On the clock: MLB breaks down new rules as Spring Training looms

According to Major League Baseball, fan research has indicated that the ideal length of games is 2:30. So years ago, the league sat down with hundreds of potential rule changes aimed at achieving that objective.

To this point, most changes have been small. Automatic intentional walks were introduced in 2017. In 2018, teams were limited to six mound visits per game. Two years later, the three-batter minimum was instituted for relief pitchers. And yet, the average game length in 2022 was still more than three hours, at 3:07. That's down four minutes from 2021 but far above MLB’s 2:30 target.

So now, the league is instituting its most drastic change yet. Beginning this season, baseball will have a clock.

Pitchers will have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds when runners are on base. Between batters, they’ll have 30 seconds. And the break between innings will be timed at 2:15, with the exception of postseason games and nationally televised regular season games.

“The pitch timer is — by far — the biggest change that’s coming this season,” MLB executive vice president Morgan Sword said in a rules demonstration at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. “Frankly, it’s probably the biggest change that’s been made to baseball in most of our lifetimes.”

The new clock rules were trialed in the minor leagues last season, where they reduced average game time from 3:03 to 2:38. The same decrease at the major league level would reduce the average game time to 2:42, which would be approximately in line with average game times from the 1980s. From the 1970s to 2021, times increased from 2:31 to 3:11.

MLB data showed that the pitch clock did not significantly change game outcomes. Runs per game remained relatively steady, going from 5.11 to 5.13, while strikeout rate decreased by just 1% and walk rate increased by 0.3%.

Injuries, too, “significantly decreased,” according to Sword, alleviating concerns that the pitch clock would lead to fatigue injuries for pitchers.

During the second week in which the system was in use, there were an average of 1.73 violations per game (from both teams combined). By week five, that number was down to 0.73. In the season’s final week, it was 0.41.

“Initially, I hated it,” Matt Carpenter, a longtime major leaguer who spent part of last season in Triple-A, said. “I grew into liking it a lot — to the point where I would fully endorse it at the major league level.”

Carpenter’s support is backed up by MLB’s data. Within one month, 90% of minor leaguers reported feeling adjusted to the new rules.

Last summer, Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy said, “it doesn’t really affect me,” of the pitch clock, which he experienced in Triple-A Reno. Former Diamondbacks reliever Paul Fry echoed McCarthy’s indifference.

To avoid a violation, pitchers must begin their motion before the clock hits zero, which will set off a buzzer in a special belt worn by umpires. Failure to do so will result in an automatic ball.

With runners on base, pitchers can also reset the clock with two disengagements per at-bat, which includes both pick-off attempts and simply stepping off the rubber. On the third disengagement, they must record an out or a balk will be called.

Hitters, meanwhile, must have two feet in the batters’ box and be looking at the pitcher with eight seconds on the clock. A violation by hitters will result in an automatic strike. They’re permitted one timeout per plate appearance, which must be called with at least eight seconds on the clock.

To help both sides adhere to the rules, all ballparks will be equipped with five timers — one on each side of the batters’ eye in center field, one near each on-deck circle and one on the facing of the second deck directly behind home plate.

One ancillary effect of the rules in the minor leagues was that, with pitchers being restricted by a timer and disengagement limits, stolen base attempts went from 2.23 to 2.81 per game — a reversal of two decades’ worth of teams shifting away from base stealing. The success rate leaped from 68% to 78%. Fan research has indicated that stolen bases are among the most popular plays in the sport.

The second biggest rule change this off-season is also aimed at creating more action, in contrast to the recent explosion of the ‘three true outcomes’ (home runs, walks, strikeouts).

Teams will now be required to place two infielders on each side of second base, while all four infielders must have both feet on the infield dirt. Barring substitutions, infielders cannot switch sides during an inning. Essentially, the change curtails usage of the infield shift, which has grown in popularity over the past decade, particularly against left-handed pull hitters. Five infielder alignments, however, will be allowed.

As with the pitch clock rules, violation of the shift rules will be punished with an automatic ball. Fielders are also not allowed to violate “the spirit of the rule,” meaning they cannot sprint into a different position once the pitcher begins his motion. Unlike the pitch clock rules, shifting violations will be subject to video review. Middle infielders must have both feet clear of second base, meaning they cannot straddle the base.

The third and final rule that the league demonstrated Tuesday is an increase in the size of bases from 15-by-15 inches to 18-by-18.

The rule is primarily aimed at injury reduction. In the minor leagues, injuries around the bases decreased by 13%. It also comes with the side effect of reducing the distance to first by three inches and the distance between other bases by 4.5 inches. That produced a 1-2% increase in stolen base attempts in leagues where the bases were trialed without a pitch clock.

Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: MLB breaks down new rules as Spring Training looms