6:54pm: It now appears there will be one big change in 2017: MLB will switch to a dugout signal for intentional walks, team and union sources informed Howard Bryant of ESPN The Magazine (Twitter link).
6:12pm: Clark has responded to Manfred’s comments (via FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal):
“Unless your definition of ’cooperation’ is blanket approval, I don’t agree that we’ve failed to cooperate with the Commissioner’s office on these issues.”
“Two years ago we negotiated pace of play protocols that had an immediate and positive impact. Last year we took a step backward in some ways, and this off season we’ve been in regular contact with MLB and with our members to get a better handle on why that happened.”
“I would be surprised if those discussions with MLB don’t continue, notwithstanding today’s comments about implementation. As I’ve said, fundamental changes to the game are going to be an uphill battle, but the lines of communication should remain open.”
“My understanding is that MLB wants to continue with the replay changes (2min limit) and the no-pitch intentional walks and the pace of Game warning/fine adjustments.”
4:01pm: Major League Baseball proposed some notable rule changes to the MLBPA earlier this month, but none of those will take effect in 2017, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday. A frustrated Manfred explained to various reporters, including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, that the union’s “lack of cooperation” will prevent the adjustments from coming to fruition this year (Twitter link).
Manfred, who cited the need to improve “pace and action” of games, revealed that the league and the union discussed implementing a pitch clock, introducing automatic intentional walks, changing the strike zone and cutting down on mound visits (Twitter link via Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan). Placing a runner on second base during major league games which go to extra innings didn’t come up, and nor will it, as Manfred said that rule’s only use will be in “developmental leagues” (Twitter link via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).
While it will be business as usual with big league rules this year, that won’t be the case in 2018. The collective bargaining agreement enables owners to make changes unilaterally, and Manfred indicated that they will next year (Twitter link via Shaikin). Even though the owners and the union agreed to a new CBA back in December, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said it’s not yet official. However, the sides are “in the process” of finalizing it and “everything has been agreed to with respect to the big moving pieces” (via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald).
After touching on potential rule changes, Manfred mentioned a desire for each franchise to have a “major league-quality stadium” and opined that the Diamondbacks’ 19-year-old facility, Chase Field, “needs work” (via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, on Twitter).
“It’s absolutely clear from the material that has been made available to me there are serious maintenance needs that need to be met with respect to the stadium,” he continued. “Unfortunately, they have not been able to reach a consensual agreement on how that was going to happen.”
The Diamondbacks’ goal to land a new stadium came to the fore nearly a year ago, and the team brought a lawsuit against Maricopa County, which owns Chase Field, last month. While there’s no indication the D-backs plan to leave Arizona, Manfred did note that the league might eventually consider placing a team in Las Vegas, saying that “it could be a viable market” (Twitter link via Passan). He also brushed off the notion that the city’s status as the gambling capital of the United States would be a deterrent.
Extra Innings Home Run Derby, yeah! wooo! who wants watch sports for a few hours? speed that boring stuff up!
Wow that’s not such an awful idea.
Maybe you give each team one inning of nine outs and if no break in tie you have hr contest and winner gets win and loser gets a tie.
that press conference was intense. He was not happy
The problem isn’t the pace of the game it’s all those dang commercials. But, that’s how they get their dang money, so that won’t be changing.
That’s what everyone keeps saying but one of the reasons there are commercials is because the the players are warming up in between innings. So instead of watching them throw the ball around we watch some ads.
That’s what the top/bottom of the innings are for in the al
What?
It doesn’t take 5-7 mins to re- warm up
Pitchers have time
The commercials are the issues
That’s exactly what it is
Sure pitching changing/ mound visits are annoying but it those commercials
All of the commercials are directly related to the time between innings. If MLB aired 0 commercials the game length would still be exactly the same
You obviously haven’t been to a ballpark lately where you can see the pitcher ready to go after between inning warmups, but the umpire holding up the game waiting for the sign from the booth that the commercials are over.
I hope they actually do polling before assuming what fans want. I don’t know anyone, even casual fans who want runners on base in extra innings or even a pitch clock.
Totally agree. Keep the integrity of the game.
Lol.. might as well let the sub .500 teams get a runner on
The over .500 start with 2 strikes per batter
Hahah
Dumb idea just like mine
Pitch clock is necessary with some guys. I’m pretty sure Joel Peraltas average inning time was around 30 minutes when he pitched a whole inning
the dodgers would suffer big time with a pitch clock – and limiting mound visits, I swear they add like a half an hour to 45min a game on those 2 things alone..
