the first new MLB rules since '96

“People watch the UFC. But they get mad when a guy breaks his ankle at second base because of a hard slide. I don't get it." -- Ian Kinsler, future Fox analyst

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ce_iquoVAAELtrm.jpg:large

In the 9th last night vs the Mets, Jayson Werth was called out for interference making a late slide on a DP breakup attempt. I'm getting a little sick of Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling grousing about the new unmacho world (Keith sneered about "the geniuses" who effected the rule). Nats GM Rizzo also got into a shouting match with the umps after the game. Tough shit, dinosaurs.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/watch-ninth-inning-slide-rule-call-plays-a-big-part-in-mets-win-over-nats/

https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/nats-gm-ump-argue-over-call-on-werth-slide/188622326

oh go fuck yourselves

"Major League Baseball plans on testing a rule change in the lowest levels of the minor leagues this season that automatically would place a runner on second base at the start of extra innings, a distinct break from the game’s orthodoxy that nonetheless has wide-ranging support at the highest levels of the league, sources familiar with the plan told Yahoo Sports."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb-plans-to-test-new-extra-innings-rules-in-rookie-ball-with-joe-torres-approval-224914115.html

What in the blue hell is that all about.

Honestly, I would prefer ties in baseball to a dumb rule change like that.

“It’s not fun to watch when you go through your whole pitching staff and wind up bringing a utility infielder in to pitch.

gotta disagree with you there, Joe.

i will give you each $1000 if this ever becomes a major league rule

twist: the free runner on second base is bartolo colon

Anthony Castrovince @castrovince
This idea has uncovered quite a number of rookie ball purists.

first they came for rookie league, and i said nothing

gonna need one for this, because c'mon

https://twitter.com/AJCassavell/status/831916548369510400

that's even worse than jordan walden

no one ever calls traveling anymore

that is a fucking weird delivery.

Cater Crapps

@JeffPassan
Rob Manfred: There will not be substantive rules changes in 2017 due to "lack of cooperation from the MLBPA."

@EricFisherSBJ
And Manfred then reveals a new chestnut in new labor deal: a unilateral ability by the league to impose rules changes as soon as next yr

@JeffPassan
Among the rules changes MLB could impose, per Manfred: a pitch clock, a smaller strike zone, fewer visits to the mound, auto-intentional BB.

yay lack of cooperation

As part of its initiative to improve pace-of-game play, Major League Baseball has approved a change to the intentional walk rule, going from the traditional four-pitch walk to a dugout signal, team and union sources told ESPN's Howard Bryant.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18737245/mlb-union-agree-get-rid-traditional-intentional-walkwill-use-signal-dugout

this will save nearly 12 seconds per game

i'm so pissed that the miggy cabrera intentional walk single will never happen again

ugh

what about the Johnny Bench WORLD SERIES fake-IBB strikeout?

(1972)

i was not alive but that sounds tremendous

i know ive posted it before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TPCNP4_qXo

that's bizarre that they did that with two strikes

i am in favor of pitch clocks but very much NOT in favor of not having to actually throw the pitches for an IBB wth

As a way for all sides to save face (the commish wanted a strike zone change but ffs you can't spring that on the players on short notice in the middle of spring training), this IBB thing suits its purpose.

Grant Brisbee, like me, is concerned about the commish's "desperate urgency"

http://www.sbnation.com/2017/2/22/14693248/mlb-rule-changes-rob-manfred-intentional-walks-strike-zone

Seven-pitch-maximum at-bats -- no "staying alive" with two-strike fouls. If you can't put the ball in play and/or reach base in seven pitches or less, sit down. Three strikes of any combination -- you're out. Quicker game, starters go a little deeper. Will never happen, obv.

offense would go way way down

Tough.

^apostate

@MyKBO
Pace of Play: Will MLB make guys sprint to first after getting hit? KBO rules state player must run to 1st before removing protective gear

marchman concurs: http://deadspin.com/baseballs-new-intentional-walk-scheme-is-a-pointless-o-1792633670

my sense is that ownership is indeed frightened, in the long term, about the millennials and their tiny attention spans -- but that fright pales beside anything money-related. this seems more like manfred flexing for the union. if he can paint the union as backward and unhelpful on something relatively meaningless, maybe he can later bargain it away for something that saves owners money.

this rule change is pointless. if they really want to shorten games, enforce existing rules on leaving the batter's box, etc. allow fewer mound visits. what the hell do relievers need eight warmup pitches for? warm up in the bullpen, bitch.

