Tom Brennan: BASEBALL RULES I'D LIKE TO SEE CHANGED

Tom Brennan: BASEBALL RULES I'D LIKE TO SEE CHANGED

Baseball is a game designed with genius, and has many rules established to make it a lasting and cherished game to millions.

Some rule changes could make it better, in my opinion.  Here are mine:

1) 40 MAN ROSTER RULE SHOULD BE CHANGED

Jack Reinheimer gets called up, Peter Alonso does not...which of course makes no sense at all, talent-and-performance-wise.  Peter has over 30 homers and leads all of baseball, majors and minors, in RBIs.

We hear that Peter won't be added to the team in September because he'd have to be added to the 40 man roster.  I say he is being discriminated against.  

I say, why not suspend the 40 man roster rule as it pertains to September call ups, allowing a team to increase its September roster to a maximum of, let's say, 35.  That would allow Peter to be called up. 

That would allow a player like Patrick Kivelhan to be called up, too.

Kivlehan gets no ink here, or elsewhere, because he is not on the 40 man roster and is unlikely to be added to it.  Yet, the 28 year old has had 199 major league at bats in 2016 and 2017, hitting just .203, but with 10 homers and 28 RBIs. 
 

In his last 10 AAA games, he is 15 for 38 with 7 homers and 15 RBIs.  Wouldn't it be nice if a guy like this, hitting .304 in 87 games for Las Vegas, could get called up and get another chance to show he is more than a journeyman in September?

Oh, but Peter Alonso would not be called up anyway because that would "start his clock."  So...

2) PLAYER CLOCK RULES SHOULD BE CHANGED

If an Alonso is called up in September, change the rule that it will NOT affect his time on the so-called "clock".  It is another arbitrary hindrance.  

What do you think, if someone went to Alonso and said, "buddy, you have a choice...we can not change the "40 man and clock" rules and leave you in the minors, or change them (as Tom Brennan suggests) and have you come up for September". 

What choice do you think he, or anyone in his shoes, would happily make?

I know the fans would love to see him, fully ready or not.

3) YEARS TO FREE AGENCY RULE

Pitchers like Matt Harvey or Jake deGrom play Russian Roulette every time they pitch - will they stay healthy, or have a career-damaging injury on their next pitch?  

I would advocate that pitchers get to free agency a year earlier for that reason.  Hitters can get hurt too but not, in most cases, as suddenly and impactfully and catastrophically as a pitcher can. 

So I would shorten pitchers up to free agency by a year.

Hurts the teams somewhat, but it is the right thing to do for them.  Jake makes nowhere near as much as his peer, Max Scherzer, because of these rules.  Change it.

4) INCREASE ROSTER TO 26 PLAYERS

Back when I was a teenager in the 1960's, teams had 10 pitchers and 15 position players.  Now, it's 12 and 13.  That's 2 less position players, if 15 minus 13 is tough to calculate in your head - just here to help.

So, hitters like a Kivlehan or a Luis Guillorme get relatively less opportunity to make teams for any meaningful amount of playing time than in days gone by.  One more player on each team would drastically increase a team's in-game versatility. 

For instance, you want to carry 3 catchers?  Go ahead.  I think it would add to the game.

5) DITCH THE SHIFT

Jay Bruce moaned earlier this year about it being a fact that with the shift, almost any hard hit ball to the right side not in the air is an out for him.  Some say, "learn to hit to all fields like a Jeff McNeil then."  

Good for Jeff, not good for a Jay Bruce. I say the shift's thievery robs guys of their strengths - I don't want a Jay Bruce to have to alter his power game just to try to thwart a shift.

Make it so that when Jay is up, the shortstop must remain left of 2nd base until the pitch has reached the hitter.  And when a righty is up, no 3 man shifts on the left side.

I'll bet that will boost teams' major league averages by 10-15 points.  Right now, no team is hitting .270, and only 2 above .260.  That's 2 out of 30 teams above .260.  That stinks. 

Change the rule.

What do you think?  

Do you agree?  

Any others you would want changed?