MLB Rule Changes

on the clock, and two more clocks in the outfield on either side of the batter’s eye to remind the hitter. Although there have been mixed reactions from major league players, with some worried about the clocks potentially rushing pitchers, there is no doubt that this rule achieves its purpose: to shorten games.

The average time of a major league baseball game in 2022 was 3 hours and 4 minutes, 6 minutes shy of 2021’s record of the longest average game. Minor league games that have been tested with the pitch clock however last only 2 hours and 39 minutes on average, an almost 25-minute decrease in game time.

Although debates are bound to continue on the issue of pitch clocks, there is no arguing that they reduce game time by cutting out the most boring part of baseball games: the time in between pitches. It will be interesting to see the impact that this rule has on baseball and the reactions the fanbase exhibits.

Next, the MLB banned the shift by requiring that, before the ball is pitched, all four infielders must be on the infield dirt or grass and that there must be two infielders on each side of second base. Infielders will be able to move freely after the ball is pitched. If a player gets on base through a hit ball while a shift violation is being committed by the defending team, the play stands and no penalties are committed. If the batter commits an out while the violation is present, the batting team is either able to accept the penalty and have a ball added to the hitter’s count, or decline it and have the outcome of the play stand.

The shift notoriously overwhelmingly impacts power-hitting pull hitters, preying on their inability to hit to the opposite field by stacking infielders on the side of the field that they pull to. For instance, the third baseman would shift to play as another second baseman for a left-handed batter. The shift has dramatically reduced batting averages and singles, especially for left-handed batters, and its banning in the minor leagues saw the average left-handed batting average rise by 8 points.

Overall the banning of the shift has been met with positive feedback, as its extreme use in the big leagues has especially frustrated left-handed pull hitters to no end. The introduction of a shift ban will theoretically increase the number of singles in baseball and the overall batting average in the MLB, and will most likely simply force teams to come up with more creative methods of limiting hits (outfielder shifts?).

Another new rule in the MLB this season is the limiting of pickoff attempts per batter. Pitchers will be allowed to disengage the mound, which can include pickoffs, fake pickoffs, and simply stepping off the rubber, twice per batter unless a runner advances to a new base within the same plate appearance.

If this rule is violated and the pitcher disengages a third time, the pitcher is charged with a balk and all batters are allowed to advance a base. This rule was implemented to combat the lack of stolen bases over the past few years in the MLB, with pitchers throwing to first unlimited times to scare runners from attempting to steal bases. With this rule being enforced in the minor leagues, stolen base attempts rose drastically, and it will be exciting to hopefully see the reemergence of stolen bases as part of baseball strategy,

The last major rule change for this season is the