Changing Up The All Star Break Activities

savage362

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The Futures Game has its excitement for those that want to see the "stars of tomorrow".

The Legends/Celebrity softball game has its excitement for the casual fans that just want to have fun.

The HR Derby is quickly fading and many of the top home run hitters are shying away from participating due to the impact on their swing/performance post-all star break.

I caught this article the other day where Mookie advocates for doing something different. It was refreshing to see since I've been interested in seeing something more in line with what the NHL and NBA do with their skills competitions being adopted by MLB.

“Something like a throwing-from-the-outfield contest. Some type of throwing contest,” he added. “Trying to throw into a barrel or infielders have to take a ground ball to your left, ground ball to your right, slow roller and they have to throw into a screen with a box. That might be something.”
I'd like to see the MLB adopt a skills challenge in place of the HR Derby, or scale down the Derby and make it a part of the skills challenge. Various competitions I can think of below. Many come from just adapting the NHL or NBA version.

  • Outfield accuracy - Outfielders throw from positions attempting to hit a target located at either 3B or home plate. Give each player 3-5 attempts. Points can be based on accuracy.
  • Fastest runner - Fastest runner to round the bases.
  • Pitcher accuracy - Hang a "strike zone" with four corner targets and let the pitchers throw at them. Maybe you include more targets of various points covering the entire strike zone and only give the pitchers 3 pitches to score the highest point total. Corners worth the most and down the middle worth the least.
  • Fastest pitch - Give the pitchers two pitches each and see who comes out on top. This may not be the best choice due to injury risk.
  • Bunting competition - Divide the area in front of home plate into sections and see who can put their bunts closest to the line.
  • Catcher accuracy - Throw down to second base and hit a target. Count the number of targets hit out of 5 attempts or add a time element to hit the most targets in x seconds.
  • Stolen base contest - Each team selects a catcher and pitcher, and the other team selects 3-4 runners to attempt to steal a base. Points awarded for a successful steal, caught stealing, and bonus point for the pitcher's team if the runner gets picked off first base.
  • Rather than a HR derby, select your best hitters and give them X pitches or 2 minutes to swing. Swing result and/or distance can factor into a points total for the player. I'm thinking something like the MLB The Show game where you get a certain number of points for a home run, another for a line drive, fewer for a fly ball, less for a ground ball, etc.
  • Batter Target Practice - Put targets around the field for batters to try to hit. Targets increase in point value depending on difficulty. Give them 10 swings to hit as many targets or accumulate as many points as possible.
  • Relay races - two possible versions: 1) teams of OF, IF, C race to get the ball from the outfield wall to home plate. 2) Combine several small activities such as bunting, running, fielding ground balls, throwing, etc and time each team to completion.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Definitely the throwing contests for the outfielders or anyone else throwing for accuracy. Similar with a relay drill -- ball is given to an OF at a specific spot, they have to hit the cutoff guy and he has to get it to HP accurately and quickly
Love the idea of a running contest. Send 2 guys off at the same time in opposite directions around the bases from HP, first one to get around back to HP moves on to the next round
Fastest pitch one won't work for the injury risk
 

Adrian's Dome

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Definitely the throwing contests for the outfielders or anyone else throwing for accuracy. Similar with a relay drill -- ball is given to an OF at a specific spot, they have to hit the cutoff guy and he has to get it to HP accurately and quickly
Love the idea of a running contest. Send 2 guys off at the same time in opposite directions around the bases from HP, first one to get around back to HP moves on to the next round
Fastest pitch one won't work for the injury risk
I think there's just as good a chance of guys hurting themselves trying to throw hard from the OF or motor around the bases (especially if someone is going the opposite direction and they may cross paths) than pitchers throwing one ball as hard as they can (especially if they're given ample warmup.) Especially since 4-seamers are generally lower-stress pitches.
 

Ale Xander

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Other than the bunting contest and perhaps an OF relay throw to IF, seems injury risk not worth the reward. I would love to see a bunting contest though.
 

uncannymanny

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I especially like the idea of challenges that involve multiple teammates (not sure how that would really work given the limited number of players at each position). For a sport that is so reliant on the team over the individual, the HRD is sort of antithetical to the game itself.
 

Ale Xander

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It's actually the opposite. The game consists mainly of approx. 40 one on one matchups. It's much more individual oriented than almost all other "team" sports.

When you compare it to something like hockey, soccer, lacrosse, football, etc., it's closer to singles tennis than a team sport.

