Are too many strikeouts hurting the game of baseball?

Re: Does baseball have a strikeout problem?

Is baseball not more popular than ever?

 

The main reason offense is down is that average velocity is shooting up. Seems like we're getting a generation of pitchers with better coaching from a young age.

 

And their arms are being protected from an early age (and if they do blow out, they can be repaired).

 

And drugs.

 

Too many errors in baseball, too.
Hurting our beloved game, etc., etc.

Can MLB ban the errors? Thanks.

 

Actually, the top 13 fielding seasons, by fielding percentage, in Major League Baseball history have come the last 13 years.

Last year, 2013, saw players post the top fielding percentage in baseball history: .985.

 

I think more strikeouts is great for baseball. It speeds up the game and there's nothing more dramatic that seeing the ace pitcher or ace reliever facing off against a team's best hitter. I don't want to see a ground out or a fly out. I want to see a hit (preferrably a home run) or a strikeout.

 

I don't know that it speeds up the game. I guess it depends how many pitches a batter is seeing in an at-bat when he strikes out as compared to how many he sees when he makes an out with a fly ball or grounder. I'd guess he is seeing more when he strikes out, which makes the game longer.

 

True... A guy like Greg Maddux was usually the most efficient pitcher and he wasn't a huge strikeout guy, at least not at the level of Clemens, Martinez, Schilling, Johnson etc...

I think the power pitchers might not be as "efficient" as someone like Maddux, but still faster than your typical starter.

 

Yeah, I think it slows down the game. That's my guess, at least.

One thing that I thought about while pondering this topic some more last night: You hear a lot of old-timers gripe and bitch and moan about how pitchers are babied today. That they should throw more complete games. That they should use four-man rotations. That closers should be used for more than an inning. That relief specialists are an example of over-managing.

But here's the thing: The proof is in the pudding, right? Pitching is getting better, better than it's ever been in many ways. There are less walks and more strikeouts. The only thing that is neutralizing things and keeping 2014 from being 1968 redux is that hitters hit more home runs than they used to.

But it's hard to argue that pitchers need to sack up when the incentives for organizations, results wise, are to do things as they are right now. Guys are healthy and peaking when they are used.

 

Also, it's not like the pitchers are always taking themselves out of games. The good ones usually want to stay in longer.

 

This is interesting...

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-much-time-the-pitchers-took/