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Message
MLB needs to move mound back 5 ft to gain more viewership and fans
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:47 pm
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:47 pm
1850, mound was set at 45 feet. Batting avg was .271. In 1880, batting averages fell to .241, what they are today. They appropriately responded by moving mound back to 50 feet. 1887, batting averages fell to .247. Another response, they moved back to 55 ft 6 inches. Batting averages rose. They then fell to .239 after a while. In 1893, they responded to .239 by moving to today's 60 ft 6 inches. Batting average rose to .280. Strikeouts went from 8.2% to 5%. 1968, batting averages started to get low to what they are today, so the response was lower the mound for less elevation in 1968. The only good batting thing as of recent was more homers. 2019 had 1.39 homers per game. That's now back down to 1.08 homers per game and on a downslope as of very recent. Aside from 1967 and 1968, there hasn't been a period with lower hits per game in the last 5 years since over 100 years ago in 1909.
A couple decades ago, the strikeout rate was 15%. It is now 24%. In 2024, there were more strikeouts than hits in the MLB. There used to be 42% more hits than strikeouts just 20 years ago in the season. Now strikeouts outnumber hits. It's time to move the mound back another 5 feet, and in my opinion lower it. The average MLB fastball was 88 mph in 2000. Today it is 94.5 mph.
The purists reasoning is that it's always been this way is incorrect as the MLB has changed pitching 4 times in response to the same situation we face today. I'm a big non-purist person, never liked fishing purists (the only lures/artificial bait, no live bait type) or baseball purists. You go with what works. If live bait is what works, I'm using that. If moving mound back works, you go with that. Making bases bigger isn't going to do anything at all. That was a joke of a change.
95% of fans don't go to watch 1-0 ball games which I see so often these days. They want hits, home runs, not strikeouts. Give the customer what they want, or the MLB will continue to lose them year over year.
A couple decades ago, the strikeout rate was 15%. It is now 24%. In 2024, there were more strikeouts than hits in the MLB. There used to be 42% more hits than strikeouts just 20 years ago in the season. Now strikeouts outnumber hits. It's time to move the mound back another 5 feet, and in my opinion lower it. The average MLB fastball was 88 mph in 2000. Today it is 94.5 mph.
The purists reasoning is that it's always been this way is incorrect as the MLB has changed pitching 4 times in response to the same situation we face today. I'm a big non-purist person, never liked fishing purists (the only lures/artificial bait, no live bait type) or baseball purists. You go with what works. If live bait is what works, I'm using that. If moving mound back works, you go with that. Making bases bigger isn't going to do anything at all. That was a joke of a change.
95% of fans don't go to watch 1-0 ball games which I see so often these days. They want hits, home runs, not strikeouts. Give the customer what they want, or the MLB will continue to lose them year over year.
This post was edited on 6/10/25 at 2:48 pm
26
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:48 pm to Saunson69
Yea that's all we need is more arm injuries
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:49 pm to Honkus
5 more feet will have negligible effects on arm injuries. Ending the downfall of the sport is more important.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:49 pm to Saunson69
It's not the mound or the pitchers. It's the hitters and their approach. Pitching has advanced faster than hitters can adjust.
Batting avg as a metric is outdated and not valued like it once was.
Batting avg as a metric is outdated and not valued like it once was.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:58 pm to Brian Wilson
quote:
It's the hitters and their approach.
I'm not sure that there's a realistic approach for dude after dude throwing 95-98mph gas + movement. Pitching itself has advanced a LOOOONG way in a short amount of time, and pitching strategy has changed significantly with the emphasis on relievers and fresh arms.
Hitting a baseball was already one of the most difficult things in all of sports...I believe that there's only so much room left for vision & reaction time
Posted on 6/10/25 at 2:59 pm to Saunson69
quote:
Ending the downfall of the sport is more important.
quote:
AI Overview
Baseball is experiencing a period of revitalization rather than decline, with both attendance and viewership showing increases in recent years. MLB attendance reached its highest point in seven years in 2024, and the 2024 World Series was the most-watched Fall Classic since 2017. Additionally, overall revenue for MLB is also growing, hitting a record $12.1 billion in 2024.
Here's a more detailed look:
Increased Attendance:
MLB attendance has shown back-to-back gains for the first time since 2011-12, with a 1% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Growing Viewership:
MLB viewership has also increased, with ESPN's coverage up 22% year-over-year and the most-watched MLB season on the network in eight years.
