{"id":51947,"date":"2020-08-22T20:53:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T17:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/"},"modified":"2020-08-22T20:53:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T17:53:00","slug":"what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/","title":{"rendered":"#What I love and hate about this wild MLB season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dcd0f8a3bc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dcd0f8a3bc\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#More_swings_and_misses_fewer_swings_and_bat_flips\" >More swings and misses, fewer swings and bat flips<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#Look_out_Mendoza_Line\" >Look out, Mendoza Line!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#From_mashed_balls_to_MASH\" >From mashed balls to M*A*S*H<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#The_long_and_short_of_it\" >The long and short of it<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#COVID\" >COVID<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#People_are_watching\" >People are watching<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season\/#Culture_changes\" >Culture changes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#What I love and hate about this wild MLB season<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                        As we <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach the midpoint of this bonkos Major League Baseball season, what comes to mind is the joke about the dumb guy who tries to swim across a lake, only to get exhausted halfway through \u2014 so he turns around and swims back.<\/p>\n<p>Good luck finding a baseball person not drained from the ordeal just to get this far, an ordeal exemplified by this weekend\u2019s Subway <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> being sidelined by the Mets\u2019 two positive COVID-19 tests. Amazingly, of the 32 days on the baseball calendar through Sunday, just five have proceeded without a team being quarantined by coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>Yet everyone will keep swimming toward October, energized by motivations pure and profit-related, to extend what one uniformed person \u2014 citing the empty stands, injury- and opt-out-fueled absences and wavering quality of play \u2014 called \u201can exhibition season on steroids.\u201d People are watching, though. And interestingly, the societal impact of this baseball season could outlast the minutiae of who won and lost.<\/p>\n<p>At the non-All-Star non-break, here\u2019s a look at what 2020 baseball has brought and wrought so far:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"More_swings_and_misses_fewer_swings_and_bat_flips\"><\/span>More swings and misses, fewer swings and bat flips<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>For those who bemoan the ever-increasing counts of strikeouts and home runs, would it comfort you to know that dingers were down by just more than 2 percent through Friday\u2019s action \u2014 from one every 24.6 at-bats to one every 25.1? Strikeouts, meanwhile, were up by 2.6 percent, from one every 3.9 at-bats to one every 3.8.<\/p>\n<p>Could this year\u2019s baseball be less bouncy, or \u201cdejuiced\u201d? Two uniformed folks interviewed (on the condition of anonymity) felt the ball hadn\u2019t changed significantly, while a third disagreed, contending that the 2020 ball played fairer. Going to the numbers, Statcast reported that the percentage of hard-hit balls (those <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ing 95 mph or faster) dipped ever so slightly through Thursday, from 36.6 percent to 36.4 percent. Overall, average exit velocity dropped from 88.7 mph to 87.9.<\/p>\n<p>As for the modest uptick in K\u2019s, one member of the anonymous uniformed panel pointed to the increasing usage of relievers, thanks to the half-length of spring training 2.0 not allowing starters to ramp up as much. Makes some sense. Through Friday, starters had thrown 53.8 percent of the innings, a decrease from last year\u2019s 57.9, and relievers fanned 9.6 batters per nine innings as opposed to starters\u2019 8.6.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16176790\"><img alt=\"The Yankees' Thairo Estrada strikes out.\" data- data- height=\"441\" width=\"661\"><\/img><figcaption><span>The Yankees\u2019 Thairo Estrada strikes out.<\/span><span>AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_out_Mendoza_Line\"><\/span>Look out, Mendoza Line!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The industry-wide batting average stood at .242, a 4 percent drop from last year\u2019s .252. All of that can\u2019t be attributed to the increase in strikeouts, so how else to explain it?<\/p>\n<p>Shifts appear to be part of the puzzle. As per Sports Info Solutions, defensive shifting was up 35 percent from last year through Thursday, and those shifts have proven more effective, leading to outs on 77 percent of grounders or bunts. Over the prior four seasons, on the fewer shifts, defenses converted 75 percent of those balls into outs.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get too bummed about returns to 1968 levels of offense, though. The MLB batting average stood at .230 on Aug. 9 and has climbed slowly and steadily since. It appears the batters are catching up to the pitchers, in part because so many pitchers are getting hurt.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_mashed_balls_to_MASH\"><\/span>From mashed balls to M*A*S*H<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Through Thursday, Day 29 of this season, teams had used the injured list 146 times for a total of 1,461 missed days. Last year at Day 29? Ninety-three times and 1,280 days. Even accounting for the expanded rosters, that\u2019s quite a jump.<\/p>\n<p>The predominant theory, and the most sensible one, is that the shutdown and quick ramp-up resulted in a flurry of ailments. One panel member pointed to relievers in particular being hurt by these developments \u2014 whereas a starting pitcher could more easily replicate his routines (a \u201cstart\u201d every five days, then a throw day and run day in between) during the shutdown, a reliever thrives on steady <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> work that comes with a month of scrimmages.