Baseball America: Pitch clock speeding up minor league games

[Otto von Ballpark]

Here is a free article at Baseball America with early data about the effects of new 2022 pitch clock rules in the minors:

New Rules Dramatically Speeding Up MiLB Games

Quote

Last night, a new stricter enforcement of pitch clocks (14 seconds with bases empty and 18 seconds with runners on base) and rules that require hitters to remain in the batter’s box began to be enforced around the minors. And while it’s only day one of a season-long experiment, the results were dramatic.

On their first day of enforcement, the new rules appeared to cut more than 25 minutes from the average game time.

Last night across the minors, the average game time for a nine-inning game was 2:38 and the median game time was 2:34. For the previous week of games, the average game time for a nine-inning game was 3:04 and the median game time was 2:59.

Some kind of pitch clock is supposed to be implemented for the 2023 MLB season too, per the new CBA agreement between teams and players in March.

Would you like to see this minor league pitch clock carried over to the majors next year? Why or why not?

[ashbury]

How many fewer beers will they sell at the concession stand as a result?  "Seventh inning?  Already?  I just got here!"

[tony&rodney]

Rule 8.04

When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball. The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire.

From the MLB 2022 Official Rule Book

[tony&rodney]

FWIW, Rule 6.02 directs batters to comply with timely play by staying in the batter's box and gives the umpire authority to call a strike.

Every single pitcher in MLB knows the rules on pitching quickly. Every single pitcher has pitched quickly their entire lives. We can add pitch clocks in 50 places around the stadium but if the umpire refuses to call a ball or direct a batter to stay in the batter's box or call a strike the rule is worthless.

[mikelink45]

I love it!  Going back to my youth - 2 1/2 hour games!  You can go to the game and still have time to do something else, or you can bring kids and still get them to bed.  In the old 2 - 2 1/2 hour days a doubleheader did not mean that you had to sacrifice an entire day (that is why I favor 7 inning games now).  

This is a change worth having.  I remember when the NBA put in the shot clock. This saved the NBA "It was not the product of a painstaking regression analysis; no lofty arithmetic was required in the process. In fact, they probably didn't even use a calculator. From analyzing box scores from the previous season, they merely deduced that the most entertaining games usually featured each team hoisting about sixty shots, or 120 per game. That number was divided by 48 minutes, or 2,880 seconds, the total time of an NBA game. The end product? 24 seconds." 

"The mere notion of a shot clock has struck panic in the players’ minds, and rushed shots start flying off the their fingertips within the first few seconds of every possession. In time, though, an internal metronome begins to develop, and the the players adjust to the pace of the game." 

Yes BB players will hate it, managers will complain, but who cares - in reality they play for us, for the fans - no fans, no games. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

16 hours ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

Here is a free article at Baseball America with early data about the effects of new 2022 pitch clock rules in the minors:

New Rules Dramatically Speeding Up MiLB Games

Some kind of pitch clock is supposed to be implemented for the 2023 MLB season too, per the new CBA agreement between teams and players in March.

Would you like to see this minor league pitch clock carried over to the majors next year? Why or why not?

I wanted to see the pitch clock implemented this season. MLB cannot make this change quickly enough.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Big fan of this change, can’t wait for them to start using it in the big leagues.

[wsnydes]

They really need to enact this change...and then actually enforce it.

[ToddlerHarmon]

The one newfangled rule I really like. Though I can tolerate the extra-inning ghost runner.

[tony&rodney]

18 hours ago, ToddlerHarmon said:

The one newfangled rule I really like. Though I can tolerate the extra-inning ghost runner.

People do want the pitchers and batters to get after it (Gardy), but without enforcement it remains the same as the rule already on the books thus a new rule is just redundant.

The ghost runner is a total abomination because not all pitchers have the identical repertoire of pitches. The ghost runner absolutely requires a team to use a pitcher who has a very high K rate because infield outs and sacrifice flies bring home the winning run. Baseball would have more integrity and accomplish their stated goal of ending games without extra innings by simply adopting tie games. While I would not be in favor of that policy either, it is at least fair to both teams and a vastly better outcome than the ghost runner. Nobody can argue that each team has the same opportunity because the situation inordinately favors one type of pitcher over another. Maybe Duran gives the Twins a better chance this year.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Here's some feedback about the pitch clock from a minor league pitcher:

 

[Unwinder]

34 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

Here's some feedback about the pitch clock from a minor league pitcher:

 

Of course pitchers don't like changes that tilt the balance of the game toward hitters. As a viewer, most of the things he describes as disastrous side effects sound great. Holding runners is hard? Not enough time to "reset" between pitches? These sound like selling points to me. The other problems he describes just sound like difficulties with the adjustment period, not actual problems.

