The New Ballgame: The Not-So-Hidden Forces Shaping Modern Baseball

Watching a game of baseball today means witnessing phenomena that would have been novel, if not completely unheard of, not so long ago.

Starting pitchers sling 100 mile-per-hour heat for just four or five innings before departing; third basemen often station themselves much closer to second (to say nothing of the shortstop's whereabouts); home runs and strikeouts dominate at-bats; all while the length of contest tips toward the four-hour mark.

There's no getting around it: the game looks d...