Players still leery of rules changes; more to come, too
some time,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said at Pirates camp last month. “A lot of our guys have been connected to the game so long that they are very sensitive to significant changes.”
Manfred can unilaterally impose the changes one year after notifying the union.
“We know not based on impressions or thoughts — we know based on really fundamental research — what our fans think about the game,” Manfred said at a news conference last month.
The research relates to the habits of television viewers and when they tune out of games, “which is not at the end of the game,” Pirates union representative Gerrit Cole said. “It’s in the middle at some point.”
In addition to making official the no-pitch intentional walk, the rules announced Thursday put a 30-second limit on managers deciding to challenge and a conditional twominute “guideline” for replay officials to rule on a play. Speaking earlier this week, before the announcement, David Freese proposed a similar idea.
“They show replays on the scoreboard while they’re trying to figure it out in New York, and 40,000 people know the answer a minute and a half before it comes back down to the umps,” Freese said.
Raising the bottom of the strike zone would hypothetically lead to more balls in play. Pitchers, understandably, dislike the idea, especially because that lost real estate is not made up elsewhere. Hitters aren’t wild about it, either.
“I don’t like it. I think it’s a drastic change,” Freese said. “A couple umps have asked me in the last couple games what I think. Both umpires have had the same opinion where, it’s stuck for so long, why change it?”
Twenty-second pitch clocks went into effect at the Class AA and AAA levels beginning with the 2015 season. Those who have experienced them had mixed reviews. Players disliked the penalty of a called ball; Reliever Jared Hughes has heard of such a penalty resulting in walk-off walks. Even pitchers who work quickly noted a difference.
“When guys who aren’t even really affected by the clock, are now affected by a clock, it’s not something that we’re interested in,” Cole said.
Players feel strongly about mound visits, noting the importance of communication.
“‘Hey, let’s do an inside move, let’s get this guy closer, he’s picking your signs,’ ” Josh Harrison said. “It could be anything. But, if you limit that, that’s an advantage that the other team has at the end of the day.”
Streamlining the game to retain viewers will help MLB continue to negotiate lucrative national TV deals, the spoils of which help pay players’ salaries. They understand that. But they also understand that commercials aren’t going anywhere.
“It’s one of those doubleedged swords, what are you going to do?” catcher Chris Stewart said. “Do you want to cut back on income that we’re generating by that, or do you want to speed games up?”
Other rule changes clarified an existing rule about a pitcher moving his pivot foot, outlawed the use of position markers for fielders, moved the beginning of the crew chief review when a manager is out of challenges from the seventh inning to the eighth and mandated that base coaches stay in their box.