MLB competition committee to vote on rule changes Friday

[jabba72]

So I take it under the new rules two infielders here would be called for illegal shifting?

[SilverRocket]

 

Maybe Buck was ahead of his time.

[btdart20]

Since we all have bellybuttons...  I like the pitch clock, the hitter's clock, the increased size of bases, and the pick-off limit.  I honestly think those do a good job adding value to the game (either decreasing dead time or increasing steal attempts).

I'm not a fan of banning the shift.  I chalk that up as part of the free-market dynamics of the hitting/pitcher game within the game.  It will likely lead to more hits, baserunners, and runs that will add top line excitement.  In a few  years, it'll likely just be one of those things lost in the dust bin of time.  But for now: "Get off my lawn!"  

[ShoelesJoe]

2 hours ago, jabba72 said:

So I take it under the new rules two infielders here would be called for illegal shifting?

Correct. And as an added bonus the team at bat can "challenge" the placement of the infielders after the fact. What a cluster. 

[ShoelesJoe]

BTW all of this was approved by vote this afternoon to start next season.  

[Frobby]

The shift rule bothers me more in principle than it does in practice.  Some guy hits the ball to the same area 75% of the time and you can’t adjust your defense to account for that?   Boo!  But I do think it will boost offense, which is good.  

[Can_of_corn]

#4 is interesting.

https://www.mlb.com/news/how-pitch-clock-is-working-in-minor-leagues-in-2022

[Frobby]

22 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

#4 is interesting.

https://www.mlb.com/news/how-pitch-clock-is-working-in-minor-leagues-in-2022

Good article and this just increases my desire to see these rules implemented at the major league level.

[Frobby]

The O’s Terrin Vavra spent a lot of time in the minors during this 2022 season and he said these [pitch clock and batter’s box] rules should definitely make a difference in reducing game times.

“Absolutely. You are forced to get in there (the batter’s box) and be ready to go," he said. "Same with pitchers, they are forced to get the ball in and you are ready to go again. Lot less time for thinking and whatnot. I think it’s an adjustment to make.

“I think definitely from a fans’ perspective it speeds up the pace of play. Obviously as a player that can work to your advantage and work against you. It’s tough to get adjusted to at first. But when that adjustment is made, it is for the better and I think it can be something to look forward to."

But will it be good for the game?

“I think it can be,” said Vavra. “It’s going to be kind of a learning process at first, especially at this level. There are a lot of players that have been here a long time and you know, have routines that have worked for them. It is going to be something that may be challenging for them to break. But I think from a fans perspective it will be great and players will really come around to it too.”

Vavra said he had to learn to speed up his routine under the rules used this year.

“It did change your routine definitely. There was less time to step out and catch your breath. You don’t really have that luxury. But it does force you to get back in there and be ready to hit. It does take away some of those excess thoughts that can be detrimental to players.

“I never had a violation call against me. I was in the box a few times where pitchers had it called. I’ve seen hitters get called for it. I think the hardest part was in between innings. Outfielders running back in and they only have a certain amount of time if they are leading off the inning to get up there. I think that was the one I saw the most frequently where hitters got violations called.”

https://www.masnsports.com/blog/terrin-vavra-talks-pitch-clock-plus-other-o-s-notes

[Sports Guy]

20 hours ago, ShoelesJoe said:

BTW all of this was approved by vote this afternoon to start next season.  

Was the throw to first base thing approved?  I didn’t see that.

[CharmCityHokie]

20 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Was the throw to first base thing approved?  I didn’t see that.

For pick-offs? MLB.com is reported it's part of the new rule package that was approved:

Quote

• Pitchers are limited to two disengagements (pickoff attempts or step-offs) per plate appearance. However, this limit is reset if a runner or runners advance during the plate appearance.
• If a third pickoff attempt is made, the runner automatically advances one base if the pickoff attempt is not successful.

It falls under the Pitch Timer section: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2023-rule-changes-pitch-timer-larger-bases-shifts

[Sports Guy]

25 minutes ago, CharmCityHokie said:

For pick-offs? MLB.com is reported it's part of the new rule package that was approved:

It falls under the Pitch Timer section: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2023-rule-changes-pitch-timer-larger-bases-shifts

Thank you.

Thats stupid.

[CharmCityHokie]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Thank you.

Thats stupid.

Agreed, its going to put a ton of pressure on pitchers with the pitch-clock, bigger bases (so shorter distance between bases) and only being able to step-off/throw-over twice. I could see the culmination of those three being enacted at the same time resulting in more HBP/BBs and potentially pitcher injuries. It's a lot of sudden change that falls mostly on the pitchers (and also the catchers who are going to be constantly bouncing out of their crouch and winging balls down to second because everyone is going to be stealing). 

Edited September 10, 2022 by CharmCityHokie

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, CharmCityHokie said:

Agreed, its going to put a ton of pressure on pitchers with the pitch-clock, bigger bases (so shorter distance between bases) and only being able to step-off/throw-over twice. I could see the culmination of those three being enacted at the same time resulting in more HBP/BBs and potentially pitcher injuries. It's a lot of sudden change that falls mostly on the pitchers (and also the catchers who are going to be constantly bouncing out of their crouch and winging balls down to second because everyone is going to be stealing). 

I thought I read earlier that injuries in the minors were actually down.

I don't recall seeing anything about a spike in HBP or walks in the minors, which are things I would expect to be mentioned if they were happening.

 

[CharmCityHokie]

13 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I thought I read earlier that injuries in the minors were actually down.

I don't recall seeing anything about a spike in HBP or walks in the minors, which are things I would expect to be mentioned if they were happening.

 

Did they have the bigger bases and the 2 pick-off/step-off enforcement in MiLB this year? If they did, along with the pitch clock, that would be good news that there wasn't an increase in any of that. For some reason I thought that only the pitch clock was being enforced in MiLB.