OC Register: Alexander: Which baseball rules experiments should stay?

[AngelsWin.com]

Now that we have had a chance to catch our collective breath, following a season that ended in triumph (and controversy) for the Dodgers, it’s time to evaluate some of the quirks of Pandemic Baseball. Of the rules and formats put in place for 2020 – most out of necessity – which should stay and which should go?

Keep in mind, of course, that the baseball landscape for 2021 and beyond remains a blank page, though it’s fair to suggest the game will not return to the way it was for a long time. It is not inconceivable, given current trends with COVID-19 and predictions of future surges in infections, that next season begins with empty ballparks as well, or at least sparsely filled parks depending on individual jurisdictions’ health regulations.

That will further affect revenue, and the combination of this season’s income hit and next season’s projections will in turn affect the way teams do business this winter. Also upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between management and the Players Association may cast a shadow over everything – and those discussions will at the very least impact the rules, since making some of these innovations permanent would require the players’ buy-in.

So, what to do with the 2020 rule book? Here are my feelings, and as always This Space welcomes your responses.

The universal DH: As a resister for, well, decades, I never thought the 10th man in the lineup would grow on me. But it did, and after a full (mini-)season of watching it in National League games, now it can be said: Double-switches were overrated. And the strategy of when to remove a flagging starting pitcher becomes more of an issue when it’s no longer tied to when his spot comes up in the next inning.

As we saw periodically and especially in Game 6 of the World Series, there’s even more room for error when it’s a stand-alone decision.

Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays is taken out of the game by manager Kevin Cash during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Six of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 27, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The international extra innings rule: Once you got past the strangeness of a ghost runner of sorts on second base to start an extra inning – describing a leadoff man hitting a two-run home run, as the Dodgers’ Edwin Rios did in Houston early on, was its own special kind of weird – the advantages outweighed the disadvantages here. Less potential strain on pitching staffs, games that don’t last five and six hours, and unexpected arguments over, yes, strategy. Do you bunt that runner over? Do you play for a big inning? Those debates turned out to be an unintended benefit of the rule.

Yes, when you sit through a 16-inning game, you can say you were part of a special moment. But how many people actually do? (And this rule doesn’t apply in the postseason, so there’s just as much chance of an 18-inning classic in the World Series as there was before.)

Seven-inning games in doubleheaders: Again, a rule that seemed unnatural when it was tossed in at the last minute turned out to be a benefit, to the point where some of us wondered if maybe we shouldn’t shorten all games to seven innings. (Kidding!) Seriously, this was an emergency measure in light of the number of COVID-related postponements, and it likely won’t come into play once fans are allowed back in stadiums and owners again operate on the principle that the only good doubleheader is a split-admission doubleheader.

Expanded rosters: For the purposes of a 60-game schedule with a three-week Training Camp 2.0 and pitchers still working their way into shape, the 30-man Opening Day roster ultimately knocked down to 28 served a purpose, allowing teams to carry 14 and 15 pitchers. Under more normal circumstances, a 26-man roster – which was to have become the norm in 2020 before COVID scrambled things – should be adequate. The Players Association may speak up in behalf of those extra jobs, but it will have more important battles to fight going forward.

The three-batter minimum: This was a pre-pandemic modification designed to reduce the number of pitching changes and shorten games. Instead, thanks to those 14- and 15-man pitching staffs, average time of game in the major leagues actually increased from 3:05.31 in 2019 to 3:07.46 in 2020, and of course games in the postseason took even longer. More to the point, this was an unnecessary change that tampered with the competitive balance of the game (there’s still no limit on pinch-hitters per at-bat, is there?), was targeted at a specific class of player (the left-handed specialist), and didn’t do what it was supposed to do anyway. Throw it out.

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If pace of play is really an issue, here are some suggestions:

• Institute a 20-second pitch clock for regular season games and 25 seconds for postseason.

• Redefine the strike zone in the rule book, so the top of the zone is no longer in the vicinity of the navel but at the letters, as it was originally written. And call the high strike consistently, and if that means ultimately going to an electronic strike zone to do so, so be it. The more hitters swing the bat, the more action there is, the less carping about pace of play.

• Along those lines, it’s time to regulate what a coach in another sport referred to last month as “junk defenses.” (Thank you, Frank Vogel.) Our suggestion: Mandate two infielders on each side of second base, all of them positioned on the infield dirt. Also, no more four-man outfields. As former Angel manager Mike Scioscia pointed out on a KLAC/570 radio interview late in the season, extreme shifts mainly serve to hide weak fielders with limited range.