<\/p>\n<p>A second panel member observed that the empty stands could mess with pitchers, who can\u2019t energize as they normally would then must summon something extra when they get in a jam. That something extra could lead to extra downtime.<\/p>\n<p>With so many arms down, look for relievers to be the most cherished and dealt commodity with the Aug. 31 trade deadline nearing. The Phillies and Red Sox kicked that off Friday with the swap relocation of Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from Boston to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_long_and_short_of_it\"><\/span>The long and short of it<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Through Thursday, the average nine-inning game had gone in the wrong direction from last year\u2019s record-high 3:05:35 to 3:07:50. All-caps reaction: YEESH! The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>? The rash of COVID-19 postponements begat the beauty of the seven-inning doubleheader, an amazing thing. Make all games seven innings by 2022 and watch that average time of game sink like membership at your local gym.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"COVID\"><\/span>COVID<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A bubble just wasn\u2019t going to work for baseball\u2019s regular season, and MLB learned from its early mistake with the Marlins to be more proactive and cautious when a positive test emerges. The schedule\/competitive integrity is problematic, with the Cardinals having to play so many doubleheaders and possibly not playing all 60 games.<\/p>\n<p>As for bubbles, if MLB can reach the postseason, odds are strong \u2014 let\u2019s call it 95 percent likely \u2014 of multiple bubbles being established to limit travel and the possibility of outbreaks. The two most likely locals are Southern California, where teams can rotate among Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium and PETCO Park, and Texas, where Minute Maid Park and Globe Life Field as well as possibly the Rangers\u2019 old stadium (Globe Life Park in Arlington \u2014 yes, it\u2019s confusing) can host.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"People_are_watching\"><\/span>People are watching<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If there\u2019s any silver lining from the ginormous revenue lost to empty stands, it\u2019s that commissioner Rob Manfred need not answer questions about attendance figures, which have dropped each year since 2013 (thanks, Baseball-Reference.com).<\/p>\n<p>That leaves eyeballs as the only tangible measure, and baseball has plenty of positive news, if not universally so, to report:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nationally, ESPN reports ratings for game telecasts are up 29 percent, from an average of 930,000 last year to 1,203,000 viewers. TBS reports a healthy 18 percent increase for its games. Fox and FS1, on the other hand, are down, the latter victimized by not having exclusive games.<\/li>\n<li>Locally, the YES Network says the average viewers per game are at 299,000, a nice improvement from last year\u2019s 271,000.<\/li>\n<li>\u200aThough Mets games are down, perhaps a byproduct of their slow start, SNY reports an 83 percent rise in the critical 18-34 demographic. Regional sports networks throughout the sport are tracking similar gains among the youths.<\/li>\n<li>Streaming is up, via MLB.TV, as total games are north of 10 percent and total minutes 28 percent, as well as an 11 percent increase of viewers under 25.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Culture_changes\"><\/span>Culture changes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Really, stunningly, baseball has shined the most in setting examples for others to follow in this COVID, post-George Floyd world. Beyond the embracing of Black Lives Matter and supporting those players who choose to kneel during the national anthem, the teams and players showed they weren\u2019t messing around when the Indians demoted valuable pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac for violating MLB\u2019s health and safety protocols, and putting their teammates at risk for the coronavirus. And when Plesac attempted to blame the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> for turning a molehill into the mountain, he was met with a resounding, \u201cNope, this was a mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throw in the Reds\u2019 outrage when their longtime broadcaster Thom Brennaman uttered a homophobic slur when he thought he was off the air. And on a matter less vital to the world but telling of the game\u2019s evolution, when Padres stud Fernando Tatis Jr. got scolded by both his own manager Jayce Tingler as well as Rangers skipper Chris Woodward for swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch with his team up by seven runs, Tatis Jr. received a groundswell of support from people both inside and outside the game.<\/p>\n<p>Very encouraging stuff all around. More than anything, it might make this venture meaningful and memorable.\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Sports News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>if you want to watch Movies or Tv Shows go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/dizi.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dizi.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a> <\/span> for forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/08\/22\/what-i-love-and-hate-about-mlbs-coronavirus-season-so-far\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What I love and hate about this wild MLB season&#8221; As we approach the midpoint of this bonkos Major League Baseball season, what comes to mind is the joke about the dumb guy who tries to swim across a lake, only to get exhausted halfway through \u2014 so he turns around and swims back. Good&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57253],"class_list":["post-51947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-what-i-love-and-hate-about-this-wild-mlb-season"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}