Only if you are talking about Pedro Baez. He could race a slug and lose.
Jansen is just as bad
Same as kershaw
Same as any pitcher out there
There is actually a rule that a pitcher has to have exact amount of time once they get the ball to get set and release… which is about a min and some these guys go way past it. They don’t enforce it.
Hitter will cry about being quick pitched… that’s another things getting out of the box after every pitch to recheck gear.
Jansen can be slow, but nobody is slower than Baez.
A minute is a very long time
I would rather see a cap on extra innings and allowing ties – there 162 games so it should shake out winning records regardless of the ties and worse case scenario it allows for more playoff games, though when I say cap on innings I am thinking like 13 or so – not like 10 – the problem with games that go over the 12 inning mark is that it usually kills a team’s momentum regardless of a win or loss over the next week or two.
That’d completely break the integrity of the game.
Great idea Wolf! Don’t listen to the haters. We need to be innovative if we want to keep the game fresh.
Manfred wants baseball to be like the NBA; an entertaining exhibition of skilled athletes marketed towards a young and hipper audience. Manfred doesn’t care about the QUALITY of baseball or even the competition part of the game. He wants an NBA-like experience for the young fans, and that is just a pro wrestling type game of good athletes without real competition. Baseball is never going to compete with the NBA, pro wrestling or the NFL. These changes will only cost them the real baseball fans and the game will be a farce. Good luck with all the stupid, poorly conceived ideas there Manfred. What an idiot.
No body has ever has ever complained about the pace, why is the MLB trying to fix something that doesn’t need fixing?
i don’t have a problem with the pace. But it is a fact that young people do and think baseball is boring because of it
Its not just young people. Plenty of older people think its boring too, but find something else interesting like golf, tennis, soccer, or nascar. Its because theyre casual fans, and thats fine, but when they dictate what happens to the future of the game its not.
The only people that I know that think it’s boring don’t actually understand fundamental aspects of the game such as being ‘safe while on base’ or ‘4 balls and you are free to walk to 1st base’ etc.
We have a year to muster public awareness in favor of ousting him as commissioner. Let’s do this!
I couldn’t agree more! As a true lover of baseball I hate the idea of this pace of play crap. I hate when games end. I still refer to extra innings as free baseball. I love the game and I like many other who truly love the game have no problem with the game taking the time it does.
Nascar? Really? Because there’s nothing more exciting than watching cars drive around in a circle for two-and-a-half hours.
Your comment is so true. Most people I encounter that say its to slow dont know the game at all, and also wouldn’t watch even if it was sped up.
it’s defiantly older people too, but i think the majority of people who somehow call baseball boring are younger people
definetly*
Glad you have unlimited free time. 4 hour games suck.
I agree completely. It’s great for getting a solid nap in on a Sunday, and not a whole lot more (to me at least).
or, watch NHRA drive in straight lines. at least NASCAR drivers can turn at 200mph
@halos101
**definitely
Same here!
that’s why we need ELB Extreme baseball!!!! 5 innings, bring the walls in to 150 feet! balls are all solid rubber and the bats are alluminum! bases are no longer 90 feet apart – 50 feet apart! contact encouraged and everyone wears helmets and padsand are on skateboards!! also played indoors and no homeruns or fouls- a ball off the wall is a ball in play!
Figure out how to add cages, mud, and some scantly-clad women, and you should file a patent.
Blernsball!
McGwire and Bonds brought baseball back because everyone loves the homerun. Now the homerun exists in OPS. Not so exciting.
I’m 14. I think some of the reason I like baseball is the suspense. One moment can make or break a game. But Id prefer a pitchers duel to a slugfest.
What? Lots of people complain about pace. There’s definitely a pace problem. Baseball is a slow game naturally but over the past few decades lots of things have made it slower that need to be fixed, like batters preening themselves between pitches, and 20 team huddles at the mound per game.
Agreed, and as papa Manfred opines it’s not the time it’s the lack of action or crispness, I remember when they cut done on commercial break time and bullpen change time in 2015 and the change was tangible it felt quicker even though it wasn’t, 2016 seemed like a step back, the strike zone to me would be the most relevant/necessary change they could inflict
They just need to enforce the rules that are already in place.
Well no argument there. But we all know MLB tackles problems in a less than efficient manner.
1) Mighty Manfred is beginning to sound like Jolly Roger Goodell.
2) If the union did agree to let the owners have the unilateral ability to change rules, the union did a poor job on this CBA.
Change is necessary though.
