Union chief Clark not happy with shortened pitch clock
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball's move to slice two seconds off the pitch clock with runners on base is too much, too soon, according to players' association head Tony Clark.
The clock is shortening to 18 seconds from 20 with men on base and will stay at 15 seconds with no one on.
“That's a conversation that should have warranted a much longer dialogue than what we had,” Clark said Saturday. “We voiced those concerns, players voiced those concerns, and yet, the push through of the change to the pitch clock still happened.”
MLB introduced new rules last season — including a pitch clock and bigger bases — that cut average game times by 24 minutes to 2 hours, 40 minutes, the quickest since 1984.
“We just had the biggest adjustment this league has ever seen in regards to length of game and how the game was affected, by including a clock,” Clark said. “Rather than give us another year to adjust and adapt to it, why are we adjusting again, and what are the ramifications going to be?"
Clark's main concern is that pitchers have less time between pitches to recover, particularly when maximum effort and pitch velocity are so important.
“When fatigue happens, you're more susceptible to injury,” Clark said. “We're seeing a lot of injuries and we're seeing them in a way that simply can't remove the question of whether or not shortening recovery time is in anyone's best interest.”
Burnes sharp in his first outing
Corbin Burnes' first outing with his new team looked like an abbreviated version of a typical performance with his old one.
Burnes worked one scoreless inning for the Baltimore Orioles and struck out the first two batters he faced Saturday in the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner's Grapefruit League debut. The Orioles went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on a walk-off homer from prospect Colton Cowser.
The Orioles acquired Burnes last month in a trade that sent left-hander DL Hall, infielder Joey Ortiz and a 2024 competitive balance pick to the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Today was just getting the feet wet, getting out there on the mound, feel the adrenaline going again in a game situation and then get to work with Adley a little bit,” Burnes said of catcher Adley Rutschman.
Burnes, 29, went 45-27 with a 3.26 ERA in six seasons with the Brewers.
Anderson eager for a fresh start
Tim Anderson is hoping his return to health and a fresh start with a new team can help him bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season.
The Miami Marlins finalized their one-year, $5 million deal with the former Chicago White Sox shortstop on Saturday.
Anderson, a two-time All-Star, had hit over .300 in four consecutive seasons before batting just .245 last year. Anderson said dealing with a sprained medial collateral ligament took a toll on him.
“I had nothing to hit up against,” Anderson said. “That led to a lot of ground balls. No excuses. I kept working. I feel good today. I feel healthy. I'm ready to go and I'm excited.”
Big prospect hits big blast in debut
Spencer Jones, the New York Yankees' first-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, hit an estimated 470-foot pinch homer to right-center off Detroit's Mason Englert in his first spring training at bat in a 22-10 Yankees win.
“The wind helped a little bit for sure,” Jones said. “But it felt good.”
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound outfielder was 3 for 3 with four RBIs. He also was hit by a pitch.
Odds and ends
The Reds agreed to minor league contracts with infielder Mike Ford and former Astros utilityman Tony Kemp. Kemp, 32, hit .209 with a .303 on-base percentage, five homers, 27 RBIs and 15 steals in 124 games with Oakland . ... New York Mets right-hander Shintaro Fujinami left camp temporarily to return home to Japan to deal with a personal matter . ... The Milwaukee Brewers' Cactus League opener with the San Diego Padres turned into a father-son affair. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy's son Kai hit a two-run double for the Padres in the seventh inning of the Brewers' 11-7 victory . ... Free agent Jurickson Profar and the Padres finalized a $1 million, one-year contract.