(i figure we're gonna get universal DH before long, which won't shorten games either. i have made my peace with this.)

the money stuff is a constant, ongoing battle, though, and the players union has gotten rolled in the last several CBAs. i think this is mainly a feint as both sides prepare for 2021

there was a hypothetical on EW a few weeks ago re: how much it would cost for MLB to just make little league free for anyone who wants to play. you want young people to like this very difficult, often boring game u gotta start them young...

also maybe stop saying it's boring

good idea. I never would've gotten into baseball if I hadn't done little league for a few years.

Seven-pitch-maximum at-bats -- no "staying alive" with two-strike fouls. If you can't put the ball in play and/or reach base in seven pitches or less, sit down. Three strikes of any combination -- you're out. Quicker game, starters go a little deeper. Will never happen, obv.

This is utter madness, the 10-pitch AB is the tensest and best thing in all of baseball

except maybe triples

otm

take that, carter capps

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C57PENpVAAASp_-.jpg

otherwise known as the I Can't Believe We Had To Make This a Rule, What is This 2nd Grade Grow up Carter Capps Come On rule

i was gonna throw a jab in at jordan walden as well but he's probably already reaching for the whisky bottle anyway

weird. i guess two hops is bad, but Capps' single-hop is ok?

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/mlb-has-clarified-its-carter-capps-position/

Importantly, MLB determined the above delivery was legal. Based on their own interpretation of the rules, MLB gave Capps’ motion its blessing, so long as he didn’t jump *up*. It was emphasized that Capps would have to drag his back foot. So it remains.

...One hop is fine, while 2+ are not. There was Jordan Walden, and now there is Carter Capps. The way baseball explains it, there’s nothing wrong with the way Capps throws, so long as there’s something of a “drag line” in the dirt.

really don't understand why the MLB doesn't just avoid the confusion and slippery slope and just make the rule that you have to be in contact with the rubber when you release the ball. you know, the...normal way of pitching

Seven-pitch-maximum at-bats -- no "staying alive" with two-strike fouls. If you can't put the ball in play and/or reach base in seven pitches or less, sit down. Three strikes of any combination -- you're out. Quicker game, starters go a little deeper. Will never happen, obv.

― Andy K, Wednesday, February 22, 2017 12:37 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is the worst thing I've ever read

srsly

i'm not sure normal pitching involves being in contact with the rubber at the moment of release? the back foot coming up/off seems to happen right around the release point for most guys

yeah it's close for sure but it seems like a common sense approach can be taken. don't jump, don't do any other obvious weird shit. like basketball and traveling

well this sucks

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-garcia-to-adjust-windup-due-to-2023-rule-changes

For those concerned that the pitch clock is so prominent in the background of at-bats during spring-training games: The plan in big league ballparks is for it to be out of view of the center-field camera. In other words: TV viewers will not see the physical clock during pitches.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 25, 2023

cherry picked clips, of course, but

Landon Knack throwing an entire half inning vs. Pedro Báez throwing 1 pitch. pic.twitter.com/wHa2p6K7k8

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 27, 2023

Yankees relief pitcher Wandy Peralta struck out a hitter in 20 seconds pic.twitter.com/VwEBzyXH99

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 2, 2023

i love it! and you know what i think i’m going to love it in the post-season too. bring on the craziness.

yeah the pitch clock seems good so far. there are going to be some dumb controversial calls at crucial moments ("how can a playoff game end this way" etc) but the games i've watched seem a lot peppier for sure

Max Scherzer, Pitch Clock Gamesmanship.

Long hold. Adams takes his only time out.

Then Max stays set so he can pitch as soon as Adams is ready. pic.twitter.com/3uj9ucDFEl

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 3, 2023

Gausman and the balk rule (paywall maybe, not sure):

https://theathletic.com/4277023/2023/03/06/kevin-gausman-delivery-rule-change-balks/

"...it’s a problem for Gausman, because he’s currently starring in a not-so-major motion picture from MLB’s new 'Mess with Your Dreamworks' studios.

