There’s a lot of tradition involved with Major League Baseball. Some of the older fans don’t like the changes that have been taking place with America’s pastime, and it’s likely they are not going to like the 2019 season since there will be more change to the game as we know it. Here are some of the most notable trends in the MLB to look out for, according to Joseph Vessecchia. 

Bullpenning Is Here to Stay

The biggest trend in baseball is “bullpenning.” This popular term was introduced during spring training. While there’s no official definition for bullpenning, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it’s about “counting outs.” There has been an increase in bullpenning and it’s expected to grow well into the season and even the playoffs. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are credited with starting this trend. This led them to 90 wins. The Oakland A’s have also used bullpenning, which worked out well in their favor. It led them to the playoffs when they took advantage of the idea during the Wild Card game. This strategic baseball concept is only going to increase with time. 

Other teams have been embracing the concept of bullpenning such as the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays. 

Betting & Pace of Play

This new trend is a two-in-one. MLB has been trying to shorten their game times and increase the pace of play. Also, the MLB now has a partnership with MGM after the Supreme Court removed the ban on sports gambling. While some have complained that baseball is too long and too slow, some love the pace of the game because it makes for great gambling opportunities. 

MGM will collaborate with MLB in a way that aims to promote betting while still dealing with the effects of the Black Sox gambling scandal. Pete Rose is still banned for making bets when he was a manager. If baseball allows bets in between plays, this pace of play will no longer be the focus of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s career.

Infield Shifts

There has been a long-term debate on banning infield shifts which have increased the strategy at play in baseball. This trend will continue to rise, making the game more exciting to watch than ever. This new trend has even been gaining support from fans and players alike. The reason why infield shifts work in their present state is because they happen very rarely.

The only thing that infield shifts get rid of are ground-ball singles. If coaches want their players to hit more routine singles, then they would have to eliminate the strategy that resurrected careers and led to home runs. Banning infield shifts gives hitters more opportunities to take the ball out of the yard. Hitting into the infield shift is no longer a problem. 

You’ll See More Sliders

Last year, there were 17% more sinkers than sliders. In addition, 17.1% of pitches were also sliders. While that doesn’t seem like a big difference, these were three-quarters of pitches that took place that same year. That means there was a total of 720 pitches.
It was the same time last year that the Majors threw more sliders than sinkers. 

Pitchers used to rely on their fastball, but now it’s becoming acceptable to throw sliders 40% or more of the time. It’s up to players to take advantage of their pitch and throw it often. Sliders are better than sinkers since sinkers end up hitting bats. 

Expect More Wild Pitches

Baseball set another record that most fans didn’t notice in 2018. There was an increase in wild pitches. It had the most wild pitches on record since 1956. This is not a direct result of the skills of the catchers, who have one of the toughest jobs in this sport.

It shows how much the responsibilities have changed when it comes to framing and velocity. Some teams have shifted their focus on pitching rather than catching since it’s so difficult to be a catcher. 

Baseball is Getting Younger

This trend is a result of baseball players retiring in their 40s. Since 2002, MLB players have been getting younger. This is just a continuation of a trend that fans have been seeing for some time. There has been a steep drop in 30-plus players in the past year. While there might not be as steep of a drop in 2019, younger baseball players have become a new trend. 

About Joseph Vessecchia

Joseph Vessecchia works as one of the top salesmen in the U.S. After he established himself within his career, he wanted to create an online community in which he helped others. He wants to focus on teaching innovative practices to increase sales.