Rule changes’ goals are busier basepaths

Johnny Cueto looked upward. Glanced to his right. Pulled his head slightly back. Flashed a little smile. Then a big one.

This was the Giants pitcher ’s reaction to Thursday’s latest round of rule changes that will be implemented in the minor leagues this year, including the stepoff rule for pitchers that’ll give a significant advantage to baserunners.

Cueto asked in Spanish, “When is that going to start?”

At the beginning of the minorleague season.

“Great. OK. Damn,” he responded in English.

The changes, according to MLB, are designed to “increase action on the basepaths, create more balls in play, improve the pace and length of games and reduce player injuries.”

For instance, the stepoff rule. In highA ball, pitchers must step off the rubber before throwing to a bag in an attempt to pick off a runner. Meantime, in lowA, two pickoff attempts are granted per plate appearance — on the third, if the runner isn’t caught, it’s a balk.

These changes would help enhance the running game, which has lost popularity because of the focus on power.

Cueto has one of the game’s great pickoff moves, and the news about the stepoff rule caught him off guard.

“Obviously, once you throw twice to first,” Cueto said, “the runner knows he’s not going to throw to first anymore, so now they’re trying to give the advantage to the hitters as opposed to the pitchers.”

Cueto is 35, and there’s a decent chance the rule wouldn’t reach the majors while he’s active. It could be a different story for A’s lefthander Jesus Luzardo, 23, who said the rule changes wouldn’t concern him because he doesn’t generally try repeated pickoffs.

“I feel we do a pretty good job with the holds,” Luzardo said. “For me, it wouldn’t cause a problem. A lot of guys would feel the same way.”

Different rule changes will be implemented at different minorleague levels. In TripleA, bases will be larger, from 15inch squares to 18inch squares, with better grip.

Not just to help prevent injuries but to make the bases slightly closer to each other. Baserunners will reach the bag a tad bit quicker. Batters could get more infield hits or bunt singles.

“I agree our game can be a little bit too slow,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “There’s a lot of good athletes in this game, whether it’s defensively or on the bases, that fans actually want to see.”

In DoubleA, the shift will be minimized with infielders remaining on the dirt and, in the season’s second half, two infielders situated on each side of second base.

“I really don’t like the four outfielders or the rover out there in rightcenter field,” Melvin said. “My personal opinion, I just don’t like that guy out in rightcenter that takes what should be a hit away from some of the good lefthanded hitters.”

Other rules in lowA include expanded robo umpires and the enforcement of time limits between pitches.

“What I’m most interested in is the fans getting a really exciting brand of baseball,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “A rule implemented at the minorleague level designed to make the game move quickly and provide a little bit more advantage to a baserunner is a really cool thing to experiment with.”