State of baseball in 2017

[PartyOf5]

For a long time now, baseball has had an issue with the length of games. I'm not an ADD Millennial, but I've been having a harder time sitting through games the past couple of years. I've suspected it has a little to do with so man other things being tailored to immediate gratification, but not totally.

There are a few game-related items that I feel are dragging down the enjoyment of watching baseball. Strikeouts and all the time wasted between pitches are the 2 biggest offenders to me. I looked up some numbers to see if some of the things I was noticing were actually true and not just my perception.

Strikeout rate by year:
2017 - 8.24
2016 - 8.03
2015 - 7.71
2005 - 6.3
1995 - 6.3
1985 - 5.34

Strikeouts are the highest they have ever been, and have been rising since 2005. This not only slows the game down with more pitches, but reduces the action on the field. Less runners advancing, less happening, more boring.

Time between pitches:
2017 - 23.8
2016 - 22.7
2015 - 22.1
2007 - 21.5

Doesn't seem like a lot, but with over 200 pitches per game, it adds up. Length of game is up to 3 hours and 9 minutes in 2017, the longest it's ever been.

A game that takes longer with less action each year is going to eventually lose ground to other forms of entertainment in today's NOW world. I'm an old fart, and I notice how hard it is to sit through these games where almost half of the outs are Ks. I still love the game, but my interest is waning a bit. I feel like sports with more action like basketball will eventually surpass baseball in popularity. Seems like baseball has always had a delicate balance to maintain to keep the game at it's best. Long ago it was the dead ball era threatening popularity. Not long ago it was steroids. Now this.

[SuburbanFarmer]

This, and a full commercial break every 3 outs, plus another one for any pitching change, and the camera studiously avoiding anything unscripted that might happen at the ballpark, while the announcers laugh about it, plus an idiot barking "he gone" 54 times per game, Joe Buck, and fuck it the Cubbies won, so I never have to sit through this shit again.

[PartyOf5]

The commercial breaks make sense. The game is on a break during this time anyways to change sides.

Pitching changes have actually gotten a little better since LaRussa retired. Teams tend to make changes between innings when they can. There are less of the pitcher in for a single batter than when LaRussa made that popular. That really dragged games out.

I do hate listening to Joe Buck. Thankfully, most of the games I watch are local broadcasts, which do not feature his arrogant voice.

[Ex-California]

I loved loved loved baseball until I worked for the Padres for a couple years.

There is a definite difference between good baseball and bad baseball, and the problem is there is a hell of a lot of bad baseball in the league.

The MLB fixed the boringness in the late 90s and early 2000s, but then the BBWA started having a collective heart attack about "cheating" that they are still continuing to this day with crap like the current HoF nominees.

But without resorting to the awesomeness that are PEDs, the MLB has changed ball construction and mound dimensions multiple times, even as late as the 60s. If the pitchers are getting too much of an advantage with all the Ks, its time to change the mound again

[PartyOf5]

2017 is actually way past the steroid era in terms of home runs. The percentage of hits that leave the park are now over 14%. The steroid era was around 12%. A lot of guys have changed their swings to get more loft to help hit home runs. Their approach is also resulting in record number or strikeouts. Part of it is due to the abundance of pitchers throwing in the upper 90s.

Baseball is a mess right now for fans. At least for the ones that pay attention to the games and don't just look up from their phones when they hear the crowd or the ball.

[C-Mag]

For a long time now, baseball has had an issue with the length of games. I'm not an ADD Millennial, but I've been having a harder time sitting through games the past couple of years. I've suspected it has a little to do with so man other things being tailored to immediate gratification, but not totally.

The problem with baseball is that it's just such a racist and misogynist sport. If only there were more minorities and women in the sport it would be much better.

[clubgop]

small ball is out. Hitters are taking more pitches if only to run up the pitch counts on pitchers. The way the game is now a 10 pitch K in the 2nd is just as good as a HR in the 7th.