The more open space there is, the more balls fall in. People running the bases and fielders forced to make plays translates to action, and that keeps fans engaged. Games won’t seem like they’re dragging. Maybe, over time, we get away from the Three True Outcomes brand of baseball and back to the style of game that piqued our interest in the first place.

(And once that’s fixed, we can address MLB’s failed streaming policies.)

jalexander@scng.com

@Jim_Alexander on Twitter 

 

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[Angels 1961]

DH for sure, expanded rosters to 27 and a lot of that depends on covid next year. I would keep Double Headers at 7 inn so maybe get more games in. I hate man on second base in extra inn so that's a no. 

[Angel Oracle]

DH is definitely good for both leagues. 

Time limit per pitch, and limit catcher visits.

Don’t like the 7 inning DHs, unless needed to shorten the number of days to play 162 games.

Ban the shift, like the NBA did for zone defense.

[Junkballer]

DH-  I dont really care whether the NL has the DH or not during the regular season.  However, being that I assume that they would feel it to be a competitive disadvantage to have to go to a DH in the World Series and interleague while their rosters were formulated for no DH, it should stay universal DH.  

Extra Innings Runner-  In a perfect world I would say no, but, I see it as a nod to TV viewership to keep as many casual-fan eyes on the game as possible.  Although die-hards see it as an intrusion on the tradition and symmetry of the game, which it is, ratings matter even in those relatively rare EI instances.  More eyes will follow a game  through to the end knowing a greater likelihood of a quicker resolution will ensue.  

7-inning Double Headers -  Dont care

Expanded Rosters -  This is the most likely to be reversed, as it should be.

3-Batter Minimum-  This is the rule that I feel most strongly about and that it should remain.  It isnt just about game times but more importantly the flow of the game.  Ive always disliked having a LOOGY come in for one batter.  Speaking of the flow of the game, they really need to severely limit mound visits for reasons other than to check on the pitcher if he looks like he may be injured.  Maybe one pitching coach visit per game and all after that means the pitcher comes out.  

The Shift-  I agree with the writers proposal about keeping two infielders on each side of 2nd, however, not necessarily having them on the infield dirt though.

[kevinb]

I actually love all the rules they implemented. A lot more fun this year. The double header 7 inning was really fun to watch. 

[eligrba]

The rule mandating that the Astros and Yankees always lose in the playoffs should stay.

[AngelsLakersFan]

The DH incentivizes carrying additional relief pitchers, and thus enabling shorter outing from starters and more chances to play matchups with the bullpen later in games.

The shift disincentivizes swinging for the fences and pulling the ball, while incentivizing putting the ball in play.

The extra innings rule is a weighted die that turns extra time games into coin flips that the home team wins more often.

[Docwaukee]

12 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

The DH incentivizes carrying additional relief pitchers, and thus enabling shorter outing from starters and more chances to play matchups with the bullpen later in games.

The shift disincentivizes swinging for the fences and pulling the ball, while incentivizing putting the ball in play.

The extra innings rule is a weighted die that turns extra time games into coin flips that the home team wins more often.

is there data on the first one?  I would think it would be the opposite.  

 

[Docwaukee]

I just checked the numbers and the NL had more pitcher appearances in 2019 than the AL.  Not much to be significant though.  Less than 100 games difference from league to league spread over 30 teams and 162 games.  

[AngelsLakersFan]

11 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

is there data on the first one?  I would think it would be the opposite.  

 

I've only seen inconclusive data on game length. But if you have a DH you no longer need to pinch hit for the pitcher which means your bench only exists to give the starters a day off. You free up a roster spot to give to an extra reliever or two, allowing you to micromanage the pen to it's fullest extent. Without a DH you are going to pull a starter early if his spot comes up in the right situation, but with less arms you are going to stretch guys out a little longer and be less likely to pull them for fear of cycling through all your arms. Additionally without the DH removing the pitcher is more likely to happen in between innings.

[floplag]

The only one I oppose is the 7 inning double headers.
Expand the rosters for them instead, dont shorten the games.  They play so few in a normal season anyway it isnt that relevant. 

[Lou]

I like the DH in the NL because it makes them look stupid.