“Change may be necessary, but not for the sake of change.”
–Cubfucius
I really dont like Manfred at all. He is no friend to die hard baseball fans.
Disagree.
If you don’t like the classic style of the game the don’t watch it….baseball lifers don’t take issue with watching a 4 hour baseball game. Replay should be used only for fair and foul calls. Not on the bases. Armando Gallaraga lost a perfect game on a bad call…as devastating as that is, it’s part of the game of baseball. Umpires are humans and they make mistakes. I’m sorry, but the human element has been taken out of the game enough already. Let the game happen as it was supposed to be played.
Well that’s exactly the issue, in the eyes of most of the owners. People are doing just that, not watching. I don’t think the owners are heartless pigs that don’t care about the game of baseball, because there are a lot of owners very passionate about seeing their team succeed. However, it’s safe to say they are all very easily swayed to choose in favor of something that will bring in more viewership, and thus more revenue, despite what the true fans may feel.
Revenue is at an all time high. Attendance is up 10 million since the 1990’s. Attendance among 18-30 year olds is at a record percentage today. The game has never been healthier. Why make drastic rule changes?
It’s the reality of capitalism, the invisible hand of the consumer will guide the market, if the ppl want something they vote with their dollars
Being a Detroit native myself and actually watching that game I can say I support the replay, but how long it takes to decide for mangers to challenge is ridiculous.
@Yankees1991 So it’s the bottom of the 9th, game 7 of a World Series. Sid Bream slides into home plate, the umpire calls out, and the Braves lose the game, but the replay says he was safe. I suppose you still want to leave that to the ‘human element’? Armando Gallaraga is the perfect reason why sometimes you need technology, and even the person using that technology occasionally gets it wrong.
What exactly made Tony Clark qualified for the job he holds? Switch hitting?
I’ve seen no evidence he knows what he is doing. The players got fleeced in this latest CBA. And it’s unclear what he’s gaining with this move.
Especially as it seems he also gave MLB the right to make unilateral changes starting next year. I think he is a MLB agent. In any event the union has been coopted as it seems not to be representing the players very well
They opposed a sensible international draft and in order to avoid it agreed to a $5M per team hard cap on ALL international signings. The first pick in the Intl. Draft would have probably made $5M himself. This was a huge loss for the players.
The 50% penalty on the luxury tax will act as a de facto salary cap. Even the big spenders changed their behavior in anticipation of this. Huge loss for the players.
And yes, it seems he gave Manfred the power to do whatever he wants as long as he waits one year. Huge loss for the players.
As a guy who roots for a small market team, I’m glad for these losses, but….the players might want to take a look at Clark.
They might also want to consider exiting the union. This would mean free agency after the 1st year. Of course, only stars could get away with it to start and being blackballed is still a real possibility, but then they can sue over collusion in court and bypass arbitration which seems rigged as well.
Baseball is thriving though. I miss selig, stop trying to make changes to the game that Doesn’t need changing manfred!! They assume fans want this bs
You miss Bud “All-Star game determines World Series host” Selig because he didn’t make changes to the game?
I miss Bart Giamatti and Fay Vincent.
Amen
Shots fired by the Commish. Looks like MLB & the Dbacks are playing hardball Maricopa County. Next stop Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Stadium.
Must be nice to spend other peoples money. I wonder if it would be an issue if the money was coming out of the Diamondbacks pocket.
Put a runner on 2nd to start the 10th inning. What’s next? Putting the ball on the tee in the 11th?
They will not gain one fan from these stupid changes.
I think they are after people who wouldn’t watch no matter what the changes were. Not a good strategy.
I think they want casual fans to watch more games. It’s a smart move.
Here’s the problem, simply fixing the pace won’t automatically make a wave of people love the game. If you don’t like the sport you don’t like it. Saving an extra few minutes isn’t going to help. The only think you can do by implementing these drastic rule changes is drive the fans you already have away.
But that’s not actually true? Improvements do bring more fans. Look at how much more popular hockey is after restructuring.
Starting with a runner on second base in extra innings is pure little leage. Say it ain’t so!
Limiting mound visits is a good idea. One of my own ideas!
When the Instant Replay system was introduced, we were all assured that it would be ‘Instant’ because a team of guys would have the call ready in an office in New York. These things drag out more than anything. If they can somehow reclaim that ‘Instant’ magic, they could reduce game time drastically. Those umpires should not be wearing that headset for more than 30 seconds.
I am not advocating for eliminating IR (I am an advocate for its entirety) but simply making the widely imperfect, NEW system more efficient.
