New Rules

The Super Bowl has come and gone, and pitchers & catchers start reporting to Spring Training this weekend.  That can only mean one thing.  Baseball season is right around the corner!  And the 2023 season will be the dawn of a new era for MLB.  Not just because of the new schedule featuring every team playing each of the other 29 for the first time, but because of several significant rules changes that will likely have a major impact on how the game is played.

One of the "new" rules isn't new at all.  And the news about it is unfortunate.  The tiebreaker rule, where a runner is placed on second base at the start of every extra inning, is here to stay.  Introduced in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and kept in 2021 because of the shortened Spring Training, they used it again last season because of the lockout.  Fans hate it.  But players, owners and broadcasters like shorter games, and managers and GMs like how it places less of a burden on the pitching staff.  As a result, we're stuck with it.

While I don't mind the tiebreaker rule in tournaments like the World Baseball Classic or Olympics, I've never been a fan of using it in the Major League regular season and likely never will be.  I have, however, seen a suggested compromise that I think could work.  Don't start it until the 12th inning.  Let them play the 10th and 11th normal, then go to the tiebreaker after that.  That gives the players two innings to try and win the game the regular way before starting the inning with the free runner.  And the statistics back it up.  A majority of extra-inning games end in either the 10th or 11th.  So, if they go beyond that, then you speed them up.

Another existing rule that has been tweaked involves position players pitching.  The amount of times position players took the mound has actually increased significantly over the past few seasons since the rule was put in place, and neither the players nor the owners were happy about that.  So, they changed it.  Now you can only do it if your team is losing by at least eight runs or up by 10 or more in the 9th.  Position players can also pitch anytime in extra innings.

Neither of those rules is new, so neither should make much of a difference.  The three new rules being introduced this season certainly will, though.  I'm not saying the pitch clock, shift restrictions and bigger bases will have the seismic impact of lowering the mound in 1969 and the designated hitter in 1973.  But you'll definitely be able to tell whether a game was played in 2023 or earlier.

Let's start with the pitch clock.  Pitchers will have 15 seconds between pitches with the bases empty and 20 with runners on base, and hitters must be in the box with eight seconds left.  The penalty for taking too long is either an automatic ball or automatic strike.  Pitchers are also limited to only two step-offs or pickoff attempts per plate appearance.  A third must be successful or will result in a balk.

Because of the new rules, pitchers like the Astros' Luis Garcia and the Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman will have to adjust their windup or be at risk of being called for a balk.  Teams have been warned that balk enforcement will be a point of emphasis this season after it has been inconsistent over the past few years.  With the pitch clock, though, this is a good time to go back to the rulebook definition of a balk, the whole purpose of which is to prevent pitchers from deliberately deceiving baserunners.

In addition to reducing the length of games, the pitch clock should have a major impact in another area.  With pickoff attempts limited, the amount of stolen base attempts should increase.  The running game has become almost nonexistent in modern baseball, but stolen base attempts were up 26 percent in the Minors last year, where they were experimenting with these rules.  That doesn't mean every team will run more.  But some will definitely take advantage.

That's not the only reason stolen base attempts will go up.  The bases will also be three inches bigger, meaning they'll be slightly closer together.  While the difference between 15 inches and 18 inches doesn't sound like a lot, just think of the number of bang-bang plays that were outs previously, but would now result in the runner being safe.  It also makes the distance from home to first and third to home slightly shorter.

So, yes, expect teams to be more likely to run with the bigger bases, even if that wasn't the main purpose for the change.  MLB made the switch for player safety reasons.  They found that the larger bases reduced injuries on those close plays by 13 percent in 2022, since they give both the fielder and the runner more room and a collision less likely.

I've saved the best for last, because this final rule change is one that many fans have been clamoring for and are now finally getting.  Say goodbye to the ridiculous overshift where the second baseman is in short right field and there's nobody on the left side of the infield!  Now, teams will be required to have two infielders on either side of second base, and all four of them must have both feet on the infield dirt when the pitch is thrown.

Left-handed hitters are likely just as overjoyed as some fans about this rule change!  Now, those balls that were always hits until a few years ago will once again be hits.  Infielders will have to make plays based on their skill again.  Third basemen won't be trying to turn double plays at second.  More importantly, now that those hits will be hits again, batting averages will go up and strikeouts will go down.  In other words, there will be more action.

Players will have a chance to get some experience with the rule changes during Spring Training, but the World Baseball Classic throws a very interesting wrinkle into that plan.  The WBC is playing under 2022 Major League rules.  So, no pitch clock.  No bigger bases.  No shift restrictions.  Which means the players who are taking part in the WBC (some of whom are the biggest names in baseball) won't get as much of an adjustment period.  They'll literally be learning on the fly.

Another interesting dynamic is that the younger players actually have the advantage when it comes to the new rules.  These rules were tested in the Minors, so anyone who played in the Minors last year already has some experience with them.  In fact, since they're already used to them, they might not need an adjustment at all.  That certainly won't be the case for Major League veterans, some of whom are very deliberate with their rituals, which may or may not still be legal under the new guidelines.

There are some things that won't be changing, though.  There's no word on expanded replay, although I wouldn't mind seeing some changes to the replay system.  Specifically on the types of plays that can be challenged.  And, fortunately, we'll still have the home plate umpire calling balls and strikes.  The automated strike zone is probably coming at some point relatively soon, but not this year.

Even without the automated strike zone, we're entering a whole new baseball world in 2023.  Three significant rule changes will take effect.  Rule changes that are designed not only to make the games shorter, but to create a better product on the field.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always a fan of change.  I am, however, optimistic that these changes will have the desired effect and truly mark the start of a new era for Major League Baseball.