Proposed MLB rule changes

[tmwiese55]

These feel directed right at MKE and what they did last year:

 

"Injured List and Option Period for Pitchers: Subject to input from the joint committee, the minimum placement period for pitchers on the Injured List shall increase from 10 days to 15 days, and the minimum assignment period of pitchers who are optionally assigned to the minors will increase from 10 days to 15 days. "

 

"Elimination of 40-man active roster limit in September. From September 1st through the end of the championship season, all Clubs must carry 28 players on the active roster."

[KeithStone53151]

These feel directed right at MKE and what they did last year:

 

"Injured List and Option Period for Pitchers: Subject to input from the joint committee, the minimum placement period for pitchers on the Injured List shall increase from 10 days to 15 days, and the minimum assignment period of pitchers who are optionally assigned to the minors will increase from 10 days to 15 days. "

 

"Elimination of 40-man active roster limit in September. From September 1st through the end of the championship season, all Clubs must carry 28 players on the active roster."

 

Right. It's like the meeting started with "How can we ensure these innovative small market strategies stop working?" next guy is like "I know, we can change the rules and basically ban their strategy".

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

These feel directed right at MKE and what they did last year:

 

"Injured List and Option Period for Pitchers: Subject to input from the joint committee, the minimum placement period for pitchers on the Injured List shall increase from 10 days to 15 days, and the minimum assignment period of pitchers who are optionally assigned to the minors will increase from 10 days to 15 days. "

 

"Elimination of 40-man active roster limit in September. From September 1st through the end of the championship season, all Clubs must carry 28 players on the active roster."

 

I think you're right. But I also think the Brewers are going to find ways to stretch the limits of the new rules in order to give themselves a tactical advantage as well. Smart ballclubs roll with the punches, and we finally have a smart ballclub.

[Baldkin]

Hilarious. They have decided to attack the problem that isn't a problem.

 

Going down from 3.9 to 3.5 pitchers per game isn't going to speed the games up noticeably.

 

Reducing the inaction between pitches when nothing happened will.

 

Get the ball, pitch the ball. That's the fix that needs to happen.

[tmwiese55]

Right, the goal should be to reduce down time between pitches and innings as much as possible. But really the main thing that makes the sport slow/boring to young people or non diehards is lack of balls in play/action. Really I don't see a solution, make the zone smaller and it's more walks. Make the zone bigger it's more strikeouts. The evolution of baseball that made everyone learn how valuable walks/obp (so they're taking a ton of pitches) are is really a key part to this and you can't change that without changing the fundamental rules of the game.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This isn't quite as big of a deal as it sounds. From my understanding, it doesn't carry over from inning to inning. So if your starter is in the 5th or 6th inning with 1 or 2 out, bases loaded and a power lefty up, you could still bring in your loogy for an out or two. Significant, but still quite a few scenarios where a guy is facing a 1-2 batters. Same would be the case if Jeffress is on his 5th or 6th hitter and you remove him for a specialist.

[tmwiese55]

Buf if your lefty doesn't get the lefty (like we saw so many times last year) to end the inning, he's now out there for two more hitters.

[pacopete4]

Buf if your lefty doesn't get the lefty (like we saw so many times last year) to end the inning, he's now out there for two more hitters.

 

Good. Be an actual pitcher and get some outs. So happy to see the rules being changed and ending these guys that don't belong getting a MLB paycheck (IMO).

[FVBrewerFan]

Instant replay, DH, now dictating how pitching staff I sued. That's strike 3, but I'm not quite out. More like I fouled that one off. If they ever institute that stupid ghost runner experiment they've used in the minors I am officially done with MLB. And I'm not kidding.

[brewcrewdue80]

[quote name="JosephC"

 

So does this mean' date=' that if the Brewers have a 2 weeks stretch with 4 off-days and decide to go with 14 hitters and 12 pitchers, that Milwaukee can then reclassify Hernan Perez as a pitcher? And if Hernan is then a pitcher, do we now have rules that indicate he can no longer play IF/OF for those games where he is listed as pitcher on the roster?[/quote]

 

Looks like per the press release:

 

You can bring a position player into pitch if down by more than 6.

You have to define a guy before the season. The only way a guy gets a definition of "2-way" is if he has a specific number of innings in the minors (I think 20+?). I could see some guy coming through the system given garbage innings to attain this but I'm not sure it is worth it on either end for that. You're taking time away from minors guys that actually will pitch and it will maybe affect one game all year.

 

What about a case like Matt Davidson, where I believe he pitched in college but I believe now the Rangers are giving him a chance both as a pitcher and position player. So technically he wouldn't hit any criteria, but they fully intend to utilize him as a 2 way player. Erceg might fall into that category at some point as well.

 

20IP is the criteria said to count as both ways. Davidson could play on the field and pitch in a close game vs the 7run differential or extra inning. If I recall Maddon used a position player to pitch to one batter while leaving the previous in the field. Only then to switch back. Maybe a different team? but same situation. You would remove that from the game.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Instant replay, DH, now dictating how pitching staff I sued. That's strike 3, but I'm not quite out. More like I fouled that one off. If they ever institute that stupid ghost runner experiment they've used in the minors I am officially done with MLB. And I'm not kidding.

