Bubblewrap Baseball

BY KEVIN KERNAN

Author Mary Shelley would be proud.

Dr. Victor von Frankenstein continues his work … in baseball front offices with frightening results.

Over-reliance on analytics and the current “training’’ of ballplayers have turned the game into Frankenstein’s monster. In fact, there are more analysts than ballplayers in the major leagues. That’s scary. It sure takes a lot of Dr. Frankensteins to create this monster as baseball continues to be less of a game and more of a science/math experiment gone horribly wrong.

I addressed many major league issues in my Baseball or Bust column here on Tuesday called Goodbye Baseball. That column drew an incredible response, especially from baseball people who no longer see baseball as the game it once was – and that is not a good thing.

Unfortunately, the game is in even worse shape than I wrote about because this week I checked with those who are paid to scout minor league baseball.

If you want to really see the science experiment in full bloom, go to a minor league game. It is not even about development anymore. The minor league season is about 20 games in -and scouts are even more aghast in what they are seeing.

This is such a hard game to kill because it is such a great game. But even baseball can only take so much experimentation. Look closely at all the injuries in the game today and ask why is that?

Ask too about the lack of fundamentals, the over-emphasis on rotational training for both pitchers and hitters, the inability to put the ball in play, the inability to make a play, the strikeouts, the subterranean batting averages and it all goes back to new ways of “teaching’’ and “training’’ now going on in baseball.

People like Dr. James Andrews, Dr. Keith Meister and Hall of Famers Jim Kaat and Greg Maddux continue to sound the alarm, but those in front offices are not listening because they believe they are smarter than everyone; it really is that simple, and their way is the only way.

In one of the most disheartening comments I have heard, one scout told BallNine he was at a number of AAA games this week and players were not hustling. Again, this is AAA, one manipulation of a roster spot away from the major leagues.

You shouldn’t have to coach effort.

“They don’t run out ground balls anymore; at one of the games I was at, one team hit into five double plays,’’ the scout said. “It’s like, ‘Ah shit, I hit a ground ball, bleep it, I’m not going to run.’ ’’

I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes it is not your night and with runners on base you may scorch a ball to third base or shortstop and hit into a double play. It happens. So I was immediately skeptical and said something like, “Well, maybe they hit into some bad luck?’’

The scout instantly responded. “No, it wasn’t that,’’ he said. “Nobody ran hard to make sure they didn’t hit into a double play.’’

What an indictment of what the Nerd Game has become.

It’s all about weight room explosiveness and not old man yelling at clouds things like pitchers running poles, shagging fly balls, picking up balls for the bucket.

Even worse, there were no repercussions from managers for not running hard in attempting to stay out of the double play. This should not be tolerated on any level. But then again, this is the new age, could it be that these players are being told, “Hey, it’s early in the season, it’s cold. Don’t take any chances busting it and risk pulling a hammy.’’

The irony is the amount of leg injuries in this era. Ironically, players are not on their feet as much as they used to be and not doing nearly as much running as past generations of ballplayers did. But this is the new way. It’s all about weight room explosiveness and not old man yelling at clouds things like pitchers running poles, shagging fly balls, picking up balls for the bucket.

Bro, that is so old school.

I’m pretty sure those AAA baserunners were being told to be cautious. Teams just don’t stop running hard across the board, this has to be part of a directive from farm directors at the behest of major league general managers as a way to avoid injuries.

Because that avoidance of injuries is the “new way’’ in baseball, yet injuries have skyrocketed like never before under the new way.

Young pitchers are being taken out of games way too early to keep pitch counts low. A scout told me that in three games one AAA club had already used 15 pitchers. Don’t stress the young pitchers by making them learn how to pitch. Don’t stress the young pitchers by having them understand the need to change speeds, locate to get out of jams to find a way.

No, grip it and rip it. Grip it and spin it.

It’s such a great system that is really working.

The Pirates are doing their protective thing across the board.  They are the clubhouse leader in what I call “Bubblewrap Baseball.’’

There are many teams thinking this way now, selling hope to the owner and the frustrated fans instead of results. This is snake oil salesmanship at its best.

Pirates starter Jared Jones was dealing in a start against the Mets the other day, pitching five shutout innings of one-hit baseball. He threw only 59 pitches, 50 of which were strikes. Impressive.

In that kind of situation it used to be: “Have a day, kid.’’

Learn to finish it or least get close to the finish line. That will help your development in the long run. Instead of have a day, this being 2024 it was: “Have a seat kid.’’

And the young pitcher was fine with the decision of being taken out when he was dominating. These young pitchers have been brainwashed. I’m just wondering if Jones was given a snack by one of the Pirates’ team moms after leaving the game. Maybe a cupcake? Probably something more healthy like apple slices, pre-packaged of course, because you don’t want to take the chance of cutting your own apple and slicing a finger.

And all that is most disheartening but that is Major League Baseball these days. Like a good baseball friend says to me all the time about front offices over-reaching: “They are stifling greatness.’

They sure are.

“There are hardly any baseball people involved any more with the day-to-day operations of clubs,’’ one talent evaluator told me. “The things that are not being taught are horrible. And the injuries are not stopping, we get them every day. Maybe somebody will wake up and realize we are doing a lot of stuff wrong.’’

