2024 Poly Fantasy Baseball

[Berzerker]

I sent Chris another email, never got a response

[-Jrabbit]

Is this the ancient Polytubby Chris62?

[Berzerker]

I'm not sure, I thought so but he's got a team named for Oklahoma and he was in NY last I knew

maybe Walrus knows, I'll ask

[-Jrabbit]

I think he may have moved to OK a year or two back...

[Berzerker]

the pitch clock is coming under scrutiny as arms keep falling off

I can see why the clock might be an injury factor, having a few extra seconds between pitches and not feeling rushed are positives for a pitcher

[SlowwHand]

Leave it.

[EPW]

I will trade teams with Chris.

[Berzerker]

play them both... let me know if your commish powers wont let you edit his roster

but no trading players between them

[Berzerker]

on 2nd thought lets give him a few days to respond, the 2 injured batters are/were due back this week so he might be paying attention

[Berzerker]

maybe someone here will play his team if he's not, Ozzy expressed interest but didn't want a live draft

Having Acuna sounds like a path to success

[Berzerker]

I asked Ozzy if he wants the team

[Berzerker]

Verlander said the emphasis on speed and spin is a factor with injuries
Bob Costas said in the past pitchers focused on getting outs

[-Jrabbit]

No doubt the focus on metrics is a factor. But to me, the big change is in how pitchers are used. Today's pitchers are asked to go as hard as they can for no more than 90-100 pitches. Back in the day, starting pitchers were throwing 300 innings, but using guile as well as power. A front-of-rotation starter was expected to get through 7+ innings and make 35 starts (more like 40 back in the '60s/'70s). Complete games were common and expected. Not now. In 2023, only one pitcher managed 35 starts. Today, if you can get through the batting order more than twice in under 90 pitches, you're probably an All-Star.

The old school player mentality was to hide their aches and pains; today's players feel a twinge and get immediately pulled from a game and rested until they're 100%, even if it means pushing back a start. So I have to ask: Are there really more injuries now, or are (previously ignored) injuries simply being reported and acted upon more routinely?

Then there's the fact that there are just more pitchers.

Previously, MLB pitching staffs were 10-11 players on 25-man rosters, so MLB rosters were approx 42% pitchers. But once pitch counts (and "take a lot of pitches" strategies) came into vogue, that meant it took more pitchers to get through a game. Now it's typically 13-14 pitchers on 26-man rosters (53.4% in 2016).

TL/DR - Pitch counts and expanded rosters mean more pitchers. Pitch counts encourage throwing harder. High cost of athletes encourages teams to rest players instead of playing through injuries. The net result is more downtime. This should not be a surprise.

[Berzerker]

I tried to edit the Oklahoma roster for this week but Yahoo wont let me, next Monday is the best I can do. If Ozzy or nobody else wants to play the team EPW can play both or I'll maintain the team

[Berzerker]

I'm not getting a response from Oklahoma Chris or Ozzy and I don't know how to swap managers so EPW can take Oklahoma. Can you play both teams?

I'd like to keep all 10 teams active

[Berzerker]

EPW plays Oklahoma next week

if he doesn't want to manage both teams and nobody else will I guess Oklahoma is officially an abandoned team

[SlowwHand]

Is walrus playing?

[Berzerker]

yes, Oklahoma Chris is our absent manager

and I'm sorry to do this to EPW but I will set Oklahoma's roster until we decide what to do with the team.