READY FOR SOME BASEBALL?
Opening of spring training puts focus squarely on three major rule changes
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil thinks he’ll adapt quickly to MLB’s big shift — really, an anti-shift.
‘‘I’m playing a normal second base now instead of in short right field,’’ said McNeil, the reigning National League batting champion. ‘‘I’ve been playing second base my whole life, so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust to.’’
Spring training opens Monday in Florida and Arizona for players reporting early ahead of the World Baseball Classic, and the rest of the pitchers and catchers will start workouts two days later.
After an offseason of record spending in which the Mets approached a $370 million payroll, Opening Day on March 30 will feature three of the biggest changes since the pitcher’s mound was lowered for the 1969 season:
◆ Two infielders will be required on either side of second base, and all infielders must be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber.
◆ Base size will increase to 18-inch squares from 15 inches, resulting in a decreased distance of 4½ inches.
◆ A pitch clock will be used. It will be set at 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners on.
‘‘This has been an eight-year effort for us,’’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, thinking back to when the first experiments were formulated. ‘‘I hope we get what our fans want — faster, more action, more athleticism.’’
Spring training started a month late last year because of the lockout, and many players scrambled for deals as camps opened. This offseason has proceeded more normally, and some of the focus will be on stars with new homes: Jacob deGrom (Rangers), Justin Verlander (Mets), Trea Turner (Phillies) and Xander Bogaerts (Padres).
Some teams also have new managers in Pedro Grifol (White Sox), Bruce Bochy (Rangers), Matt Quatraro (Royals) and Skip Schumaker (Marlins). What they face is far different from the challenges thrown at John McGraw and Connie Mack. Or even Earl Weaver and Billy Martin.
The timelessness of baseball spanned a century and a half in a sport obsessed with its sepia-toned history of flannel-clad pioneers. As it turns out, however, all those dead minutes became an annoyance in an age of decreased attention spans and increased entertainment competition.
The average time of a nine-inning game stretched from 2 hours, 30 minutes in the mid-1950s to 2:46 in 1989 and to 3:10 in 2021 before dropping to 3:04 last season.
‘‘Pitch clock, I’m thrilled about,’’ Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ‘‘Speed the game up. They get too long. If we’re playing the Red Sox or playing the Yankees, they turn into four-hour ballgames.’’
The use of a slightly stricter clock in the minors (14 seconds without runners/19 seconds with runners at Triple-A and 14/18 at lower levels) cut the average game time from 3:03 in 2021 to 2:38 last season.
‘‘My guess is in April you’re going to probably see some incidents,’’ Guardians manager Terry Francona said. ‘‘It’s inevitable. Hitters are going to step out, or somebody’s going to get a ball.’’
With the rise in shifts and higher velocity pitches, batting average dropped from .269 in 2006 to .243 last season, its lowest since the record of .239 in 1968. Batting average for left-handed hitters was .236 last season, down from .254 in 2016, when lefties were one point below the big-league average.
Defensive shifts on balls in play totaled 70,853 last season, according to revised totals from Sports Info Solutions. That’s up from 59,063 in 2021 and 2,349 in 2011.
‘‘I think for left-handed hitters, we’re trying to put the game back where it was historically,’’ Manfred said.