Commissioner For A Day

[CJD]

(04-30-2019, 05:17 PM)Forever Spinning Vinyl Wrote: 1) Starting pitchers are supposed to run a lot. Nolan Ryan didn't throw hard as long as he did because of a strong arm. He did so because he had some of the strongest thighs of any starting pitcher ever. I hated the first few practices every year because I was a starting pitcher. Pitching coach to all of our starting pitchers "Gentlemen, we have an exercise called 'Go Put On Your Running Shoes' and go do it quickly." That's the first three days of practice for all of the starting pitchers. No gloves, no baseballs, no throwing unless you count throwing up. I played organized sports for 50 weeks a year in High School. The only two weeks of sports that didn't overlap was between wrestling season ending and baseball season starting up. I spent my two "off weeks" running three times a week to prepare my legs and lungs for what was about to come.
2) I like watching baseball players, not guys who can only hit or people like Billy Hamilton who can only run and play defense. Is that the next evolution? A football style roster of one set of players that only bat and another set of players that only play defense?

It's interesting that you mention football because a pitcher hitting is the equivalent of forcing your QB to also play LB.

That's not what they're being paid for. That's not where they derive their value. It's a waste of time and a waste of an at bat.

And while you may not enjoy it, I'd love to have a player like Jesse Winker on my offense without having to suffer through his defense. An all around elite player would obviously be better, but there are so many players that have to "retire" to the AL before actually retiring because their defense is so bad but their offense is still worth paying for. Not sure why we would endorse a scenario where our players, who are drafted and paid and developed by our team, should lose value at a more rapid rate than have the league.