Batting Practice Used to be More Common, but Times Have Changed

As a fan, batting practice is probably one of the best times to be in the ballpark.

The players are loose, for the most part they’re having fun, you can see some genuine interactions between the players, and guys are out there hitting the ball as hard and as far as they can.

It’s a good time, and if you’ve never done it, this author recommends it. Even though I’m usually obscenely busy while I’m at the ballpark, I try to go down on the field to watch batting practice at least once a series.

But is there a lot of value in it for the participants? Batting practice attendance has been on the decline for several seasons, with some players, typically veterans, deciding to skip it in favor of…