The MLB season is currently nearing its conclusion, with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and other teams among the favorites expected to compete for World Series glory over the next month and a half. It's been an interesting year for the MLB, a league that has seen some new blood insert itself into the mix while also having some mainstays continue to experience success.
One of the prevailing topics of MLB conversation in recent years has been a trend of players sometimes not hustling as hard as they can to first base after hitting what they perceive to be an out, which at times has led to benchings and drawn criticisms from fans and pundits alike.
Recently, MLB Hall of Famer Scott Rolen stopped by “The Road to Cooperstown,” the official podcst of the baseball Hall of Fame, to relay his thoughts on the issue.
“The way you run the bases is kind of who you are. It's kind of your character as a human being, ” said Rolen, per MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on X, formerly Twitter. “You know, I think we can see that real quick. If you're jogging to first base, you're jogging to first base. If you're running hard ball back to the pitcher, you kind of get a feel like, ‘man, if I talk to that guy, I think I know what's coming out.' And you slide into second base, you're going first to third, you run over catchers or whatever happened… to me it's a real clear immediate picture of, ‘I think I've got a feel for that guy's personality.”
Hustling across the bases tends to be less of a problem in October, when the teams are competing in the playoffs for a chance at an MLB championship.
The playoffs are set to begin on September 30 with the Wild Card round.