Owner unilateralism would be insane. It would result in a ton of idiotic theorycrafted chases of the always desirable ‘imagined market’ that does not like the game and will not. Corporations in the entertainment industry frequently ignore their niche and chase the leader despite the fact the imagined market already has that leader and will not switch to a bastardized wannabe.
The pace of the game is dictated by the philosophy of hitting/pitching. Hitters are taught to work counts and get on base. Guys are lauded for their high OPB, which is a product of taking pitches and drawing walks. Pitchers make their money on high K totals at the end of the year. Pitchers aren’t getting paid to just get guys out, they are getting paid to strike guys out. I drives me crazy when a pitcher is ahead 0-2 and then tries to strike the batter out with the next 3 pitches instead of just trying to get him out (ground ball or pop up) with a good pitch. If they want to speed up the game there needs to be a higher value on putting the ball in play, but we all know that won’t happen.
Working counts and a high OBP is a sign of good hitting.
High K/BB ratio is a sign of good pitching.
No one will abandon that for pace of play. Nor should they.
High OBP is a sign of patience, not hitting. Chris Iannetta has a high OBP relative to his average, but he is not a good hitter. Less BB and K’s mean less pitches which means a faster pace. I’m not saying it is a better product, but it will increase the pace of play
If it were only a product of patience then you’re saying that drawing a walk is only a matter of standing there, which it clearly is not.
Hitting isn’t merely swinging and making contact, it’s the best approach that delivers the most desirable outcome played out over an entire season.
Pitch recognition, getting a good ball to hit, extending an at bat, and generating base runners are all signs of good hitting.
I agree, but batters are taught to work counts and that a walk is as good as a hit. This leads to more pitches thrown which leads to longer at bats which leads to a slower pace. My point is that hitters are not taught to hit the first pitch they see, they are taught to see pitches, track the ball and work the count. Pitchers taught to strike guys out, not force contact. Games would be a lot faster if everyone started with a 1-1 count. I doubt it would be a better product, but it would speed up the pace
So teams should intentionally play worse to finish the game faster?
A runner on second in the the minors up to AA is a good idea. Protect young arms and speed it along. They have to get on a bus and drive to their next game.
Every mound visit in the 9th inning and after requires a pitching change. No more late inning huddles.
Pitch clock. First offense is a warning. Second, etc is a ball. (Pedro Baez rule).
Same for batters. If the pitcher is ready and you’re still screwing around with your batting gloves, it’s a strike.
None of that will fundamentally change the game and preserves the integrity.
This
Pedro Baez is the worse. You can take a vacation in between his pitches.
I like this one
Manfred is really trying to lose viewership, isn’t he? All he needs to do is look to the NFL for an example. When you mess with the makeup of the game, people don’t take too kindly to that.
It’s time to bombard MLB headquarters with emails and phone calls about this stupidity.
Automate balls and strikes and keep batters in the box – lots of games will be over in 2 hours
Yes. Unfortunately that idea never came up for immediate implementation and will likely have to wait at least until the next CBA, if ever.
Worst idea ever.
You misspelled best
Because I know better.
This is one of those instances when all true MLB fans should proclaim, “Thank goodness for the players union”. Many of these proposed rule changes are either ludicrous or unnecessary.
There is no way I would go for pitch clocks, putting a man on second in extra innings and most of the other proposals to improve baseball when the popularity of the game is at an all time high on tv. Instead work on lowering ticket prices so vanishing middle class Americans can see a game more than once a year. Make the MLB network something I don’t need a platinum cable package for so I can expose my kids to the game, the lore and the history. Instead we get proposals to slice the game’s ear off despite its face. There is no way anyone who loves baseball would come up with such ridiculous proposals such as putting a man on second base at the start of extra innings. Or “Pitch Clocks”. The only way you can kill baseball is to do things like this.
Pitch clocks can be a good thing if used sparingly and with the worst offenders. There are times when guys like Kershaw have a tendency to slow the game down. But that’s not his reputation and certainly no one would label it as boring.
Baez, Papelbon, and Peralta need to have a constant reminder. If they’re consistently going over the pitch clock a warning needs to be issued, with consequences.
I personally clocked Baez in one game with 47 seconds between pitches, with no one on base.
Even longer for Baez with runners on, sometimes as much as a minute between pitches. We actually walked out of a game early (something we do very rarely) in frustration and disgust when Baez was giving one of his more glacial performances. The fans groan in unison when he’s called out of the pen. FWIW management has a problem with his pace too.
