Thoughts on the New Rules- PIITB by JD
First off, I want to say the pitch clock is working. It is doing what it was designed to do. Spring Training games are as fast as ever! The Mets have played one game over 3 hours this spring. Most of the games I have seen have been around 2 hours and 35 minutes. MLB has cut out the fluff between batters. That is not to say there are no issues with the clock and the new rules. Here are a couple of consequences I am not a fan of:
1. Games ending due to a violation. That is simply unacceptable. Imagine it is the World Series, game 7 and Pete Alonso strikes out for taking too long in the box or Edwin Diaz walks in a batter for not starting his motion in time.
2. The decline in broadcaster commentary. This is MASSIVE for the at-home experience. Broadcasters across baseball have decades of experience to share with the fans at home. I’ll use Gary, Keith, and Ron for example. I think everyone can agree their dynamic is second to none and they are one of, if not the best, broadcasting crew in the league. Throughout my time as a fan, I have heard Gary ask thoughtful questions to Keith and Ron as well as have entertaining banter. This is part of the experience! Whether it’s Keith telling a joke or Ron analyzing a play, there is never a dull moment in that booth. With games being shortened so much and cutting out the extra time between pitches, we are missing out on what makes broadcasters so special.
3. Less time for walkup music! By limiting time between batters, walkup music is much harder. Imagine not hearing the trumpets when Diaz comes out!
1. Eliminate the pitch clock in the 9th inning. No game should be decided by a clock running out. What is so unique about baseball compared to other sports is that you can not simply run out the clock. You have to throw the ball in the zone and give the other guy his shot to hit. That is the game all of us grew up watching and want to keep watching. I’m sure MLB nor the MLBPA want games decided by a clock and this is a very easy fix.
2. Cut out the pickoff attempt rules- currently, a pitcher can throw over to a base twice. If he throws over a 3rd time and does not get the runner out, he is awarded second base. I understand this encourages stealing, but it is too much in my opinion. As Buck said last week, “once you throw over twice, you might as well throw over again because they are going to get second anyway”.
3. Increase the pitch clock to 18 seconds with nobody on base and 23 seconds with guys on. Currently, the rules are 15 seconds with nobody on base and 20 seconds with runners on base. As we have seen, there are issues with the current clock. Pitchers are struggling with picking the right pitch in time. This encourages offense for sure. When pitchers have less time to get ready, the pitch may not be perfect. The batters are having issues as well. Not being able to take a breath and leave the box should not be the goal. I want Pete Alonso to take a breath and relax between pitches. We want to see the batters succeed and they need more time to do so.
Drop your thoughts below!
Photo creds: ESPN
Hey when players get keys in don’t think any games end that way, don’t think many infractions at all just a faster game.
ReplyDeleteI hate to keep sounding like an old fart but I wish they would leave the game that I grew up alone
ReplyDeleteI think people need nice round numbers - make the time between pitches 20 seconds rather than 15.
ReplyDeleteI also saw a picture of an outfield shift, where the left side of the outfield was manned by one guy and one of the outfielder was in playing short right field. If need be, put a line in the outfield where guys cannot be closer than 200 or 225 feet. No more shift should mean no more shift.
I wonder if Quintana's rib thing came from trying to pitch too quickly? Of course, I have not heard of any other rib stress fractures in baseball. We get all kinds of weir injuries on the Mets.
None worse than stepping in a hog hole
DeleteI thought I saw Cespedes on the LIE yesterday, then realized it was just another road hog.
ReplyDeleteBeing called for a time violation in the bottom of the ninth in game 7 of the World Series would be a pretty egregious mistake for players that had all of spring training and a 162-game regular season and a bunch of playoff games to figure this out. I don't think it will happen any more than a balk or catcher's interference would.
ReplyDeleteThe time to modify the pitch clock rules was last year after it had been evaluated for a reasonable amount of time in the minor leagues. It is time to live with the new rules for a couple of years, then re-evaluate their effectiveness over a very large sample of games.