Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="donniesyracuse, post: 3862841, member: 101"] [HEADING=2][URL='https://blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-take-another-stab-at-unpacking-the-rising-strikeout-rate/']Let’s Take Another Stab at Unpacking the Rising Strikeout Rate[/URL][/HEADING] [I]"As the league tries to address the issue of fewer balls in play now and in the future, finding a way to combat the rise in pitcher velocity should be one of the first items on the docket. [URL='https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/mlb-curves-and-sliders-have-gotten-alarmingly-nasty/#:~:text=Breaking%20balls%20typically%20have%20greater,movement%20%E2%80%94%20than%20on%20a%20curveball.']The fact that pitches are moving more than ever[/URL] does not appear to be as large a factor, given the changes in whiff rates on breaking and offspeed pitches. Moving the mound back, [URL='https://www.insider.com/mlb-move-mound-back-too-many-strikeouts-home-runs-2021-4#:~:text=MLB%20has%20partnered%20with%20the,release%20by%20MLB%20on%20Wednesday.']which will be implemented in the Atlantic League[/URL] this season, [URL='https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2021/3/15/22331075/pitching-mound-move-distance']and giving hitters more time to react seems like a good start[/URL]. After parsing through the two strike data, it seems like rectifying the lack of formidable two strike approaches across the majors is not the silver bullet many believe. Digging further into the data by pitch type in all counts, the main issue is rising whiff rates on fastballs, which Chet Gutwein opined on in his own piece I referenced above. So maybe combating velocity is the elusive silver bullet? Without a relatively controlled experiment we cannot say for certain. But we can say that hitters being criticized for forgoing any semblance of a two strike approach and placing the blame on them for the rise in strikeouts is most likely a futile exercise."[/I] [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?