As the MLB regular season draws closer to an end, it has overall been a memorable season for Asian baseball players. We witnessed quite possibly the greatest baseball player to have ever played the game, Shohei Ohtani, become the first player in history to steal 50 bases and hit 50 homers. He is doing all this while on the IL as a pitcher. It's like he said to himself, “Well, I can't pitch this year, I might as well run.” This is not without detractors, of course. They attribute Shohei's historic run to steal 50 bases to the change in the size of the square base from 15 inches square to 18 inches square. This is in no way the reason why Shohei can achieve this.
In 2023, when the new rules were implemented, everybody believed it would be easier, resulting in Ronald Acuna Jr's 73 steals. The new rules surprised everyone, including the pitcher on the mound who had yet to get acclimated to the latest change. It resulted in new highs for many who had never reached that kind of level before, including Corbin Carroll, Bobby Witt Jr., and Nick Hoerner. Fast forward to 2024. These very same individuals did not do as well in the base-stealing department. The only one that shined was Elly De La Cruz who is the only player in 2024 who has reached over 60 stolen bases.
When rules change, players adjust to changes. While the two pick-off attempts limit the pitchers' ability to pick runners on base, it has also given more responsibility to the catcher and has made it easier for him to predict when the runner wants to run. In other words, runners are more predictable. In a 3-2 count, it is given, as it has always been, that the runner is going to try to get a head start; however, if the runner's teammate strikes out, he could be doubled up. That has always been a given. Where it favors the catcher is when the runner tries to steal after two pick-off attempts. If the runner loves stealing bases, the catcher has a pretty good idea that the runner is going to steal a base.
Catchers are learning how to navigate around attempted base stealing. In the future, runners are going to become more hesitant to run on them.
2024 has also seen the re-emergence of Tommy Edman on his new team after being out of action for the majority of the season. We have seen Yoshinobu Yamamoto make history after signing the largest contract for a non-American signing ever to have not played in the American baseball system. We have seen Kodai Senga go down after pitching only 5 1/3 innings in 2024. There are talks that he could return for a playoff run, but that is just speculation for now. We have seen an MLB veteran, Tommy Pham being recalled from the minors to play for the worst team in MLB history, the White Sox, only to return to his old team, the St. Louis Cardinals, and get waived again to sign with the Kansas City Royals, a playoff-contending team in danger of losing that spot after getting swept by the Detroit Tigers.
In 2024, we have also seen Corbin Carroll rise again from a terrible start in 2024 to his rookie form in 2023, a year he won the Rookie of the Year Award. In 2024, we experienced Shota Imanaga-Mania when he made the best start in MLB history by posting the lowest ERA in the first 9 starts of a season by any pitcher since the earned-run era that began in 1913. It seemed as though he was locked in for Rookie of the Year. But, after some bad starts, his ERA now stands at 3.03 as of September 19, 2024. The baseball season went by rather fast and we all got a look at some of the most talented Asian baseball players in the world that have joined the ranks of Major-league baseball, changing the game forever.
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