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RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:09 am
by bmw
The Competition Committee has just voted to ruin the sport (all 4 players on the committee voted against these changes, but they were outnumbered by ownership representatives). Starting next year, the following rule changes will be in place:
-Pitch clock. 15 seconds if the bases are empty and 20 seconds if there is one or more runner.
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.
-Pick-off attempt limit.
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.
-Ban on defensive 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.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/345 ... ive-shifts
Baseball will no longer be a casually played sport. Now all focus will be on a distracting clock.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:18 am
by MWmetalhead
I hate these rules changes, especially #2 and #3. They are beyond idiotic, essentially serve to prohibit good defense, will lead to an absurdly high number of play reviews, and they will greatly devalue situational management from the dugout.
Looks like the game is being reshaped to reward speedy base running, everything else be damned.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:19 am
by Matt
You had me excited...
Re: RIP Major League Baseball
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:26 am
by bmw
Here's an idea of what the clock might look like visually when watching games on tv. WHAT AN UNNECESSARY, OBNOXIOUS DISTRACTION! It will now be the focal point of the game because of how it sticks out like a sore thumb.
(minor league game where its already in use)
Re: RIP Major League Baseball
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:30 am
by bmw
Matt wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:19 am
You had me excited...
I have since edited the clickbait nature of my thread title.
It is certainly RIP to baseball as we know it.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:35 am
by Honeyman
You're 100% right, beemer. I honestly watched more LLWS baseball than MLB this year.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:38 am
by Bobbert
I don't mind the defensive shift rule. It's ugly and it turns too many hits into outs. At the risk of sounding like an insufferable purist, baseball is a game of grace and balance. Part of our memories of Trammell and Whitaker is that mental image of them lining up in their traditional locations on opposite sides of second base.
The other rules will clutter the game and make chatterboxes like Dan Dickerson even more obnoxious. Of course Dan was gushing about all the new changes last night, just like he gushed about the seven inning doubleheader games and the absurd extra inning ghost runner.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:48 am
by Bryce
It seems like an attempt to shorten the time of a game. I guess the new generation of fan doesn't have a long enough attention span to enjoy a game with the subtle nuances and chess moves.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:54 am
by Honeyman
Bryce wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:48 am
It seems like an attempt to shorten the time of a game. I guess the new generation of fan doesn't have a long enough attention span to enjoy a game with the subtle nuances and chess moves.
Exactly.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:09 am
by bmw
I think they've openly said it is a move to shorten the game. And it is an artificial one at that, compared to other sports where there are clocks. Shot/play clocks make sense in timed games as it keeps the offense from just getting a lead and then running out the clock. But baseball is different in that it isn't timed, but rather ends when a certain number of outs are gotten. So the same amount of action is going to take place, just in a condensed time frame.
ALSO - what do you want to bet that this move won't reduce the number of TV commercials during a game? So take a 3 hour game, condense it to 2 hours and 45 minutes, and you still get the same number of commercials. Translation: A higher commercial-to-baseball ratio.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:43 am
by Matt
As someone who actively avoids baseball, this isn't going to change my opinion.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 4:52 pm
by Bryce
Honeyman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:35 am
I honestly watched more LLWS baseball than MLB this year.
I've attended and watched on TV a whole bunch of USPBL games this season. The games are fun, the stadium is first class and they go to great lengths to provide entertainment over and above the game itself. The Friday night fireworks rival Comerica. It probably comes as no great surprise to many of you that I really love the bat-dog that brings the bats back to the dug out.
Of course, it helps that my future son-in-law plays for one of the teams.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 8:08 pm
by MWmetalhead
Minor league (even semi-pro) baseball games can definitely be fun to see live on a nice summer evening. I have friends back in the Grand Rapids area who attend Whitecaps games several times a year. As far as minor league baseball is concerned, the game experience has come a long way from decades ago.
I think these rule changes are more about increasing the number of runs scored per game than anything else. Banning defensive shifts, for example, won't serve to shorten the game.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2022 11:33 pm
by MotorCityRadioFreak
The pitch clock and the shift ban is really fucked up. As a former pitcher, I am pissed. We had the only sport other than tennis that wasn't timed, and ManDick ruined it.
Changing the sizes of the bases is fine because it will reduce injuries for both runners and fielders.
Re: RIP Major League Baseball (new stupid rules for next year)
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:46 am
by Realist
Never liked the shift, which seems to have become more and more prevalent in the past few years, and am glad it’s going to be gone. Bigger bases are a good idea. Pitch clock is ridiculous as we already have a timer for the time between batters and innings