They should give the NL the DH rule this is long overdue
They should rescind the AL of the DH rule. It is long overdue.
____ no.
One or the other, not both. It’s ludicrous to have two different rules governing each league. What other professional team sport has separate rules for their conferences? None!
I think it gives each league it’s own character, but push comes to shove, I’ll go full Bob Walk. #BanTheDH
I hate mindless 9-7 AL games.
And i hate watching pitchers strikeout 8/10 times. The AL fans want the DH and the NL ones don’t. Let’s just keep it this way since this would piss off way more people than a simple pitching clock
Agreed. Leave each league as it is….with one change. Best idea I have ever heard from a sports talk show caller….
During interleague play, switch the rules. Meaning, have the DH when an AL team visits an NL park and have the pitchers hit when an NL team visits an AL park. That way the fans in each league get a taste of the other leagues style of play. Freshens up interleague games a bit for the live fans.
Keep the playoffs the same as the current system.
Inferring that a typical A.L. game has a 9-7 score would be like suggesting the norm in the N.L. is 2-1. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between and it’s a lot closer than one might hypothesize.
All I can say is go read “Pure Baseball” by Keith Hernandez. There’s a beauty to each style.
Honestly, I agree. Completely eliminating either pitcher offense or the opportunities provided by the DH are not viable options.
MLB’s biggest challenge is getting young fans interested in their game. It has little to do with rule changes or pace of game and everything to do with getting those kids involved in playing the sport early on.
A band aid approach will solve little and tends to piss off long time fans of the game who have fewer problems with these proposed changes.
If MLB truly wants to upgrade the game for its devout followers it should concentrate on advanced technology like pre-programmed laser strike zones for each player, settle the DH debate once and for all, fix the inequities of the current playoff format and work out a better system with the union than the current luxury tax threshold which does little to address the gap between big and small market clubs.
The fact that there is a DH debate is healthy for the sport.
Why would anyone want a laser-automated strike zone? The human element is what makes baseball amazing to watch. Guys like Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, and Mike Trout are/were built reputations on knowing the zone so well that umps were hesitant to call borderline strikes. Pitchers like Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux were experts at gradually extending the strike zone, stealing strikes. Catchers like Buster Posey and Yasmani Grandal work on framing pitches to give their teams an edge. On top of that are the umps who are aware of all these things and are working to impose their ideas on what constitutes the strike zone. And it’s a different ump the next game and it starts all over again.
That’s not a flaw of the sport, that’s the perfection of it.
why would anyone want a laser zone?- Because it’d be correct? A strike should be a strike as it is defined in the rule book. I’ll pass on the ‘human element” and choose the one that is actually right.
“Why would anyone want a laser-automated strike zone?”
A) To KILL pitch framing, which adds NOTHING to baseball.
B) To get the calls right. Why should a ball be a strike (or vice versa) because some lazy, arrogant old fat guy says it is?
How does pitch framing add nothing to baseball? It’s one of the most important jobs the catcher has
Pitch framing is a recent analytical development in a measurable ability by the player to cheat the rules.
It is by definition a detriment to the game.
LOL catching a baseball is a detriment to the game?
How does it improve the game for the fan?
Does watching a catcher move his glove slightly excite you?
Have you ever cheered “what a frame!!!”?
I’d rather watch catchers who can hit and throw out baserunners than guys who can “frame”.
because it could be rendered unnecessary by implementing a system that makes the correct call regardless of the catcher’s ability to display the pitch. The fact that it is important means it is valuable in current game, that doesn’t mean it actually adds something to the quality of the game.
A Strike should be a Strike……and a Ball should be a Ball…..
Good pitches should come from “A Pitcher”………….Not from some catcher’s ability to “fool the umpire”
Pitching and catching is a tandem effort. Many great pitchers have personal catchers not because it’s a vanity thing but because working with the same catcher every start gives them a heightened level of understanding and greater nuance.
A strike is a strike and a ball is a ball, but it’s defined in the moment by the umpire, and the criteria varies a bit from ump to ump. Every batter knows this. Watch at bats early in the game and you’ll see hitters checking with umps on location, trying to gauge the zone. It’s a skill, and fun to watch.
You guys must have gone crazy in the old days when the NL and AL strike zones were different.
Leave the game alone and start investing in youth baseball. Put money into Little League or start their own youth league with good coaching.
You start changing the game and it’s over.
The game is slow because in “my” day, you had one, maybe two, commercials between half innings. Now you have four, five or six, depending on network and teams. It’s greed, but nobody wants to hack into that as a solution.
