So... the pitching staff just got better.

[Inside Pitch]

 

[Taylor]

So is this MLB subtly admitting they changed the baseballs a couple years ago?

[Second Base]

This is a good thing. The ball needed to be deadened. And quite frankly, I think field dimensions need to be bigger as well. 

 

[Angels 1961]

7 minutes ago, Second Base said:

This is a good thing. The ball needed to be deadened. And quite frankly, I think field dimensions need to be bigger as well. 

 

Get rid of that yellow line

[Inside Pitch]

7 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Get rid of that yellow line

I agree .... make it pink because breast cancer awareness!

[Lou]

18 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

I agree .... make it pink because breast cancer awareness!

For a moment there, I had forgotten that breast cancer existed. Thanks for the reminder.

[Second Base]

27 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

Get rid of that yellow line

I agree completely. That tall wall used to act as an equalizer, creating doubles glaore and making the game interesting with base runners. Now it's a non-picturesque short porch with no sense of history, just a stupid eyesore that creates unworthy HR's.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Second Base

[Inside Pitch]

2 minutes ago, Lou said:

For a moment there, I had forgotten that breast cancer existed. Thanks for the reminder.

Don't thank me -- thank MLB.

[Taylor]

23 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

I agree .... make it pink because breast cancer awareness!

I'd like to hear @yk9001's thoughts on this idea.

[Inside Pitch]

Just now, Taylor said:

I'd like to hear @yk9001's thoughts on this idea.

Not gonna lie, he crossed my mine as I typed that.

[Lou]

4 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Don't thank me -- thank MLB.

Don't sell yourself short. I listen to you, not MLB.

[eligrba4ever]

Somebody probably has an archive of the back-and-forth about that right-field yellow line. Memories can fade, but I seem to recall that the stats at the time showed a tilt toward the visiting teams on who benefited from having to clear the high wall. After Morales, the Angels had a problem finding LH bats. Kole was a line-drive guy who mostly banged a lot of balls hard off the middle of the wall.

 

[Angelsjunky]

Good. The game has become less dimensional with the emphasis always on the long ball. I think I calculated that the average, or median, full-time player hit 20 HR in 2019. Traditionally 15 HR was considered average power.

I think the peak balance was in the 80s: a good number of HR, but tons of stolen bases (Ricky, Raines, Coleman, etc), some super high average hitters (remember Boggs string of .360 seasons?), and pitchers actually pitching 35 starts, 250+ IP.

[Angelsjunky]

Its worse than I thought, at least among qualifiers.

Median HR - SB for qualifiers, going back every ten years:

2019: 25 - 5

2009: 18 - 7

1999: 21 - 9

1989: 12 - 8 

1979: 14.5 - 9

1969: 14 - 6

1959: 14 - 5.5

1949: 11 - 4

1939: 11 - 5

1929: 7 - 8

1919: 2 - 15

1909: 2 - 23

 

Notice the inversion - it is a reversal from the dead ball era. HRs have been relatively stable until the 90s when they exploded. Then they lessened a bit in the early 2010s, but still remained above historical norms. And now it is totally out of hand.

I haven't checked the numbers on SB, but I think players are generally more athletic now, so a lot of guys steal a few bases. But we don't really see 70+ SB guys anymore, unfortunately. I think Jacoby Ellsbury was the last one, and befor him Jose Reyes. Or to put it another way:

Last 50/60 SB season: 2017 - Dee Gordon 60, Billy Hamilton 59

Last 70 SB season: 2009 - Jacoby Ellsbury 70

Last 80/90 SB season: 1988 - Rickey Henderson 93, Vince Coleman 81

Last 100 SB season: 1987 - Vince Coleman 109

[failos]

1 hour ago, Angels 1961 said:

Get rid of that yellow line

First time I’ve ever agreed with you

[Angels 1961]

37 minutes ago, failos said:

First time I’ve ever agreed with you

I disagree with you, I think it's the second time

[AngelsLakersFan]

2 hours ago, Second Base said:

This is a good thing. The ball needed to be deadened. And quite frankly, I think field dimensions need to be bigger as well. 

 

I don't think they should deaden the ball, but rather increase the field dimensions. That would really promote increased athleticism. Of course, absent moving the fences back, 'deadening the ball' is a good idea... I only worry that they have no idea just how deadened it will be.

[Taylor]

29 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

I disagree with you, I think it's the second time

Angels 1961 is an underappreciated poster.

[T.G.]

7 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Angels 1961 is an underappreciated poster.

Every now and then he posts something funny.... not often, but just often enough from keeping him off my ignore list.

@Jay are we there yet?

[Junkballer]

14 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Every now and then he posts something funny.... not often, but just often enough from keeping him off my ignore list.

@Jay are we there yet?

But it took several months of 8 word insipid posts.  He does come up with some insightful, and some amusing posts now.

[T.G.]

13 minutes ago, Junkballer said:

But it took several months of 8 word insipid posts.  He does come up with some insightful, and some amusing posts now.

We probably shouldn't encourage him. Next thing you know, he'll want to use our private bathroom.

[Angel Oracle]

Angel Stadium can’t have the fences moved back, since foul territory is already minimal.

Just remove the RF wall yellow line and deaden the baseballs a little.

[failos]

2 minutes ago, cals said:

Cause usually you don’t understand what he’s saying.

It’s true

[Taylor]

4 hours ago, T.G. said:

We probably shouldn't encourage him. Next thing you know, he'll want to use our private bathroom.

The gender neutral one?

[HaloBronco]

6 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

Its worse than I thought, at least among qualifiers.

Median HR - SB for qualifiers, going back every ten years:

2019: 25 - 5

2009: 18 - 7

1999: 21 - 9

1989: 12 - 8 

1979: 14.5 - 9

1969: 14 - 6

1959: 14 - 5.5

1949: 11 - 4

1939: 11 - 5

1929: 7 - 8

1919: 2 - 15

1909: 2 - 23

 

Notice the inversion - it is a reversal from the dead ball era. HRs have been relatively stable until the 90s when they exploded. Then they lessened a bit in the early 2010s, but still remained above historical norms. And now it is totally out of hand.

I haven't checked the numbers on SB, but I think players are generally more athletic now, so a lot of guys steal a few bases. But we don't really see 70+ SB guys anymore, unfortunately. I think Jacoby Ellsbury was the last one, and befor him Jose Reyes. Or to put it another way:

Last 50/60 SB season: 2017 - Dee Gordon 60, Billy Hamilton 59

Last 70 SB season: 2009 - Jacoby Ellsbury 70

Last 80/90 SB season: 1988 - Rickey Henderson 93, Vince Coleman 81

Last 100 SB season: 1987 - Vince Coleman 109

Loved the way those St. Louis Cardinals teams from the 80's played ball. Great style of baseball to watch Stolen bases, runners in motion, delayed double steals, hit and run, a lot of doubles (Vince Coleman, Willie Mcgee, Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton, Tommy Herr, etc) of course excellent pitching. That was true baseball, todays game at times seems like softball an over reliance of waiting around for the homerun.