At the current pace we will see more shutouts this year than all but two seasons: 1968 and 1972. The ’68 baseball season was known as “the year of the pitcher,” which led to MLB lowering the mound due to the level of zeroes put up by league hurlers. Carl Yastrzemski led the American League in batting average that year hitting .301. Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA, and Denny McLain won 31 ballgames. We aren’t at the level in 2011, but statistically offense has been turned back almost two decades to date.

Currently, the Mets have a 4.03 team ERA. Anyone that has watched the team knows their pitching hasn’t been great, but that ERA is better than their NL East division winning staff in 2006. A 4.03 ERA would have been in the top 10 in all of baseball back in 2001. Today, it’s eleventh in the National League.

Over in the American League, the Yankees are averaging 5.18 runs per game. This is second best in all of baseball, but ten years ago it would barely crack the top ten. One of the reasons the Yankees made Jason Giambi their primary target after the ’01 season was due to the fact they felt their offense wasn’t good enough to compete for a title. Five runs a game didn’t go as far ten years ago.

The obvious reason for the decline in offense is the testing for performance enhancing drugs. Players can no longer rejuvenate quickly, and are prone to the fatigues of the daily grind. Interleague play has created some tough schedules. Just this week the Mets played Sunday in New York, and 24 hours later took on the Rockies in Colorado. The decision to ban amphetamines in 2006 might go down as the one move that stabilized the video game type offense we saw for nearly twenty years.

A second huge factor is the bullpen. Hitters will see 3-4 different hurlers throughout a game. Different velocities, deliveries, arm slots, and tendencies. Yes, many middle relievers are mediocre fodder for the league’s best, but it still creates the need to adjust, thus adding complexity to an already challenging sport.

Finally, perhaps most to blame for the decline in offense is technology. Teams now can advance scout players using computer generated maps that can predict with accuracy where they will hit the ball. Look at how many shifts there are in the big leagues today. I know that defensive strategy was employed years ago, but it was an event when you saw it, not the daily routine of today. Any player will tell you how important positioning is on defense. Having the most up to date information will make it even harder for a batter to find that hole on the field.

The impact of technology really hit me when visiting Bloomberg headquarters this winter to review their pro data product. A player can use his iPad to review a game within 20 minutes of its conclusion. For example, a team is playing an afternoon game on a Thursday. By dinnertime Thursday night their opponent, in town for a day off, can review all the top hitters and their tendencies in his hotel room to prepare for his Friday night start. This includes video from that afternoons game! The information and video is so detailed the issue is more what to leave out.

Why does this help the pitcher at a higher level than the hitter? Because, as Ted Williams said, hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in professional sports. So many parts of the body and mind must be working together. If one is off, that half an inch is the difference between a home run and a fly out.

It’s possible we are entering a new era of baseball that looks a lot like pre 1993. Who knows, if things get really out of hand we may have another scoring crisis like 1968. You can state the obvious regarding the absence of PEDs in the game, but I believe technology is at the root of this turnaround.

Personally, I think it’s a good thing. It’s going to create more interesting and competitive games on a nightly basis. It also will lead to greater parity, which in turn should make for better pennant races. Perhaps it will help negate some of the financial advantages the top teams enjoy as well.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: Bloomberg Sports, Bob Gibson, Boston Red Sox, Carl Yastrzemski, Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers, Jason Giambi, MLB Offense on the Decline, New York Mets, New York Yankees, St Louis Cardinals