A 19 year old stadium? Horrors. How can they even cope with a slum like that? Wait…I have an idea. Let’s let the taxpayers cut funding for schools, fire, cops, and sanitation….and then they can do their duty to capitalism.
Give me a break. Time for the taxpayers to say no to blackmail.
I believe the problem isn’t the age so much as the deferred maintenance.
Maybe it’s time for Maricopa County to sell the stadium to the Diamondbacks and give up their financial interest in it.
Please please leave baseball alone. Quit catering to non baseball fans. If they keep changing the rules , baseball will turn into the NFL.
What? You don’t like the new rule allowing the infielders to tackle the base runners.
How much will making some of these changes actually change who will and wont watch baseball games?
If anything it will turn off the traditionalist (actual baseball fans).
I’m starting to dislike Manfred. I wish they’d just leave the game alone.
I’m a Red Sox fan, who are notorious for having long games and slow pitchers… and I’m all for a pitch clock. In fact I like most of the rules to speed up play that have been proposed excepting the runner on second in extras. That’s a crock. I’m not familiar with the Snakes stadium but the Trop is an embarrassment and anywhere else with turf as well. (Rogers).
To be honest neither Clark or Manfred have any idea as to what in the world they are doing. The game is successful in-spite of them!!!
If a game averages 3 hours and 2 minutes, that’s automatically rounded to 3 hours on my head. Pace of play changes bring the average time down to 2 hours and 56 minutes. In my head, that is still rounded to 3 hours. This is all bs.
Idiots. Anyone who complains about baseball being to long or slow should’t be allowed to watch.
OMG, Las Vegas is NOT a viable option. I’m a Mets fan & our AAA is in LV. Awful. Coors without the charm & beauty of Denver Metro. Pitchers with sub-3 ERAs in MLB are 4+ in LV.
Yeah cashman field is horrible. What I hate about living in Vegas is west coast teams are blacked out.
Just eliminate the time a manager waits for the go ahead for a reply challenge…if umps need to make a call on the spot so too should the manager
One way to get more viewers is to eliminate blackouts. Why should a fan in Iowa, for example, be blocked out of watching SIX different regional teams’ games?
More viewers=more revenue=more fans.
Work on this cr*p, Manfred, not invisible runners and other half-*ssed bandaids.
p.s. Sorry, the “a” on my keyboard was temporarily offline.
Those in-market broadcasts rights are already sold, that’s why, and for big money. While you’re talking about ending blackouts you might as well talk about pitching a tent on the moon.
If I were the Commissioner, I would put some rules in effect such as removing the catcher after the seventh inning or in extra innings have dual batters come to the batters box, but one has to be a lefty and the other a right. Another change that I would make is allow tackling of players. Finally, have a new position called Bat Blocker. The person in charge of the position will stand in the opposite side of the batters box and block the bat as the batter swings.
Ladies and gents, your new Commissioner of Baseball!
How much time will not pitching intentional walks ACTUALLY save? Last year Bryce Harper lead the league in IBB with 20. Now let’s just go crazy and say the average player is intentionally walked 20 times a season and each team has 15 hitters on a 25 man roster. So that’s 300 intentional walks per team, 2 teams per game for 162 games in a season…. So 300 divided by 162 multiplied by 2 is 4 intentional walks per game rounded up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an intentional walk take more than 90 seconds and 30 of that is often discussing strategy. So assuming the 90 seconds we’re talking about cutting a game by 6 minutes (90 seconds times 4).
Now let’s remember, I severely rounded up the stats. I used some pretty major extremes to show that the game time will drop by 6 minutes. In reality intentional walks don’t happen often.
My point. That just seems dumb. Forcing players to pay attention to the game is PART of the game. Every now and then we see a crazy feat due to players paying attention to fielder gaffes. I remember a few years back Mookie Betts stole 3rd base on the same play where he barely beat out the throw to 2nd because he saw the shift forgot to cover 3rd. Back when he was a Marlin, I saw Miguel Cabrera hit a go ahead single when an intentional ball came just too close. Then there was a game where Fernando Rodriguez tried to be fancy and catch a return throw from the catcher without looking causing him to drop the ball allowing the Athletics to score, win, and to get closer in a playoff chase against the Angels.
This rule does not make games short and frankly will probably take up just as much time since most intentional walks usually have some strategy session on the mound before or after. On top of that, it takes the defense out of the picture. A major part of the game. So really, this is just a joke.
Even your estimations are way over what it would actually cost in terms of time.
