How to Fix Major League Baseball | Baseball Bits

today i'm going to explain how to fix baseball no not like that 1919 black socks gosh say it ain't so [Music] great news i've been made the grand emperor of major league baseball my mission is to make the league better and more popular without completely alienating its existing fans or for the sake of moderation on my part every single owner now i have a lot of ideas and i know that you all aren't going to agree with every single one but i promise that at the end of this video my decrees as emperor of baseball will collectively make the league far better let's start by talking about the game as it's played on the field you know where i agree with commissioner manfred i think pace of play matters baseball games have been getting longer and longer over the decades but the measures instituted to combat this snail's pace haven't done much until now bam pitch clock with the base is empty they do it on the upper miners they do it at spring training they do it in college baseball chances are you've been to a pitch-clocked game and didn't even notice i'll be setting my pitch clock at a slightly aggressive 18 seconds hitters would need to do their part too so we've sped up the league's more time-consuming pitchers but pace of play isn't just about the length of the games it's about the gaps between action i would define action as a ball in play it's the crack of the bat the hitter taking off running and the mad scramble in the field balls and play give us walk off hits and web gems alike and yet we're seeing fewer and fewer balls in play the league is continuing its march towards three true outcome baseball as the rate of strikeouts walks and homers increases the action on the field decreases to me three true outcome baseball is highly detrimental to the spectator experience intervention is needed let's start with the mound it's been 60 feet 6 inches away from home plate since 1893 but pitchers are throwing way harder in the 128 years since let's move the mound back two feet it would likely increase contact on fastballs but many skeptics have pointed out that braking pitches will actually break more given extra distance to travel imagine what a seth lugo curveball or adam adavino slider could do with a few extra revolutions spin is where many problems lie it's an open secret that most pitchers are using substances such as bullfrog sunscreen pine tar or even firm grip to increase their spin rates this contradicts the rule book which states that the pitcher shall not apply a foreign substance of any kind to the baseball trevor bauer has been hounding the league about this for years once stating that he could add 400 rpm to his fastball by using pine tar in 2020 he added 364 rpm to his fastball which added two inches of vertical movement which greatly increased his ability to put hitters away on two strikes which decreased the rate of batted balls the league needs batted balls let's enforce the rules against foreign substances and be prepared to dish out the consequences progress will be made when the league-wide spin rate drops significantly we've made the lives of pitchers much harder by using a pitch clock moving the mound back and taking away the sticky stuff implementing these three changes alone would cause an offensive explosion we don't want that it's time to balance things out the ball is juiced and it has been since the all-star break in 2015 2019 introduced the juiciest ball yet shattering league home run records in the process if you have any doubt that the baseball has changed remember that the aaa level of the miners started using the new baseball in 2019 as well resulting in a 57 percent increase in home runs the league has beaten around the bush on this but it's time for direct action mlb now owns a share of rawlings giving them control over the production of the baseball itself transparency is needed in this process the league must conscientiously create a baseball with more drag this can be done by changing the seam heights using a leather that's less smooth and a ball that's not so perfectly round do it and do it on purpose and while we're incentivizing balls in play let's limit the shift so that there must be two infielders on each side of second base give ground balls a slightly better chance i'd also be open to shortening the season maybe try 140 games and see what happens the only playoff expansion i'd support is up to 12 participants and that be with a couple expansion franchises joining the fray also universal dh is fine if you want it i don't really care there i fix baseball on the field unfortunately my work is only beginning spending in the league is controlled by the owners but it's time for them to think not about spending rather investing in the health of the sport doing so will make them richer in the long run it starts with paying the minor leaguers a living wage currently minor leaguers at the single a level can expect to make just eleven thousand dollars per year for the demands of a full-time job the salaries of an entire franchise's minor league system assuming 30 players per team cost just 1.8 million dollars the same as one year of michael a taylor to pay a livable wage alone would cost an additional investment of 4 million dollars but that doesn't fix the problem entirely i would also require clubs to invest in an additional ten thousand dollars per player to help with nutrition training housing and mental skills that ends up adding 5.8 million dollars the same cost as one year of archie bradley it's easy to imagine the benefits drop 5 to 6 million more on a minor league system and teams will get better players players that are in optimal shape players that don't have to take side jobs during the off season and can instead work towards their baseball goals and players that don't have to retire due to financial constraints even though they might just be one swing adjustment or new pitch away from the big leagues high draft picks and top tier international amateurs can live off their signing bonuses for years but think about players like tommy pham a 16th round draft pick who grinded in the miners for nearly a decade josh hader ramon loriano jose altuve if you produce just one extra big leaguer like this every few years the investment pays itself off and more there are plenty of problems at the major league level as well the big money used to be in free agency and it still seems to be there for elite players on the open market yet the system is set up to keep players from getting there in the first place chris bryant had his service time manipulated josh donaldson played 12 seasons as a professional was traded three times and reached free agency as he was turning 33 an age that severely limited the size and length of his contract let's alleviate brian's problem by moving the cutoff date after the all-star break and josh donaldson's