Going Old School Style
2023. The year of the changes; The pitch clock; Bigger bases; Pick off moves; The small ball; Ghost runner; New philosophies. These all contributed to what is now the new form of Major League Baseball.
Let us point out some of the obvious from these changes. If anyone has had a chance to see how big the new bases are in comparison to how they were, you will think advantage to the base runner. Or the fact that the pitcher can only pick off twice. But not so fast, not only did we see more offensive play by the philosophy of “get them on, get it over, get them in” but we saw several pitchers strike out more than 200 batters in a season. One pitcher even has 20 wins, which in today’s game (where the pitcher only pitches five innings), it is almost unheard of to reach that milestone.
So let us break down our philosophies and theories by the numbers.
First on the offensive side:
Total number of HRs this season 5,868. The Atlanta Braves lead the pack with 307. The Cleveland Guardians only managed 124 round trippers. Then we have the “four man race for the National League MVP” but we will get to those numbers. We have one team that had four players with more than 100 RBIs. And we have one player with more than 70 stolen bases.
On the defensive side:
We have 41,843 total strike outs in the major leagues this season. We have Spencer “Stash” Strider with 281 strike outs, with Blake Snell at 234, and Garrett Cole at 222.
Amazing numbers on the offensive and defensive side of the ball this season. But how do we prove that some of these rule changes have affected the game. Let us start with captain obvious. The National League MVP race: Ronald Acuna Jr at 217 hits, 41 HRs, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases and a batting average of .337; Freddie Freeman with 211 hits, 29 HRs, 102 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, 59 doubles and hit .331; Mookie Betts at 179 hits, 39 HRs, 107 RBIs and hit .307.
Matt Olsen, playing for the Braves, brought in the old 90’s theory of “chicks dig the long ball” with 54 HRs, 139 RBIs, and 172 hits. It is obvious to most with Ronald Acuna Jr being the first 40/70 player in the history of the game, should be enough to win the National League MVP. Though if you took Acuna’s season out of it, Betts, Freeman, and Olsen arguably could have won the MVP.
Rule Changes:
How they have affected the teams? Post season races? The Baltimore Orioles went 101 and 61 this season, playing a lot of small ball and using their speed to get them past 100 wins. The Arizona Diamondbacks finished the season 84 and 78, in second place in the NL West, led by rookie sensation Corban Carroll, showing that the stolen base is the new homerun. Meanwhile you have teams like the San Diego Padres, who were built for the homerun, missed the playoffs, finishing 82 and 80. Imagine for a second, in their prime, what Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman, Tim Raines, Willie McGee, Willie Wilson, Joe Morgan, or any of the other talented speedsters in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, could do had they had the opportunity for bigger bases and limited pick off attempts. When you think about it, could Rickey Henderson have stolen 200 bases in one season? Could Vince Colemen have stolen 150? Nobody knows. The game as we know it is coming full circle.
For the baseball purist who does not mind watching a pitching dual ending in a 1-0 score with a combined hit total of 4, these rules have no bearing on the fan. In the casual fans mind, today’s game is too slow. They want to see offense. They want to pull out their camera phones, take pictures, post on social media about the latest home run or the team celebration at the end. This is what has led to these rule changes. Long gone are the days of a game taking 3-4 hours. Most games wrap up in 90 minutes to 2 hours. Thus, bringing in a new era of baseball, catering to the fan that wants to be entertained, seeking that instant gratification, as we see throughout society.
The one thing that I have loved throughout this season has been the opportunity to meet so many of you, the Top Fan Rivalry followers. At games, on podcasts, on lives, it has been such a pleasure getting to know so many people, representing all teams, and getting to see your fandom, and what makes you love this game that we call America’s favorite past time. Every ballpark that I’ve been to this season will always have a special place in my heart, not to mention the kindness shown to me. We this fantastic community to talk about the game and what we love and hate about it. Onward to the playoffs and onward to see where Top Fan Rivalry and the community go in 2024.