Yesterday the Bunt team threw a curveball in changing the scoring system, even though there were quite a few people who were expecting it to come. Its hard to be the architect of a baseball game, where its clear that the only cards worth playing are Pitchers. I would not be happy, and I would seek to change it. Starting for the second half of the year, it looks like that will be the case.

Contrary to what you might have heard, this doesnt change the dynamic of the game 100%. Although I dont think the changes discussed yesterday makes every hitter playable all of a sudden, it does make guys who mash extra base hits much more worth considering for your lineup.  This goes doubly so for guys who have giant OPS and also hit a lot of home runs.

Take a look at what I mean:

• Old GOLD SR with 2 for 4 day – 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI: ((72+36+27)-24) = 111 pts
• New GOLD SR with 2 for 4 day – 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 RBI: ((200+100+75)-40) = 335 pts

You can see where those extra base hits are insanely valuable. This makes the gold Trout, Abreu, Cruz, and everyone else who is killing the ball this year that much more important to the success someone will have in game. If Topps also reduces the play in time, it could end up being about as balanced as it can get.

Pitchers arent devalued to the point of trading them all away, especially ones who still strike out a ton of batters and dont have a high WHIP. Felix Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto are still hugely important players, as are a lot of other pitchers. Here is why – not only do strikeouts matter more, but each pitcher still has potential for 9 chances per game to score points, where pitchers only have 3-5.

Regardless, HR is now 52% more damaging than it was before, even if you get more points per out recorded. On the other hand, if a Pitcher gets a lot of GIDPs, or is more suited for Ks, its definitely worth to play them. Other than that, not much has changed to the point of throwing off a pitcher’s value.

Although fielding also factors in, its still better to throw out a great pitcher than a great fielding hitter. The difference, like with Hitters, is in the Home Runs, as those can basically wipe out entire games worth of pitching points in a single swoop. So, guys who give up the long ball are no longer worth playing.

Ill have further commentary on the new trading economy and people to chase as the week moves on. Stay tuned!