Why I'm More Excited Than Ever For Baseball
This seems to be a new dawn for MLB...
Opening Day 2023 is less than a week away and I can safely say that I haven’t been this excited for a baseball season in a long, long time.
Every new year is incredibly thrilling, of course, but something just feels different as we prepare for the first pitch of the 2023 MLB regular season.
And I have a funny feeling we have the lockout to thank for this surge of anticipation I’m currently experiencing.
Now, you may wonder what the hell I’m talking about given that the word ‘lockout’ is enough to strike fear in the heart of any sports fan. Not to mention that baseball fans are still getting over the lockout that threatened to derail the 2022 season.
But, hear me out for a second.
When the NHL lost the entire 2004-05 season due to a work stoppage, there were plenty of people that feared the sport would never recover. That the National Hockey League wouldn’t get back off the canvas after absorbing such a crushing body blow.
However, not only did it survive the eight count, but the NHL actually benefitted from the work stoppage. The league rebounded stronger and better than ever, boosted by the introduction of a salary cap. The NHL went from being averaged at $163 million in 2004, according to Forbes, to making a staggering jump to $594 million in 2018.
More importantly though, because sports fans don’t care about money, the slew of rule changes totally revitalized the sport and brought the fans back in their droves. The changes made transformed the NHL, it made the product on the ice a million times better and it marked the start of a new era with a flood of fresh, exciting young talent entering the league, led by the likes of generational superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
Just like that, the NHL was a powerhouse again having undergone a much-needed transformation, and the benefits from that makeover allowed the league to survive another work stoppage in 2012. Plus, the salary cap and the rule changes implemented after the 2004 lockout have allowed the league to continue to be important to its diehard and passionate fanbase.
You will never convince me that hockey isn’t one of the four major sports in America. The league sometimes doesn’t help itself, but the product on the ice has never been better in my opinion and the young studs currently taking over the game will only take the league to new heights.
I have a feeling the same thing is currently happening in Major League Baseball.
While the sport was ultimately able to save the 2022 season with the lockout only impacting a small chunk of spring training, we’re only starting to see the benefits of the new CBA this year.
The rule changes introduced have helped to change the game of baseball for the better. While a large chunk of baseball fans are resistant to change, even the most passionate supporters of the game could admit that it was in need of a little TLC.
The games were becoming too long, it was feast or famine with the home runs and the strikeouts and any shred of strategy was being rapidly removed from the game we all love so dearly. After all, the intricate nature of the game, the mouthwatering duel between pitcher and batter, the speed and the athleticism on the base paths, the joy of seeing players slap line drives all over the field, that’s why we fell in love with the game of baseball in the first place.
Thankfully, the rule changes introduced this year appear to be having the desired impact. It is a small sample size but, if spring training is any indicator, we’re going to see a lot more action in 2023 and games shouldn’t become long, drawn-out, tedious affairs anymore.
Now, for a full breakdown of all the changes made for the 2023 season, I strongly suggest you read this brilliant and sublime essay in Esquire from the excellent Joe Posnanski, who I believe is one of the best and one of the most entertaining baseball writers out there. You can read all of his work on his excellent Substack site, Joe Blogs, too. You won’t be disappointed.
For me, the pitch clock is only going to be a good thing. While there is a lot of beauty in spending hours in a ballpark, basking in the sun with a cold one firmly clenched in one hand and a delicious hot dog or a yummy bag of Cracker Jack in the other hand while taking in all the delights of a baseball game, there is no denying that the younger audience was being turned away by three, even four-hour marathon slogs.
And, like it or not, all sports need to do everything within their power to attract the next generation of fans. They are the future after all.
On early evidence, the pitch clock has already had impressive results with games being sped up without taking anything away from the beauty and the very essence of baseball. And, by the time we get to June and July, pitch clock violations will be nothing but relics of the past.
I haven’t got too much to say on the banning of the Shift just yet, other than I hope it leads to the true entertainers of the game and defensive maestros, like Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Nolan Arenado, being able to pull off even more jaw-dropping, eye-catching and highlight-reel defensive plays than they normally do. Brilliance in the field shouldn’t be slept on.
The rule change I’m most excited about, however, is the increase in size of the bases. Going from 15 square inches to 18 square inches, the measurements from both home plate to first base and third base to home plate are three inches closer than under the old base. Furthermore, the paths from first to second and second to third are now 4 1/2 inches shorter than previously.
In short, these alterations will encourage far more action on the base paths and, in my opinion, that’s what baseball has really been missing in recent years. Not only should we see more doubles and triples thanks to the banning of the Shift, but we should also be treated to plenty of speed and stolen bases. Players like Trea Turner and Ronald Acuña Jr. are going to absolutely feast on the bigger bases and we should see non-stop action along the base paths, which is only going to be good for the game. Plus, for me, I wouldn’t be surprised if Turner, an absolute speed demon, goes and steals 50 bases in 2023. That’s entirely possible now. And I’m all here for it.
For me, the only negative thing about the bigger bases is that they look like giant pizza boxes, which just makes me hungry for a good slice of pie every time I see them. Although, to be fair, me being hungry is hardly a new thing.
Anyway, I digress.
In addition to the rule changes livening up the sport, I really do believe that the World Baseball Classic has helped to ramp up the excitement for the 2023 season too. As I wrote about in a story on the WBC here, the tournament was one for the ages and we were treated to breathtaking, meaningful baseball games every single day. That now iconic, classic ending in the World Baseball Classic between Angels teammates Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani has helped to attract a new audience to the sport, and the momentum built by the WBC will only carry over into Opening Day and beyond.
I truly believe that.
All in all, I’m freaking pumped for Opening Day and it can’t come soon enough. I just think baseball is finally in a really good spot and there’s a plethora of reasons to be excited about the start of the regular season.
I haven’t even mentioned the slew of young talent ready to dominate the game and usher in a new era. From Juan Soto to Acuna Jr. to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Fernando Tatis Jr. (when he returns from suspension) to Wander Franco to Bo Bichette to Julio Rodriguez to Adley Rutschman to Jeremy Pena to Bobby Witt Jr. to Gunnar Henderson and so many more, we really are blessed to be watching a sport that is filled with so many young studs at the very peak of their powers.
It does feel like we’re in a new era of baseball right now.
And it’s freaking amazing.
So, while the lockout sucked at the time, MLB, like the NHL in 2004, actually appears better off for going through something like that.
All baseball fans wanted coming out of the lockout was for their beloved sport to emerge brighter at the end of the tunnel and to have a better game to enjoy and look forward to.
I think that’s happened. We got our wish.
Baseball is well and truly back in more ways than one and I’ll say it again - I haven’t been this excited for an MLB season in a long, long time.
Bring on Opening Day.
