Cub Tracks’ frenzy zone

Welcome to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™. Here we have material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.

In Tuesday’s episode, we looked at the results of the changes MLB wrought upon the mound and strike zone as a result of the 1968 season, when Bob Gibson ruled the baseball universe. It’s said to have expanded about 10% since then, mostly lower and widening slightly on both sides, depending on the frame.

The wisdom from that brief investigation revealed something that I bet the Umpire’s Association knows by heart — the strike zone is the heart of the game. The shrinking of the zone has caused more change than anything else.

When’s the last time you saw a pitch at the letters called a strike? The umpires control the game, and it’s been out of hand for quite some time.

Here’s MLB’s official word. Eno Sarris at Fangraphs has other ideas. The problem is that “nobody wants to go on record about the strike zone”. Sarris’ article dates from 2017. Greg Hardwig of the Naples Daily News has new data from the minors. Craig Edwards had thoughts about how to improve the game, and the strike zone was one of the moves. And more by Edwards. And Jon Roegele.

Robot umps might help, but they need to be programmed. How does one program pitch framing? What kinda fuzzy logic would THAT take? The same kind that keeps the likes of Angel Hernandez working?

We’ll dive back down the rabbit hole over the weekend.

As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines). #IStandWithThePlayers.

• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs 2022 Bold Predictions: Season delayed, Another big free agent. “David Kaplan’s, Gordon Wittenmyer’s and Tim Stebbins’ annual exercise of throwing darts in a hurricane.”
• Tim Dierkes (MLB Trade Rumors*): Jeff Passan On CBA Negotiations. Parsing the ESPN+ article {$}. Dayn Perry has four things to know.
• The Athletic {$}: NL Central lineup check: Best offseason move? Biggest need before Opening Day? “... the lack of headline-worthy transactions made by NL Central teams wasn’t too surprising.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Cubs need Kyle Hendricks to bounce back to compete in 2022. “... outside of him, Stroman, and Miley, there aren’t any guarantees in the rotation.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs could emulate 2013 Red Sox, which might rule out Carlos Correa. “I can see them signing a whole bunch of guys to shorter deals.”
• Matt Young (Chron.com*): Ken Rosenthal pumps brakes on Correa-to-Cubs rumors. “The baseball reporter thinks Carlos Correa is going to get a 10-year contract, which will be longer than what the Cubs want to give.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Could post-lockout frenzy see Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos return to Cubs? “Whether the two sides magically hammer something in January or this stretches into or beyond mid-February as everyone expects, the ensuing free-agent rush will be wild.”
• Ryan Fagan (The Sporting News*): Here’s why you shouldn’t expect a flurry of trades immediately after MLB’s lockout ends. From a source in the commissioner’s office: “Clubs are not permitted to discuss potential trades during the work stoppage.”
• Ron Luce (On-Tap Sports Net*): New Year’s Resolutions: How Ian Happ can thrive in 2022. “After a hot and cold 2021 season with the Cubs, Ian Happ’s consistency at the dish will be a key in 2022 if he’s a part of the future.”
• Alexander Patt (Cubbies Crib*): International prospects the Cubs are currently favored to sign. “January 15 is the scheduled date for international signing day.”
• Mark Powell (Fansided*): Sammy Sosa’s Hall of Fame chances were over before they ever began. “Baseball Hall-of-Fame voters never gave Sammy Sosa a chance at Cooperstown, and it’s a damn shame.”

Cubs birthdays: Clyde Beck, Lee Walls. Also notable: Early Wynn HOF.

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.