Rob Manfred leaves a press conference during MLB's owners meetings. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

The Rundown: March Toward Opening Day, Manfred Might Really Hate Baseball, Bryant Excited for Fatherhood, Sunday Baseball Notes

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMarch 1, 2020

March…it comes in like a lion and goes out with regular season baseball. That’s right, the Cubs will start playing in games that count in 25 days when they take on the Brewers at Miller Park. Yu Darvish, who started against Milwaukee yesterday, will likely take the bump that day, too.

If you feel like March 26 is a little premature for baseball, you’re not alone. Other than games that kick off the season in foreign countries, this is the earliest an MLB season has ever started. I can neither confirm nor deny that this is the first step in Rob Manfred’s master plan to actually push the starting date back to mid-April. Then he can schedule the World Series for a fun-packed seven-game set played at a neutral site in mid-November. If enough games become weather-related cancellations in late March and early April, well, you can see how this all plays out. It’s not too difficult to understand the machinations of a dullard.

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m not a Manfred fan. In fact, I believe Homer Simpson would be better as baseball’s commissioner. I have yet to find a single thing he has done during his tenure that has made baseball a better sport. Here’s a summation of the rules changes he’s instituted — most of which are considered pace-of-play or safety initiatives — and I’ll let you decide if any has improved the game.

  1. In 2015, Manfred limited the number of warmup pitches and enforced the one-foot-in-the-box rule. Pretty mild and unspectacular, but nothing dramatic. He was just testing the waters at this point.
  2. In 2016 he changed the 15-day DL to 10 days, changed the rules about sliding into second base, and limited mound visits to 30 seconds.
  3. The commissioner got a little more ballsy in 2017 when he instituted the no-pitch intentional walk, lowered the time limit managers have to challenge a call, limited the challenge review time to two minutes, and forced base coaches back into their boxes.
  4. 2018 is the season in which Manfred instituted rules about illegally stealing signs — not that he had verifiable knowledge of the Astros’ hijinks from the previous season — and limited the number of mound visits to six per game.
  5. Last season, MLB implemented a single trade deadline, changed the format for the Home Run Derby, as well as the process for fan voting for the All-Star Game, and reduced mound visits from six to five.
  6.  This year’s rule changes include active roster provisions (26/28 rule), implementation of a three-batter minimum for pitchers, and going back to the 15-day injured list.

Is the game more enjoyable because of these changes? Taking it a step further, is it more marketable to a younger audience now? I’d say no to both. Baseball’s primary demographic consists of mostly white males over the age of 33.

But hey, let the countdown begin to the season opener in Milwaukee. When the Cubs play their home opener against the Pirates on March 30, I’ll be watching from the comfort of my home, likely beneath a heated blanket. I know we are all excited for spring, but March is traditionally one of Chicago’s most volatile months when it comes to weather.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

The bar is awfully high in Canada, even when it comes to potential pandemics.

Updates on Nine

  1. A’s third baseman Matt Olson could find himself in rarefied air this year, pulling off a combination that has been achieved by just four players in MLB history: 50 home runs and a Gold Glove Award in the same season.
  2. Congress is making a push to get former Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Flood, who challenged the game’s reserve clause in 1970, is one of the main reasons free agency exists. Over 100 different lawmakers have signed the petition for his induction.
  3. Advances in technology have separated the game of baseball from its soul, per Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. Discussions with MLBPA chief Tony Clark have included an all-out technology blackout, something most managers are in favor of and many expect to happen.
  4. The Dodgers have DFA’d $16 million Cuban pitcher Yadier Alvarez. Los Angeles also paid a $16 million tax to acquire Alvarez because they exceeded the cap when signing him as an IFA in 2015. The starter left minor league camp last week because he “didn’t feel like pitching anymore.”
  5. Team USA will have access to some significant talent for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but superstars like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are unlikely to participate. The existing agreement only allows players on 40-man rosters who are not in the majors to represent the US in the summer games.
  6. ESPN has reached an agreement with former Braves third baseman Chipper Jones to work as an analyst for its Wednesday Night baseball games.
  7. New Yankees starter Gerrit Cole pitched for the second time this spring, throwing 21 of 30 pitches for strikes in his 2.2 -inning stint against the Tigers. He struck out two Detroit hitters and allowed just two soft singles.
  8. Dodgers ace Walker Buehler hopes to pitch at least 200 innings this season. The 25-year old is often mentioned as a potential 2020 Cy Young candidate.
  9. Zack Wheeler made his Phillies debut yesterday and was generally pleased with his outing. Several pitchers had been asked by ex-manager Gabe Kapler to emphasize fastballs at the top of the strike zone last season and the results were not good. New manager Joe Girardi has emphasized that Philadelphia pitchers should pitch to their strengths.

Extra Innings

Thankfully leap year comes but once every four years.

Apropos of Nothing

Though Sinclair stock is down right now, having lost nearly two-thirds of its value in less than a year, it may bounce back once the Dow Jones freefall stops. Why? It’s an election year, and as one of America’s largest news outlets, they are going to sell a lot of political ads between now and November. Before you get your hopes up, that probably won’t mean any added revenue for the Cubs’ baseball budget next winter.

They Said It

  • “My spin efficiency is getting better, so that’s why hitters swing and miss a lot. I feel very comfortable. I was throwing hard last year, but my spin efficiency wasn’t good enough. That’s why hitters didn’t swing and miss as often, especially lefties. But this year I feel different, so I can get more swing and misses against lefties.” – Yu Darvish
  • “It’s going to be a pretty good war [with the Brewers]. They’ve got a pretty good team and they’ve got pretty good hitters. Same with Cincinnati. We’ve got to bust our butts to beat them. It’s all about competing and giving them everything we have. We’ll see how it goes with them.” – Javier Báez

Sunday Walk Up Song

In Sleep by Lissie. It’s March, spring is nearly here, and next week starts Daylight Savings Time. Hibernation mode has ended.

In Closing

A big thank you to reader Scott W. and his wife for the wonderful gift box I received yesterday.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMarch 1, 2020
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