It’s a little video feature, shown by MLB to managers and media alike this spring, on now-illegal pitching deliveries. And it stars Gausman, along with Houston righty Luis Garcia, as toe-tappers or false-starters whose old delivery is now considered by MLB to be a balk."

I’m watching a spring training game in which 9 runs have already scored, and we’re heading into the bottom of the 7th, and just passed 2 hours of game time. This shit appears to be working

That Scherzer clip above is so funny. What a maniac!

watching white sox/a’s spring training game and the chyron has the pitch clock but not the number of outs

The Tigers and Guardians played a doubleheader in four hours, 13 minutes.

!!

https://www.espn.co.uk/mlb/story/_/id/36226372/mlb-eyes-more-rule-changes-experiment-atlantic-league

Thoughts?

overkill, by a lot

Love baseball’s commitment to bad science

i don’t understand why lowering the mound 6 inches is never on the cards

good long article on ABS. this jumped out at me:

Until recently, the technology and application had been substandard -- including a previous version, used in the 2019 Arizona Fall League, that was laughably bad, with curveballs that clipped the bottom front of the zone hitting the plate and being called strikes. MLB scuttled that three-dimensional zone for 2D, upgraded to the Hawk-Eye system best known for its incredibly accurate line-calling in tennis and installed a dozen cameras calibrated to the fixed items on the field -- home plate and the chalked baselines -- that capture the flight of the ball at 330 frames per second.

does that mean the strike zone is no longer defined as a pentagonal solid??

sorry, link: https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/insider/story/_/id/37721995/robo-umps-automated-balls-strikes-abs-future-mlb-minor-leagues

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-have-the-new-rules-changed-the-game/

so far, mostly good, it seems.

...For the most part, I think MLB’s rule changes have been a success. The main observable change is tempo; games are lasting less time despite a similar amount of action. That’s a big change, and as measured by pitch violations, it hasn’t excessively affected any particular team or player. Instead, the game is just moving faster, which was the stated goal of the changes.

Changing the rules to increase stolen bases seems to have worked roughly as expected: Teams are running more frequently and with more success. Those steals aren’t making the game unrecognizable, though; we’re talking about an extra half a steal per game, give or take. I think there was reason to worry whether steals would become undefendable, but the evidence suggests that hasn’t happened. Catchers who control the running game are more valuable than in recent years, but that’s also hardly an unwelcome change. For the most part, I think that the extra steals leave the game looking like a slightly faster version of itself, just like the pitch timer changes.

On the downside, the new restrictions on infield shifts haven’t accomplished much of anything. Lefties are reaching base more frequently when they put the ball on the ground, but not at pre-shift rates. Defensive positioning is still taking hits away, particularly in the middle of the field. Righty batters still have a slight BABIP advantage on lefties thanks to infield positioning. If the league wants to fix that disparity, there will have to be stricter shift restrictions, probably centered around keeping the area behind second base empty.

If you were hoping for mostly the same baseball, congratulations: you’ve got it. If you were hoping for teams to start prioritizing speedy lefty singles hitters, or for batters to start trying to keep the ball on the ground to take advantage of the new defensive restrictions, that hasn’t panned out. Teams are scoring more this year, but that’s mostly unrelated to rules changes. I think that’s great; from my perspective, the league has threaded the needle by affecting how games look without putting their thumb on the scale of offensive and defensive balance.

There was an observation on EW about how the BA points gained by LH batters are lost in the aggregate because teams ALSO cant shift against righties, which reenforces the belief that shifting righties doesn’t really work

My favorite thing about the pitch clock is that there's no time to replay the pitch I just saw. Keep the camera on the action, such as it is.

They've gotten better at showing replays within the allotted time, gave them fits at the beginning of the year

Braves aren't showing replays on balls in play if they're just groundouts or flyouts. Arcia just went out to short center to make a nice over the shoulder catch, no replay. I'm really loving this -- it more closely matches the experience of being at the park.