Y’see, this is the problem

The lack of runs being scored is the main topic of discussion this year. Rob Mains broke down how big of a problem the offense problem is in MLB. These discussions lead to other discussions about rules changes such as a pitch-clock or banning shifts.

You can see the real problem when you watch this pitch.

This is why run- scoring is at an all-time low, strikeouts are at an all-time high, and why MLB has implemented rules that poke at the edges of the problem. The deflation of the baseball has punished hitters who are already up against it in many ways.

It doesn't stand out that much from what other pitchers in the league can do. If he qualified, he would rank in the top six in both categories, with his 30.9 percent K-rate ranking him in the top five. He is doing a lot of things with a baseball, but there are many other people doing the same thing.

I wonder how anyone could possibly make contact with this thing breaking for the lefthanded batter's box. Guys on every team are capable of throwing something like this. A curve that dives toward China at the last moment is a 93 MPH two-seamer. The average speed in the league is up again this season, to 93.2. The movement these pitchers can get is what hitters are being asked to give up.

When you consider all that pitchers have to do before they even get to the majors, it's really hard to believe. labs and studies breaking down the movement and spin and the air around the ball, different grips and release points are then analyzed through every inch of movement giving them immediate information about where a hitter might hit the ball.

What do you think about hitters? Ax on your bat?

It's obvious why hitters have decided they have to go for the downs on every swing because they're not going to get more than one pitch to hit. Even if a pitcher throws a 2-0 or 3-1 pitch, it looks like this. They're throwing less and less of those pitches. Is it possible to string a bunch of single people together? That won't work for me.

The new baseball and the regulated humidors were so frustrating. When hitters square a pitch up by a miracle, they aren't usually rewarded. If you do everything right, you can pull a Hindenberg on the warning track. This helps.

What the pitchers can do is the problem. They have become too powerful. Even if MLB can get a pitch-clock installed next year, how much will it affect the game? The games will get shorter, but not much more, according to the numbers. Banning the shifts won't change the behavior of hitters because they won't be able to hit through their pull and lift approach. It will make sure it stays that way.

Changing that behavior is not possible when faced with this. All the technology and analysis pitchers have will be with baseball for the rest of their lives. The sticky-stuff ban was an attempt to do something about this. Either they aren't doing enough to keep that going or it wasn't that big of a deal in the first place.

Baseball only works out movement and velocity. The next generation of pitchers will throw harder than this one. Maybe roster restrictions will help, but not a lot. In the Atlantic league, the experiment to move the mound back wasn't much of a success, but it was always awkward to do it in the middle of the season. When you want pitchers to adjust after a lot of reps from the traditional distance, injuries were a problem. The best way to do this is to give everyone an entire year to prepare their muscles.

The people of the world are going to keep running things.