Image credit: IMAGE IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I admit that I don’t always follow the rules of the road. Specifically, they tend to limit such suggestions as processing speed. On a 65-mph highway, I could push my speed to 75 or 80 with the flow of traffic. I know, I know; I am a whip for civil society. I have done this for years and have not suffered any consequences. Sometimes I’ll even drive straight past a police car 8-10 mph over the speed limit on the interstate and see no flashing lights or hear any sirens. It seems that some of the rules are rigid, but some of the cameras are a little bit tighter.
Baseball also has many official rules, but almost as many are written. That includes the old-school practice of not stealing bases while scoring too many runs, or not showing up too much behind opposing pitchers. The sabermetric movement, of which Prospect Baseball has been a huge driver, questions all of baseball’s supposed truths as the main tenets, but along the way we’ve inadvertently set our own unwritten rules: Make things as loud as possible. Batting averages are empty except as a component of on-base percentage. Bunts and voluntary walks are strictly prohibited. Is baseball about mashing homers and being driven from the side all the time, or is it about finding the edges of the rally and taking advantage of them, whatever they may be?
Much has been made of the World Series ball and whether it is a sustainable model for the event. The Rays and Brewers combined for just four home runs in the entire Fall Classic, which was the fewest since 1985. Pundits and announcers have declared the end of the analytics era, and the hit-and-run will reign supreme once again. As Rob Mains explained, this is a bad takeaway, and more of an outlier than a trend. As a result, I believe that both teams excel by making the best versions of their players, even if it goes against modern trends. Jarrett Seidler said essentially the same thing about Milwaukee in his previous post. “I don’t think it’s so much that they’re pulling against fly balls—this is a team that’s taking a first-round draft pick in Andrea Fischer—but they absolutely want to maximize skill sets that they just don’t include.”
Exceptions to the Rules
The Rays have shown us that every rule has an exception – just like sticking to a strict 65-mph speed limit can sometimes be dangerous if all the other cars are doing 80. Yes, it’s usually good to maximize the pull of fly balls, which is how Johnny DeLuca popped a .429 slugging percentage with Statcast teams that are bluer than tomorrow’s congressional midterms will be an unfair approach. Yes, it’s a real third down penalty, but you can stay sharp if it works, as Drew Rasmussen did with 71 batters in three starts against the Yankees and Rangers. (I wonder what Blake Snell is up to about that) Yes, changeups are designed to work best against side hitters, but if they can get out against the same opponents, go for it.