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When is something going to be done to help a pitcher?  batters get the protective gear, a helmet, a bat , can move out of the way if they want and if you pitch one inside you get a warning.  if one pitch after that happens to get loose then you could get kicked out.  

Hey Batters...... if it's a bad pitch it's a ball in your favor, if it hits you, you get a pass to first base, what's next you want to know what pitch is coming?  

cry babies... dish it ... learn to wear it.

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Actually 2018 hit a kid in the head last week at 94, nearly cut off his ear. Not sure how the helmet did that.  it was clearly a 4 seam that got away for him.   I did not want to see injury, but there is a risk involved.    I saw a Juco player 2 years ago take a batted ball off his forehead at 102.... three days at Vanderbilt hospital ... I never want to see that again... I think baseball games should have scores like 3-1 ... 4-2...  not 14-11

  My guess is MLB is turning into a home run derby...  

Ja'Crispy posted:

Adam Greenberg probably disagrees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBUHLQGV9MA

He stepped in the ring...

bacdorslider posted:

Actually 2018 hit a kid in the head last week at 94, nearly cut off his ear. Not sure how the helmet did that.  it was clearly a 4 seam that got away for him.   I did not want to see injury, but there is a risk involved.    I saw a Juco player 2 years ago take a batted ball off his forehead at 102.... three days at Vanderbilt hospital ... I never want to see that again... I think baseball games should have scores like 3-1 ... 4-2...  not 14-11

  My guess is MLB is turning into a home run derby...  

Ja'Crispy posted:

Adam Greenberg probably disagrees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBUHLQGV9MA

He stepped in the ring...

I don't think anyone is rooting for either batter or pitcher to get hit. Those are serious injuries that cause serious damage and you really don't have time to get out of the way of either ball. Both take risks crossing the lines and if you can minimize those serious injuries then everybody is better off. I guess I am missing the point of your original post, batters should just toughen up they know what they are getting into? Yeah, I guess they know but should baseball not try to prevent serious injury and leave it sort of laissez faire? 

Baseball will keep turning into a HR derby until the day it doesn't. It's an ever evolving product. Teams are already trying to experiment with different things to combat batters from swinging for the fences all of the time.

Perhaps the pitcher should have his own L-screen. I am not for people getting hurt. But it happens and to let batters take away in the inside pitch because someone might get hurt is crazy. Then the batrers wear alk the gear, hey watch MLB network the old schoolers are talking about all the time . Of course i dont like the NFL baby the quarterback rules either . If a pitcher throws hard and can use that as a way to get in a hitters head , as long as hes not head hunting what wrong with that. I was aleays taught its either your plate or his plate

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hshuler posted:

BDS - The problem is that guys don’t know how to pitch inside. Everybody now, including your son, throws 95. 95 at the dome is  not being very nice. LoL 

I agree, you have young kids throwing heat that don't know how to pitch inside and that's dangerous. 

 

I don’t see anything wrong with getting drilled in the back, hip, thigh when it’s intentional - that’s baseball!

Balls get away from pitchers all the time but intentionally throwing at someone’s head is grounds for a good ole-fashioned donnybrook. 

I was told last night that the average MLB is now 92-93. 

hshuler posted:

I don’t see anything wrong with getting drilled in the back, hip, thigh when it’s intentional - that’s baseball!

Balls get away from pitchers all the time but intentionally throwing at someone’s head is grounds for a good ole-fashioned donnybrook. 

I was told last night that the average MLB is now 92-93. 

I can agree with that.  Intentionally trying to hit the head is going too far.  However, clipping someone on an inside pitch, that just happens.

57special posted:

Son was hit in the head by an 86 MPH fastball, was down on the dirt dazed for 5 minutes, and pouring blood out of a cut that required stitches later that night. The outcome could have been way worse, as there was little scarring and no serious concussion issues. That the sort of thing you want to see?

 

   

Our son took a 75 mph curve (that didn't break) in the head.  Impact was right at the ear hole, cracked the helmet and knocked him out cold.  He ended up with a severe headache which was diagnosed as a concussion.  Had to sit out for at least two weeks.  Fortunately, he recovered with no lasting affects.  This was in the summer of his junior year of HS several years ago. 

I really don't understand the OP's point.  Is he lamenting that batters get all this protective gear and pitchers don't?

CaCO3Girl posted:
hshuler posted:

I don’t see anything wrong with getting drilled in the back, hip, thigh when it’s intentional - that’s baseball!

Balls get away from pitchers all the time but intentionally throwing at someone’s head is grounds for a good ole-fashioned donnybrook. 

I was told last night that the average MLB is now 92-93. 

I can agree with that.  Intentionally trying to hit the head is going too far.  However, clipping someone on an inside pitch, that just happens.

