[Eric72]

I miss the days when:

The leadoff hitter was a speedster who did everything they could to get on base. They didn't swing for the fences. They worked a walk, beat out an infield single, laid down a bunt, etc. When they got on base, they disrupted the pitcher any way they could. Ideally, they'd steal a base.

The #2 hitter could control their bat. They weren't concerned about "exit velo" at all. They knew their job was to move the runner along. Whether they did it with a clean single, a sac bunt, or something else was almost irrelevant.

The #3 hitter kept the inning going with a productive at bat. They weren't swinging from their heels at the first pitch. They were working the count, waiting for their pitch, and putting the ball in play. No "three true outcome" garbage here. Runner on third? Sac fly. Runner on second? Line drive, preferably into the gap. Runners on the corners? Be patient while your team tries a double steal.

If 1, 2, and 3 did their job, the cleanup hitter would step to the plate with a chance to drive in some runs. Instead, I've seen the cleanup hitter lead off the 2nd inning far too often.

I guess I miss the days when teams would manufacture runs one-at-a-time. Lead off the inning by getting on base, then spend that inning getting the runner home.

"Inside" baseball.

"Scientific" baseball.

"Strategy."

Call it what you will, I miss the days when a game of baseball didn't resemble a three hour home run derby.



Oh, and pitchers. Don't even get me started on spin rates, pitch counts, and the fact they don't have to step in the batter's box these days...