This is exactly why I would want the OF relay (passing) and bunting (unselfishness) as the events.
 

uncannymanny

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Ever seen a game of 1-1 baseball?

Edit: not an argument, I definitely see what you’re saying. I was focused more on the live ball aspect.
 
I think the skills challenge is a fantastic idea. I don't think it will happen though because of exactly the reasons others have mentioned -- injury risk and the possibility of negative effects on performance. I find that a bit depressing. I'd like to see these exhibition events taken more seriously as something that promotes the sport. I get why players hate the WBC, but I also don't see why it's all that different from the World Cup.

One solution that I'd propose is to make the skills challenge a big deal event and place it after the ALCS but before the WS. WS participants will be banned from participating. While this may occasionally mean the top players at a given event won't be competing, it will ensure that most players can participate and that those who are participating don't need to worry nearly as much about injuries. Add invitations from professional leagues around the globe to send representatives and significant prizes (with perhaps matching amounts going to charity?) and you've got yourself a spectacle that could really be enjoyable to watch.
 

savage362

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I agree the injury risk is high, but you'd have to consider it high in the NHL as well on things like the fastest skater and hardest shot and in the NBA in the dunk content (landing wrong and rolling or breaking an ankle). I think the key would be scaling the events to somehow be entertaining but not require full effort from the players. Maybe the key is to highlight the skill events rather than the strength/speed ones.

EDIT: And by full effort, I'm referring to throwing as hard as possible or running as fast as possible. We certainly want to see effort from any participant.
 

loshjott

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They ought to do the drill that kids do at the Cooperstown Dreams Park tournament:

2-5-4-3-2-6-9-4-8-5-7-2.

It's timed, IF have to be on the base and OF on bases placed there.

 

koufax32

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Can you imagine what Pedro could do with a Wiffle ball? Jesus...
Ooooooohhhh, each MLB team could have 3 players or former players. So BOS could have Pedro, Papi, and Betts. NYY could have Judge, Jeter, and Rivera.

I would actually pay to see that. Can you imagine running to third and Randy Johnson (on SEA with Junior and Segura) hits you with a whiffleball???
 

FormerLurker

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There was a skills competition in the late 1980s, and it was discontinued in large part because Barry Larkin really did wreck his elbow during it and was out for the year.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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Love the idea of a running contest. Send 2 guys off at the same time in opposite directions around the bases from HP, first one to get around back to HP moves on to the next round
We did this in summer camp until a nasty full speed collision at home plate. You need them to start at 1st and 3rd and be running in the same direction, but I'd love this.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Fastest around the bases, longest hit ball, hardest hit ball, and then something where any players shag fly balls and throw to targets at the bases for accuracy. Almost nothing with a pitcher would work because of the injury risk.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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There was a skills competition in the late 1980s, and it was discontinued in large part because Barry Larkin really did wreck his elbow during it and was out for the year.
It's covered here... but the best part of the article is Larkin's first All-Star appearance:

"Willie Stargell was the honorary captain," Larkin said. "He was talking to me about the difference between the National League and the American League. He talked about how the American League threw all these breaking balls.

"Then the manager Whitey Herzog told me I was going to hit against Dennis Eckersley. Willie Stargell said Eckersley's going to do nothing but throw me curveballs, curveballs.

"So after three fastballs right down the middle. I came back and sat down next to Willie. Willie said, 'Let me tell you about making adjustments in the big leagues, son.'"
*
 

charlieoscar

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Sep 28, 2014
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In an article today in the Washington Post, Cal Ripken Jr. has just said he thinks the revival of a skills competition would be a good idea.

The Post’s Richard Justice documented the exhibition the day before the 1989 All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium:

“In today’s workout, the NL all-stars won the skills competition for catcher’s throwing accuracy, throwing relay accuracy and the home run derby. Tony Pena of the Cardinals and Benito Santiago of the Padres won the catcher’s throw accuracy over Terry Steinbach of the Athletics and Mickey Tettleton of the Orioles. The relay throw competition was tied after the first two runs, but a one-throw playoff was won by the NL trio of Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Mike Scioscia. They beat Mike Greenwell, Julio Franco and Tettleton.”

Not mentioned in Justice’s dispatch: Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin tore a ligament in his right elbow during the relay-throwing competition, which caused him to miss two months.
 

Plympton91

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I’d rather see more real baseball. How about a college softball senior bowl all star game instead of celebrity slop? East vs West. Give the best college seniors a final game for glory before they hit the real world due to the lack of viable professional opportunities in their sport.