MLB Season Preview 2019

I apologize.  I’ve gotten really backed up on writing lately.  It’s been a combination of being really tired and having a bunch of Aggie events to cover (Men and Women’s Basketball NCAA and season recaps, three Baseball games, and three Softball games).  It’s not the Aggies, or their performances, or the outcomes, or “Writer’s Block.”  I may just be a bit burned out, and I have actual non-writing obligations.  Regardless, I wanted to put this Preview out in a timely manner (like one day before Opening Day).

I had a gift card for Barnes & Noble from Christmas reserved for a baseball preview magazine this year.  Unfortunately, all the big ones came out well before the two biggest free agents moved along with a bunch of other good players.  This Sunday there was a surprise insert in the newspaper previewing the baseball season.  Then, I made another trip to the bookstore on Tuesday and found Sports Illustrated’s MLB Preview on the rack.  Between these two resources, I fairly functionally have a dedicated preview magazine (sans the prospects report). 

The downside is that I’ve only had about 15 minutes skimming each before writing this.  But, I’m already an expert, bordering on precognition, so the quality of my preview is unlikely to drop.  While I was reading SI, I suddenly remembered the Topps Opening Day baseball cards should be coming out this week.  I’d probably forgotten since Wal-Mart isn’t carrying cards anymore.  They only sell these things during Opening Week, so I had to move on this now.  I took a trip to Target, the only place I know of in town that still sells baseball cards, and picked up six small packs, 42 cards. 

I was disappointed.  I was hoping for an Alex Bregman card.  Thankfully, there is at least an article about him in SI (which is what reminded me about the cards).  There were a few fun cards and I got some players I like, such as Shohei Ohtani, Hunter Renfroe, and Joey Gallo.  However, there weren’t a lot of stars or rookie cards.  This probably wasn’t a good purchase and might dissuade me from future purchases.  At least they were only $.99 a piece. 

MLB sent out a couple of surveys from their website before the season started.  The first was on various rule change possibilities and polled on them.  Some are being tried out in an independent league, others are just being discussed.  I should have written them down at the time, but here’s what I remembered and what I was able to look up from the MLB website later.

Robot strikezone: Yes, I’m tired of watching batters argue with the umps and I’m tired of an inconsistent strikezone. 

Add one more player to roster and limit roster size for September call-ups: I’m not sure about having more regular players, but definitely standardize and limit those call-ups.   

Less time between innings: This would seem like a great idea, but it will mean more in-game commercials.

DH in both leagues: Only, if you guys significantly reduce the running time of the average game.  I’m strangely okay with this otherwise.

Minimum number of batters for relievers: No, but here’s a thought, what if you could only warm up one pitcher at a time and can’t do it until the current pitcher starts pitching.  This would functionally work the same way, but put more strategy in it.  In any case, I’m not really for this, but any Major League pitcher really should be able to face at least three batters.

No mound visits: Hmm, I’m not sure on this one.  Visits seem necessary to the game, but not essential.  Might they start allowing audio or text messaging to the players from the dugout?

Bigger bases: Why?

No shifting: I can assure you, managers and players will find a way around whatever version of this rule you try to implement.  At some point, hitters will discover this long-forgotten strategy of “hitting to the opposite field,” and that will correct this issue.  Besides, less shifting may create more offense, which will make the games longer.  This is just like the DH thing.  Do you want more scoring or quicker games MLB?  Right now you’re doing neither.

2 feet added to distance from rubber to home plate: Probably a very bad idea.  The theory here is likely that pitchers are now throwing so hard that batters need some help. 

Pitch clocks: Duh.  Please.  Why isn’t this already being done?

In the end, they only implemented some fairly mild stuff in the MLB.  They reduced the time between innings (sort of), did some stuff to the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, reduced mound visits to five, and made the July trade deadline firm, no more waiver trades after.  Next year more substantial changes are on tap.  They’re adding an extra player to the everyday roster.  The 40-man roster will be eliminated in September, and will be limited to just 28 players for every team.  There will be a limit on the number of pitchers on the roster (maybe 13).  And the big one, there will be a three-batter minimum for relievers (or until end of the inning).  The DH is probably coming to the NL soon as well.

All of this is academic, since the Players Union is about to strike over how underpaid their members are, especially their very deserving free agents.  Were it not for Manny Machado’s and Bryce Harper’s contracts, the Union might have done it this year.  It feels like a perfect storm is brewing to ruin the sport in the near future.  Hopefully, everyone will pull their heads out of their asses and just work on making baseball better for fans.

An article on a Rockies’ fansite finally explained the phenomena of “slow” free agency.  Apparently, the “luxury tax” for going over the salary cap is no longer an inconvenience to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers.  The tax rate has been raised to a point where it’s an actual deterrent.  It wasn’t that the Cubs didn’t want to add Bryce Harper.  They could afford him, but not the MLB tax on his salary.  Harper may help the team and attendance, but that tax only helps other teams and is “dead” money.  This was the actual intent of the luxury tax; to make sure three or four teams couldn’t stockpile all of the major free agent talent. 

The top two MLB teams in roster salary played in last years’ World Series.  The year before, the Astros had to beat the top three salaries to win.  I’m not crying for the “rich” teams in the league if they can’t afford more superstars.  (And how many more ironic quote marks am I going to use writing about this subject?)  Unfortunately, the Players Union does care.  They want the maximum salaries for their star players.  Does this help raise the salaries of their other non-star members?  That’s debatable, but they’d strike anyway if they’re told to. 

I noticed the Angels were making some big moves in the offseason.  I meant to write about that, but instead pushed my Hot Stove report out as quickly as I could and forgot about it.  It doesn’t matter.  They’re not going to compete.  Then they awarded a 12-year, $430M contract extension to retain Mike Trout for basically the rest of his career (and blowing away Harper’s big deal).  At some point Albert Pujols will retire and then his curse will be over!  Trout is obviously thinking. 

This kind of deal is exactly what the Players Union doesn’t want.  This even includes Harper’s deal.  These long-term “rocking chair” (I wasn’t done with the quotes) contracts aren’t desired by the Union for players who may not have peaked and are still young enough to go out and get another big contract later in their careers.  Sorry, Union leadership, we want to get paid big now.             

The next MLB survey asked to pick the winners this year.  Lacking a season preview magazine this year to that point and without any rumination, I could only make uninformed choices.  They also asked about various individual player awards.  I was lost on those, but it’s not like anybody gets those right anyway.  So, here were my panicked team picks.

AL East: Yankees, AL Central: Twins, AL West: Astros, WC: Indians, Red Sox

NL East: Mets, NL Central: Cardinals, NL West: Dodgers, WC: Braves, Rockies

AL Champ: Astros, NL Champ: Cardinals

WS Champ: Astros

Erm . . . Revaluating this a couple weeks later, this is mostly questionable.  SI likes the Rays, Reds, and the A’s to come out of nowhere.  They think the Brewers, Phillies, and Cubs are better than I do.  I’d almost like to revisit the Nationals’ chances, but I’m not picking them again after the way the way they’ve burned me and everyone else who’s picked them over the last five years. 

Still, we agreed on four of the six divisions and the Astros winning it all.  I love what SI said about the Indians, “Bryron Buxton has all [the] talent in the world, but he essentially got the previous regime ousted with how he crapped the bed.  Miguel Sano is always hurt and always fat . . .”  That’s great writing.  I can only aspire to that.  (Although, they apparently don’t have editors proofreading for them either and occasionally drop words too.)  By the way, by getting rid of Chief Wahoo, the Indians just added another 50 years until their next World Series championship.

So now you’re prepared for a successful MLB Opening Day.  You’re welcome.