I get the feeling there is information overload in today’s game. Baseball is a simple game, see ball, hit ball, throw ball, catch ball. At least that was the idea in Bull Durham. I remembered back to when I was first learning the game. And as I recall, I was coached very little.
I did get coaching on how to field a ground ball in the outfield and infield. Always use two hands when catching pop flies or fly balls. Follow through when you swing that bat. Swing level.
You watch a game in this era, and you see guys staring at I-Pads, talking to other players and the batting coaches. Some even head down the tunnel and watch videos. When a new pitcher comes in, you automatically see the coach huddling with batters showing them the pitcher’s tendencies on the IPad.
Back in the day, hitters kept books on the pitchers. Some pitchers used to keep books on umps tendencies. Harder to do that today since umps are used in both leagues and you do not see a crew as often as they used to.
Ted Williams probably remembered every pitch a certain pitcher threw him. Tony Gwynn was like that too. Striking out was a huge no-no. Not so much now. Some hitters can be successful with the launch angle theory. It worked for Justin Turner. But it seems to me that some coaches forget that players are different and not all hitters are going to be comfortable with that type of approach.
Chris Taylor when he came to LA was pretty much a weak bat and a good glove. The hitting coaches changed his batting style and approach, and Chris became much more of a threat to beat you with power now and then. But his K rate went up a ton too.
But he still managed to keep his career average around .250. For a player like him, who is used largely in a utility role, it worked and he parlayed that into a four-year contract.
While his BA has suffered a lot over the three years so far, he has battled through injuries and has had some pivotable moments with the bat. Like his game winning 9th inning homer in the 21 Wild Card game. He then htt three homers in game 5 to beat Atlanta.
His awful beginning to this year was looking like it might get him sent on his way via DFA. But the Dodgers have stuck with him, and he seems to be coming out of it.
Is the info they are giving him making the difference? He still looks like he is swinging the same way he always has, especially with two strikes. I honestly cannot remember ever seeing him shorten up his swing with 2 strikes.
As a matter of fact, the last player I remember doing it almost all the time was Albert Pujols when he was with LA. He would shorten up and try to poke the ball the other way, especially with two outs or runners on base.
Do they have info on how often this is an effective technique? Seems to me they have info on everything else. Exit velocity, how far the ball travels. I was happy back when I only knew what their batting average was.
Why does Jason Heyward stand so far back in the batter’s box? There must have been data saying he was not getting to inside pitches. His arms are long enough for him to be able to reach the outside corner of the plate when he is hitting. And it worked for him last year and revived a sagging resume.
Hitters and pitchers need to adjust day to day and game to game. There is a lot for them to process. I get the feeling that sometimes, there is just too much information.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 3 – OKC Baseball Club 1
Justin Wrobleski made his AAA debut. It was relatively a very good debut. He went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk. Unfortunately 2 of the hits were solo HRs; one in the 3rd inning and 1 in the 4th inning. The 3rd run was from a 2-out single, a WP and a run scoring single in the 5th.
Wrobleski also had his strikeout pitch going. He had 11 Ks in the 5.0 IP. 7 were swinging and 4 were called. The first HR was a good pitch, better swing. The second HR was a hanging slider center/center.
Justin Wrobleski is looking like he could be a front of the rotation starter so far in his AAA debut. He has struck out ELEVEN (the most an OKC pitcher has had since Ryan Pepiot last year!) batters through 5 innings pitched. He also reached 98.4 mph on the fastball. pic.twitter.com/akZTOA2KQV
— ∞ The Infinite Dodger ∞ (@InfiniteDodger) June 23, 2024
OKC got their sole run in the 7th on a Ryan Ward HR (19).
That's your PCL home run leader going deep again! pic.twitter.com/91KFVolfFD
— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) June 23, 2024
- Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (19)
- Austin Gauthier – 2-4
- Doubles – James Outman (6), Austin Gauthier (7)
WRISP – 0-6 Runs on HR Slug – 1
NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 3 – Tulsa Drillers 2
NWA scored a pair of go ahead runs in the bottom of the 7th to take a 3-2 lead. In the 7th with Antonio Knowles on the bump, he had 2 outs with a runner on 1st via a walk. That was followed by a walk, single, and double for a pair of runs for the eventual h.
The Drillers got their two runs on a pair of solo HRs. José Ramos hit his 10th in the 2nd and Austin Beck hit his 11th in the 6th.
The Drillers had 4 hits. Besides the 2 long balls, they got a pair of doubles from Dalton Rushing (11) and Diego Cartaya (8).
WRISP – 0-4 Runs on HR Slug – 2
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Quad City River Bandits (KC) 1 – 7 Innings
This game was halted after 7.0 innings due to rain.
Chris Campos pitched the longest game of his career, 6.0 IP. He allowed one run on 5 hits and 1 BB. He registered 4 Ks on the night. The run against Campos came in the 4th. Single, PB, BB, double.
Chris Campos turned in another great start!
6IP 5H 1R 4Ks 1BB
Gave up a single run in the 4th but controlled almost the entire game. ERA down to 3.15, WHIP just 1.01, 50Ks in 45.2IP. 2nd outing in a row (11IP) where he's allowed just 1 run, 9 Ks in those outings, just 1 walk.… pic.twitter.com/wBA9GnhVga— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 23, 2024
Felix Cabrera retired the side in the 7th with one BB for his 1st save.
The Loons scored a run in the 2nd on a Chris Newell walk. Newell went to 3rd on a Kyle Nevin single and scored on a ground out DP. The Loons got two in the 6th on a Chris Newell 2-run HR (19).
The Loons had a total of 3 hits.
