Pad Habits Die Hard

LIKE SO MANY PARENTS, MLB MANAGERS ARE DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF THEIR CHARGES' EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME

- ► BY STEPHANIE APSTEIN ► PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERICK W. RASCO

LONE STAR LOW-TECH The Rangers had plenty to smile about after (temporarily) giving up their iPads on April 29, when they hung a 15-spot on the A's.

N LATE April, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy saw something he didn't like. It wasn't just the lackluster at-bats that had his team 26th in the majors in OPS, 29th in walks per strikeout and 30th in runs scored. It was what was happening during those at-bats, in the dugout. “There’s times when guys do something good, come in and [their teammates’] heads are down,” Bochy says.

Those heads are looking at the 20 iPads Major League Baseball supplies for use during games. A few go to the bullpen and the day's starting pitcher, but they are mostly claimed by the hitters, who pore over their swing mechanics, review the pitcher's offerings or fact-check an umpire's call.

“They are helpful,” Bochy admits. “[But] I think we get a little caught up in the process, instead of watching the game and competing out there.”

So the Rangers made what is becoming an increasingly common decision among MLB teams as they grapple with the proliferation of technology: The team took the iPads away. Echoing parents everywhere, baseball coaches are beginning to complain that the problem with Gen Z is too much screen time.

The Rangers scored 15 runs their first night as Luddites, and Bochy allowed himself a smile or two. “I loved it,” he says. “I really did.” But two days later—after the team scored one run, then none—they gave them back. Team officials had made their point. “You don’t want to take away any resource that might make them better,” Bochy says. “But it’s also just a reminder, Hey, it’s O.K. to watch the game.”