Approximately 40% of games saw an intentional walk last year, so about 970 games had an intention walk. Assuming 90 seconds per IBB as you said (which I think is probably less than that), you save on average 36 seconds per game across 2,430 games in a season.
I’d much rather keep that 36 seconds in the game and still have the very very rare, but possible chance of something going awry with the IBB pitches.
That’s part of my point. Even using over the top estimations we’re talking about minor changes in time. Taking in realistic estimations and you probably get even less than the 36 seconds that your more reasonable method proposes. It just makes the potential rules change even more of a joke.
Wow. Now IBB will no longer have pitches. Thanks Manfred.
I just want the game to stay the same….
So, how does a smaller strike zone speed up the game, especially when you speed up the pitcher with a clock? Sounds like a recipe for more pitches, more walks, and longer games. Leave the game alone.
The pace is fine unless you have to listen to Joe Buck or ESPN commentators.
This might be the most accurate assessment of anything I have ever read.
Why does the word excruciating come to mind?
link to cbssports.com
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In other stupid ideas, why not make second base the new Home-plate? That way we go home 10 minutes after the end of the ninth-inning in extra-inning games.
The IBB rule change is just so lame. We probably see more IBB now because many managers dont use it for fear of messing up a pitchers or release point.
Whats Clarks issue with fewer mound visits. Honestly, i see catchers going out to the mound every pitch in late innings which is so annoying. Eliminate these and pitching coach visits. Manager comes out and its for a change.
Also, eliminate commercial breaks for pitching changes during an inning. Pitcher should come in within 30 seconds and be ready to pitch w/o warm up (thats what bullpens are for) . This will also serve as a deterrent for changes.
mound in bullpen is inconsistent with game mound
just let bob gibson be designated pitcher for every team.
They’re screwing up the game, at least for me they are. I cringed when they implemented instant replay. Youve got 4 freaking umpires. Now intentional walks will be phoned in? How long does that take? 30 seconds?
Baseball will be out of business in 10 years. The pace of game is fine; the commercials are what’s making the games marathons. Fans will stop paying to watch if they keep changing the rules so TV can put two minutes between innings etc
I wish they would leave the game alone. It’s fine as it is. If games are too long for anybody they don’t have to watch it all. I would say all involved getting paid for anything to do with a baseball game is making a fine wage whether a game lasts two and a half hours or five hours. Maybe they should have to bench a player once he has 3 hits in a game to speed up game because he’s not getting out enough. It’s insane, let it be what it is, baseball. The only clock at a baseball game required is for start of game. It’s not supposed to be a timed event which is what makes it relaxing. Can we preserve one traditional sport in this country without trying to shape it to our fast paced life schedules? Maybe make your stadiums more fun with activities between innings and down time during a game, make it a unique experience to be at a game for fans rather than watching on tv. I’m just not sure what the big problem is with length of games and why it is such a subject. Financial boost to MLB and owners profit margins on their product? If you save 15 minutes a game production cost goes down and profits up to owners so owners like commissioner and he gets job security? Or am I way off base?
You are definitely on base, and it’s sad. I agree. We have no attention spans these days. Everything has to be fast and mega ultra super! Leave baseball alone!
I called Manfred’s office today and left a message, making my feelings known. I’m gonna call again, maybe tomorrow.
Replay adds a lot of time, I’m in favor of a one minute limit. I’m actually in favor of scrapping replay altogether. I hate the stolen base calls where a finger leaves the bag for .0001 second and it’s now an out.
That’s my only replay complaint. Some of those plays if you have baggy clothes you’re safe, tight, you’re out. I mostly like it though.
Hey here’s an idea. Give the crew chief a tablet to watch the replay himself. Every stadium now has a jumbotron. Rather then rely on a set of eyes that could possibly be bias. Being that its in new York. What if a west coast game goes 17innings and the game starts at 6pm. It would be 2 am in new York.
Its really stupid to not have the umpire for the game look at the replay themselves.
It’s precisely because an ump might be influenced by the home crowd that they have an offsite crew doing the review. Then theres also no one to dispute the call with.
Can you imagine Lasorda, Martin, Cox or Weaver arguing replay calls?
Baseball is going downhill fast. I hated it when they added the DL years ago. I hated the breakup of the double play at second eliminated and no exciting play at the plate. If the strike zone is smaller that will make for more walks obviously which will make for even longer games. I hate the thought of eliminating intentional walks. Wild pitches do occur occasionally. Don’t mess up the game anymore please!
