By James Oliden and Fabiola Aceves, April 11, 2023
Major League Baseball announced many rule changes last September that will go into effect for the 2023 season, including introducing a pitch clock, banning defensive shifts and increasing base sizes by 3 inches.
The pitch clock raised concerns through spring training. The new rule means pitchers will begin the motion toward the plate before the 15 second timer ends or 20 seconds with one runner on the base.
A pitch clock has been present in college baseball for a few years; however, an umpire would rarely penalize a player who failed to meet time. On the other hand, the rules are now being enforced just as strict as they are at the major league level. The new enforcement of these rules in college baseball is a concept that head coach Randy Betten has already prepared the team for.
“I’ve seen some stuff on the internet of some games being lost or guys being called out or things like that,” said head coach of the Cal Poly Pomona men’s baseball team Randy Betten. “We addressed it with our team early in the year, not starting in September, so we kind of got our players up to speed with that early.”
The pitch clock does not only affect the pitcher but the batter as well. The new rule in the major league demands the batter step into the box ready for the pitch with at least eight seconds remaining, while granting one timeout per at-bat which resets the clock.
Pitching is an already nerve-wracking experience, but pitch clocks can add to this pressure. CPP pitcher Rhys Stevens does not think that is the case.
“I wouldn’t say it adds more pressure, I would just say it helps the speed of the game a little bit,” said Stevens. “If the rule were to apply to college baseball, it would speed up the game as well, since their pitch clock is only 20 seconds.
Stevens acknowledged that there are some disadvantages to this new change for pitchers. He talked about a situation that happened during spring training to a Boston Red Sox pitcher.
“They ended up walking the guy because they gave him a ball because he overused the clock, and they get the run scored and they lost,” said Stevens.
Communication between a pitcher and catcher needs to be as seamless as possible due to the added element of pitch clocks. Thankfully, pitchers can now use new technology to help them on the field.
“I think that they’ve implemented this new technology that the pitchers have on their gloves to be able to press what they want to throw,” said Stevens in reference to the PitchCom device which allows catchers to transmit pitch signals to the pitchers.
Regarding the new rule in the major leagues, CPP’s catcher Johnny Pappas believes the decreased time will add more pressure to the pitcher during the game.
“The sign given between myself as the catcher and the pitcher has to be seamless because now if the pitcher doesn’t see a sign that I give and shakes me off or tells me to give it again, I have seven seconds to give him a sign again, and then if he doesn’t get it then it’s a ball,” Pappas said.
Along with the pitch timer, there is also a new emphasis on banning the shift.
The new rule in the major league requires two infielders on each side of second base when a pitch is released and that all four infielders must have their feet in the outer boundary of the infield.
“Everybody has their own opinion,” said Betten. “I like the ability to move. We move our outfield, we move our infield here at college. We don’t quite have the shift as much as what they were doing in the big leagues. But, I would like to see the game go back to, you play two guys on the left side, two guys on the right side, and they have to start on the dirt.”
With the introduction of analytics and teams attempting to get an advantage during each at-bat, shifting was a popular way for teams to limit the danger of a batter.
In reference to the shift change and how it would change strategies to those who are playing defensively at a professional level, Pappas said, “It’s going to allow more action, more base hits — that’s going to make the defenders have to be better.”
Stevens believes that it can benefit both sides offensively and defensively.
“You can still figure out where the guys are going to hit it, and you can still make plays,” said Stevens. “It just allows guys to be able to hit where they’re most commonly known for hitting the baseball and not have to make some kind of crazy adjustment to the shift.”
The last of the major rules introduced into professional baseball was the increase of base sizes from 15 to 18 inches.
The main thought behind this change is the protection of players colliding into each other and attempting to avoid runners stepping on fielders’ ankles.
Stevens agreed that the increase in base sizes can decrease injuries since many receive an injury when sliding headfirst into the base.
“Guys get hurt a lot sliding headfirst,” said Stevens.
Pappas also agreed that the bigger bases will decrease injuries since there is now more space.
“I feel like now there’s much more room between the first baseman’s foot and all the area the runner can now step on,” said Pappas.
In regard to the bases decreasing injuries, the question also arises about the decrease in momentum during the running of the bases.
Pappas believes that the way players have been taught to run as a player will prepare them for bigger bases if the rule applies to college baseball in the future.
“The way that we’re taught to run, I think it will translate into bigger bases,” said Pappas.
Stevens also agreed the base size change would not be a disruption since players are already pretty quick around the bases.
“It’s already a pretty quick thing with the 15 inches,” Stevens said. “I would say it would pretty much stay the same.”
In an attempt to shorten baseball games and increase interest in the sport. These rule changes should decrease the game completion time and introduce more offense and exciting moments for fans and players alike.
Feature image by Lauren Wong
