The MLB lockout thread

[Ocotillo]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm open to trying anything that might change hitters approaches.

I still maintain that we need to push every fence in the game back at least 10 feet and arguably more. Cheap power is the biggest problem in the sport at the moment.

Too many guys swing hard and hope they hit it. And when they do, they're rewarded with these 365 ft homers.

A homerun needs to be EARNED. And by pushing the fences back, you're going to get massive outfields that allow faster players to be work the gaps. Additionally, you push OFers back more to keep balls from getting over their heads so there's more green in front of them. You start driving BABIPs up and you'll see guys spend more energy on putting the ball in play instead of just trying to hit them out.

And to counter that rise, you'll see more and more jackrabbits in the OF; guys who typically don't hit for a ton of power. That kind of player will then have to contribute in other ways. That can be by stealing bases.

Higher BABIPs = more balls in play = more action on the field.

Theo Epstein said that the pitching was so good these days -- high end velocity and filthy breaking stuff combined -- that most hitters thought their best chance to succeed was to barrel the ball up and go for the long ball. I think there's some truth to that.

Nick Madrigal is an interesting study. He's considered the most extreme contact hitter in the league, making contact 92% of the time last year.

His underlying power numbers are all underwhelming, barrel rate was 1% (league average is 8%, the really good sluggers are around 12%). Ground ball rate was 60% and fly ball rate was 20%, which is unheard of in today's game.

He had a 106 OPS+ and a 112 DRC+ with this approach, which includes a 5% walk rate. I doubt the clubs reward a player with a nine-digit salary with this profile. He's still just above average. It pays to slug.