Very different if baseball returns
season. Pitchers being forced to take weak and sloppy hacks has been an outdated MLB rule for some time now, and it certainly would not be in place if the sport was constructed in modern times.
So say goodbye to doubleswitching, sometimes-savvy bunts and pinch-hitting for pitchers. It’s overdue.
Mic’d up players
Multiple reports have said the union’s proposal involves “minimum player commitments for broadcast elements, including the miking of players,” which was an idea recently endorsed by Pete Alonso. Before sports were shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mets first baseman was progressing on a deal with MLB that would place a mic near the first-base bag so the viewing TV audience could feel more familiar with players.
Alonso thought the mic’d up concept could grow the game by appealing to younger baseball fans. And, in case you haven’t noticed, the Mets’ home runsmashing first baseman consistently provides massive entertainment the minute he opens his mouth. When he was mic’d up back in March, through an ESPN initiative during spring training, fans learned everything from his dog’s name (Brodie, but no relation to the Mets GM) to thinking he looks “stupid” when he misses a bad pitch.
Games can be brought to life through mic’d up players exposing their authentic personalities. With the absence of crowd noise in 2020, now is a good time to try giving MLB’s TV audience an innovative change from the usual viewing experience.
Expanded playoffs
The MLB postseason format has been modified since the inception of the sport. What once began with the World Series only, developed into two rounds, then three, followed by Wild Card knockout rounds and teams expanding from four to six to 10.
The union’s newest proposal offers expanded playoffs with 16 teams, eight per league, instead of 10 for the 2020 and ’21 seasons. This format would include three division winners plus five wild-card teams. The sides, which can hardly come to an understanding on what day of the week it is, are expected to agree on this because it provides crucial earnings through national TV deals. The inclusion of expanded playoffs in the proposal became critical for MLB once it became clear that fans couldn’t come to games this year.
The plan makes a ton of sense for a 60 or 70-game season, but not so much sense when a full 162-game schedule returns. For now, pitchers won’t be taxed after a short season and can handle that extra round of playoffs. It also ensures teams that get off to a slow start can make up for it through the addition of six extra playoff teams. But there are few advantages besides revenue once a full schedule returns.