During the Downtime

[jbo911]

During this downtime, I've been pretty bored. With all of the things that are happening and not happening, I've been watching some old UTrip videos. If y'all are bored, take a look at these and let me know what you think.

Now here's a 2019 highlight video.

2012 is when the thumbprint came out, to allegedly make the game safer, but watching these videos it looks to me like today's bats are way hotter. I know they have some pre-thumbprint bats in these vids, but there are just so many more half-swing homeruns in the other vids.

I know this might be my bias, or because our video options are better and make for better highlights to choose from, but almost everything in the gap is a double at least now. There are some absolute blasts in 2012, but there seems to be a a much higher consistency of seeds now. Is it just me?

 

[jbo911]

Here's a 2009 game with resmondo. I only watched the first inning, but it was 0-1 on an inside the park hr. These titans were so hot at the time, but it is crazy to see how much the game has changed, and this is probably hitting stadiums.

 

[TWmccoy]

Well, it was pre bat compression testing. Who knows what those bats would have tested at back then. The bats were also a lot more durable, and would hold compression better.

I don't think a lot has changed. Those bats were as hot as the bats today.

 

[jbo911]

They could be as hot as today's bats, but they weren't at their peak like EVERY bat is today, and I don't believe the sweetspots were anywhere near what they are today. By at their peak I mean people were gaming bats before they were at their very peak to get the most out of them. Today bats are there within 100 swings of the wrapper coming off.

I faced shaved and rolled bats back in the day, and now almost every bat in every batter's hands is like those old rolled bats.

 

[D-ROCK13]

I've got some old imx eastons from around then and they are beat all to crap, no telling how many thousands of cuts, I always thought they were really hot in the day. Bust them out against the new stuff straight out of the wrapper and while the difference isn't tremendous, its there. The sweetspot on most newer tech is literally the whole barrel after a 100 cuts or so. The old stuff performs, just takes a lot more break in and the sweetspots are no where near the new stuff imho. I think the biggest difference is the ability for newbs to jump in and hit bombs or seeds with very little experience. As a pitcher I've absolutely noticed the change

 

[ShortYellowBus]

Today’s bats all get “game ready” at some point.

I have some Easton L’s from 2014 that just never dropped below 275. And there’s other bats I just had to give up on.

 

[jbo911]

Today’s bats all get “game ready” at some point.

I have some Easton L’s from 2014 that just never dropped below 275. And there’s other bats I just had to give up on.

I don't think compression is the be all end all of performance, but I agree with you. I had the Combat Avarice that was white, and I hit a lot of homeruns for me with that down in GA. Moved up here with the cooler weather and continued to hit the ball really well. My last testing tournament up here it tested 265 I think.

I have had Eastons test well below that that I didn't think were hotter, but my Mikens at that level or below are definitely hotter. Like D-Rock said it's not a huge gap, but it's there.

 

[TWmccoy]

In the days before compression testing I guarantee those guys were swinging bats that would test at less than 220. One thing about old bats is that they held compression better than today's bats. You could BP the hell out of them and get them really flexing. Then they'd stay there for a long, long time before cracking. Shaving and rolling were big back then too (not that they aren't now).

Besides, when you're hitting stadium balls it doesn't matter as much how hot the bat is.

If you watch footage from old major world series, they hit the same amount of HRs back then as they do now.

 

[jbo911]

That's the whole point of this thread. Those are highlight vids, but the 09 and 2012 don't show anywhere near as many hrs. The ones they did hit on average don't go as far either.

 

[TWmccoy]

That's the whole point of this thread. Those are highlight vids, but the 09 and 2012 don't show anywhere near as many hrs. The ones they did hit on average don't go as far either.

Wide World of Sports had way better ball flying conditions than Viera. The wind never blew much. I watched plenty of MWS games down there where guys were hitting 20 or more bombs a game. They'd hit them over that clock in LC too.

That stadium in Viera is no joke. The turf is murderously hot, and the wind always blows in from LF. You have to earn every HR you hit there.

 

[jbo911]

Yeah, viera, i don't know what they were thinking. I watched the 2012 and 2019 videos back to back where they play at a bld, Las Vegas maybe, and it was a joke. They couldn't keep it on the path last year.

I realize these are highlight videos and this is all based on what they pick as highlights, but even watching all 3 defensive plays highlight videos you realize they don't value defense at all. There are multiple defensive highlights where they don't even make an out.

The 2nd defensive video has a slow motion video of bazat catching a ball by Harvey up the middle that is insane. I know he's at the very top of the bbs range, but it's crazy how fast it gets to 2b, nevermind the pitcher.

 

[jbo911]

Might as well post it if I'm going to mention it. It's right around the 4 minute mark

 

[Hagen49]

Might as well post it if I'm going to mention it. It's right around the 4 minute mark

Every time I see that video I want them to stop hitting toward that pitcher, just so I don't have to hear that woman shrieking anymore.

 

[jbo911]

I guess that would be the down side to a toned down equipment defensive game. If still rather have that than that same reaction when some scrub fists one 310 with a composite. I get to hear that every tourney it seems.