NEWSLETTER
I know not everyone agrees with me on this, but my position is that the new rules – the pitch clock, in particular – have lead to a more enjoyable brand of baseball so far this spring. The game moves at a reasonable pace, without significant dead time sucking the air out of the game (it’ll be even more noticeable in the regular season, when the games actually matter). So I was dreading it when reports indicated that tweaks to the new rules were coming – I didn’t want to see MLB implement a successful pitch clock, and then undermine its own efforts because one out of every 300 pitches looks awkward.
Thankfully, that’s not going to be the case:
The clock is still going to be 15 seconds with no runners on base, 20 seconds with runners on base, and hitters have to be ready and alert to the pitcher with 8 seconds remaining. No changes there.
Instead, the tweaks/clarifications all seem pretty well-informed and reasonable. You can read the ESPN piece for the full rundown, but basically the tweaks are about when the clock starts if an involved player should fairly be given more time (for example, when a catcher finishes an inning on base or at bat; when a batter loses his helmet because he had to dive out of the way of a pitch; etc.).
The clock, fundamentally, is not changing from what we’ve seen so far in Spring Training, and that’s a good thing. I’m not saying they got it perfect on the first try, but in the vast majority of circumstances, everything has operated the way it should. These are professional players – most of whom have at least some experience with a clock in the minor leagues – and they can adjust.
