FanPost

Let the game breathe

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The most recent MLB Fans At Bat survey asked its participants about Statcast and, more specifically, the use of Statcast data and visuals during MLB game broadcasts. I appreciate that MLB does these surveys with fans, though I never expect my responses to really change anything in the game. This particular survey struck a nerve with me and got me thinking not only about how broadcasts use this data, but also about the entire experience of current MLB broadcasts. I'm curious to know how others feel about this topic. I'm especially curious to know how my fellow Tigers fans feel about it, since we're entering a period of uncertainty regarding our game broadcasts.

As an introduction and full disclosure: I'm a life-long Tigers fan, long-time BYB reader/lurker, and out-of-market MLB.TV streamer living in Milwaukee. I'm a stat-loving avid Fangraphs reader that's also too obsessive about the aesthetics of sports teams and broadcasts. This isn't about me, though. This is about the broadcast of our beloved game.

Statcast is awesome. There's no doubt that the data gathered on batted balls, pitches, and defensive routes is incredibly valuable to MLB team analytics departments, the scouting community, journalists, and fans alike. I fully support the continued use of that information to help front offices make decisions and for publications to analyze it to generate content for stat-loving fans to gobble up for their own enjoyment.

The survey focused on how the data is being used by broadcasts though, and that's where I have a huge problem with it. They showed example images of graphics we're all familiar seeing - a hitter's spray chart displayed over the infield, defensive route tracing during a replay, and ball path tracing of pitches and home runs with the corresponding velocity and distance. Each image was then rated as to how well they displayed the data, to which I agreed that most do a solid job showing viewers visual representations of that data. So what's my problem with it then? My problem isn't the how, but the why of these displays.

Nobody is watching a baseball broadcast to see visual representations of Statcast data. If you are, please speak up because I want to talk to you. Nobody is watching a Tigers game to check on Victor Martinez's spray chart and get the tired analysis when the defense shifts to the right. At times it feels like a bad presentation in school or work where someone reads bullet points verbatim off a PowerPoint slide. We don't tune in for that. We tune in because we love the game, love the Tigers, and can't be there watching it in person.

For the most part, these new displays are becoming intrusive visual fillers that genuinely detract from what is a spectacular visual product on its own. Did anyone notice that Fox Sports Detroit added the strike zone box to their broadcast in 2018? I sure did, and hated it. Why does it have to be there? For decades, were fans unable to see where the pitch went and watch the umpire make the call? I love that we have strike zone tracking, and don't mind seeing a "Belle Tire Pitch-by-Pitch" between at-bats, but why did that display go from being part of the highlight reel to being part of the game while it's unfolding? It's distracting. For the knowledgeable fanbase that baseball has, it's borderline insulting.

I don't have a perfect solution to this problem. It might not even be a problem, but for those of us that physically can't be at Tigers games, wouldn't it be better if our home broadcast made it feel more like we were watching it at the ballpark? The camera work is already top-notch with fantastic angles, slow-motion replays, fan reactions to foul ball mishaps, and even those gorgeous sunset shots of downtown Detroit. Why overlay a beautifully manicured field and players in iconic uniforms with bright red and green graphs or hideous streaking ball paths that even video games stopped using years ago? Just to tell us that Miggy hit a ball really hard? We can see that. Let us see that. We're still amazed by it without a glowing red streak behind it. Dan Dickerson's call on the radio gave us all goosebumps without any visuals at all.

As a community of Detroit sports fans we've been very fortunate to have some of the most iconic voices to listen to during our home broadcasts. You can't tell me that the voices of Ernie Harwell, George Blaha, Ken Daniels, and Dan Dickerson don't just feel like Detroit sports, and that feeling makes their broadcasts worth watching or listening to. Even Mario and Rod were great, in my opinion, and will be missed. These guys perform an incredible, unscripted job, with millions listening, and make it seem so easy. Can we just let them do that? The best ones already know how to sprinkle in advanced stats and Statcast data without a disclaimer or disruptive, unnecessary visuals. They let the game breathe, and wow is it refreshing.

Our analysts in the booth are some of the most informative ones around, too. Former players and managers excel in that role because they give us insights into things we can't already see on the screen. So many of us dreamed of being in the big leagues and it's a treat to hear about the experience straight from those that lived it. It's not a treat to have them read stats off the screen to us or to stumble through a gimmicky broadcast dedicated to advanced stats. Can we just let these people play to their strengths and pass on their knowledge without it being displayed over a live baseball game?

The bottom line is that Statcast is here to stay and will continue to churn out incredible data to improve our favorite game. Those of us that love stats and in-depth analysis will seek out that information on our own. The visual displays during broadcasts just feel like bad gimmicks though. If MLB wants to keep using its shiny new toy, then save it for the highlight reels on their post-game show or tweet out those clips to market a marquee player. It just isn't necessary on a live local broadcast. Isn't it better to let the fans see and hear the game in its true form? In this case, is asking for less just too much to ask?

The Tigers and Fox Sports Detroit have a unique opportunity this coming season to set a trend and create a truly enjoyable broadcast experience for its next generation of fans. The game is already beautiful. The ballparks, the players, and the fans in various cities are so unique and give us plenty to watch and listen to during those couple hours of entertainment. Let's just hope that the broadcast crew can find a way to stay true to the sights and sounds that really matter to us and focus less on those that get in the way. After all, the product we're tuning in for is a baseball game.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.