I think the toothpaste is out of the tube there. Hitters adjusted their swings to not only beat the shift but to get paid. Power pays. It has never harder to hit -- more velocity, more talent, more movement, less control at times -- in the majors, and yes superb defense and shifts were part of that. But they aren't alone. And they aren't the biggest contributor. As the game moved away from batting average as a measure and to OPS and SLG as the better measures of a hitter then you saw the paychecks/salaries correspond and then you saw the swings follow. It wasn't like Justin Turner changed his swing because the shift was foiling his advance to the majors. Nope. He wanted to unlock power, doing damage with the pitches he could reach, and away he went. Josh Donaldson embraced the launch angle swing not to beat the shift but to eclipse the wall. That's where money is made. That's where games are won. The shift contributed to that evolution, but it's a small part of it.
He was celebrated as another pitcher who worked with Dave Duncan and became something far more than he was. It was a huge story at the time. I wrote an article at one point during that World Series how Dave Duncan should be given the MVP award -- for how he set up the approach with Anthony Reyes in Game 1 to how he helped get Weaver back on track. That was Duncan's rep and Duncan's gift as a pitching coach. He helped the Cardinals constantly reinvent pitchers, from Weaver to Pineiro, Suppan to ... well, dozens.
The ghost win used in other leagues has been discussed and largely dismissed as an option in the expanded playoffs.
No sir. It meant interviews with some of the young Cardinals, including Jordan Walker and Matthew Liberatore.
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Sorry for the staccato pace here. Had some interviews, some reporting that happened earlier than expected. I'm going to shift venues here real quick -- the workouts are over -- and I'm going to post two videos from interviews today, then dive back into the chat before writing up coverage for Tuesday. Thanks for the patience.
Curt Flood is a member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame. He's a celebrated player.
The answer is one. The Dodgers. And even then they could adjust quick because remember they have many unsigned free agents and could commit less dollars by signing fewer of them. Seager is already headed to Texas. But that's not the question. The question is much more teams would spend to be up against the new CBT. There were five teams within the signing of one free agent from the CBT. Five. Would those teams have signed that free agent if they had that space to avoid the soft cap that the CBT has become? That's what the players want to change and what the math shows they can.
It's the Colorado Rockies of the world. The way that owner views that market, his ability to spend, and contending with the Dodgers. That's the leading example at the moment.
Private companies vs. Public ones. Not a surprise. That's the system.
That is correct. There are three major issues. Both sides want to go 2-for-3.
Most of them are, yes. I have not been able to ask all of the owners, as you can imagine. But they like the revenue he's brought into the game, the vision he has for more revenue, the expanded international presence and non-traditional site games, and all of that. They definitely like the money coming in from the streaming tech and MLB Network. They like the business that he's led. They are frustrated by some of his comments, but that happens.
That's it. They're trying to change the calculation on stolen bases so that they become more appealing and attempted more often. That's the goal, and some early experiments suggest that it will nudge the percentage of risk down just enough to invite more steals.
Let's hope. You'll get MLB stuff, too. But, yes, we're expanding the minor-league coverage.
More action. More balls in play. More work at third base for a great glove like Nolan Arenado. More plays for Harrison Bader in the center field. More chances for Goldschmidt to go first to third. And so on and so on.
Players get a cut of the playoff pool. When you read about playoff shares awarded the players, that's what it's talking about. The salaries players receive based on their contracts do not pay them for spring training or for the playoffs.
Sure. Like March Madness, baseball-style. DeWitt has advocated a 154-game schedule.
I'm not a fan of the shift but you do make some compelling counter points. Yes, people could change habits, skills etc to counter the shift. But, maybe an unintended consequence has been that some hitters feel the best way to beat the shift (and get highly compensated a the same time) is to hit the ball over the dang wall and that has contributed to the three outcome dilemma? I think that when MCarp went on his homer tear several years ago, it deeply influenced his thinking, going forward.;
I think the toothpaste is out of the tube there. Hitters adjusted their swings to not only beat the shift but to get paid. Power pays. It has never harder to hit -- more velocity, more talent, more movement, less control at times -- in the majors, and yes superb defense and shifts were part of that. But they aren't alone. And they aren't the biggest contributor. As the game moved away from batting average as a measure and to OPS and SLG as the better measures of a hitter then you saw the paychecks/salaries correspond and then you saw the swings follow. It wasn't like Justin Turner changed his swing because the shift was foiling his advance to the majors. Nope. He wanted to unlock power, doing damage with the pitches he could reach, and away he went. Josh Donaldson embraced the launch angle swing not to beat the shift but to eclipse the wall. That's where money is made. That's where games are won. The shift contributed to that evolution, but it's a small part of it.