MLB will be going to a three-batter minimum rule in 2020 that should make it especially difficult for lefties who struggle versus righties to find work.

[weams]

3 hours ago, mdbdotcom said:

Not if they foul off nine pitches before they hit the home runs.

Four fouls and you are out next. 

[esmd]

14 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

There are already all kinds of rules about how you can use the roster.  You can't put a pitcher in the field and keep the DH.  You can't move a player from the mound to a position and back more than once in an inning.  You can't remove a player from the game and put him back in.  If you put a pitcher in the game he has to face at least one batter to the completion of a plate appearance (now the rule is slightly modified to three instead of one).  If you bring in a pinch hitter and remove him after he's announced but before he bats you can't use him any more in that game.  Starting in '20 you can't put a position player on the mound in certain circumstances. 

Yeah I get it, there are rules.  But this one is unnecessary, ham handed, and is "fixing" a problem that doesn't exist, and will cause other issues.  I mean, why not just make it that you can only pinch hit once per game?  Or no more openers, the starting pitching must pitch at least 5 innings?  Just because there are already rules in place, that doesn't justify stupidity like this.

[Redskins Rick]

19 minutes ago, weams said:

Four fouls and you are out next. 

What is this, softball rules?

[Redskins Rick]

14 minutes ago, esmd said:

Yeah I get it, there are rules.  But this one is unnecessary, ham handed, and is "fixing" a problem that doesn't exist, and will cause other issues.  I mean, why not just make it that you can only pinch hit once per game?  Or no more openers, the starting pitching must pitch at least 5 innings?  Just because there are already rules in place, that doesn't justify stupidity like this.

MLB should be able to come up with a better "idea" than this. At least, I would hope they could, with their braintrust in place. 

[Moose Milligan]

14 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Absolutely managers will complain.  People complain about every change.  Managers have been LOOGYing up the late innings for 30 years, so they're taking one of their toys away.  Now they actually have to think through the late innings instead of automatically bringing in Mark Hendrickson to face just David Ortiz any time he comes up in the 6th-8th.

They're really going to do away with the rule because it only contributes a small part to a much larger problem, and we knew this all along?  Why wouldn't this be step one in a larger strategy to attempt to control the pace and length of games?

Cut the commercial times down, see what happens.  I have a notion that that's one of the main reasons that games take much longer than they used to.  Not because Hendrickson needs to come in and face Ortiz. 

 

[weams]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

Cut the commercial times down, see what happens.  I have a notion that that's one of the main reasons that games take much longer than they used to.  Not because Hendrickson needs to come in and face Ortiz. 

 

The commercials only run when there is official time out on the field This is the biggest non starter I see on this subject. They run commercials between innings,  during warmups, and during pitching changed. This is not the NFL with TV timeouts. 

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, weams said:

The commercials only run when there is official time out on the field This is the biggest non starter I see on this subject. They run commercials between innings,  during warmups, and during pitching changed. This is not the NFL with TV timeouts. 

They can only start the game when it's time to come back from commercials.  You mean to tell me that between innings and half innings they need all that time?

Shave off 30 seconds of commercial time and let the game start quicker, you'll automatically lop off 9 minutes of the 3 hour, 5 minute struggle and get it under that magical 3 hour mark that everyone's so obsessed with. 

[weams]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

They can only start the game when it's time to come back from commercials.  You mean to tell me that between innings and half innings they need all that time?

Shave off 30 seconds of commercial time and let the game start quicker, you'll automatically lop off 9 minutes of the 3 hour, 5 minute struggle and get it under that magical 3 hour mark that everyone's so obsessed with. 

No that is ONLY during playoffs. Only. 

[weams]

1 minute ago, Moose Milligan said:

They can only start the game when it's time to come back from commercials.  You mean to tell me that between innings and half innings they need all that time?

Shave off 30 seconds of commercial time and let the game start quicker, you'll automatically lop off 9 minutes of the 3 hour, 5 minute struggle and get it under that magical 3 hour mark that everyone's so obsessed with. 

They may not need it but it is the time allotted. I'm fine with giving teams one minute to change field and the pitcher six warmup pitches. I'm all for that. 

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, weams said:

They may not need it but it is the time allotted. I'm fine with giving teams one minute to change field and the pitcher six warmup pitches. I'm all for that. 

Yep, lower the time allotment.  But no, that cuts into commercials and we can't have that.

[weams]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

 

Shave off 30 seconds of commercial time and let the game start quicker, you'll automatically lop off 9 minutes of the 3 hour, 5 minute struggle and get it under that magical 3 hour mark that everyone's so obsessed with. 

I understand your logic and I support it. But it is NOT for commercials. Heck half the MASN commercials are for MASN. They can't sell ads. Tom Davis has to sell his own. 

 

I think the break between innings is collectively bargained also. 

[Redskins Rick]

9 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Cut the commercial times down, see what happens.  I have a notion that that's one of the main reasons that games take much longer than they used to.  Not because Hendrickson needs to come in and face Ortiz. 

 

I think this is something we see mostly in football.

You dont realize how much "dead" time there is, unless you are at a game, and notice the TV official on the sidelines signaling when the broadcast is away for commercial breaks.

[Redskins Rick]

Just now, weams said:

I understand your logic and I support it. But it is NOT for commercials. HEck half the MASN commercials are for MASN. They can;t sell ads. Tom Davis has to sell his own. 

MASN is making money, they cant play the woe is me card, well, they can, but it aint getting well received.

 

[weams]

17 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

MASN is making money, they cant play the woe is me card, well, they can, but it aint getting well received.

 

You are kidding me. That is all cable fees. And currently Nationals interest. No one said they were playing any card. But look they can't sell commercials. They advertise themselves.

[weams]

3 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

I think this is something we see mostly in football.

You dont realize how much "dead" time there is, unless you are at a game, and notice the TV official on the sidelines signaling when the broadcast is away for commercial breaks.

Baseball games start whether the commercials are done or not.