2023 will be a different vintage from the last four years. The Major League Baseball season has just begun with new rules to implement, the echo of a highly publicized World Baseball Classic, and a promising MVP showdown on the horizon.
First, let’s revisit March, which saw national teams from 20 countries compete for global supremacy in the preseason. Kudos to Japan for winning all their matches and igniting the world (except France) with the Ohtani/Trout final duel. Other MLB players were in spring training, watching international games from their couches. So, in this 2023 season, there will be those who competed in this world championship and those who didn’t. Will intensity, playing time, and stakes make the difference in September and October when bodies are tired, or will they have added a soulful boost, allowing them to approach this season with a rarer strength?
Japanese baseball has splashed onto other countries’ cultures. Their discipline, batting style—both hitting and bunting—their commitment, and respect for other players, umpires, and spectators. We’re willing to bet that some Japanese strategies will inspire American coaches.
Next, this new season will be judged by its new rules on pitcher and batter preparation time. There will be early eliminations at first, then players will adapt. Advertisers won’t lose out, but players’ concentration will need to be quicker, making us lose some player rituals that were sometimes enjoyable but mostly tedious. The larger bases will also impact the game. Maybe challenges will be used more to determine outs or safes. Perhaps stolen base statistics will evolve more frequently for some players and finally emerge for those who dared not try. It doesn’t change much, but we’ll certainly see attempts at the start of the season that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Then, back to predictions. An OOTP-type AI was configured and predicted the Dodgers as World Series winners. Who will be MVP: Ohtani, Judge, or a new dark horse?
As for broadcasts, the payment rules for the At Bat app or MLB.com site change yearly, always pushing us to repay for the full season. It’s getting complicated, driving us to seek out so-called illicit links to watch the interesting games anyway.
In summary, it’s back to the grind with novelties and great spectacle. Still no French players in the majors or minors, but we won’t finish the decade without likely experiencing it.
If you want to learn more about the different league teams, check out the excellent podcast by The Strike Out
