Thread: You can only understand baseball if you've played it at some level...

Originally Posted by scottz

You can believe what you wish about the intent of my post. I told you what my intent was and you - because you know me so well - are able to discern the "real" intent. Yeesh. I gave it the title I did, because the comment from the other thread was the inspiration for my thought to ask what everyone's level of play was. Not to take a jab at anyone...I guess until I started reading your posts. Then I felt compelled to jab.

It's fun. Glad you stand by it. Your inspiration, inspired me too.

Originally Posted by old nurse

The nuance of the game I never understood though is a catchers had spent a lot of time watching baseballs leave a pitchers hand and track where they go to catch them. Shouldn't they be as a group better hitters?

This comes from someone who was never a good hitter

It is much easier to figure out where a ball can end and place a mitt and have the ball fall in it, than time a swing with the bat to hit a moving ball mid flight square on with the thick part of the bat and keep it fair and off the ground.

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

I think having played (I played SS, 3B. I pitched quite a bit through high school, and then later did a lot of catching in amateur ball and that was like a whole new appreciation for the sport), maybe I have a bit more of a sensitivity for how hard this game is than some (and I don't mean that judgmentally). When I hear that people think that it would be no problem for Joe Mauer to move to 3B, I just shake my head. When I hear that 3B should be easy for Trevor Plouffe because he played some much SS, I wonder if people realize just how different the positions are in terms of reaction time, range needed, etc.). And it just bugs me to no end when I hear things about how "horrible" guys like Pedro Florimon or Drew Butera are.

I thought it went without saying that the judgments made here of MLB players who play for our favorite MLB team, is against other MLB players and other MLB teams? The fact is, Drew Butera is an awful hitter, among the worst MLB hitters of all time. And so far, Florimon appears to be not a lot better. I wonder what kind of reverence for these players you expect of posters. Would it be better to qualify that judgment with, "but even so, Butera and Florimon are a whole lot better at hitting than I would be?"

Originally Posted by Willihammer

I thought it went without saying that the judgments made here of MLB players who play for our favorite MLB team, is against other MLB players and other MLB teams? The fact is, Drew Butera is an awful hitter, among the worst MLB hitters of all time. And so far, Florimon appears to be not a lot better. I wonder what kind of reverence for these players you expect of posters. Would it be better to qualify that judgment with, "but even so, Butera and Florimon are a whole lot better at hitting than I would be?"

This deserves at least a billion likes.

Originally Posted by thrylos98

This comes from someone who was never a good hitter

It is much easier to figure out where a ball can end and place a mitt and have the ball fall in it, than time a swing with the bat to hit a moving ball mid flight square on with the thick part of the bat and keep it fair and off the ground.

This and just logic of size means it's a lot easier to put a ball into a mitt than it is to hit it just right with a bat.