 

Instant replay is the worst of the group and it's not close for me. To waste that much time and still get a bunch of calls wrong, it's pointless. Go back to the "charm" of human error. I don't care how many times my favorite team is screwed. It's the worst in the NFL but I'd throw a party if all of it disappeared tomorrow.

[pacopete4]

It'd be interesting to know how much time is used on replay versus managers throwing fits on the field because a call didn't go their way.

[Fear The Chorizo]

This isn't quite as big of a deal as it sounds. From my understanding, it doesn't carry over from inning to inning. So if your starter is in the 5th or 6th inning with 1 or 2 out, bases loaded and a power lefty up, you could still bring in your loogy for an out or two. Significant, but still quite a few scenarios where a guy is facing a 1-2 batters. Same would be the case if Jeffress is on his 5th or 6th hitter and you remove him for a specialist.

 

That's pretty much how LOOGYs and specialists are already used - so no need for the rule.

 

Even when a reliever opens an inning, it normally takes them facing 2-3 batters before they're in a jam and the manager makes the call to the pen to try and get out of an inning with a specialist - so again, no need for the rule.

 

This 3 batter minimum with exceptions of mid-inning pitching change rule pretty much reeks of making a rulechange to say you're doing something, but in reality you're doing just a little more than nothing. And some of the potential repercussions, like a LOOGY being brought in mid-inning to get out of a jam only to walk a LH hitter or give up a hit followed by him having to face a stud RH hitter, are going to lead to longer gametimes.

[pacopete4]

This isn't quite as big of a deal as it sounds. From my understanding, it doesn't carry over from inning to inning. So if your starter is in the 5th or 6th inning with 1 or 2 out, bases loaded and a power lefty up, you could still bring in your loogy for an out or two. Significant, but still quite a few scenarios where a guy is facing a 1-2 batters. Same would be the case if Jeffress is on his 5th or 6th hitter and you remove him for a specialist.

 

That's pretty much how LOOGYs and specialists are already used - so no need for the rule.

 

Even when a reliever opens an inning, it normally takes them facing 2-3 batters before they're in a jam and the manager makes the call to the pen to try and get out of an inning with a specialist - so again, no need for the rule.

 

This 3 batter minimum with exceptions of mid-inning pitching change rule pretty much reeks of making a rulechange to say you're doing something, but in reality you're doing just a little more than nothing. And some of the potential repercussions, like a LOOGY being brought in mid-inning to get out of a jam only to walk a LH hitter or give up a hit followed by him having to face a stud RH hitter, are going to lead to longer gametimes.

 

It stops that clown to the south from pitching a guy for a batter at a time. And if it leads to more offense because GM's don't do their jobs and find quality bullpen arms, then it is a win-win.

[jerichoholicninja]

These rules are getting to NFL level stupidity.

[FVBrewerFan]

It'd be interesting to know how much time is used on replay versus managers throwing fits on the field because a call didn't go their way.

 

I don't care. In fact, watching a manager argue with an umpire is WAY more entertaining than watching 4 union hacks huddle around with headsets on waiting to hear if a runner is out at 1B in 0-0 game with 2 outs in the 3rd inning.

[RollieTime]

It'd be interesting to know how much time is used on replay versus managers throwing fits on the field because a call didn't go their way.

 

Honestly I find it very entertaining when managers get ejected. I like seeing managers that are passionate about the game and having a guy in charge that cares about winning and standing up for his guys when umpires screw up. Players like that too.

[3and2Fastball]

At some point the "manager" will be a computer in the dugout with a Baseball hat sitting on top of it's monitor.

[brooks_quichenick]

Rob Manfred is and Tony Clark are going to ruin this sport.

 

fixed that for you

[LouisEly]

I'd be much more in favor of a pitch minimum than a batter minimum.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

These rules are getting to NFL level stupidity.

 

It isn't that bad. When they start banning all slides and have a rule about hitting a defenseless baseball it'll be at that level.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I do wonder how enforceable the 3-batter minimum really is. What is stop you from coming out for "shoulder tightness." You can't enforce a mandatory DL stint or something You're telling me someone's forearm won't get "tweaked" in October at a really opportune time?

[pacopete4]

I’m sure it’ll happen and then another rule will be made.

[jerichoholicninja]

This 3 batter minimum rule will not last long. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if it's scrapped before it's even implemented in 2020. I wonder what kind of influence coaches and front office people have because I can't imagine they would support this in any way. And I have no idea why the player's agreed to it in the first place. They just eliminated a bunch of player jobs held by righty/lefty specialists.

 

The only way for this rule to have any meaning is for there to be consequences like a mandatory DL stint for any pitcher that doesn't face 3 batters. But then managers are faced with is my pitcher bad enough today that I don't want him available for the next two weeks. Then you have not injured players on the DL only because of this stupid rule and MLB has wanted to crack down on not injured players being DL'd anyway so what exactly is trying to be accomplished in the first place? Or even worse, your pitcher definitely feels off so you pull him early and after getting checked out he's fine and feels fine a couple days later but now he's gone for another 10 games or so when he really only should have missed 2 or 3.

[young guns]

Heard that the 3 batter rule was not agreed on and was just a unilateral decision by Manfred. Not cool man.