Limit on mound visits per 9 inning game without prompting a pitching change...

[rickh150]

The big one for me is when the first batter of an inning is announced and THEN the manager comes strolling out to pull the pitcher! Easy fix is that pitcher must face that batter.

[wildcat83]

The only way this actually works is to remove loopholes and make it same as coach visits, any extras and the pitcher needs to be replaced. I've already heard 10 different scenarios that won't necessarily count and players saying they won't abide. MLB opening themselves up for issues being vague and not having significant ramifications.

[MrTPlush]

What would have been 10000x better is not quantifying it as mound visits, but the actual time taken. Give each team 2 minutes for mound visits. Sometimes a mound visit take 5 seconds. That will count as 1/6 of your opportunities? Seriously?

[FVBrewerFan]

Let's just be done with it. 3 balls/2 strikes and 2 outs per inning. That will speed things up. Wait...the casual fans like fast games but they also want 12-10 games. Let's forget the whole balls/strikes/outs thing and just have a HR hitting contest each night. One hour...done. Just remove all strategy and nuance from the game.

[pacopete4]

Let's just be done with it. 3 balls/2 strikes and 2 outs per inning. That will speed things up. Wait...the casual fans like fast games but they also want 12-10 games. Let's forget the whole balls/strikes/outs thing and just have a HR hitting contest each night. One hour...done. Just remove all strategy and nuance from the game.

 

(Sports Illustrated) Charlie Finley: The former owner of the Oakland A's knows what's wrong with baseball—and he's more than happy to tell you about it

 

SI: What changes in the rules would you make today?

 

CF: I would change the rules for balls and strikes. In 1879 there were nine balls and four strikes. In 1880 it was changed to eight balls, four strikes. By 1884 it was down to six balls. At the end of that season, a couple of the owners got up and said, "Hey, we're making this game too fast!" So in 1886 they upped it to seven balls. We've had four balls, three strikes since 1889. Not a damn thing has been done since then. Nearly everything the last 40 years has been going against the offense. Pitchers throw harder, the players are faster, the gloves are bigger. It's much more difficult for a batter to get a hit today. Three balls and three strikes would equalize the offense with the defense.

[Fear The Chorizo]

What would have been 10000x better is not quantifying it as mound visits, but the actual time taken. Give each team 2 minutes for mound visits. Sometimes a mound visit take 5 seconds. That will count as 1/6 of your opportunities? Seriously?

 

yes indeed. Sometimes it's worth it to run out for 5 seconds to discuss a pitch selection in a critical moment - I want to get rid of mound visits being abused when a pitcher can just shake his head and wait for the next sign from the catcher. A 5 second visit still gets the hitter out of the box, pitcher/catcher still need to run back to their positions, and the whole buildup to executing a pitch that could lead to a baseball play still gets reset.

 

Another thing to consider for the argument about potentially crossing up a catcher due to trying hard to disguise signs when a runner's on second. With just a little planning and communication in the dugout, teams can totally mess with opponents presumed to have stolen signs - all they need to do is have a plan for a specific pitch (say fastball, outer half) for a batter with a 2 strike count the next time a runner's on 2nd, then run through a dummy sign sequence that would legitimately indicate the pitch would be a slider or offspeed offering that would undoubtedly leave the zone if it started in the same location a fastball would. If a hitter is completely caught off-guard and watches a hittable 3rd strike fastball coast by, you know the opponent probably has your signs. If they put a good swing on that pitch, you know you're probably being too paranoid.