Embrace the chaos as spring training begins
PEORIA, Ariz. — It was set to be the most scrutinized and dissected spring training game in baseball history.
Major League Baseball officials, including the entire senior baseball operations staff led by vice presidents Morgan Sword and Mike Hill, along with consultant Theo Epstein, flew into Phoenix to witness the event.
The San Diego Padres hosted the Seattle Mariners at 3:10 p.m. ET Friday at the Peoria Sports Complex as the first official spring training game – with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals also playing Friday in Surprise, Arizona – with the most dramatic rule changes in the history of the sport going into effect.
It had All-Star infielders Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts pondering questions in the Padres clubhouse Thursday with no definitive answer.
“So, what happens,” Machado innocently asked, “if the umpire has to take a leak? Does he get penalized?”
Outfielders Julio Rodriguez and Jared Kelenic spent the morning discussing new baserunning strategy in the Mariners’ clubhouse.
“We’re not going to try to change the game too much,” Kelenic says, “but we are definitely interested to see how we can use these new rules to our advantage.”
Padres starter Nick Martinez, set to throw the first pitch of the Cactus League, was pondering consulting with MLB officials before the game to determine if he must dramatically change his delivery.
Mariners Cy Young winner Robbie Ray talked excitedly about the mind games that will be played between pitchers and hitters, while San Francisco Giants All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford can’t stand the thought of seeing the game embracing strategic warfare.
There will be pitch clocks. There will be pickoff and timeout limitations. There will be larger bases. Shifts will be banned. Umpires will wear buzzers, and pitchers and catchers will have electronic devices on their wrists.
And there will be chaos.
Welcome to the 2023 Major League Baseball season.
“You’re going to have some players who are going to be freakin’ angry,” Machado told USA TODAY Sports. “You’re going to have players pissed off at the umpires who are just following the rules. We’re going to be seeing some crazy [expletive] for sure.
“Some of us older players, we don’t like change too much. We earned the right to be who we are. Now, there’s going to have to be a lot of adjustments. MLB is going to have to be the ones to make adjustments on the fly if things aren’t working. If they do that, then I think everybody will be ok with it. But they’re going to have to be lenient and tweak some things.
“Rob [Manfred] said that he wants to listen to the players. Well, you got to listen to the players and make adjustments during the season if things start spiraling out of control. You can’t just say, 'This is how it is. It’s this way or the highway.’
“We are changing the game a lot, so let’s make this as simple as possible.”
Certainly, easier said than done with players having four weeks to adapt before their mistakes cost them real games in the regular season.
“Our goal in camp is don’t let anyone ask more questions than us,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler says. “Don’t let anybody push back that silliness you feel when you say something stupid because you don’t know the rule.
“That’s the whole point. None of us know the rules yet. If anybody in our camp says they have it down pat, I would call B.S.”
It will take time, but you better not take too much time.
“I think it’s obviously going to take some time getting adjusted to,” Ray says, “especially with the disengagements and the pitch clocks. There will be an adjustment period for sure, but as players, I think we do a pretty good adjusting.”
The million-dollar question is just how long will it take for everyone to get the hang of it.
“The minor league guys we talk to say it took a few weeks,” Mariners starter Logan Gilbert says, “and then everybody got used to it. We’ll see how it will play out, but I’m sure there will be a couple of things we haven’t thought of yet.
“It will be interesting with the pitch clock to see if it’s truly even, or there’s more of an advantage to the pitcher or hitter. I really don’t know.”
If there wasn’t already mind games in baseball, just wait.
Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with no runner on base, and hitters have to be in the batter’s box within eight seconds before the pitch clock expires.
Considering the pitcher is the one with the ball in his hand, he can dictate just how quickly he wants to throw the pitch, or if he wants to freeze the hitter. Hitters are permitted to step out and call time just once every at-bat.
“That’s the biggest advantage for us, having the hitter calling time out only once,” Ray says. “If I can get them to call time within the first two pitches, he’s yours, because he has got to be standing in that box for eight seconds. I can wait until the clock reaches 1, so he has to stand there for seven seconds without moving.
“There’s going to be some big-time mind games.”
Baserunners can certainly play their own psychological warfare by taking big leads, trying to deke the pitcher into thinking he is running, hoping to force two early pick-off throws. If there’s an unsuccessful third attempt, it’s an automatic balk.
“You can kind of bait the pitcher into trying to pick you off a couple of times, and then he has no more pickoffs” says Mariners Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong. “It will be interesting to see. You might get some people to slip up in big situations.”
And you might get a whole lot of folks screaming into the night if the pitch clock costs them a game.
“It will be interesting, and it will be frustrating,” Padres veteran pitcher Seth Lugo says. “It’s not going to be that smooth.”
But if it works flawlessly, well, the only people upset may be the beer and hot dog concessionaries, watching business potentially plummet with the shorter games.
“I’m curious to see how it’s going to play out,” Los Angeles Angels threetime MVP outfielder Mike Trout says, “but all of the feedback I got last year from Triple-A is that they loved it. It sped up the games. Nobody wants to play a four-hour game.”