Shagging balls in the All-Star Homerun Derby
pocketpiececommems
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in Sports Talk
I've wondered this for several years now. Why do they have kids doing the shagging in the outfield? These are major league players doing the hitting and they keep talking about the speed of the ball coming off of the bat. These kids are all trying to get them like a bunch of grapes when a ball is hit in their direction. Moustakas hit a girl in the shoulder last night. It's only a matter of time before someone really gets nailed.
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they are the finalists in run, pitch, hit competition so you figure they are supposed to be pretty good. It's not like it's some random kids. If I was that good at their age I would have loved to have been out there.
Maybe the parents of the minors participating sign some form of waiver releasing MLB from any lawsuit pursuits.
@PPC, Haven't watched baseball in quite a few years, but I believe most of the kids are likely very deep in the outfield so the ball speed off the bat at that distance would diminish quite significantly (I would think) especially on fly balls where momentum has ceased and the ball is basically falling out of the sky at that point, as opposed to playing in the infield where the ball speed is significantly higher. The kids are specifically out there to shag balls and I would hope they are paying attention, but hey then again they are kids who get distracted easily. In conclusion, I would say yes , given enough time someone could get nailed eventually, I do however think it is more likely someone in the stands texting or taking a selfie is more likely to get hit. @BLUEJAYWAY, without a doubt, signing a waiver for sure.
After last nite's exhibition, it appears that it's more dangerous to be an adult with a fancy camera than a child with a baseball mitt while Moose is taking his cuts.