MLB votes to ban home plate collisions

[TheLeviathan]

If you can't do it at any other base, you shouldn't be able to do it at home. I was disappointed that the "neighborhood" force out at second will not be reviewable. I have always hated it. Part of baseball is the inches and split seconds. If you can't get the foot on the base in time, that is part of the play. Baseball was never supposed to be football.

 

What you could see as a side effect is the same the NFL has: more knee injuries.

[gil4]

What you could see as a side effect is the same the NFL has: more knee injuries.

 

I'm not sure I see how. In football you still have to tackle the guy even though you can't hit him high. That really isn't an issue in baseball.

 

I'm no baseball historian, but Bill James says Pete Rose is the one who popularized the football block to try to knock the ball out. That's still fairly recent history for baseball.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm not sure I see how. In football you still have to tackle the guy even though you can't hit him high. That really isn't an issue in baseball.

 

I'm no baseball historian, but Bill James says Pete Rose is the one who popularized the football block to try to knock the ball out. That's still fairly recent history for baseball.

 

I'm obviously speculating, but baserunners go harder into home than anywhere else. If the rule is just that they can't go high, they are going to slide aggressively low. With how catchers generally position themselves (squat, one leg out, etc) I could see a few wrecked knees that way too.

[twinsnorth49]

I'm obviously speculating, but baserunners go harder into home than anywhere else. If the rule is just that they can't go high, they are going to slide aggressively low. With how catchers generally position themselves (squat, one leg out, etc) I could see a few wrecked knees that way too.

 

I see that logic and you're right players definitely go harder into home than any other base, I'm just not sure players will go in harder low than they already do, it's not all that effective in trying to knock the ball out of the catchers grasp, as opposed to flat out running him over.

 

No?

[Ultima Ratio]

Booo!

 

I'll say it again. Booo!

[TheLeviathan]

I see that logic and you're right players definitely go harder into home than any other base, I'm just not sure players will go in harder low than they already do, it's not all that effective in trying to knock the ball out of the catchers grasp, as opposed to flat out running him over.

 

No?

 

Hopefully, the wording will be key.

[Alex]

I see that logic and you're right players definitely go harder into home than any other base, I'm just not sure players will go in harder low than they already do, it's not all that effective in trying to knock the ball out of the catchers grasp, as opposed to flat out running him over.

 

No?

 

The reason baserunners can go harder into home is that oversliding the base doesn't matter, as long as they touch it. At every other base a slide has the additional effect of slowing momentum as much as it is about avoiding a tag (see also: Ron Gant?).

 

I really like that they are looking at the play that is the highest risk of injury baseball. It's not about making sure no one gets hurt ever -- it's about taking out a play/plays that are high risk of injury and don't make a lot of sense within the context of the game.

[gil4]

With how catchers generally position themselves (squat, one leg out, etc) I could see a few wrecked knees that way too.

 

We haven't seen the rule yet, but there was some indication that blocking the plate would also be illegal. In football, the "go low" hits are head first, and it's harder to get lower than the knee that way. With a slide, the players are more likely the hit the shin area and knock the feet out from under the catcher, rather than buckle the knee back. Is there still the possibility for injury? Sure, but I think this will greatly reduce them.

[TheLeviathan]

We haven't seen the rule yet, but there was some indication that blocking the plate would also be illegal. In football, the "go low" hits are head first, and it's harder to get lower than the knee that way. With a slide, the players are more likely the hit the shin area and knock the feet out from under the catcher, rather than buckle the knee back. Is there still the possibility for injury? Sure, but I think this will greatly reduce them.

 

It may, I'm not saying anything with certainty. But how the rule is written will be key. Players block other bases, the difference with home is what Alex said. Home plate is a different animal for a number of reasons. Can you prevent contact altogether? If not, aren't you just steering contact somewhere else ala football?

[Alex]

Johnny Bench on it: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/13/johnny-bench-is-a-big-fan-of-the-new-rule-eliminating-home-plate-collisions/

[jm3319]

Smart move. It's a huge risk (potential massive injury) play with pretty low reward (one run), especially considering players are now a $10M+/year investment. How does the game of baseball benefit if star players (runners or catchers) are hurt on a 100% avoidable play over 1 lousy run? I highly doubt many fans watch baseball just for the small chance they get to see a runner plow into a catcher. (we have football for that anyway)

 

I never understood why it was legal at home in the first place. You can't run into the firstbaseman or try to knock his glove away on a bang-bang play at first, so why can you at home?

[Alex]

Smart move. It's a huge risk (potential massive injury) play with pretty low reward (one run), especially considering players are now a $10M+/year investment. How does the game of baseball benefit if star players (runners or catchers) are hurt on a 100% avoidable play over 1 lousy run? I highly doubt many fans watch baseball just for the small chance they get to see a runner plow into a catcher. (we have football for that anyway)

 

I never understood why it was legal at home in the first place. You can't run into the firstbaseman or try to knock his glove away on a bang-bang play at first, so why can you at home?

 

Great summary from a cost/value analysis.

[TheLeviathan]

Didn't take long for this rule to look like it's going to cause some problems.....

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/replay-home-plate-collision-rules-come-together-controversial-001931989--mlb.html

 

Not a knee injury, but again shows how hard it is to avoid collisions when two players are focused on things other than where the other is.

[Willihammer]

Might also be an example of an umpire getting the safe-out call wrong becuase he was distracted by trying to get the call on rule 7.13 right.