(image courtesy of Fox Sports)
As if Rob Manfred hasn't done enough damage to baseball and the minor leagues this year, a new set of experimental rule changes is being implemented across various minor league levels this year as a test if these can eventually be applicable to the Major Leagues. We have seen this to a lesser extent in the past and this is not uncommon for various rules here and there to be tested in this fashion, for instance the introduction of pitch clocks in the minor leagues. The Atlantic League has also historically served as a partner league with MLB to test new ideas, mostly notably robo-umps and defensive positioning requirements. For the most part these ideas are either so minor that they don't make much of an impact, or they are so wacky that they never get implemented. This time, however, it's different. With the impending expiration of the current CBA and all sides looking to stake their footing for what by all indications will be a brutal negotiation process, throwing the wrench of a new set of rules into the mix will almost certainly complicate matters even further by adding more bargaining chips. My sense is that Manfred and MLB will be pushing for these rules to become permanent at the big league level, in some form, during the next CBA agreement. And this doesn't even include the Universal DH, which could be a whole other post in itself.
The rule changes include:
1. Bases growing from 15x15 to 18x18 inches at AAA level. The thought is that wider bases reduces the risk of injury and shortens the distances between bases just enough to increase steal attempts and infield hits.
2. All infielders are required to keep both feet within the infield dirt boundaries when the pitch is thrown at AA level, with a potential for expanding this to include a provision for two infielders to be planted on each side of 2nd base in the second half of the season. This is part of Manfred's long-standing desire to eliminate shifts to increase batting averages.
3. Pitchers will be required to step off the rubber to attempt a pick-off and are limited to two pickoff attempts per plate appearance at all A levels. Again, similar to increasing base sizes, the thought is this will increase action and improve stolen base chances.
4. A 15-second pitch clock will be implemented at Low-A West only.
5. An automatic strike zone or "robo-ump" will be implemented at Low-A Southeast only.
The rules are purposely scattered throughout the various levels so that there is only one "variable" in a controlled setting to get a better understanding of the rule changes by itself.
I'm having a hard time with these rules changes and to be honest I'm not sure what I think. And it'll be hard to really get a grasp on how these really impact the game until they are at the major league level - I don't really foresee myself seeing a lot of games this year, particularly not minor league games. The one I have the most problem with is dictating where a player can stand on the field. I firmly believe there shouldn't be any rules that affect strategy and that should be up to the individual teams. If they have data that says all 7 fielders should stand in center field, then they should have the right to do that, and hitters can adjust. It don't view it as any differently than having a player cherry pick or bolt towards the opposing basket once a shot is thrown in basketball. If you want to keep a guy under the opposing hoop to get easy baskets and forfeit that defender, that's not necessarily an unfair advantage to either team and it's your choice to have that strategy no matter how weird it looks. It's easy for me to say this as someone who peaked at riding the pine in JV baseball, but learning to hit the ball to all fields solves the defensive positioning problem more than a rule should dictate. I also worry about the robo-ump coupled with the bases increasing in size really de-values the catching position. A stricter enforcement of the current strike zone I think is a more reasonable solution than just getting rid of the umpire entirely. Human error and interaction is what makes sports fun, if I want to watch robots play a sport then I will watch BattleBots.
It's a major understatement to say it will be interesting what baseball looks like in a couple of years. Anything and everything we know about the game will be on the table in the labor negotiations and its future is certainly at a crossroads. At the end of the day, if it brings more fans to the sport and increases in-game action as is supposedly intended, then I will try my best to get on board and stop acting like an old man about all the change. But as my wife and Erik can tell you, I do not handle change very well.
2 days until Opening Day!
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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