What changes need to be made to professional baseball?

[DaClyde]

Something that might make the game a bit more interesting? Stop throwing out perfectly good baseballs! Unless someone is accused of intentionally altering a ball, they should keep the ball in play until it leaves the field. Could make for some interesting movement on the ball if pitchers can keep it on the field long enough to get good and dinged up.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Contraction. too many teams.

 

[markakis8]

Robo umpires. The technology is good enough. And add the DH in the NL.

Geez, I hope this was sarcasm. I'm okay with adding the DH to the NL though.

 

[AmishDave]

Trim the schedule to 140 games, so playoffs don't drag on forever.

Someone said it, but limit the out of the box time and the pitcher to the plate time. Jose Valverde takes 45 seconds or more to pitch.

Make the DL legit injuries only. Be specific with the ailment.

 

[markakis8]

I will never understand why people do not want the DH - I'm all for equal leagues - but banning the DH is silly. Offense = attention. What common baseball viewer wants to see 95% of the pitchers out there strike out almost every at bat? It's boring. If you can add a guy to your lineup that hits 15-30 HR a year, that can only be better for baseball. I think McGwire and Sosa proved the long ball was good for baseball.

You can still play small ball without the pitcher hitting. The Twins and Athletics were very effective at it for a long stretch in the early part of last decade.

 

[Crewfan82]

The only thing I'd like to see different with the strike zone is perhaps how it's viewed on tv replay. I'd love to get good replays of exactly how and where the ball crosses/or doesn't cross the plate. However, how it's called in real time should not change in my opinion. The human element is part of the game. Certain umps are tight, others are loose. There are strategies used to try to open up the strike zone by working the edges. All of that adds to the complexity and intrigue of the game.

I too don't mind if the zone is loose or tight as long as it is consistent. That is the problem, an ump calls it differently for every batter. I've seen too many games where the zone tightens up for one team ect.

 

[TBTwinsFan]

One thing I don't like is the length of baseball games. I find it usually takes a game 3 hours to get through 9 innings. Most of that time is eaten up by batters taking a ton of time to walk to the plate, and dumb promos in between innings.

 

[Casebusters]

I can understand not playing NL against AL all the time, But In each league, All teams should play each other the same amount of games instead of playing your division 18 times each...
Each team plays 90 games against 4 teams and play 72 games against 11 teams....



Every team in each league plays all teams 10 times and have 22 inter league games


and use the DH in both leagues!

 

[Lancemountain]

do what the EPL does and the rest of the "football" leagues. Have Loans.

Yes and let's relegate the mets

 

[Lancemountain]

I will never understand why people do not want the DH - I'm all for equal leagues - but banning the DH is silly. Offense = attention. What common baseball viewer wants to see 95% of the pitchers out there strike out almost every at bat?

I mean for me, its not so much the pitchers batting as it integrates so much more strategy into the game when the pitcher bats.

In this sportscenter ten second clip world i can see what you are saying but I, like many, actually like to watch whole baseball games.

 

[markakis8]

I mean for me, its not so much the pitchers batting as it integrates so much more strategy into the game when the pitcher bats.

In this sportscenter ten second clip world i can see what you are saying but I, like many, actually like to watch whole baseball games.

I get the strategy part for the purists. You have to use your entire team every game, double switches, etc. I will admit it is interesting to see what an NL manager is going to do when he needs a run but his SP is pitching well, etc. I just think adding an extra 15 MLB-legit hitters to the game would bring in more fans eventually. It could elongate some careers which would make for some great HOF discussions.

 

[Wes]

I mean for me, its not so much the pitchers batting as it integrates so much more strategy into the game when the pitcher bats.

In this sportscenter ten second clip world i can see what you are saying but I, like many, actually like to watch whole baseball games.

It actually takes less strategy to manage pitchers in the NL because the decision for when to pull a pitcher is made for you by having him bat.

 

[rum151man]

1. Eliminate the All star game winner getting home field in the World Series. Better record that makes it gets home field.

2. Expand instant replay in playoffs for any close play, every out counts.

3. More harsh penalties for band substances. Maybe 1st strike out for full season strike 2 your done.

4. Better salary Cap & some type of salary floor which will guarantee even small market teams have to spend X amount of $$$$ each year.

 

[Hendersonfan]

I like the extra wild card team. I agree with previous poster that they should do a 3 game series. Perhaps they will expand it after seeing the reaction? Maybe didn't want to invest 3 games without knowing how it would do.

Replay would be expanded. I have heard people say games would be delayed, but I don't think it would be delayed any more than it ia now. Any questionable call should be reviewed from the booth. Managers come out to argue a call and it could be reviewed at that time. No strikes, but fair and foul as well as close calls on bases and catches. It wouldn't take long if you had someone looking at it like NFL does.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Sports Cards by Freedom Card Board.com

 

[Lancemountain]

It actually takes less strategy to manage pitchers in the NL

stopped reading

 

[rsmath]

I definitely think it should be robotic balls and strikes using the Questec system or whatever it's called that is in place. I hate the situational strike zone of the umpires such as changing the zone depending on whether there is a no hitter going on or if the bases are jammed with two outs in the middle or later innings of a tight game. Robot calls it accurately and you also avoid the ****fest of the HP ump, both managers and both pitching coaches that go on for every pitch in the game and eventually can lead to unneeded ejections when the ump has had enough.

EDIT: also gives HP ump more attention at foul tip, HBP, batter or catcher interference, etc. without also having to worry about ball/strike call.

instant replay NHL style (disputed calls look at from MLB headquarters in NYC or from an ump at MLB Network studios where is there is already video links coming in from every ballpark). If a manager wants to argue a play, make it auto replay but that manager loses a pitching visit that inning (or the next half inning if his team is at bat) so that should keep him in the dugout more often if he has a pitching visit on the line.

broken bats - need to find some way to make them less shattering, even if that means eliminating maple or other woods because of their propensity to shatter more easily than the traditional ash. May even have to thicken up the handles or do wood grain tests before manufacturing if it will make them less prone to shattering.

balance the leagues (add/contract a team to do so) to avoid interleague. Interleague is fine in the world series or spring training, but I am getting to hate it in the regular season because the world series starting in 2013 should be repeat matchups of games from the regular season and not something special because the teams haven't played each other for years.


Bob Costas for commissioner and implement his wildcard rule if you are going to keep the 2nd wildcard - shorten season to 158 games or so in order to have a best-of-three wild card play-in system on up to three straight days on the field of the higher seeded wildcard team in each league.

 

[WaxPax]

+1

stopped reading

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

As said above contraction. Two teams gotta go. The talent is too watered down.

There should be (more?) MLB affiliated minor-league teams abroad to spread the game.

There should be a hard rule that says "no games in November".

 

[sschauer]

Good thread some good additions but I'd like to see players that use PEDs their team is penalized imagine if the giants got a 5 game or more penalty for Melky the Dodgers might have snuck in there. Would put much more pressure on a player not to be a bonehead and risk it if it would really cost a team some games.

 

[George_Calfas]

Bring back Day/Night Double Headers. You could keep 162 games but shorten the season by a week. This would also help with travel time and odd scheduling since each League now has 15 teams, your off day could be after the pair of games. For balance you get a Double Header against each team in your Division and one against a team in the other 5.