MLB considering rules changes to encourage longer starts

[USAFChief]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/08/mlb-considering-rules-to-keep-starting-pitchers-in-games-longer.html

 

Not sure what to make of this.

 

I will say I like the double hook idea. You lose the DH when you remove your starter. If nothing else that'd get rid of the "opener" nonsense.

 

I think smaller staffs is the way to go. There might be secondary benefits here of reducing K's and getting more balls in play, which needs to happen somehow. 

[Mike Sixel]

Stupid idea. 

[ashbury]

Tying the DH to the starting pitcher makes some conceptual sense, and is implemented through a minimum of word changes in the rules (unlike all those other proposals which have to watch out for loopholes).  Aside from the straight disincentive to removing the starter until he's not effective or is gassed, the teams will feel pressure with their 26-man roster, probably being uncomfortable with only 13 bats on the roster, and a decision (rather than a rule) to go with a 12-man pitching staff has the reinforcing effect on lengthening starter innings.  The extra-innings runner rule is IMO helpful here too, to reduce the number of boring marathon game where the pitcher would be batting a lot of times.

I'm also in favor of deadening the baseball, turning a lot of would-be sluggers into Warning Track Power Kings who will need to shorten their strokes (and in the process reduce the strikeouts) or make way for someone who will. Pitchers in turn will be a little less incentivized to go max-effort on every pitch. In my more radical moments I would 1) invest billions to move outfield walls (and the stands behind them) back by 75 feet to make the game more athletic and entertaining, and 2) admit that Babe Ruth Was A Mistake and make every ball that goes out of the playing field a foul ball.  Eh, I'll settle for the slightly deadened ball, if I can get that.

[Irishman]

46 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Stupid idea. 

I concur.    

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I don't love the idea.

I'm not expecting baseball to go back to the 1980's when relievers had rubber arms, pitching everyday, and starters would go 220+ innings. But...with that said, I'm skeptical of any rule that could potentially result in more pitching injuries. Seems like there's a correlation between the pitch clock and health...if you add this to the mix? Good luck.

[tony&rodney]

Hopefully, the MLBPA gets active and is able to manage Manfred. Manfred doesn't seem like a baseball fan. He seems like a corporate parody.

[nicksaviking]

Do I want to see starters go deeper into games? Hell yes.

Do I want to find out what happens to the Twins pitchers when either A) they get injured more, or B) they start throwing softer to allow more innings? Hell no.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Do I want to see starters go deeper into games? Hell yes.

Do I want to find out what happens to the Twins pitchers when either A) they get injured more, or B) they start throwing softer to allow more innings? Hell no.

A) I don't think there's much evidence pitchers would get injured more. In fact, since I'm repeatedly told the reason pitchers are injured more NOW is they throw harder, perhaps they'd be injured less.

Pitchers throw less and less and less, and they get injured at least as much as ever before. I'd argue more now.

B) the rules would be the same for everyone. The Twins wouldn't be at any disadvantage. 

 

I don't know the answers, if there are any. But I strongly believe current trends on more and more strikeouts, fewer and fewer balls in play, and ever expanding pitching staffs are hurtful to the long term health of the game.

I'm glad MLB is at least looking into potential relief.

 

I think SOMEthing needs to change. 

[Craig Arko]

Knuckleballers are the answer.

Not sure what the question is.

[Mike Sixel]

The idea is to ask pitchers to pitch less well.... That's their idea. 

[nicksaviking]

19 hours ago, USAFChief said:

A) I don't think there's much evidence pitchers would get injured more. In fact, since I'm repeatedly told the reason pitchers are injured more NOW is they throw harder, perhaps they'd be injured less.

Pitchers throw less and less and less, and they get injured at least as much as ever before. I'd argue more now.

B) the rules would be the same for everyone. The Twins wouldn't be at any disadvantage. 

 

I don't know the answers, if there are any. But I strongly believe current trends on more and more strikeouts, fewer and fewer balls in play, and ever expanding pitching staffs are hurtful to the long term health of the game.

I'm glad MLB is at least looking into potential relief.

 

I think SOMEthing needs to change. 

The Twins throw harder and get more strikeouts than other teams. Like deadening the ball after they built the Bomba Squad, this would disproportionally impact the Twins more than clubs who give up high contact.

[ashbury]

16 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

The idea is to ask pitchers to pitch less well.... That's their idea. 

You left out that if teams aren't simply being stupid in their application of pitch counts to young arms, then they ask pitchers to risk injuries even more than the intolerable level it's at now.

[nicksaviking]

Dylan Bundy type signings would escalate. By default he’d beat out young guys like SWR for a rotation spot.

[Trov]

It will be difficult to draft a rule to satisfy the players and the teams.  I get they want to stop starters pitching well through 4 or 5 innings, but being at 70 pitches and facing order for a 3rd time and get the hook.  Not sure if there is data to suggest that is what fans want to see is starters going deeper.  I personally do not care how deep a starter goes as long as Twins win. 

However, the players will push back because of health issues.  Some where along the line 100 pitches became the number, but as has been pointed out sometimes it is the number in an inning is an issue.  Also, what was the leverage of the pitches were they bearing down to get tough outs, or just throwing up there getting early quick outs.  So would there be after 100 you can pull regardless of runs allowed, or inning?  What if guy is coming off injury can you tell teams before hand he is on pitch count we do not want to go over 70 pitches or 4 innings, do you get a waiver that game? Would you need to up it the next game? Would there be exception in case of guy at 98 or 99 pitches and 5 innings, or would they go out for 1 pitch and then can be pulled? MLBPA is already saying the pitch clock is causing more injuries, despite not enough data to back it up, and ignoring all the injuries that happened before the clock was in place.

I was for the pitch clock and was against the anti-shift rules.  I do not understand putting in rules to stop teams that found good ways to win games based on the rules.  I good with speeding up games or getting calls right, but saying that a team was too smart and learned how to win better so we need to change rules to outlaw it is dumb to me. 

I get the rule may speed up a game a little bit, but it is more to stop openers, bullpen games, or starters going 2 times through and getting pulled.  Those things may frustrate some fans, but teams did it because it gave them best chance to win. 

[Parfigliano]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:07 AM, nicksaviking said:

Dylan Bundy type signings would escalate. By default he’d beat out young guys like SWR for a rotation spot.

That seems like a bad thing.

[Shaitan]

Manfred's gonna Manfred, I guess.

The game has sorted out its issues for 100 years without silly new restrictions. Why add them now? All it does it add more complexity and new loopholes.

If they want more IP from starters, then don't enforce how many arms are on the roster. Some maverick might try a smaller staff again some day when the winds change.

 

[lecroy24fan]

On 8/23/2024 at 2:52 PM, Shaitan said:

Manfred's gonna Manfred, I guess.

The game has sorted out its issues for 100 years without silly new restrictions. Why add them now? All it does it add more complexity and new loopholes.

If they want more IP from starters, then don't enforce how many arms are on the roster. Some maverick might try a smaller staff again some day when the winds change.

 

There's nothing stopping a team from doing that now. The rule is a maximum of 13 (14 in September) with no minimum required.