Baseball is steeped in tradition. But while historians longingly reminisce about the game’s golden age, the sport has undergone significant changes over the last decade. The sabermetrics revolution ushered in a new era of baseball, and recent developments have altered the baseball landscape in unforeseen ways.
The following trends have swept across Major League Baseball since 2010:
Bullpenning
Starting pitchers are still highly valued commodities, but organizations have begun to understand the importance of having a deep bullpen. Statistics demonstrate that most pitchers lose effectiveness when facing a lineup for a third time within a game. A manager can avoid this problem by using a different pitcher each time through the order.
First employed by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, the concept of an “opener” has gained popularity throughout Major League Baseball. Traditionally, an opener gets the first few outs of the game before giving way to a “bulk guy” who eats up the middle innings. As noted by MLB Network analyst Brian Kenny in his 2016 book Ahead of the Curve, the highest scoring inning is usually the first inning. Thus, the job of the opener is to face the top of the order and keep the opposing team off the board in the first.
The Rays have proven especially adept at the strategy, posting a 57-41 record in games in which they used an opener from 2018 to 2019.
Fly Ball Approach
Believe it or not, it wasn’t too long ago that batting average was considered the definitive metric for gauging a hitter’s competence. Modern hitters, however, are less concerned about their average and are more preoccupied with their OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). As a result, batters no longer step into the box with the singular goal of getting a hit.
Instead, hitters attempt to maximize the result of their at-bat by swinging for the fences or looking to drive the ball into the gap. The increased use of shifting has made it more difficult to sneak a batted ball through the infield, which means that grounders generally result in outs. To counteract this effect, hitters are focusing their attention on getting underneath the ball and lifting it into the air.
The vertical angle at which the ball comes off the bat, more commonly called the “launch angle,” has become a source of fixation for hitters like Josh Donaldson and Joey Gallo. These sluggers are not just trying to hit the ball hard; they are also aiming for an ideal trajectory that will lead to extra-base hits.
As Donaldson explained in a 2016 interview with MLB Network, “in the big leagues, these things that they call ground balls are outs. They don’t pay you for ground balls. They pay you for doubles, they pay you for homers.”
Statcast
Statcast has only been around since 2015, but it’s already changed the way we watch and talk about baseball. The Statcast technology, which is run by Amazon Web Services, tracks and measures nearly every physical activity that occurs on a baseball diamond. The speed at which the ball leaves the bat, the distance that a fielder travels to catch a ball, and the amount of spin that a pitcher applies to a given pitch are among the physical feats that Statcast can quantify.
In its early years of existence, Statcast has become a ubiquitous presence on baseball broadcasts. Nearly every home run replay is accompanied by information about how far the ball carried, and other Statcast metrics like spin rate are frequently referenced. Though some of the data recorded by Statcast may seem superfluous, it is often an invaluable tool for player evaluation. For instance, Statcast has created stats like “Expected Batting Average” that calculate what a player’s average should be based on his quality of contact. Statcast has also provided information about defense that was previously unavailable, such as how quickly a catcher throws a ball to second base on a steal attempt.
Rookie Managers
When it comes to managers, modern front offices value interpersonal skills like communication more than on-field experience. Throughout baseball history, managers have plied their trade in the minors before earning the chance to lead a big league club. But in recent years, organizations have shown a predilection for individuals with no prior coaching experience.
The influx of rookie managers is the result of a paradigm shift within the game. The role of the manager has changed from the primary authority in a big league organization to an intermediary between the front office and the clubhouse. Organizations desire managers who are open to advanced analytics and willing to impart that information to their players. Experienced skippers can be set in their ways, while rookie managers may be more open to collaboration and input from the analytics staff.
Rookie managers have had varying degrees of success. Some, like Gabe Kapler, have fizzled after only a year or two on the job. Others, like Boston’s Alex Cora, have led their clubs to championships.
Searle’s Final Say
The 2010s were defined by data, a theme which will undoubtedly continue into the next decade. Over the next ten years, I believe that MLB will introduce rule changes to address pace of play, such as the implementation of a pitch clock. The MLB Umpires Association has agreed to cooperate on the development of an electronic strike zone, which means that “robo-umps” are already on the way.
