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Guide to the 2021 MLB Season

by The Tantor               February 13, 2021
               It is time for the start of Major League Baseball Spring Training. Pitchers and Catchers are starting to report to their spring training facilities beginning on Wednesday February 17th. Better watch as much MLB as you can get this year. This is the last year of the collective bargaining agreement between the MLB owners and the MLB Players Association. Just like mom and dad after the divorce, they cannot agree on anything and all insignificant fans are caught in the middle.
               As David Bowie stuttered, “CH-CH-CH-Changes”, MLB has many planned for the 2021 season. Even in a Global Pandemic, MLB plans on completing a full season.  Here is a list of all things planned for the 2021 season:
  • Season is scheduled for the full 162 game schedule. Tantor’s first prediction is that not every team will play 162 games.
  • Opening day is scheduled for April 1st. Which is another wishful piece of thinking. 
  • Designated Hitters in the American league, but pitchers will still attempt to hit in the National League.
  • Playoff format reverts back to the 2019 model. Ten teams make the postseason. The 6 division winners (3 each league) and 4 wild card teams playing a single elimination game (2 teams for each league). The great 2020 postseason will not be repeated. It seems that any MLB successes will not be carried over into 2021. Mom and Dad are still fighting.
  • The 2021 active roster will be 26 players with a traveling taxi squad that can be up to 5 players. One of those players must be a catcher.
  • The 2020 extra inning rule will remain in 2021. Teams get a free baserunner on second base to begin every inning from the 10th inning on.
  • All double header games will now be 7 innings long instead of the regulation 9 innings. Tantor hates both the extra base runner and the double header rules, but MLB is trying hard not to appeal to old traditional baseball fans.
               Many of you may not know that Rawlings is owned by MLB. Rawlings manufactures all MLB baseballs. There will be changes to the balls in 2021. A baseball has a cork core with wool winding around it. The wool winding will be loosened creating a lighter ball by 1/10th of an ounce. This makes the ball less bouncy and it will not travel as far when hit. The net effect is less home runs hit. Looks like in 2021, chicks do not dig the long ball.
               Another attempt to decrease the amount of home runs is to store balls in a humidor. Five MLB teams currently store balls in a humidor at their home parks (Diamondbacks, Mariners, Mets, Red Sox and Rockies). An additional 5 teams will be added to this list. I have yet to discover which teams will be added to the humidor list. We will see the effects when balls start dropping on the warning track that would have previously been hit out of the park. There is a joke in there, but Tantor is attempting to keep this article rated PG.
               Minor League baseball was not played in 2020. In a cost cutting measure, MLB has reorganized Minor League Baseball.   Now called the Professional Development League (PDL) consisting of 120 Minor League affiliated clubs.  Four League levels go from Low-A, High-A, AA and AAA.
Atlanta Braves PDL Clubs:
AAA- Gwinnett Stripers (named after the fish and not our famous dancers) (located in Lawrenceville, GA)
AA- Mississippi Braves (Located in Pearl, MS… the home of former WWE Superstar Ahmed Johnson)
High-A- Rome Braves (located in Rome, GA across the street from Fuddruckers) (I hope they survived 2020)
Low-A – Augusta Green Jackets (named after the Green Jacket won at the Masters) (Located in Augusta, GA)
               As with every professional sports league, MLB lost money in 2020. Many of the clubs are cutting costs any and every way possible. One way was eliminating rookie league baseball and changing the amateur draft. Without fans in the stands to start 2021, many clubs are cutting player budgets. That is why there are still many free agents available and bench strength is nonexistent. Once we get into spring training and sign additional roster spots, Tantor will be back to give his opinion and breakdown of the hometown Atlanta Braves.

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