Rising Revenue:
MLB's overall revenue has reached record highs, driven by attendance, ticket sales, and sponsorship revenue.
Increased Participation:
Baseball participation in the U.S. also reached a peak in 2024, with 17.3 million people playing the sport.
New Rules and Pace of Game:
Rule changes implemented by MLB to improve the pace of play have also contributed to increased interest and attendance.
Baseball is fine
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:03 pm to Saunson69
Stop trying to change baseball for people that don’t like baseball.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:05 pm to JerryTheKingBawler
quote:
Stop trying to change baseball for people that don’t like baseball.
Something we can agree on finally
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:05 pm to Brian Wilson
quote:
Batting avg as a metric is outdated
Correct
On Base % and OPS are a better indicator of how good a hitter is. Average is a flawed stat because all hitters aren't created equal. Batting Average with RISP is much more important stat than Batting Average.
It's just flawed logic to compare your 5'7" 2B speedster's batting average to your 6'4" 290lb lumbering 5 hole hitter. The 290lb 1B/DH hasn't had an infield hit the entire season. The speedster has 2-3 a week. Flipside you don't bench your speedster for not hitting HRs. He hits leadoff and gets on base at a .400 clip. Doesn't matter if he hits .235 so long as walks and gets HBPs often enough to have a high OBP %.
Don't get me started on Wins-Losses stat for pitchers.
This post was edited on 6/10/25 at 3:06 pm
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:08 pm to Brian Wilson
quote:
Batting avg as a metric is outdated
The amount of times you're able to get a hit vs not will never be outdated. The weight of the statistic has dropped, but average very much matters.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:08 pm to Saunson69
I think they need to widen the strike zones. A lot of pitchers from back in the day would not have been as good as they were with the strike zone today.
With the current strike zone we don’t have pitchers that can paint the corners like the old days. Those pitchers usually didn’t throw as fast either. These days the zone is so small that you have to throw it as hard as you can past the batter.
A wider strike zone will force batters to swing more to which will help pitchers not throw as many pitches. Just what I think.
With the current strike zone we don’t have pitchers that can paint the corners like the old days. Those pitchers usually didn’t throw as fast either. These days the zone is so small that you have to throw it as hard as you can past the batter.
A wider strike zone will force batters to swing more to which will help pitchers not throw as many pitches. Just what I think.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:10 pm to The Godfather
Touche
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:13 pm to Saunson69
quote:
95% of fans don't go to watch 1-0 ball games which I see so often these days. They want hits, home runs, not strikeouts. Give the customer what they want, or the MLB will continue to lose them year over year.
People made this argument about basketball and football so they regulated defense out of the game and made it easier to score. Now people complain about that.
Just make the games competitive. I love watching a pitching dual because every at bat is important. Same for a defensive battle in the NFL. Give me a hard nose 7-3 game against top defenses any day. A game where a team is up 35-17 isn’t fun to watch.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:14 pm to Bigdawgb
quote:
I'm not sure that there's a realistic approach for dude after dude throwing 95-98mph gas + movement.
You gotta think at some point some smart fella out there will figure it out.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:15 pm to Saunson69
Switch to cricket bats and the entire field is in play
I’d go back to watching
I’d go back to watching
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:15 pm to Saunson69
Throughout the history of baseball different periods have been marked by different styles of play and varying levels of run scoring. The game always adapts, there’s no need to try to engineer a specific outcome more than they’ve already done
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:17 pm to Saunson69
quote:
Ending the downfall of the sport is more important.
Where do you people keep getting this from?
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:17 pm to Schmelly
quote:
Where do you people keep getting this from?
Its a very tired argument that is not based in reality
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:19 pm to Spelt it rong
quote:
The amount of times you're able to get a hit vs not will never be outdated. The weight of the statistic has dropped, but average very much matters.
I don't disagree here. It still matters. My point is that it's no longer valued as it once was, so using it as a metric for the argument that the mound should be moved back doesn't really apply in my opinion. OBP/OPS are much more robust units to measure from.
Posted on 6/10/25 at 3:21 pm to reggierayreb
quote:
On Base % and OPS are a better indicator of how good a hitter is. Average is a flawed stat because all hitters aren't created equal.
Being able to hit major league pitchers successfully 3 out of ten times will always be impressive, people overthink this sport way too much
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