by starting the service time clock when a player is added to the 40-man roster even then a good free agency deal is no guarantee this is often because an increasing number of teams refuse to compete in the free agent market it's time to face the facts the luxury taxes already a salary cap for most franchises the vast majority don't even come close to approaching it and those that do dare eclipse the threshold like the red sox end up taking drastic measures not to do so for consecutive seasons in 2021 it looks like the dodgers are the only team position to go over why does this thing even exist let's make the luxury tax a 210 million dollar salary cap and institute a salary floor of two-thirds that 140 million dollars then we can move the cap and floor up based on revenue growth that would force the dolans and the nuttings of the world to spend quite a bit more in fact it would have increased league-wide payroll by over 300 million dollars in 2019 this needs to be done because running hilariously low payrolls and bad teams is sound financial strategy for the owners the 2013 astros won 51 games and had a 26 million dollar payroll that's a whole team fielded for paul goldschmidt money but they were profitable and here's the thing the cheapskate owners can afford this crap they can be unprofitable every year and still make money because franchise values continue to explode david glass bought the royals for 96 million dollars then sold the club for over 10 times that amount 20 years later this isn't a league that's supposedly dying if they don't like it they should sell the team weird how whenever these teams go up for sale there's always buyers that seems to contradict cardinals chairman bill dewitt jr's belief that the industry isn't very profitable [Music] with the on-field action fixed and the financial situation at least duct taped it's time to create more young baseball fans mlb already has some great programs focused on the inner cities so let's double up on the budget of rbi for players considering pro ball the urban youth academies have been a good resource aaron hicks dominic smith and hunter green all played at the one in compton let's open a new academy in every market with an mlb team they can serve as alternatives for those priced out by travel ball even more than that it comes down to getting young boys and girls to play baseball in any form possible mlb should donate a cheap plastic baton ball to every elementary school in america here's a suggestion for when we can fill up the stadiums again in a sport driven by tv money tickets to games should be free at least monday through thursday look the average ticket costs 34 but a study showed that the average fan pays 42 dollars for food and drink at the game and look even if you think that's high which i do factor in the cost of parking or overpriced souvenirs at the team shop the fans can pay for all that but make the tickets free it'll greatly boost attendance create more lifelong baseball fans in the process and it might actually result in more ballpark revenue in terms of marketing individuals mike trout might be the greatest player ever but he's not anywhere near as popular as superstars in other sports i actually think it comes down to the impact trout can have on winning if he's a 10 war center fielder patrick mahomes is the equivalent of a 60 or 80 war quarterback superstars in other sports can drag their teams to the playoffs consistently but not trout and that's not trout's fault donovan mitchell can take as many shots as he wants but trout can only take about 11 of his teams at bats see baseball doesn't have a mike trout problem mike trout has a baseball problem there's also the assertion that trout can't be famous because he's boring which i'll push back on because you know kawhi leonard if there's any solution it's for mlb to put their eggs in the fernando tatis junior basket he's charismatic represents the future of the game is on a team with an exciting outlook and plays downright aesthetically pleasing baseball the fact that he's dominican and speaks great english helps as well uh-oh more ideas incoming mlb network should cover the minor leagues more as they contain the stars of the future top should mass produce a card set for kids that's so worthless 40 year old men at target won't camp out for them home run derby as a format should be embraced more why not hold one during the off season and televise it players should feel free to be themselves and those mlb tv blackouts gotta go [Music] if i were really made the grand emperor of baseball those changes would have been too incremental too subtle they skirt around the obvious problem it should be clear to everyone that the ownership class is holding back the league with their tight purse strings they're the ones that pay the commissioner not the players after 25 years of immense success many of them cried poor after just one bad fiscal year which was brought on by a virus that affected believe it or not not just them rather the entire world but tell me this much if you had a wildly profitable business for 25 years would you be smart enough to save for a rainy day i sure hope so of course my suggestions would make the rich even richer the game on the field would be more dynamic and more competitive there would be an influx of new and old fans alike and franchise values would explode even more than they already do it really comes down to investing in the health of the game i don't think baseball is dying major league baseball may seem decrepit but the sport is doing very well overseas it'll always have fans and players no what's dying is baseball's mainstream cultural impact in america in fact it's already dead and needs to be revived if you ask the average person to name a ball player they might come up with a-rod or jeter those guys haven't played in years there was a time when the sport mirrored progress in our country whether it was jackie robinson breaking the color barrier or kurt fled bringing labor disputes to the forefront but there are some good things on the horizon mlb the show is going to be cross platform soon the ball players are objectively better than ever and mlb understands the digital age more than people give them credit bam is huge baseball savant is one of the best things ever mlb tv is a good product minus the blackouts and they let me create videos like this the cba expires at the end of the 2021 season labor unrest is guaranteed and a strike is very much on the table but the results could be healthy for the league in the long run so maybe baseball's future is more niche but i'll do what i can to grow interest in the game whether that's as the grand emperor of baseball or foolish baseball oh my gosh she said the name of the thing [Music] [Applause] huge thank you to my most recent patrons to see your name here head over to patreon.com foolish baseball

