Pitch clock in the minors: it’s working

[Frobby]

Excellent article today by Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post on the pitch clock experiment in the minors.   Bottom line: it’s working.   Here’s a few snippets:

“In its first year in use across the minor leagues, it has reduced the average game time from 3 hours 4 minutes in 2021 to 2:36 in 2022, according to MLB data through Sunday. MLB matchups have not averaged a game time that brief since the early 1980s.”

* * *

“As implemented in Class AAA, pitchers have 14 seconds to deliver a pitch with nobody on base and 19 seconds with runners on. If the pitcher does not deliver the ball in that time, he is penalized with a ball. If a batter is not in the box by the time the clock hits nine seconds, he is penalized with a strike. Pitchers can step off the rubber no more than twice per at-bat. Hitters can call time just once per at-bat. The clock keeps moving, and the game follows.”

* * *

“Pitchers working faster may mean pitchers working less effectively, a positive byproduct at a time when offense, at least as measured by batting average, is at its lowest point this century. Minor league batters hit .241 through June 26 of last season. This year, they were hitting .247. Strikeout percentage dropped by nearly two percentage points.”

* * *

“[Matt] Carpenter and others speculate that if the pitch clock remains in the minor leagues, habits will change enough to affect major league pace of play whether the clock arrives there or not. Indeed, pitchers who have come up from the minors to pitch in major league games this year seem conditioned to a quicker pace already. Of the 25 quickest workers in baseball this yearwith no one on base, 14 spent time in the minors this season.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/30/mlb-pitch-clock/

Sign me up for this.   Pitchers aren’t going to like this in late inning situations in tight, important games    Too bad!   It’s okay with me if we get more offense into the late innings of games, with less dawdling around by the pitchers    

[Can_of_corn]

If they can cut 20+ minutes from average game length that is a huge win.

I don't think anyone enjoys watching a pitcher circle the mound or a hitter adjust his batting gloves.

I do wonder if the "conditioning" would work long term if the clock isn't added to the majors.  I'd rather just have it implemented in the majors.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

If they can cut 20+ minutes from average game length that is a huge win.

I don't think anyone enjoys watching a pitcher circle the mound or a hitter adjust his batting gloves.

I do wonder if the "conditioning" would work long term if the clock isn't added to the majors.  I'd rather just have it implemented in the majors.

Me too.  They can’t do it soon enough so far as I’m concerned.   

I omitted from my snippets a bunch of quotes from Matt Carpenter (who spent a couple of weeks in the minors this year) and others who were very skeptical going in but quickly grew to liking the faster pace of the game.  I have no doubt I’d like it better.   I’m sure the first few months would be rough while the players adjusted, but they’d adjust and the game would be better for it.   And for those pitchers/players who have big trouble with the adjustment (I’m sure there will be some), tough luck!
 

[Just Regular]

It is just guesswork of course, but I could also imagine it helping rebuild the importance of top individual pitchers.

I feel like Driveline Students of the Week/Month who can dominate 18 pitches at a time 30 innings a year are the ones who need to squeeze every second of rest between each pitch for the max max effort to outperform the world's best hitters regularly enough for the Rays to lead the league in run prevention and pay nothing.

[Moshagge3]

For those who subscribe to Posnanski's site, he wrote about the pitch clock and had a long aside about our old friend Mike Wright Jr.

https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/one-knight-in-charlotte

[forphase1]

I'd completely support this.  I've never understood why hitters feel like they need to adjust their batting gloves after every pitch, whether they swung or not.  And for years I hated when we played the Red Sox as it seems their at bats took HOURS as Pappi and others took forever in between pitches.  I know pitcher are the focus here, and I know they take as much time too, but often the camera angles are on the hitters so I often see their action/inaction more than the pitcher.  Plus I guess I've given the pitcher a bit more leeway as they actually DID something, throw the pitch while often the batter did nothing just stand there.  Sure, if you swing, even if you miss or hit a foul ball, maybe you need to adjust.  But to just stand there and watch the ball pass, nothing really should have gotten 'out of whack' to need fixed.  

All that said, I don't really mind 3 hour games, but certainly would like a 2 1/2 hour game more.  

[waroriole]

All I keep seeing is how it’s almost certain to be in MLB next year. I’d love it. There’s so much down time between pitches. 
 

And yes, you can 100% put this on the Red Sox and Yankees 

[Can_of_corn]

6 minutes ago, waroriole said:

All I keep seeing is how it’s almost certain to be in MLB next year. I’d love it. There’s so much down time between pitches. 
 

And yes, you can 100% put this on the Red Sox and Yankees 

Pfft I can think of a number of Oriole pitchers over the years that needed to pick up the pace.

[waroriole]

14 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Pfft I can think of a number of Oriole pitchers over the years that needed to pick up the pace.

Oh sure, I just feel like the trend started with those obnoxious Red Sox teams in the early 2000s

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, waroriole said:

Oh sure, I just feel like the trend started with those obnoxious Red Sox teams in the early 2000s

Nomar had some serious Hargrove influence.

 

Boy I hadn't thought about Nomar for years.  

[jabba72]

I dont think anyone likes 3 hour games. This is something they should have recognized and tried to fix awhile ago. MLB players are likely always going to be fighting for more time to readjust between every pitch. So I guess a pitch clock with penalty is needed. Sounds good to me. Shorter commercial times between innings will help too.