According to multiple reports, there is an agreement in place on the pace of play changes for the upcoming 2018 season. Even though Major League Baseball and the players association do not have a signed agreement on the rule changes, the agreement in place states that the MLBPA will not oppose any rule change.
A 20-second pitch clock was an idea to speed up the pace of play. However, Major League Baseball decided to instead to limit mound visits to six during a nine-inning game. In extra-inning games, teams will be allowed one visit per inning. A pitching change will not count as a visit. What also won’t count as a visit is a timeout for an offensive substitution, cleaning mud from a pitchers cleat, a visit to attend to a potential injury, or if there is a mix up between a pitcher and catcher for the safety of the umpire. Major League Baseball is hoping that this rule change can help cut nine-inning game times from three hours and five minutes last season and get it closer to the two hour and 46 second game times in 2005.
MLBPA president and former Detroit Tiger Tony Clark had this to say to the Associated Press,
“The focus on mound visits and/or the level of commitment on the other pieces simply didn’t focus enough attention on the areas the players wanted to address – so no agreement was reached,” he said in an email to the AP.
“While a number of pitchers will acknowledge that some mound visits are unnecessary, a limitation combined with what the experience has been of late in regard to technologically enhanced sign stealing means that there are concerns about how this will work … or not work.”
New telephone lines will be also be installed in all Major League ballparks to monitor phone calls in the dugout. Major League Baseball hopes that this can stop sign stealing. Which is a concern to teams if they are not allowed an unlimited amount of mound visits.
Another rule change this season, the 8 warm-up pitches granted to pitchers in between innings are no more. Major league baseball hopes this helps keep the breaks in between innings shorter.
Detroit Tigers catcher James McCann is not happy about the rule changes and had this to say about it,
“Some people may say that a catcher visiting with the pitcher isn’t a big deal,” he said, “but what if you’ve already had five mound visits and you got your closer on the mound in the ninth inning, and you’re facing the three and four hitters with guys on second and third, bases loaded? You can’t go out and talk to him?”
These changes will obviously take some time to get used to for fans. However, this is an attempt by commissioner Rob Manfred to get more people to watch baseball. Only time will tell if it will or not.