Channel: Foolish Baseball

Views: 630,360

Keywords: fix mlb, baseball dying, mlb dying, baseball decline, pitcher spin rate, three true outcomes, mlb foreign substances, minor league salaries, minor league baseball, mlb service time, mlb free agency, baseball dead, juiced ball, mlb juiced ball, mlb owners, bat flips, mike trout, fernando tatis jr., rob manfred, mlb, foolish baseball, baseball bits, how to fix mlb, how to fix baseball

Id: uh_F8WtrDCo

Length: 15min 9sec (909 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 13 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/TigerBasket]

Give the Orioles all the best players, problem solved

[u/hiphopthewalrus]

Imo, the casual fan does not notice and does not give a shit about a 15-minute increase in the length of games or a half dozen fewer balls in play per game. These are things designed to attract the "baseball is boring" crowd: people who don't and likely will never like baseball.

The primary issue facing the game is competitive balance. Baseball is a VERY regional sport. When the local team is good, it attracts interest from the casual fans who otherwise are indifferent, and makes lifelong fans of kids who are just learning about the sport.

"But look at the list of world series winners from the past few decades. Baseball is one of the MOST balanced sports."

Yeah, that just proves that the MLB playoffs are closer to a random number generator than a real reflection of team talent. The Yankees have made 24 of the last 28 post-seasons. The Dodgers have made 8 in a row. Even the best run "small market" teams like the A's and Rays haven't come close to that level of sustained success.

And speaking of those well-run teams: despite their success, attendance hasn't improved to reflect it. Now, some of that is stadium issues. But I'd posit that a good part of it is also the fact that they don't retain star talent. Fans are attached to players as much as they are attached to teams. Who is going to care when the Rays win 90 games this year when some of the most recognizable faces from the past few years are wearing different uniforms?

So how do you fix this? Revenue sharing. Subsidize low-revenue teams to go out and sign stars and to retain their hometown talent.

Set the default amount of revenue sharing lower. Include bumps for having a player with a $50M+ contract, a $100M+ contract. Subsidize the dispersion of star talent across the league, instead of having it concentrated in a few teams.

Trevor Bauer going to the Dodgers is good for him and for the Dodgers, but it does nothing for the league. The Dodgers have enough stars that adding another doesn't increase fan engagement or move the revenue needle in any meaningful way. Bauer going to a smaller market would have a much bigger impact on that teams ability to compete and to engage fans.

Another way to do this is to subsidize contracts for homegrown talent. If a player has spent 5 seasons with a single team, a contract extension with that team could be partially subsidized by revenue sharing, making it more likely for that team to be able to retain their own talent and giving players another bidding team. Imagine if 30% of Joey Vottos contract was covered through revenue sharing, the Reds might have been able to build more than 1 playoff team around him over the last decade.

[u/Theeclat]

Get rid of Sinclair contracts and get it on TV. I cannot watch my local team without paying at least 62$. This is not a price I would pay and I LOVE watching baseball. If it is on local TV on a sub network of ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX, then people will be initiated.