And if you are a Pirate fan, God forbid you get the opportunity to watch your young pitcher ace it up against the Mets. This is all about the future, not the present and if you purchased a ticket to that game, you can’t expect six or seven or eight or nine innings of excellence from the starter. No way. There is a plan for the future.

Watch your five innings of one hit ball, shut up and go buy another over-priced beer and, while you are at it, get a super expensive – and super ugly – City Connect jersey.

Sure, the Pirates haven’t made the postseason in eight years even though they have been stacking top draft picks like cord wood over that time, and seven of those years the Bucs were under .500 and three of those years the Pirates played under .400 baseball, this is about the future. Trust us!

Imagine trying to take the ball from competitive young pitchers of the past. It would not be a pleasant experience. But these pitchers are being trained in “saving my bullets’’ for the future.

Would that be saving your bullets for after your first Tommy John surgery or your second Tommy John surgery?

There is little thought of let’s win today.

Winning isn’t the goal here.

Bubblewrap is the goal.

Which brings be to one of my favorite quotes of all time by legendary Pirates manager Jim Leyland who will enter the Hall of Fame this summer. I was in his office one day when the subject came up of bringing in a young pitcher into the game.

“When I call down to the bullpen,’’ Leyland said, “I don’t ask how old they are.’’

You are old enough to be in the major leagues. But that was before the Frankenstein experiments.

As for the Pirates taking out Mr. Jones, the Baseball Gods would have none of it, thankfully. When Jones left, the Pirates were leading the contest, 1-0.

The Mets came back to win the game, 3-1.

The Pirates front office had told Pirates manager Derek Shelton it was five and fly for the 22-year-old pitcher no matter what was happening on the field. It was all pre-determined. They call it a collaborative decision between front office and field staff, but it’s not. These are front office Dr. Frankensteins making the decision, creating their monster. Bring on the bolts of lightning.

If the Pirates miss the playoffs by one game, look back at this game if you care about winning. But then again if you cared about winning such a decision would not be made. Essentially, the Pirates were saying, “Let’s protect the kid and not worry if we overtax the bullpen.’’

Bullpen arms are the modern-day version of cannon fodder.

If you don’t know what cannon fodder is, Google it.

The Pirates are not alone, of course, the Marlins, becoming even more of a joke franchise by the day, sent down one of their best young pitchers Max Meyer to limit his innings, but they are not limiting the crazy amount of sliders Meyer is throwing, notes my friend former Marlins beat writer Joe Frisaro. Meyer had just limited the mighty Braves to one run over six innings and boasts a 2.12 ERA in three outings.

Down to AAA Jacksonville you go.

Peter Bendix, chief new Nerd of the Marlins, said it was time to get out the bubble wrap. After all, when Bendix got the job he said, “You can invest into the current and the future at the same time.’’

Investing in wins is another story as the Marlins are off to a dreadful start but are investing in the current and the future, whatever the heck that means. They are hitting .214 and their pitchers own a 5.03 ERA. Bad investments, I’d say.

Most of these geniuses invest in the future by losing as many games as possible in the present and getting top draft picks. That’s the real game plan.

That’s how the Pirates were able to grab stud pitcher Paul Skenes with the first pick in the draft last year and their current plan has him throwing as many 100 mph pitches as possible, but only over no more than three innings in each minor league start so far this season.

Make it make sense? Skenes, to his credit, stayed and signed tons of autographs for the fans. Why not? He only worked half a day.

Check out the number of pitchers on these minor league rosters – like 18. And they still have to use position players in blowouts. This is a fraternity house, not a pitching staff. One AAA club took out a dealing young pitcher after six innings and 85 pitches this week.

You can’t push for a seventh inning? Your network of data analysts will not allow it. As if they have curtailed injuries under their watch.

And what do those three innings starts teach you?

“It teaches you nothing,’’ one former pitcher said of the over-protective nature of the current beast. “I’ve seen pitchers being over-protected by the amount of innings they throw, but they don’t learn how to pitch and they still have a poor delivery.’’

It is the delivery, the mechanics, the overuse of spin and max velo that is the issue but to understand all that you have to know that – and these analytical front offices don’t have a clue about any of it. Limiting pitches was going to be the answer. It appears now limiting innings is the new false way. Good luck with all that. Understanding the kinetic chain would help, then maybe there would not be so many core, oblique, elbow and shoulder injuries.

Train more on the field to become proficient in a game that is played on the field, not in a weight room or in a pitching lab.

“So much common sense is just ignored and it’s not good,’’ said the baseball man. “I just don’t get it. The fundamentals are not being taught, the game is not being played fundamentally sound and I don’t know what’s going to happen. “Guys stayed on the field and they stayed healthy. Bigger, stronger, faster isn’t working. They don’t practice like they used to practice. They don’t do things on the field anymore.’’

How about this: Save the Bubblewrap for when you get fired as Baseball CEO and have to move into your next house for your future assignment.

Learn to build a pitching staff the correct way. Build a baseball team the correct way and while you are at it, run every ball out.