The new MLB commissioner is awesome

[sneaky_flute]

He wants to expand replay and eliminate the shift. About time!

[Stradling]

Eliminating the shift is ridiculous. Just make the pitcher pitch in a certain amount of time once the new batter is in the box, If he doesn't throw the pitch it's a ball. You can't get away from the shift, they've been shifting forever, it's only been the last few years where the shift has become extreme.

[Angel Oracle]

Whatever the case is, it's nice having someone besides Bug leading the way.

[laagamer]

Eliminate the shift and a pitch clock? 

 

Wow, I already hate this guy. 

[Guest]

I already hate him

[Ohtaniland]

He's like the new Pope. 

[eaterfan]

While we're eliminating the shift to increase offense can we also eliminate breaking balls? Hitters have trouble adjusting to them and it leads to too many outs. My friends 5 year old with ADD hates watching Josh Hamilton strike out on an outside slider. Now he only watched football.

[Chimi]

The shift isn't even on the list of the things that need to be changed in baseball.

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

Eliminating the shift takes away from the brilliance of the game. Baseball is mental. If a batter can't hit the ball the other way, then he needs to hit it hard enough to defeat the shift. Its ridiculous that you're going to take away a defensive tactic because of offensive deficiency. 

[ELEVEN]

He's like the new Pope.

But with corn syrup instead of sugar.

[Ohtaniland]

Dumping the DH would be a step in the right direction. It would be nice to see both leagues play by the same rules every game.

[ELEVEN]

Dumping the DH would be a step in the right direction. It would be nice to see both leagues play by the same rules every game.

I would rather have the DH available in both leagues as a strategic maneuver. Let the Manager of the home team decide if he is going with the DH (or not) in any game, and force the visitors to do the same. It can work by keeping someone like Ortiz out of the lineup for a series. Edited January 25, 2015 by ELEVEN

[fan_since79]

Scioscia will not like this.

 

Now he needs to ban the contact play and see Mike have a full nervous breakdown.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Dumping the DH would be a step in the right direction. It would be nice to see both leagues play by the same rules every game.

 

IMO all the DH has done is expand the market for one-dimensional players. I wouldn't be sad to see it go.

 

Restricting defensive alignments is not something that the commissioner should be involved in. Here's an idea: If the other team is in a shift, don't hit the ball to that side.

 

I won't even get into the pitch clock idea. One of the great things about baseball is that it is timed only by outs and innings.

[Stradling]

Scioscia will not like this.

Seriously? I am sure everyone on here is upset at Mike because he is just too sabermetric. Mike started using the shift pretty much this year, and just a hunch, it wasn't his idea, because if it was, then he would have been doing it long ago, since his buddy Madden has been doing dramatic shifts for years.

[Stradling]

IMO all the DH has done is expand the market for one-dimensional players. I wouldn't be sad to see it go.

Restricting defensive alignments is not something that the commissioner should be involved in. Here's an idea: If the other team is in a shift, don't hit the ball to that side.

I won't even get into the pitch clock idea. One of the great things about baseball is that it is timed only by outs and innings.

So we are going to get rid of the DH because they are one dimensional and then have the most one dimensional player on the field, the pitcher, try to hit? I understand purists that want to get rid of the DH, but this isn't very sound reasoning. It would be the equivalent of having the fattest, slowest guy, someone like Prince Fielder and forcing him to play center field, because at least then he won't be one dimensional. If we get rid of the DH, then it has to go away everywhere, all the way from the majors to high school. Watching pitchers hit is just awful, it's like watching Josh swing at low and away pitches out of the zone, only worse.

[Ohtaniland]

So we are going to get rid of the DH because they are one dimensional and then have the most one dimensional player on the field, the pitcher, try to hit? I understand purists that want to get rid of the DH, but this isn't very sound reasoning. It would be the equivalent of having the fattest, slowest guy, someone like Prince Fielder and forcing him to play center field, because at least then he won't be one dimensional. If we get rid of the DH, then it has to go away everywhere, all the way from the majors to high school. Watching pitchers hit is just awful, it's like watching Josh swing at low and away pitches out of the zone, only worse.

 

I'm a purist but if the DH must remain it should be in both leagues. Having a completely different set of rules for the NL and AL is just stupid. 

[Stradling]

I'm a purist but if the DH must remain it should be in both leagues. Having a completely different set of rules for the NL and AL is just stupid.

I agree completely. I would classify myself as a purist, except as it relates to the DH. However, I would consider it if they can get rid of the DH everywhere. When a NL pitcher steps into the box, he hasn't batted since college, and that's if he was a good hitter in college. If he wasn't then he batted in high school. Of course they suck at it, it is completely understandable. I don't know if the manager or the team is afraid to injure pitchers and have them stay away from regular batting practice, but they just don't really participate.

[Lou]

i already miss hearing "Los Angeleeeeze"

[ukyah]

none of this matters in the least because there will never be agreement on any single dimension of the game, but i'd be ok with a rule keeping the fielders on their respective sides of 2nd base. the stewards of the game always have to be aware of the entertainment value of the game and many factors have swung the pendulum way in favor of the pitcher at this point, and i think a little market correction is probably in order. i believe the league average era last year was something like 3.7, and that's pretty low from an entertainment standpoint. understanding that the vast majority of fans do like to see a little more scoring.

[AngelsFanSince86]

I doubt they will ever get rid of the DH. Baseball has been going down in ratings in recent years and I don't think taking away offense is going to help that.  Offense is already deficient in the post-steroid era.  Last years WS had two NL style teams going against each other and was the lowest rated 7 game series in history.  I would be for adding the DH to the NL, but I know most NL fans would be up in arms about it.

[Erstad Grit]

Eliminating the shift would be re-writing the rule book. As long as the 8 players are in play between the lines it should not matter. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I'm a purist but if the DH must remain it should be in both leagues. Having a completely different set of rules for the NL and AL is just stupid. 

 

Very much this. Whatever is decided on the DH, it needs to be the same for both leagues. Even watching it in the minors it makes no sense. The local AAA club is affiliated with an NL club (New York Mets). If they play another NL farm club, the pitchers hit. If they play an AL farm club, they use a DH.

 

As far as pitchers hitting, there have been some pretty good ones, notably Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale and Greg Maddux.

 

As far as the new commissioner goes, what he can do to truly impress me is to ax the draconian blackout rules that MLB uses for game telecasts. When games are blacked out on the MLB Network, something is badly wrong. This even includes replays of spring training games

Edited January 25, 2015 by Vegas Halo Fan

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Eliminating the shift would be re-writing the rule book. As long as the 8 players are in play between the lines it should not matter. 

 

If a team wants to put all nine players on the infield, that should be their privilege. There are pluses and minuses to any defensive alignment, including the shift.

[Jim]

One part of the game most in need of attention is getting the game completed in a two hour window. Speeding up the game makes sense. I've read a few ideas on how to make this happen. The one idea I believe merits further inspection is to get the batter in the box ready to hit in a prompt matter while keeping him there. No doubt there will be allowances in the rule but the extra time in between pitches needs to be addressed.