Improving the All Star Game: Skills Competitions?

[Lose Remerswaal]

Bryce Harper has some "let's copy the NHL" ideas about improving the All Star Game. Drew Dawg, et al, thought a Skills Competition would be a good addition and I agree.

Some skills they could compete in:

Throwing for Accuracy (you could have different ones for OF, IF, and C and P)
Throwing for Distance (sort of like a Longest Drive competition)
Straight line running speed
Around the bases running speed
Hitting for Accuracy (use your own pitcher and aim at targets)

What else could they do that wouldn't be a real injury risk? I like the "stealing a home run" idea, but hard to do it without risking injury and figuring out how to "normalize" the plays so each fielder had the same chance to catch the ball.

 

[DJnVa]

I like all those ideas, and I like something like hitting for distance as well--not in # of HRs hit, but distance. For accuracy, you could have targets at fence down both lines, up both power alleys, etc.

Make it like a decathlon maybe. Some individual events--Billy Hamilton in the speed ones, but also other guys enter competition where it's multiple events. Maybe each ML team sends 2 guys in that and they split events or something.

 

[Ale Xander]

Need a bunting contest.
Bunting in different situations

1) for base hit, bases empty
2) man on 1B
3) 1B and 2B, get both over
4) safety squeeze, 2B and 3B
5) suicide squeeze, bases loaded

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mascot dancing contest

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hot dog eating and beer chugging contest for the sluggers

 

[grimshaw]

I think Harper' idea is great in terms of picking the teams. It would have been awesome seeing Jeter picked last a few years ago.

The baserunning thing would be more fun if two of them ran it simultaneously in opposite directions. Have something like 20 players total, but it's still based on the best overall time rather than tournament style.

I would do throws for accuracy only rather than distance since I don't think teams want players potentially blowing their arms out.

A position players pitch speed competition would be pretty fun. Though I guess that would go along with throwing distance concerns of players straining their arms.

Hitting for accuracy probably wouldn't work that well since there could be whole rounds where no one hits anything unless the targets were huge.

 

[brs3]

I hate to say it, but most skills tests sound really boring. The recent 'Freeze' races where a ridiculously fast masked runner gives a Joe Schmoe a head start halfway around the warning track sounds more interesting. Here are some ideas of 'skills' tests. These might be boring and stupid, too. I think the HRD and ASG are geared towards younger fans, which I assume is the reason I'm not super interested in it.

1) Double play combo - I bet there are metrics showing which SS/2B teammates turn the quickest double play, bring in the teammates of all stars and compete. Even better if both teammates are all stars, but not necessary. Have recent retired all stars run the bases.
2) OF to Home - Throw Em Out - Get the fastest arm of the OF all stars, and the fastest runner of the all stars on third, can the fastest arm beat the fastest feet? These things get SC Top 10 recognition, why not(though I guess injury is possible)?
3) Get In The Box - Create a strike zone box that changes in size and buzzes/lights up if hit, play some tic-tac-toe with the K zone.

Maybe there are more that can coincide with the HRD.

edit: Didn't realize The Freeze actually lost his race at the ASG!

 

[YTF]

Bryce Harper has some "let's copy the NHL" ideas about improving the All Star Game. Drew Dawg, et al, thought a Skills Competition would be a good addition and I agree.

Some skills they could compete in:

Throwing for Accuracy (you could have different ones for OF, IF, and C and P)
Throwing for Distance (sort of like a Longest Drive competition)
Straight line running speed
Around the bases running speed
Hitting for Accuracy (use your own pitcher and aim at targets)

What else could they do that wouldn't be a real injury risk? I like the "stealing a home run" idea, but hard to do it without risking injury and figuring out how to "normalize" the plays so each fielder had the same chance to catch the ball.

I wouldn't be opposed to some of these, question is how do you implement it? Unless you're going to hold the All Star game on a Sunday night and schedule the competitions on a Saturday with Friday as an off day I don't know how you fit everything in. The Derby is fairly long Though it's been shortened, the Derby still requires a fair amount of time so on the field time for the skills competition would have to come previous to that. Some players are getting to the host city in the early hours of the morning now so they would need the previous day off and perhaps a full day to get in the Derby and other competitions in.