The issue here is that its HS baseball. It definetly is the pitchers responsibility to try to back the hitter off the plate, and try to intimidate those that think about trying it, these skills really not present in most high school pitchers.

BDS is only saying that hitters get to wear all types of body armor  to defend themselves but pitchers nothing. I agree.  

The story of those posted about sons getting hit in the head just proves further that guys are throwing pitches that get away from them are still going through a learning process. Its a lot different than the head games played in professional ball. Drilling a hitter  in the body only means putting a man on base, so lots of thought has to be put into who, what and where to punish the hitter. No head hunting allowed, ever.

Last edited by TPM

Some examples.... in pro ball the batters are wearing all this gear and leaning out over the plate trying to take the inside pitch away.  The umpires ( league) is allowing this and IF you come inside ( not to hit someone on purpose) then you can and i have seen pitchers get the warning.  That's basically telling the pitcher you cannot pitch inside.

That's BS.... an occasional hit batter in pro ball hurts more than HS ball.  Physically and to the team.

Now in high school I am not advocating any type of head hunting period.  99% of HS pitchers do not have the control to pitch inside effectively and most coaches do not want them to pitch inside.  I have seen a trend with HS playing gearing up like the pro players do.

The other night when 2018 was throwing .( and I know this because the next day the opposing coach told him this)  he told his batters to get on the plate take the inside away and swing at anything like a fast ball , and take the off speed.   Then after many attempts to hit the ball they decided to bunt.  When they square to bunt 2018 brings it in high and tight.... does not want to hit them but back them off.  This is when the kid got hit in the head. 

So there are two areas, pro ball and amateur ball.  I just feel that the game is taking away some of the pitchers ability to compete on every level. 

There is NO valid comparison to being able to "pitch inside" when we are talking High School Baseball and Professional Baseball.  HS Pitchers velocities have increased to amazing levels over the course of my career but their experience level remains the same. I was pleased to see the above comment regarding the fact that the majority of most HS pitchers do not have the control necessary to pitch inside PRO Style.

HS baseball is not Professional baseball. HS baseball has its own rule set making it a different game. Much of NFHS rules are implemented for player safety, reducing taunting and intimidation and making HS baseball open for more players to compete.

You often hear these sort of laments such as the OP here from Parents of Pitchers but rarely do you hear the same agreed to by the batters parents of players that are injured. Its tough talk to hear from them knowing that most HS pitchers get DH'd for and never get in the box themselves.... 

I'm in charge of the safety of the participants of the game. I'm trained and experienced. I know the difference between pitching to the inside of the plate and throwing at a batter. I will keep player at the plate who goes over the line to draw a HBP and I will warn a pitcher for any deliberate action in hitting a player. I will eject, without regret, any pitcher who ignores this warning.

I understand that balls get away......and that's why its important that we (umpires)  do not get swayed by the "old school" "sissy" "cry babies" comments. Use the rules we have, In the spirit of the rule set being applied.

         

piaa_ump posted:

"There is NO valid comparison to being able to "pitch inside" when we are talking High School Baseball and Professional Baseball.  HS Pitchers velocities have increased to amazing levels over the course of my career but their experience level remains the same. I was pleased to see the above comment regarding the fact that the majority of most HS pitchers do not have the control necessary to pitch inside PRO Style."

 

         

Has anyone done any modeling of HBP locations (heat map type stuff) for MLB?  Perhaps a review of ball/strike call accuracy on pitches "inside"?

I think the topic is very relevant, but I am not quite sure about the flow and tone.  Talking about some kid getting his ear almost cut off because hitters now wear elbow guards seems a little inflammatory.  2017 has had several close calls on come-backs but has been lucky so far.  I think the risk is heavily weighted towards the batter, especially in high school where the pitch speed can be 90+ while the skill of the opposing batter can very greatly.  Having a 90mph fastball "miss" against some slow-twitch 1B type guy is not going to go well for the batter.  

Have the pitcher wear those cap inserts and maybe some googles/frames (like racquetball) and that would address a good portion of the potential bad outcomes for the pitcher.  A good cup, mouthpiece and maybe some soccer shin guards and now they should be ready.

I really don't think this is about pitcher safety, but rather the perceived inequities between pitcher and batter.  I do think the emphasis on ensuring that the batter makes the effort to bail, as well as strike calls when the batter gets hit in the strike zone, are efforts to empower the pitcher.  With current technology, there should be plenty of good data coming out of MLB that can shed some light on the "inside" pitch - as well as potentially some info on where the batter is setting up (maybe they need to develop a bat locator tag).  I like nothing more than an inside strike under the batter's hands as they crowd the plate.  Throwing off the plate by any significant amount to "back off" a legally positioned batter is not something I think is appropriate or something that works with good hitters.  Elevating that pitch inside to make a stronger point is simply wrong.

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