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Mike
7:05
Its similar, to use my TCG example from earlier, to how quickly players now solve metagames after new releases in competitive card games, and developers have to use card changes or bans or the like to shake formats up in between releases because, unlike 5 or 10 years ago, a competitive format will never last until the next set release without being solved, and can often be figured out in a few weeks leading to stagnation
MLB's dealing with the same stagnation problem but for the ball varying around enough to change the environment a bit in terms of what is and isn't rewarded.
Ben Clemens
7:05
On the other hand, it's also a great example of why Base Cam is stuuuuuupid
Mike
7:06
I am personally pretty aesthetically neutral in that i think baseball's always had eras where different strategies were ideal, offensive environments changed, etc, but due to people having a much better grasp over how to figure out what does and doesn't work in an environment, you probably need to consciously introduce changes now
AvatarDan Szymborski
7:06
To steal a card game phrase, the offensive meta's largely solved.
Oscar the Grouch
7:06
If you wanted to increase the value of balls in play, you could also lower the number of players on the field. Fewer fielders, higher batting averages. (The best players would also get a higher percentage of the playing time!)
AvatarDan Szymborski
7:06
I think the problem is that a single player removed from field is too much
If you had 50 fielders, then 48 would be fine
Mike
7:07
I remember back in I think '18, Effectively Wild had a couple of the BP pitching data experts on to talk about the challenges of Robo-Ump and ended up talking about how all this relates to the rest of this overall as well.
The degree to which pitches would move with the extra distance is insane, yeah.  It's also similar to the problems with robo-ump, where you start introducing things that are 'technically' strikes but are in practice completely unhittable.

The theoretical rules idea of the strike zone is to define the arae where pitches are reasonably hittable, and that's the way it's enforced and why it's actually rounded and doesn't have square corners.
Ben Clemens
7:07
"This is where you love the three batter rule" is a rare time where I agree with the announcers who are asked to shill for game changes
I do like the three batter rule!
AvatarDan Szymborski
7:08
I do too. I think it's one of those changes that *does* deal with the meta.
7:09
To prevent excessive specialization.
Essentially, it's a nerf to a utility card that's being used in every deck.
Mike
7:09
I feel like I've barely noticed the 3 batter rule but the Dodgers never did a lot of those kinds of pitchers to begin with, and the one they did have has turned out to be reasonably effective vs righties as well (Kolarek)
AvatarDan Szymborski
7:09
It's three-man Ironbeak Owl!
Ben Clemens
7:09
Turns out that he's more than just someone who gets Soto out
Also, no one gets Soto out
7:10
I think it's ideal if you barely notice it
But I do like that it adds strategy
And choices
Mike
7:11
I think that's mostly true.  It has some weird elements like the ability to change at the start of an inning regardless, so if you bring in the guy, he gets 1 out, you can take him out to start the next inning, but if you leave him in he has to pitch 2, etc, that are .. unintuitive?
Ben Clemens
7:11
Yeah, they should change that
But by and large I like it
Oscar the Grouch
7:15
Soccer limits the total number of substitutions instead of when they can occur, right?
Ben Clemens
7:15
Yeah, though not at lower levels
But yeah
Mike
7:15
Its a thing I've been wondering about with the Reds this year because we have seen expected stats/barrels rather dramatically under-perform expectations at certain EV/LA ranges due to the decreased flight distance of the ball and the inability of the statcast expected stats to adjust to the current environment fast enough, and I kind of wonder how much that has impacted certain players for better or worse
In particular, the way that the EV/LA 'donut hole' where softer contact is better than harder contact because the harder contact carries all the way to the OFs and the softer contact falls in has moved around can go a long way to explain various guys over/under performance relative to expectations
Ben Clemens
7:15
I wrote about this last year!
Mike
7:16
the rule as written for relievers makes sense since the goal was to avoid disrupting the action, and replacing a reliever at the start of an inning doesn't disrupt the action at all, so there's no reason to forbid it
Ben Clemens
7:16
Oh the way I'd fix it is that after you finish an inning, you can be substituted whenever
Not by forbidding start-of-inning subs
It's just weird that there are some pitchers who start and inning and must face two, but most must only face one
7:20
A's flying the surrender flag here
7:21
Using a reliever they basically have on the roster as a mop-up guy
tommytoms
7:22
You are just jealous of Weems' hair Ben
Ben Clemens
7:22
I mean, I could absolutely not grow my hair out that long
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