Also, get rid of the warm ups of relief pitchers on the mound. With so many pitching changes it grinds the game down. Make ‘em sprint in and ready to go. They can warm up enough in the bullpen.

[u/hopelessautisticnerd]

ugh, I hate that he suggested banning the shift. someone please tell me why hitters can't just learn to hit to all fields

[u/Sharkodile14]

I've always wondered why owners don't at least look into some of these long-term investment ideas (raising minor league salary, free tickets, etc.). I find it hard to believe that all of these shrewd billionaires would clutch their pearls at the thought of spending some more money in the short term to gain in the long term (especially since that's how many made their fortune in the first place) and grow the sport, but yet that's exactly what it looks like they're doing.

I know it would never happen but I'd love to see owners comment on ideas like this. Their actions are so puzzling sometimes I've always wanted to see how they view things. Maybe it's just to preserve the "field bad, cheap team, make tiny profit" status quo.

[u/ArbitraryOrder]

I like Bailey but his finance section was just off.

[u/JackeryA3]

I was with Bailey up until the finance stuff. I know its a common talking point on this sub but franchise values have absolutely NO relation to how a team can spend during any given season. Franchise valuation is just an estimate of how much it would hypothetically take to purchase all the assets of a team. Player payrolls are dictated by revenue. How much a team will spend in a given year is based upon how much they expect to make from TV deals, fan attendance, and shared revenue from the MLB on a national level. These amounts can differ greatly between teams, which is why we see such a disparity between teams like the Dodgers and Rays, due to the fact that LA is the second largest market in the country while the Tampa Bay market is extremely small. Just because an owner is a 'billionaire' (which is just a hypothetical estimate of the fair value of assets that person owns) doesn't mean they can spend like the Dodgers. Bailey completely lost me there when he immediately went to 'their franchise is worth alot'. Finances of a billion dollar industry is much more complex than that.

[u/bwburke94]

I'll go through this one change at a time.

THE FIELD

• 18-second pitch clock with bases empty: Good change in theory, but it's not enough. Either have it on all the time or not at all - or just enforce the existing rule.
• Move the mound back two feet: A solution looking for a problem. Something less drastic, like shortening the batter's box, would achieve similar effects.
• Enforce the rules against foreign substances: Obviously good change.
• Un-juice the balls: Already done.
• Limit the shift: LOL NO.

"Potential" stuff from The Field

• Shorten the season to ~140 games: Why would you want less baseball?
• Expand the postseason to 12 teams: This was specifically mentioned in the video to be only if the league expands, by which point the extra team would make more sense. I'm fine with 12 of 32, just not 12 of 30.
• Universal DH: Author doesn't really care either way, but it gets a Fuck The DH from me.

THE FINANCES

• Pay minor leaguers a living wage: Given the lawsuit over this mess and the contraction of the minors, this seems like an obvious good idea. It wouldn't even cost the owners that much.
• $10K per player for training and housing: Goes hand-in-hand with the above.
• Move the service year cutoff date to after the All-Star Break: Switching from 172 days to around 80 is a massive change; it almost completely eliminates service time manipulation. (It also means no more Super 2, which is probably a bad thing but would be unnecessary under the new system.)
• Start the service clock when a player is added to the 40-man roster: Probably unnecessary, but it prevents some other abuses of the system, as seen with Josh Donaldson.
• Salary cap/floor: Strike incoming in 3, 2, 1...
• Increase the minimum salary: It's $570,000 this year last I heard; it shouldn't go too high, but $800,000 is a good upper bound for now.

THE FANS

• New baseball academies: Makes sense, but has nothing to do with the fans.
• Free tickets Mon-Thu: This is more of a minor league thing, isn't it...
• (Rant about commercialization of players): No comment.
• More coverage of minors on MLB Network: They're already airing MLB every night; they have no room to fit in minor league games.
• Topps should make a "worthless" baseball card set: So basically the way it worked in 2006? The card market isn't as healthy fifteen years later.
• Hold a second Home Run Derby in the offseason: The original Derby was filmed in the offseason; it makes sense to embrace its heritage.
• Abolish MLB.TV blackouts: They can't do this right now, but they can mandate any future TV contracts don't include blackouts, which will solve the issue in... thirty or so years.

[u/mr-jackpotz]

I like foolish but this video missed the mark hard