MLB to experiment in the minors
Rule that would allow stealing first base not in plans
The most intriguing rule change Major League Baseball has toyed with is one that will not be tested in the minors this year.
It’s the only rule where the baseball is alive.
The rule that’s been forgotten? Allowing the steal of first base.
MLB announced this week a handful of rule changes that will be experimented with in the minors during the 2021 season. There are different rules being tested at each level, with six rule changes in total spread across four levels.
The intention is clear: create more opportunities for stolen bases and more incentive to put the ball in play, but without curtailing the offensive explosion the game has probably benefited from.
After tinkering with most of these rule changes in the Atlantic League in recent seasons, MLB took a handful of its favorites — and arguably the most conservative — to test in the minors, giving the game’s next generation of prospects a chance to feel them out.
But the steal of first base, a strange rule that created some interesting scenarios in the Atlantic League, did not make the cut.
The idea was to allow hitters to make up their mind in real time whether or not they want to become a baserunner before ever swinging the bat. At any point when the baseball is on the ground — either a wild pitch, passed ball or if a catcher simply doesn’t catch a ball cleanly — the batter can take off for first base.
The first-ever steal of first base took place on July 13, 2019, when Tony Thomas, a 32-year-old outfielder for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, took off for first base in the seventh inning of a tie game. On a wild pitch, the catcher instinctively asked the umpire for a new ball, but the old ball was technically still in play and Thomas started running, according to an account in the USA Today.
Thomas made it to first base safely and started a three-run rally. His cleats are now in Cooperstown.
“Change is always different; there’s always going to be backlash no matter what,” Thomas told USA Today. “Will it stand? I don’t know.
“It’s pretty cool to be a part of history, though.”
The idea that a dropped pitch at any point in an atbat could create a live ball isn’t far from the dropped-third-strike rule, and it seemed like an exciting way to keep fans’ attention on the field at all times, even between pitches.
It’d also create some interesting decision making for managers while injecting the nearly-extinct speed-reliant player back into the game.
The rules that are being tested this year lean in that direction anyways. They’re mostly centered on two things: more baserunners and a quicker pace of play.
It all boils down to speed. And if some of these rules end up being liked by the players and taken into the collective bargaining negotiations at the end of the year, perhaps the steal of first base isn’t too far from being one of the next rules that gets tested.
It’s also worth noting that commissioner Rob Manfred has the power to implement rule changes as he sees fit, regardless of whether or not the players sign off on them, as long as he waits one year after proposing the rule.
Of the six new rules being tested in the minors, here’s our guess as to which are most likely to make it to the big leagues in the coming years (ranked by most likely to least likely):
1. Larger bases (all Triple-A leagues): Increasing the bases from 15 inches in length to 18 inches sounds minimal, but MLB thinks it’ll decrease injuries on collisions near the base while simultaneously increasing stolen bases. It could also have the effect of speedy hitters dropping down more bunts, or a few extra groundballs getting beat out for infield singles.
2. Limiting pitcher step-offs (all Low-A leagues): Limiting pitchers to just two stepoffs per plate appearance isn’t a huge leap. It’s rare to see more than two anyways, but with a firm limit and a harsh penalty (a balk is called on a third failed pickoff attempt), it should help move the game along.
3. Altering the step-off rule (all High-A leagues): Requiring pitchers to completely disengage the rubber before a pickoff attempt would seriously impact left-handed pitchers known for having great moves. Stolen bases are sure to go up. They went up 70% in the second half of the Atlantic League season last year when the rule was first tested.
4. Pitch clock (Low-A West): A 15-second pitch-clock is bold. Some pitchers have been known to average close to 30 seconds between pitches. Can veteran pitchers who have done it one way their whole careers be able to change without seriously impacting their performance?
5. Automatic strike zone (Low-A Southeast): The idea is that the robot umpires won’t replace home plate umpires, but simply assist them. And as much as some folks want to see it happen, there are too many variables here that could accidentally change the game quite drastically while the technology evolves.
6. Limiting of shifts (all Double-A leagues): Here’s the rule that will turn any dinner party into a violent shouting match. As the game has changed, so too has the strategy. Curbing the evolution by limiting all infielders to stay on the infield grass (and eventually keeping two infielders on each side of second base) eliminates strategy and kills creativity. Most in the industry expect too much blowback for this rule to survive.