Baseball's new rules (I am on board)

The Sports Roundtable and Bar
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Today starts the new rules.

Love the abolition of the shift. It should help increase offensive production.

Love the new “pickoff” rule, which will greatly limit pickoff attempts. It has greatly increased both base stealing attempts and successful steals since it was implemented in the minors.

Love the new pitch clock rule. While it may not have the radical effect of the NBA shot clock, it will certainly result in a much needed increase in pace of the game.

Neutral as to the bigger bases, but if it helps reduce injuries, it would be a good thing.

Overall, the new rules should greatly improve the game.

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I think that if a guy posts foreign words like “shift” and “pick off” he should do the decent thing and define them. :wink:

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Only those that don’t watch baseball wouldn’t know what those terms were. They’d probably not be interested in this thread anyway.

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I love the pitch clock rule too. I’m a bit indifferent to the rest. The pick off rule I think is stupid. It shouldn’t ruin the game for anyone, I just think it was unnecessary.

I couldn’t care less about the no shift rule. I just thought it was counter productive to what they were trying to achieve. A faster paced game. But so be it.

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Agreeing with the other poster, if you don’t know what shift is, you probably aren’t a baseball fan. :smile:

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Here is a picture of a rather extreme example of a shift.

All four inner fielders on the first base side.

More often, it is three on one side.

The new rule states that two inner fielders must be on the third base side and two on the first base side when the pitcher begins his motion.

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Now do pick off.

And thank you.

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That is when the pitcher tries to catch the runner at first by turning and throwing to first. Usually done to discourage a base stealing attempt, occasionally they actually catch the runner off the base for an out.

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I would have preferred a runner’s base at first, like the one used in softball.

Otherwise I agree with your assessment.

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Already they’re getting around it by moving the opposite-side outfielder to the edge of the grass on the side where the action is expected to occur.

Personally I don’t see the problem with these shifts. But that’s just my opinion on it.

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It also serves as a warning not to take a lead that is too large. Additionally, enough pickoffs can take the legs from the runner. It’s physically demanding to dive back repeatedly.

And the rule doesn’t prevent this. It just limits the number of times you try to pick off the runner.

Pickoffs do slow the game down. I’m glad they instituted this one.

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Thanks!

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Pickoff rule is good, not a fan of the shift rule. If they want to dedicate the infield to one side, that’s their business. A poke to the other side would remedy that.

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Apparently not enough players can do that. Or there would be no need for the rule.

Even though I don’t care about this rule, you’d think it would be a smart strategy to shift to where a player usually hits. Isn’t that the point? If players can no longer hit curve balls, do you outlaw the curve?

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Overall, offense in the MLB has been declining over the last decade and a half. Things like the shift have given a decided advantage to defense.

Handicapping defense as a whole by eliminating the shift should hopefully cause an increase in offensive production across the game.

More offensive production plus a faster game pace may slow the decline in MLB attendance.

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I don’t like the abolition of the shift.

When they shift, it opens up the opposite field, and hitters need to learn to adjust and hit the ball there. Banning it just helps dead pull hitters and doesn’t encourage people to develop real baseball skills.

The rest of it is fine.

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They have added an “ovation rule” to the pitch clock rule to allow for ovations.

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But only if the team requests that exception 24 hours in advance. (If they have reason to believe that there will be that sort of ovation.)

We over-legalize everything in this culture. Too bad they can’t just give the umpire the power to apply common sense.

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“LEFTY AT BAT!!” as we all shifted toward right field/first base. Them days. lol

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