Strikeouts are boring but an out is an out
Soft pop-ups and weak ground balls are no more interesting than strikeouts
I am just tired of it. Tired of all the old guard folks railing about the number of strikeouts that occur in MLB today. Pitchers don’t pitch to contact anymore. They are always trying to ‘miss’ bats.
It's no secret that MLB hurlers strikeout more batters per 9 innings on average than ever before. It’s the way the game is played today. Fans need to get over it.
Eye-opening stats from Lost in Left Field by Tom Stone
Yesterday (Last week) Spencer Strider notched his 500th career strikeout, doing so in only 334 IP, a new record. According to research by MLB’s Sarah Langs, the previous fastest to 500 K was Freddy Peralta who got there in 372 IP. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Dylan Cease and José Fernández are the only other players who did so in 400.0 or fewer innings.
What exactly is it that those fans want to get back to when there were fewer strikeouts? The standard answer is more balls in play, more plays in the field, more ACTION! That’s great in theory but just look at the 1960s and ‘70s and think about the number eight (usually weak hitting infielders or catchers), and the number nine batter in the lineup, which was almost always a feeble hitting pitcher. Those bottom-of-the-lineup hitters rarely had extra base hits, much less home runs, and most often did not hit much at all. This is why the DH was invented. At the game, when the bottom of the lineup came around, you could safely get up and go to the bathroom and concession stand, come back and miss little action.
Are strikeouts worse than groundouts or pop-up outs?
I ask you, is a weak ground ball to second base better than a strikeout? It’s been said that ground balls are more democratic as opposed to strikeouts which are fascist. Well at least it is according to the character Crash Davis. (played by Kevin Costner in Bull Durham). But that doesn’t make weak ground balls innately more interesting. Nor do foul pop-ups that are caught for outs. Although when catchers go after foul pop-ups they turn around and fling off their masks. I guess that’s action.
The reality is that pitching in MLB is a scary thing and more difficult than it’s ever been before. Aside from worrying about dizzying exit velocity-hit balls coming right at your head while standing at 50 feet from home plate, every batter in a lineup has the capability to do damage including hitting a home run. As I have noted before, pitchers cannot count on ‘taking batters off’ when facing the light hitting bottom of the lineups as was the case ‘back in the day’.
Max effort by pitchers is the norm
In response today’s pitchers rely on filthier and filthier arsenals designed to dominate hitters, which makes those hitters look clueless at times. But all that comes at a cost, the big increase in pitcher arm injuries and elbow procedures. Older baseball fans (like me but I fight against it) long for the days of complete games, starting pitchers facing lineups four or more times in the same game, and using guile and deception to fool hitters therefore being less taxing on the ole pitching arm. It’s a romantic thought. And totally bogus.
You know what happens to MLB pitchers if they try to dial it back a bit to last longer both in the game and for the season, they get hit all over the park! That’s why pitchers don’t feel they can throw at 85% to save ‘a little extra’ for that critical moment of the game. Former MLB pitcher and now commentator Ron Darling talks about that on the Mets broadcasts somewhat regularly. Darling acknowledges this was the way it was when HE pitched. However, when I asked him in person the one time we met, if MLB pitchers can really get out MLB hitters using less than their full effort he demurred. Ron is a smart guy.
A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that at the minor league level teams like the San Francisco Giants are having their up-and-coming pitcher go longer in the games to build up resilience, stamina, and experience. The article also noted that batting averages increase as batters have their second and third at-bats versus a starting pitcher. Still, it’s worth a try.
It's pitcher training they say!
It’s disturbing to me that young pitchers are amenable to having a Tommy John procedure performed on their pitching elbows before they leave high school. Get it over with they say and then you don’t have to worry about that! These would-be MLB pitchers are the best trained young arms given the technology and training techniques available to them. They focus on spin rates, movement, and obviously velocity. Those metrics can be so much more easily reviewed by scouts of all MLB teams and can translate into gobs of money for pitchers whose performances and potential are displayed both on the field and in the data. The result is that these young pitchers throw harder and with more movement and spin.
Can pitchers be taught to throw with less effort but more precision – a la Greg Maddux?
I am 100% certain HOFer Greg Maddux feels he could get MLB hitters out today the way he did for the bulk of his amazing career. When Maddux pitched, he rarely threw above 92 MPH at a time when 95 MPH was considered upper-echelon velocity. Maddux was known for using guile and deception. He also amassed 3,371 career strikeouts, good for 12th in MLB history. Maddux was a unicorn and his ability to fool umpires was as good as was his ability to fool hitters. I am going to guess that ABS (automated balls and strikes) would not be Maddux-friendly! But the answer to the question is, I hope pitchers can somehow come up with ways to preserve their precious arms and still get out today’s MLB hitters. But I am dubious on this being possible. I joked some time ago that the direction for MLB pitching staffs is to have (9) three-inning pitchers who can go every other day, a couple of one inning ‘closer’ type pitchers and a couple of ‘bulk’ pitchers for when things get out of hand in a game one way or the other.
It's less of a joke now and more of a possibility. Too many strikeouts are not the problem. Outs are outs, whether they are in the field or caught by the catcher.
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and now Substack.com.
I have been a baseball fan since I was 10 and am now 72. Numbers have never been my friend so stats never big with me.
I didn't quite understand why a player hit a homer and the next batter seemed to get punished by almost getting hit in the head. And homers never quit getting hit. On either side.
So now, past few years, we have been treated to stuff like velocity off the bat after the speed of a pitch. I will not pretend to understand OPS and WAR even after looking them up. I keep up with the pitch count which I think is important. Another woman I text with tells me she has learned so much from me. I have shared the lingo I know like juiced!! And she understands about pitch count too.
So I will keep reading as long as I understand. I don't think stats mattered to my late husband either; he just loved the game.
"is a weak ground ball to second base better than a strikeout?"
Yes, Mark. Yes, it is. Because sometime either the 1st or 2nd baseman muffs it. And sometimes, the player doesn't run it out, which shows us his attitude towards the game.