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Started By
Message
Former MLB player and scout opines on the state of baseball in 2025 (analytics)
Posted on 1/8/26 at 5:34 pm
Posted on 1/8/26 at 5:34 pm
13
Posted on 1/8/26 at 5:55 pm to tiggerthetooth
.
This post was edited on 1/8/26 at 5:57 pm
Posted on 1/8/26 at 5:56 pm to tiggerthetooth
Posted on 1/8/26 at 6:01 pm to tiggerthetooth
The lockout is going to be amazing. 
Posted on 1/8/26 at 6:03 pm to tiggerthetooth
You’ll have the typical posters replying that analytics has made the game great, and we are better than ever as far as the product on the field.
The emphasis on velocity is so stale. Perfect Game was posting pop times from HS kids that are faster than Pudge and 60 times faster than Usain Bolt. I’m not exaggerating.
Youth ball at that level is close to becoming a racket.
The Latin guys will still dominate the game while growing up using inferior equipment and technology, at least until they get into some academy sponsored by an MLB team.
The emphasis on velocity is so stale. Perfect Game was posting pop times from HS kids that are faster than Pudge and 60 times faster than Usain Bolt. I’m not exaggerating.
Youth ball at that level is close to becoming a racket.
The Latin guys will still dominate the game while growing up using inferior equipment and technology, at least until they get into some academy sponsored by an MLB team.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 6:24 pm to tiggerthetooth
Don’t disagree with his hitting issues but pitchers are throwing harder, regardless of how they measure it these days.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:11 pm to tiggerthetooth
quote:
More data didn’t make the game smarter. It just made it louder — and in many cases, worse.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:13 pm to WestCoastAg
quote:
WestCoastAg
Riveting input from you as usual.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:23 pm to tiggerthetooth
quote:
non-baseball “propeller head” GMs
Perfect. quote:
Pitchers are taught max effort on every pitch.
Preach
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:26 pm to tiggerthetooth
The velocity thing has never made sense to me.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:45 pm to tiggerthetooth
From a non-baseball guy, this screams "get off my lawn" old baseball guy.
But if he's right, then he's on the flip side of a magical renaissance.
Why go public if you truly believe you have an advantage scouting?
If it's a diatribe about youth baseball, and youth sports across the board, I agree.
But if he's right, then he's on the flip side of a magical renaissance.
Why go public if you truly believe you have an advantage scouting?
If it's a diatribe about youth baseball, and youth sports across the board, I agree.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 8:53 pm to dirtsandwich
Nolan Ryan threw 103mph on his very last pitch at age 46
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:04 pm to TexasTiger08
Analytics are a valid and valuable tool but if you go ALL analytics it makes the game less entertaining. And while we’re talking about a competitive sport, if it’s not entertaining, people aren’t going to buy tickets.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:21 pm to tiggerthetooth
He’s absolutely correct on the velocity. Pitchers aren’t throwing any faster now than they ever have before. It’s simply a change in the radar guns
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:24 pm to tiggerthetooth
Bring back the roids.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:51 pm to JoeyP239
quote:
He’s absolutely correct on the velocity. Pitchers aren’t throwing any faster now
Y’all can’t be serious with this shite
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:55 pm to Lester Earl
It’s a truly incredible take but surprising how many people parrot it
Posted on 1/9/26 at 9:50 am to tiggerthetooth
quote:
Hitters now dump the barrel in an attempt to get on plane, but they:
• Struggle to stay inside the baseball
• Lose adjustability
• Operate with slower effective bat speed
I probably agree with these bullet points. However, he does ignore some very relevant points of the barrel dump:
• Players are much more athletic today than they were 30 years ago. On whole, they are stronger and faster. Yes, they may suffer some of the negatives of the barrel dump, but because they are stronger and work on twitch muscle response into their game prep, most of those negatives are minimized.
• Analytics has made the game somewhat more predictable, so the need to adjust to individual pitches mid-pitch (like a Vlad Guerrero was so famous for) really isn't needed. Analytics has the hitters much more prepped in understanding expected next pitch. And where that fails, there's always trash cans available to bang on.
• I disagree with his take that pitchers are not throwing harder -- mostly. Yes, there are always outliers of elite hard throwers... JR Richards, Nolan Ryan, Satchel Page, et. al. But even the great hitters of the 80's and 90's pretty much agree -- todays hitters face the challenge of hitting more elite hitting on a daily basis than of decades ago -- 95 is no longer an outlier, it is the norm.
quote:
Pitchers are taught max effort on every pitch. Starters rarely exceed 90 pitches or five innings, work almost exclusively to either arm side or glove side, and live in deep counts. Relievers are almost universally max effort, arm-side only.
The consequence is obvious:
• Poor command
• Inconsistent control
• Little ability to sequence or adjust
Despite all the technology, pitching command and overall feel are as bad as I’ve ever seen at the big-league level.
More data didn’t make the game smarter.
It just made it louder — and in many cases, worse.
Again, I don't disagree with his bullet points. But I do disagree with his conclusions.
More data isn't the problem with baseball. The drive to get mega-contracts and the minimal effort curtail them is what has caused baseball to be in its current state. Sign a guy to a $400 million long-term contract -- no problem if he only gives you 40% value on that contract because he blew out his arm -- there's always someone else willing to take his place.
Now we have mega-contracts with mega-deferrals. What a recipe for disaster. It is going to drive the cost of watching a game live to astronomical prices in about 15 years. And they're pretty much at stupid level already.
Posted on 1/9/26 at 9:52 am to TexasTiger08
The dude is a fricking moron from the very beginning
[embed]
That’s so damn dumb. Pitchers are without a doubt throwing harder.
The emergence of “travel ball” and individual baseball coaches 15 years ago has led to kids from a very young age being taught the mechanics of how to throw a ball hard. It’s had a major effect on velocity across the board
[embed]
quote:[/embed]
First, velocity. Pitchers are not throwing significantly harder across the board. The perceived jump in velocity is primarily the result of technology and measurement changes — specifically where the device picks the baseball up out of the hand. As radar and tracking systems moved closer and closer to release, the readings increased. The arm didn’t change — the measurement did.
That’s so damn dumb. Pitchers are without a doubt throwing harder.
The emergence of “travel ball” and individual baseball coaches 15 years ago has led to kids from a very young age being taught the mechanics of how to throw a ball hard. It’s had a major effect on velocity across the board
This post was edited on 1/9/26 at 9:56 am
Posted on 1/9/26 at 9:59 am to TROLA
quote:
pitchers are throwing harder, regardless of how they measure it these days.
Pitchers are throwing harder but the measurement technology has added MPH to the velocity. Two things can be true at the same time.
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