| SEASON |
AVG |
%change |
OBP |
%change |
SLG |
%change |
| 2015: |
.205 |
-3.15 |
.376 |
+1.99 |
.364 |
-6.45 |
| 2014: |
.211 |
-19.78 |
.369 |
-23.24 |
.389 |
-14.60 |
| 2013: |
.263 |
+16.41 |
.481 |
+33.47 |
.455 |
+28.85 |
| 2012: |
.226 |
-19.55 |
.360 |
-18.16 |
.353 |
-13.24 |
| 2011: |
.281 |
-- |
.440 |
-- |
.407 |
-- |
|
|
The first thing that is likely to jump out when looking at the above table is how the league batted just over the Mendoza line in 2015. The second thing is probably how there's a lot more red than green - twice as much, as a matter of fact. Something that probably doesn't creep out until after a couple longer looks is how
small the 2015 year-over-year percentage changes are compared to previous seasons. Is that a sign that the league is finding its level?
Let's break it down by the circumstances of each season:
2011: "The Beta Test" -- WSEM's first full season. Dennis Pearson was the only pitcher who'd be in a category comparable with today's aces, until Austin Bischoff showed up to throw 4 games at the end of the season. Most pitchers were just learning the game. A few of the better arms might be serviceable number-twos now, but in just about every case facing pitchers in 2011 was a much friendlier environment.
2012: "The Year of the Pitcher" -- The pitching rotation rule was added in the hope of establishing greater pitching depth. Apparently pitching gained more than just depth. 8 perfect games were thrown in 2012; that's almost 40% of the total PG's in WSEM history.
2013: "The Anomaly" -- Needing to boost offensive production black bats were introduced and the mound was moved back three feet: to 48 feet from the board.
2014: "Welcome to the Modern ERA" -- Second year with the new rules and the honeymoon is over. The primary offensive stat categories all dropped off as sharply as they rose, returning to similar numbers from 2012.
2015: "So This is Real Life?" -- At a decrease of 35 points slugging percentage was really the only significant change. One went slightly up, the other slightly down, but both batting average and on-base percentage stayed fairly consistent. Also worth noting… 2015 is the first season that didn't see all three numbers break in the same direction.
All in all league-wide AVG, OBP and SLG are quite comparable across the three seasons that don't present obvious reasons for higher output: 2012, 2014, and 2015. The variance in AVG over these three years is just .021; OBP just .016; and SLG .036. That is pretty steady. Not necessarily
pretty… yet nonetheless steady.
The main reason for throwing up this article was that it'd be fun to look back at the ups and downs of where we've been. An added bonus is that it grants the opportunity to bring up what will likely be the most significant change coming to WSEM in 2016 to address the
not so pretty numbers: the size of our strike zone.
Ever since 2005, when Carl got the measurements from Alan Garcia (Wifflehouse, Garcia Division namesake), we've used a board measuring 30" tall by 22" wide. Eleven years later we'll be shaving off two inches in one direction, the other, or both. The idea here is that this will allow the batter to focus on defending a smaller area - essentially decreasing his chances of being wrong in the guessing game. The overall strike zone area could decrease by anywhere from 46 square inches to 100 square inches depending on which of the three proposals is chosen. The new dimensions will be decided by a captains' vote later this offseason.
There are likely a couple questions dancing around in your heads, so let's jump into FAQ mode:
Q: Isn’t this just asking to increase walks?
A: Not at all. While walks will probably see a slight increase due to losing old corners, the idea here is that batters will have less area to focus on protecting. Concentrating on a smaller area will actually increase balls put in play. Also worth noting: The majority of strikes thrown hit off the face of the board; the only strikes we’ll be losing by cropping off an inch per side are those that grazed or clipped the outside corners.
Q: What about introducing loco/screwball/GTSOH bats to improve contact?
A: The bigger barrels and extra length would definitely improve hitting. However, not only do these bats improve contact, they also add 20+ feet of distance to hits. We’d have to retool and find a way to lengthen pretty much every field we play on in order to keep games playable. We’re not going to do that, and we’re not going to introduce the bigger bats.
Q: Will there also be a set height off the ground for the board to rest?
A: Yes. Captains will also vote to set a standard height off the ground for the bottom of the board at either 10" or 12".
Retired 2011-2015 K-zone |
Prop 1: 28" x 22" K-zone |
Prop 2: 30" x 20" K-zone |
Prop 3: 28" x 20" K-zone |
