-Pitch clock. 15 seconds if the bases are empty and 20 seconds if there is one or more runner.
-Pick-off attempt limit.The rule is strict: The catcher must be in position when the timer hits 10 seconds, the hitter must be have both feet in the batter's box and be "alert" at the 8-second mark and the pitcher must start his "motion to pitch" by the expiration of the clock. A violation by the pitcher is an automatic ball. One by the hitter constitutes an automatic strike.
-Ban on defensive shifts.Pickoffs and step-offs reset the pitch clock, and the rules will limit pitchers to two for each plate appearance. (The number would reset if a runner advances.) A pitcher can make a third pickoff attempt, but if it's unsuccessful it will be a balk, allowing the runners to move up a base.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/345 ... ive-shifts...defensive alignment that must include two fielders on each side of the second-base bag with both feet on the dirt...The banning of defensive shifts, which were once a fringe strategy but have become normal occurrence and the bane of left-handed hitters, is among the more extreme versions, preventing defensive player movement in multiple directions. With all four infielders needing to be on the dirt, the days of the four-outfielder setup will be over. Even more pertinent, shifting an infielder to play short right field, or simply overshifting three infielders to the right side of the second-base bag, will no longer be legal.
The position of defensive players can be reviewed -- and, if a defense is deemed illegal, the batting team can choose to accept the outcome of the play or take an automatic ball instead.
Baseball will no longer be a casually played sport. Now all focus will be on a distracting clock.