I'm no Baseball Fan...

[Jeff Higgins]

But I just became a big fan of Willians Astudillo. I've never heard of this guy. Has anyone? Has anyone ever played the game like this? In an age of extreme specialists in all sports, can anyone play their game like this? I don't think so...

[Chocaholic]

Not a baseball fan either but...the guy is a pitcher, a third baseman, an outfielder and a catcher??? Really? And, seems exceptional at all. Very impressive.

[flatbutt]

Huh, even with a gut.

[CurtEgerer]

I don't follow baseball but have been following him for a couple years after hearing about his pitching. The guy is fun to watch!

[hcoles]

Every so often a player with over-the-top athletic ability comes along. Almost like he sees things in slow motion. Pablo Sandoval IMO had similar abilities.

[island911]

Yep. Seriously fast processing.

And he's chubby.

That makes a lot of people feel vindicated.

[ted]

fun highlights!

[Seahawk]

I love baseball, my absolute favorite sport growing up. I just can't stand watching it.

I'll find this guy.

Thanks!

[smadsen]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Not a baseball fan either but...the guy is a pitcher, a third baseman, an outfielder and a catcher??? Really? And, seems exceptional at all. Very impressive.

On his days off, he works the hot dog stand in the right field pavilion.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I love baseball, my absolute favorite sport growing up. I just can't stand watching it.

I'll find this guy.

Thanks!

I used to watch a game a night until the second strike in two years in 96(?). That was it for me.

I've seen in person:
The Big Red Machine of the '70s
Pete Rose go 0 for 4 the night before he broke the hits record
Dwight Gooden pitch and have about a million K's that game
Hank Aaron hit a home run in Atlanta
Johnny Bench

I loved it back then and even in the 80s and 90s but the strikes did it for me. Now I don't think I can go back and really don't like the baggy pants, hair, and gold chains.

I'm more of a 1970s Cincinnati Reds all wearing black spikes without logos and a team prohibition on facial hair. We don't need to discuss Marge Schott though.

[Seahawk]

For me it is the pace of play, shifts, analytics and the lack of base runners. That and the endless parade of relievers.

In HS the ump would be all over you like angry cloud if you spend more that two seconds out of the box between pitches. College, in the 70's, was the same.

Now it is like scene changes between acts of an off-Broadway play...between f'ing pitches.

I can't do it. A friend of mine's daughter works for the Yankees as an advanced metrics person. The amount of data they have on every player, in the bigs, the littles, college, etc. is really mind boggling. She asks once a year what ticket to Yankee Stadium I want (and the seats are good) and I never take any. Mind numbing stuff.

I remember watching the Cardinals in the World Series in grade school during class on the old b&w TV's on the rolling stands...the games were that big.

Not anymore.

[stevej37]

I was a baseball fan until about 15 years ago.
I have seen the 68 series on tv...Tigers vs Cards. Lolich pitching 3 winning games.
I was at the final game of the 84 series...Tigers vs Padres Gibson hitting 2 home runs
I was at Denny McLain's 30th pitching win.
I was at the Tigers clinching win of 1981 eastern champs Tanana won it
And many game between

I can't watch a whole game anymore.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by smadsen

On his days off, he works the hot dog stand in the right field pavilion.

He parks cars before the game, and drives an Uber for fans who drank too much after the game.

[Crowbob]

Ha also rolls out the tarp when rain threatens.

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

In HS the ump would be all over you like angry cloud if you spend more that two seconds out of the box between pitches. College, in the 70's, was the same.

Now it is like scene changes between acts of an off-Broadway play...between f'ing pitches.

.

At the last summer Olympics in women's softball, they had a rule change that made pitcher stay in the circle and batter in the box BETWEEN pitches. It made a huge difference and really sped up play.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

For me it is the pace of play...now it is like scene changes between acts of an off-Broadway play between f'ing pitches.

I can't watch MLB any more either....just way too slooooow.

But it was refreshing to watch some of the Little League World Series recently. The pace of the game was so much quicker. Batters rarely stepped out or called time, and pitchers didn't walk around the mound kicking dirt between every throw, or take forever to read the signs and ready themselves for the next pitch. Those LL pitchers were able to deliver a pitch about every 10 seconds most of the time.

Something else that really slows the game down are the unlimited number of foul balls that batters can hit. Sometimes it takes forever to get the next hitter up to the plate.

[Tobra]

I have no problem with as many foul balls as you can manage.

I like this guy Astudillo, but if someone threw one of those blooper pitches to me, I would knock his ass off the mound with a line drive. How do people have so much trouble hitting junk like that?

Originally Posted by Seahawk

In HS the ump would be all over you like angry cloud if you spend more that two seconds out of the box between pitches.

They would not say much, but if you were standing around outside the box and the pitcher threw it close enough to the plate the catcher could put a mitt on it, STEEERIKE!


Woe unto the young man who said or did anything other than stand in there and hit after that.

[Crowbob]

I don’t think they should mess with limiting foul balls. It robs the batter. It’s hard enough to hit the ball at all let alone hit it fair. The difference is measured in microns*. The whole point of bazball is to hid da ball wid da bat.



*slight eggzadjuration

[A930Rocket]

Why does he throw those softball pitches? Obviously it’s not illegal, but there has to be a reason.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Why does he throw those softball pitches? Obviously it’s not illegal, but there has to be a reason.

Because he's not a pitcher? 3 times in his career he's been put in as a reliever when the team is going to loose anyways, and they don't want to risk hurting one of their critical pitchers.