Disclaimer: This is a story about a Chicago Cub player, so please refrain from blasting this article through the Arch and into the Mississippi River ... at least until you read it.
Something cool happened in baseball today. Anthony Rizzo was mic'd up for an at-bat in a spring training game between the Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels. Before the pitch came to the plate, Rizzo predicted a fastball was coming because, "I've only see one today from him." A flat, juicy fastball was indeed delivered and Rizzo didn't miss it, smashing it into right-center field.
The announcers congratulated Rizzo as if he had just solved a Rubik's Cube blindfolded, preaching that he had used "math" to decipher what was coming. Jessica Mendoza led the charge, but she's not completely wrong to be infatuated with it.
It's like a poker player counting cards, but in baseball, it's not frowned upon and much harder to do. After all, baseball at its core is a chess match between the pitcher and hitter. A catcher gets in on the act to a degree, but the pitcher has to deliver what was called for exactly where the receiver wants it.
Forget the fact it was Rizzo and he got a hit off a pitch he predicted for a minute. This would be a very fun element to add to the game. Call this the needle in the haystack of ideas from Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball. Instead of issuing three pitcher rules, extra-inning baserunners, and whatever else sneaks into the commissioner's head, the mic'd up hitter could be a fun peek inside the game.
Straight up, the hitter would have to know PG language would be required. More PG and kid friendly than an AM radio show. There would be slip-ups, but I am sure a delay would be in order, one that would not deter the viewer too much. It's delayed to a degree already. You'd have to pick your spots for which hitter and team to use.
I can tell you right now a Houston Astros player will not be mic'd up due to the fact that they don't need any more bad press for at least 10 years. Can you imagine hearing George Springer cry on National television after a fastball hits him in the shoulder? The internet would never let that die.
Speaking of which, before the hit, Rizzo joked about having a hard time knowing what was coming, asking for "someone to bang for him." That is of course a reference to the Astros players banging trash cans for the transfer of pitch calls and signs to their hitters.
You'd get some fun interactions on the bases too.
Maybe fans would finally get an idea of what a baserunner and the first baseman talk about over there. I can imagine Joey Votto telling Albert Pujols that he won an MVP too once upon a time, or perhaps the two men would just kid each other about their near home runs. Maybe Paul Goldschmidt would discuss The Bachelor with Kris Bryant. America would eat that up.
Look, the best improvements to the game of baseball are none, but if they have to integrate some new things in, run with this one for a little while. Instead of changing the actual game, you're merely letting the fans in on some of the action. You know, the folks who help pay the salaries and fill the stadiums 162 games a year.
That is an honest step in the right direction. Throw a microphone on the hitter, pitcher, or shortstop. See where it goes. If there's any takeaways from the Rizzo event today, it's that the fans want more.
What do you think?