I agree would at least bring back home plate collisions. Always an exciting part of game, catcher is usually toughest guy on team so if you want to barrel into someone’s catcher go for it. It’s home base, the main goal of game, do what it takes to get there. Even if throw in beat you to plate you still had a shot at scoring. Bring it back, players look confused and not as aggressive to the goal because not sure if they are in the new rules. Second base should be a judgement call by ump if was intentional and if play was close enough to warrant a hard slide. Then the competitive edge and aggressive play is not lost.
Why hasn’t it been brought up to place cameras directly down the foul lines to properly be able to determine fair/foul balls?
If MLB really wanted to speed up the game, they would raise the mound, start calling the letter high strike, and have every game be 2-1 like it was in 1968. However, they don’t *really* want to do that. Any change to the pace of the game is window dressing. The game has more offense now, and that results in longer games. There is more information now for managers to use in managing game situations, and that results in longer games. Quit crying, Commissioner.
Because the thing that was really slowing baseball down was intentional walks
Exactly. Does anybody know average intentional walks a game? Can’t be too many. 1-2 Would save 3 minutes. How much time does broadcasting breaks for commercials cost the time of a game ? Maybe a fine for guys that get hurt and lay on the field too long? Better umpire training would make less reviews that need to be done now to get calls right which costs the only wasted minutes now as we get to watch umps stand in a circle and scratch their balls waiting for an answer. How about they show the umps on field replay on stadium big screen from all angles and they make decision right then. Would at least make more fun for fans at the games.
Just remembering how Barry Bonds sometimes dealt with his frequent free passes, by ripping off his elbow and shin protectors and hurling them towards the dugout between wide pitches. Just think of all the “look at me” moments from Barry we might have missed if this rule was around a few years ago.
Ladies and gents, let us not forget that 56 is 56 because Joe D was able to reach out and tag one on an IBB that a pitcher left a little too close to the zone to extend the streak. Even Joltin’ Joe needed the benefit of a pitchers gaffe to move from great to immortal. So what ARE we truly losing in this “insignificant ” rule change?
So it’s okay for a manager to dawdle around after every marginally close play while the guys in the back room decide if they want to challenge a play. It’s okay to run nine commercials every time you switch pitchers. It’s okay to try and break the trend of dominant pitching by squeezing the zone. It’s okay to take away Zeus-knows-how-many outs over the course of the season by taking away plays at the plate and in effect calling anyone safe who can get 50 feet down the third base line before the catcher gets the ball.
But yeah, intentional walks. They slow the game down.
I hope we don’t look back one day and see this as the first in a long line of feeble, short-sighted attempts to compromise the core of the sport for the sake of making a multimedia product that can compete with the NFL.
Got to disagree with you on one thing, plate-blocking. I have no problem with the new rule. We still see lots of runners tagged out at home, even when the throw arrives with the baserunner, just the same as we do at second and third. What’s the actual logic of a fielder being able to bodily block only only home plate? Because the catcher is wearing pads and maybe a face mask and the runner isn’t? To me that contest was always too much like, well, the NFL. I don’t miss it.
Some years ago managers were only allowed 2 visits per game to the mound, now they can go out every inning if they want to, that needs to change again. Maybe in a playoff game ok but not during the season. Commercials bring in to much money so that’s never going to change. A catcher should not be able to talk to a pitcher on the mound with nobody on base either. I like the intentional walk thing but how much time will that really save. Actually I’m Ok with a 3 hour BB game, all sports are about 3 hours anyway.
I recall no such rule in the past. Per mlb.com:
Mound Visit
Definition:
A manager or coach can make one mound visit per pitcher per inning without needing to remove the pitcher from the game. If a manager or coach visits the same pitcher twice in one inning, the pitcher must be removed from the contest.
Mound visits are limited to 30 seconds, starting when the manager or coach has exited the dugout and been granted time by the umpire.
The mound visit is considered to be concluded once the manager or coach leaves the 18-foot circle surrounding the pitching rubber, though they are permitted to temporarily leave that area to notify the umpire of a substitution. The manager or coach can then return to the mound without it being counted as two mound visits. At the discretion of the umpire, a manager or coach may be permitted to visit a pitcher to check on a potential injury without the trip being counted as an official mound visit.
History of the rule:
Mound visits had no time limit prior to the 2016 season, when Major League Baseball began limiting visits to 30 seconds.
We need to change the “pace and action” of the game? Screw this guy! Baseball is a slow mental game that is loved and understood by some. We shouldn’t change this beautiful game.