WRISP – 2-7 (1 run) Runs on HR Slug – 2
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6 – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA) 5 – 10 innings
RC scored to open things in the 1st. Kendall George singled, stole 2nd (20 steals), and scores on a Josue De Paula single.
IE scored a pair in the 3rd and RC matched it on 4 singles.
IE scored 2 more in the 4th on a pair of doubles and a triple.
Jose Meza homered in the 7th to tie the game.
IE went back in front in the 8th on a walk and 2 singles.
In the bottom of the 8th, Kendall George singled, moved to 3rd on a De Paula single, and scored on a Jeral Perez sac fly to tie it up again.
In the 10th, Callum Wallace retired the side on a sac bunt, strikeout, and fly out.
In the home half of the 10th, Oswaldo Osorio was the free runner at 2B. Wilman Diaz singled him to 3rd, and Kendall George singled him home for the walk off win.
- Kendall George – 4-5, 2 runs, 1 BB
- Josue De Paula – 3-4, 3 RBI
- Wilman Diaz – 2-4, 1 run
- Jose Meza – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (1)
Josue DePaula is on a heater that rivals Dalton Rushing after he got drafted in 2022. DePaula had 3 more hits tonight, which is his 4th multi hit game in row & his 2nd 3 hit game in his last 4. He also has hits 7 games in a row & has raised his average 36 points in those 7 games.… pic.twitter.com/lAGtEtBg28
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 23, 2024
#Dodgers CF prospect Kendall George tallied his second career four-hit game tonight, finishing it with this WALK-OFF single! pic.twitter.com/cHUmGpcz1p
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) June 23, 2024
WRISP – 5-7 Runs on HR Slug – 1
ACL Padres 8 – ACL Dodgers 3
Scott predicted the Dodgers would go 3-6 against KC, Colorado, and LAA. STB said 6-3. Actual – 6-3. STB wins this battle.
On the 6 games before the last 9, Scott said the Dodgers were going to get swept by Pittsburgh and NYY – Actual 3-3.
The Dodgers are going on the road for three against CWS and SFG. Scott, please predict the Dodgers will go 1-5. 😍
Sensory overload.
I still look at the game very much the same way I always have. Players are bigger and stronger than they’ve ever been, but park dimensions haven’t changed. The bases are still 90’, the rubber is still 60’6”” from a 17” home plate. Spin rate has always existed, you knew it when you saw it, you just couldn’t calculate its exactness. Do players practice the fundamentals we were all taught growing up? No, they don’t, and for me it’s quite noticeable when they don’t. But I don’t know what they are being taught on back fields and in the minors. They can’t bunt for sh’t, they don’t hit behind runners or hit the ball where it’s pitched, they don’t protect the plate and they don’t anticipate the overthrow. For all I know the numbers now say all that is a waste of energy and doesn’t produce wins above replacement.
I know many old timers are not happy about how much information there is now but it doesn’t bother me. I am trying to embrace it as it what baseball embraces. It’s science, but it isn’t rocket science. I find it interesting.
For those who may remember, there is a real treat in The LA Times Sports Section this morning; a May 1962 article on Willie Mays written by my all time favorite sports writer Jim Murray. I no doubt read it the day it was printed as I read everything Jim Murray wrote. I wanted to be a sports columnist because of him, after my baseball career was over of course. Anyway, I hope you all get an opportunity to read it.
I know the big boy Dodgers are off today, but the little boy Dodgers are on MLB.TV.
Right now, watching the Payton Martin and Great Lakes game. Game 2 will feature Jackson Ferris, so that will also be fun to watch.
Went fishing yesterday at one of my favorite lakes. The lake is really high right now because of the rain and all the runoff from the mountains. But it also made the paths a bit more difficult for an old buzzard like me to navigate. Since I have limited mobility in my knee, I cannot bend it very well to step up. When I went from where I was fishing to get to the path, I lost my balance and landed on my pride! My glutenous maximus took the brunt of the fall, plus I tore a huge patch of skin off of my arm by the elbow. Since I am nowhere being a small human, it took three intrepid souls to get me back on my feet. Needless to say, I thank them all. I did get three nice trout that we are going to smoke. But from now on, I am heading to a lake where I can park right next to the water……..hopefully I am cognizant enough to not drive into the water!!!! Watched the game from my recliner with my massage pad going full blast the entire time.
Lux’ bat mentioned yesterday that Reports of its death are greatly exaggerated
Great subject for a post Bear. I think of the abundance of information to players, coaches and fans can be an overload.
I personally would have loved much of the information as a player and coach. But how much is too much?
I suspect it’s up to each player to sort through information and decide what applies to his game; what to keep and what to let go in one ear and out the other.
As a fan, we can’t escape the amount of useless information offered up by announcers to fill air time.
My fear is for young players who are good listeners, being turned into robots. The idea that there is one way to do things. Not every player is suited to an organizational hitting approach or pitching style. The uniqueness of an individual player can get lost.
Luzardo placed on the 15 day-IL. But the problem he has usually takes 6-8 weeks to improve. He won’t even be pitching by the deadline. Yankees obtained JD Davis. They also put Stanton on the 10-day IL. May and Graterol have started throwing programs. Both could return by August.
Who didn’t see this coming?
I like the idea that someone could look at fancy stats and see when something changed. I was listening to the opposing Dodgers team’s announcers who said their pitcher slightly moved his index finger away from his social finder and closer to the seam and just like that that pitch was getting hit at a much greater rate.
It was noticed using the high speed video technology.
Dodgers picked up 1/2 game in the standings from all of their division rivals as all three lost their games today. Pirates put Bednar on the 15-day IL. Arenado left the Cardinal game with forearm soreness and later received an injection.