was that it basically gets hitters out of rhythm ever so slightly. It's impossible for us non MLBers to ever know what it's truly like to see a fastball coming at you at 95+ and even 100+ MPH. The decision to swing or not swing has to be almost simultaneous with the ball leaving the pitcher's hand. Any split second longer to make that decision and the ball is gonna be in the mitt before you can get the bat around.

We're talking about a sport where 1/100th of a second difference in decision making is the difference between a HR and a foul ball.


You get into a season, you get into that rhythm with your at-bats coming on a nightly basis, you see it, you feel it, you know it. And then you take a week off.


The Braves tried simulated games last year after the 2022 disaster. It's just not the same. As a player, you know it's not the same. They're not gonna risk injury so there's no inside pitches, no brushing a guy off the plate, and not once is there ever a fear that you have to produce this at bat or you're gonna lose the game. You cannot replicate a real game if it isn't a real game. It can't be done.