MLB ‘extremely pleased’ with pitch clock, bigger bases to start ’23 season
Groundbreaking minor league CBA ratified
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s new rules are working as hoped through the first four days of the season.
The average game time has dropped by 30 minutes, stolen bases have doubled and batting average has increased by 16 percentage points compared to last year’s opening weekend.
Games averaged 2 hours, 38 minutes through Sunday with the new pitch clock, down from 3:08 for the first four days of the 2022 season and a 3:04 final average.
In the first year of restrictions on defensive shifts, the .246 batting average for nine-inning games was up from .230 over the first four days last year, when many games were played in cold and wet weather. Left-handed batting average increased to .232 from .229 in last year’s first four days and right-handed average went up to .254 from .230.
“We are extremely pleased with the early returns,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday. “Fan reaction has been positive to the brisker pace with more action. And players have made a great adjustment to the changes.”
Larger bases have cut the distance between bags by 4½ inches, and stolen bases rose to an average of 1.4 per game from 0.6.
“I think it’s in everybody’s mind, like, whoa, I can run more. And the more you run and you’re successful with it, the more you’re going to run,” Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin said.
Success rate on steal attempts rose to 85% from 67.4%.
“If teams are going to be successful at it, then you’re going to continue to see a high volume of teams pushing the envelope,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Over objections from players, the 11-man competition committee adopted a pitch clock of 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners. It also required two infielders to be on either side of second base and all infielders to be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber. Players supported increasing bases to 18-inch squares from 15-by-15, proposed as a safety measure.
These were the most significant rules changes since the pitcher’s mound was lowered from 15 inches to 10 for the 1969 season and the American League adopted the designated hitter in 1973, a rule that was extended to the National League in 2022 following its temporary use during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
The clock has had a noticeable impact so far, with Colorado-San Diego taking 2:03 on Sunday, Cleveland-Seattle 2:04 on Saturday and the New York MetsMiami 2:09 on Friday.
There were 41 pitch-clock violations in the first 50 games, an average of 0.82. Of those, 29 were on pitchers, 11 on batters and one on a catcher.
“I don’t think it’s wrong to take a semi-victory lap right now,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said, “but we’ll see how it evolves.”
MINOR LEAGUE: Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved an initial fiveyear labor contract with minor league players on Monday that will more than double player salaries.
The agreement was reached last Wednesday and ratified by players on Friday.
Minor league players formed a bargaining unit during a rapid 17-day organization drive as part of the Major League Baseball Players Association last September and MLB voluntarily recognized the union rather than force a National Labor Relations Board election.
“Meeting throughout the offseason, we made tremendous progress over a short period of time,” MLB said in a statement. “This agreement builds upon the significant effort MLB undertook four years ago to modernize baseball’s player development system, including increased salaries, free housing, improved facilities, better clubhouse conditions, and reduced in-season travel with better geographical alignment.”
Unlike the Major League labor contract that sets yearly salary minimums, the minor league deal specifies weekly minimums. They are, according to details obtained by The Associated Press:
■ Rookie league: $675 in 2023 and ’24, $700 in ’25, $710 in ’26 and $720 in ’27.
■ Class A: $850 in 2023 and ’24, $870 in ’25, $885 in ’26 and $905 in ’27.
■ High Class A: $900 in 2023 and ’24, $920 in ’25, $935 in ’26 and $955 in ’27.
■ Double-A: $1,000 in 2023 and ’24, $1,020 in ’25, $1,040 in ’26 and $1,026 in ’27.
■ Triple-A: $1,200 in 2023 and 24, $1,225 in ’25, $1,250 in ’26 and $1,275 in ’27.
Pay for spring training and offseason work at team complexes will be $625 weekly in 2024, $650 in ’25, $660 in ’26 and $670 in ’27.
Pay for offseason off-site work will be $250 weekly in 2023 and ’24. $255 in ’25, $260 in ’26 and $265 in ’27.
In addition, players will receive free housing as long as they earn more than $4,666.67 weekly, which comes to about $110,000 over a 25 ½-week Triple-A season. Housing had long been a point of contention.