moment, takes a hair too long to deliver his 3-2, 2-out pitch. Come on. That's fucking ABSURD.

 

The pitch clocks only come into play when no one is on base yes? Seems like it could be pretty easy to install. You have an official monitoring it from up high, if he is taking two much time (twice or more) he gets warned at the end of the inning. After that, an umpire puts him on the clock and the penalty is an automatic ball.

 

There is so much dead time in a baseball game, though. I love going to the ballpark and being outside, but on TV there's nothing to fill the space. Football at least has an endless supply of replays. And college football and the NFL are going to have a game time reckoning coming soon enough too. College only gets away with it now because there are so many games on at the same time.