The people who are changing the rules for Major League Baseball don’t like baseball. They specifically don’t like pitchers dominating baseball.
The people who have forced in “pace of play” rules have no interest in the quality of play, nor the quality (or health) of pitchers themselves. Apparently, pitchers should stop striking out batters at a record pace, stop being able to hold baserunners close to the bag, and just let the hitters hit and run wild.
They may as well just make MLB into one big video game, catering to the short attention span crowd.
Let’s start here: If baseball is “dying” and in desperate need of rule changes that will hurt the quality of play but speed things up in order to attract more eyeball$, then how can any team/business partner afford to give Manny Machado a new 11-year contract for $350 million dollars? Does that sound like a sound business move for a “dying” business?
All the blather about baseball “dying” is and has been utter nonsense. What we are witnessing is a ripe and $ucce$$ful industry that’s focused 100% on getting even more $ucce$$ful. That’s it. And they’re willing to do it because they don’t care enough about the quality of the product.
Ironically, shortly before he signed his phat new contract, Machado became the first “victim” of the most egregious error among baseball’s new rule changes implemented by the shortsighted owners. In a very early spring training game, the San Diego Padres third baseman didn’t get in the batter’s box fast enough and had an automatic strike called against him in a spring training game.
Talk about sending mixed signals…
On one hand, MLB is saying the Machado is worth this exorbitant amount of money and they have no trouble paying it, and on the other hand, our industry is dying so we better start making sure the casual fan will put down their cell phones and pay attention to us ‘cuz we need their money.
In the process of speeding things up, the on-field product is going to suffer.
Things got comical in a spring training game between the Mets and Nationals. After being called for a balk for going too fast, and having a double play ground out nullified by a pitch clock violation, Max Scherzer proceeded to quick pitch the Nats Riley Adams – who was being rushed through his preparation process and wasn’t ready – and strike him out.
Those in favor of this stupid rule change will still expect pitchers like Scherzer and hitters like Machado to continue to put up their typical great stats, even while forcing them to change the process they’ve always used to help make them so successful in the first place. “We want you to do what you’ve always done, but we’re taking away the valuable preparation time you’ve had to get ready to do it.”
Some pitchers like to work fast, and the defensive play behind him typically improves. But all players aren’t created equal, and forcing a guy to change his process while still expecting him to perform the same way is just nuts.
This clock garbage also includes handicapping the pitchers who are trying to hold base runners close to the bag before delivering the next pitch. MLB decided to increase the size of the bases in order to encourage more base stealing attempts. They’re also limiting the pitchers ability to throw to first (two throws max, with a third allowable IF it is successful and the baserunner is out…or it’s a balk) or even step off the pitching rubber to disrupt a would be base stealers rhythm.
If you’ve “disengaged from the pitching rubber” already twice during an at-bat, and a bug flies into your eye while you getting ready to throw to the plate, forcing you to step back off the rubber and wipe your face…you just committed a balk.
Sounds fair, doesn’t it?
Yes, today’s MLB pitchers have just been too good at their jobs. They needed to be reigned in.
What utter garbage.
If pace of play is such an egregious problem, then why doesn’t MLB do something that will actually, really help the game – like calling a strike a strike?
What they should be doing is helping umpires re-define what a strike looks like. By rule, if any part of the ball crosses any part of the plate – including the black edges – arm pits to knees, it should be called strike. Throw a pitch that nicks the black edge of the outside corner with just a small part of the ball, and it should be called a strike.
If umpires – all of them – simply starting calling that strike a strike, then hitters would be forced to swing at pitches earlier in the count instead of dragging out every at-bat looking for the perfect pitch to swing at because they can take a pitch that’s a millimeter off the outside corner.
Currently, that’s not the case. Currently, hitters don’t have to swing at those pitches. If they did, then guess what would happen? Shorter at-bats. More balls put in play earlier in the count. More guys running the bases. A quicker pace. Fewer pitching changes. Fewer pitches thrown. Fewer arm injuries.
All without a stupid clock.
Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkKnudson41
