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Robbie Marriage's avatar

This is more debatable than the unwritten rules debate.

My initial opinion is that if baseball didn't want its players to be so self-centric, then they shouldn't have designed such an individualistic sport. This isn't like basketball. A hitter stands at the plate alone, with nobody there to help him, looking out at a field of players who are all against him. There is no team strategy in baseball as a hitter anymore. A hitter does what is best for themselves, and that is all they do. It used to be more common to 'take one for the team' via something like a sac bunt or an intentional ground ball for a hit and run play, but that type of thing is nearing extinction, not because of individualistic players, but because of the analytical realities of the sport.

In my opinion, this element of the game (that it's just more efficient for hitters to play for themselves than to do any kind of team oriented strategy) makes it more acceptable in this sport to be individualistic as a player than it would be in football or basketball, where players rely on teammates for help. Ironically, this line of reasoning means I'm much more sympathetic for individualism from hitters than pitchers, because unlike hitters, pitchers often rely on the skills of their teammates.

This sympathy I have for baseball individualism brings me to the real point here: that it still has to be about winning. By this I mean players should be themselves when choosing their stance on celebration. I am entirely against these silly dances that players are supposed to do whenever they get a hit, because everybody on the team does it, or the silly dugout HR celebrations that every player is forced to participate in. I'm against all that.

If a player works best being extraverted, and bombastic, and has a big ego, then they should be like that on the field, because holding it in would compromise their optimal mindset, and make them worse as a baseball player. If a player works best by remaining even keeled and keeping their emotions in check all the time, they should be like that on the field.

In short, I wholeheartedly agree with the philosophy that players should be themselves, and stick to the mindset that makes them play the game of baseball at their best. For some this is a bombastic celebration. For others it's a quiet trip around the bases. Let's not paint everybody with the same brush. If a player who performs their best by being stable emotionally all of a sudden whips out a massive bat flip, that's wrong, but if a bombastic personality quietly trots around the bases, that's wrong as well.

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Justin Alston's avatar

True. Glad the postseason begins soon. Should be fun.

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