[wsnydes]

42 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

Here's some feedback about the pitch clock from a minor league pitcher:

 

I'd love to see how much, if at all, his thoughts change after 15 to 20 starts.  

Or even if they change the allotted time on the clock.  This is going to be harder for some than others.

[Otto von Ballpark]

27 minutes ago, Unwinder said:

Of course pitchers don't like changes that tilt the balance of the game toward hitters. As a viewer, most of the things he describes as disastrous side effects sound great. Holding runners is hard? Not enough time to "reset" between pitches? These sound like selling points to me. The other problems he describes just sound like difficulties with the adjustment period, not actual problems.

That's a good point.

Frankly I doubt it would make much difference in the running game -- it's not like stolen base success rates were higher back when pitchers worked at a much faster pace. But if it did help baserunners and encouraged more steal attempts, that would be good by me too (and would be in line with a few other MLB experiments to encourage baserunning right now).

I'd be more receptive to this pitcher's issues with runners on base if he didn't also advocate for adding 3-4 seconds to the clock with no runners on, for no good reason.

How does this guy think major league baseball was played for 100 years before he was born? And how it is still played at every other level?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Another recent take came from Kyle Boddy of the Driveline pitching academy -- he's concerned about the effects on pitcher health:

 

[Unwinder]

3 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

Another recent take came from Kyle Boddy of the Driveline pitching academy -- he's concerned about the effects on pitcher health:

 

Yeah, this is my main (only?) concern with the pitch clock. It does make injury more likely if pitchers (particularly relievers) continue to go max-effort with every pitch. My DESIRED outcome is that pitchers adjust, don't go max-effort with every pitch, and we get more hits. My worry is that they'll continue to pitch at max-effort, burn out rapidly, and instead of sacrificing performance to keep them healthy, teams will stockpile more fresh arms.

[Otto von Ballpark]

2 minutes ago, Unwinder said:

My worry is that they'll continue to pitch at max-effort, burn out rapidly, and instead of sacrificing performance to keep them healthy, teams will stockpile more fresh arms.

I get that, but I think this is happening already anyway. It's not like the current slow pace is geared toward pitcher health in any meaningful way.

[Vanimal46]

So this rule change is working out as intended. That’s a good thing. Step 2… Is this resulting in more action on the field? 

[Unwinder]

6 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

I get that, but I think this is happening already anyway. It's not like the current slow pace is geared toward pitcher health in any meaningful way.

Yeah, the fact that it's already the way baseball is trending is exactly why I don't trust pitching staffs to take a step back for the pitch clock.

[Otto von Ballpark]

8 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

So this rule change is working out as intended. That’s a good thing. Step 2… Is this resulting in more action on the field? 

I wouldn't expect much (if any) more "action on the field" in purely absolute terms. The strikeout genie is way too far out of the bottle right now. (Maybe this combined with a few other changes could begin to move it downward, though.)

But even if it's the same amount of action, at a crisper pace / less overall time, that's a win.

[oregontwin]

Short attention spans and the erroneous belief that all that's worth seeing happens in the space between the mound and home plate. Where, by the way, I have no interest in seeing a batter hit in the face with a 100mph baseball because either/neither he nor the pitcher was in a settled head space when the pitch was delivered.

[Nine of twelve]

The pitch clock may make the game faster, but does it make the game better? For me the answer is no.

[Vanimal46]

 

[nicholas Anderson]

Went and saw the Omaha Storm Chasers play yesterday. The game was 2hr. 30 minutes long.  We live 3 and a half hours away in southwest Minnesota. We were able to go to the Omaha Zoo and watch the game and be home before my kids bedtime at 10.

oh and as for action if you like home runs there were 7 of them.

*as an aside tickets are free on Sunday if you bring in three cans of food, and if your kid is a little chaser, they are free and get into the little amusement park for free.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

 

How does an umpire call a guy out for taking too much time when he's already standing in the batter's box? That doesn't make any sense.

[DJL44]

On 5/1/2022 at 9:41 AM, Nine of twelve said:

The pitch clock may make the game faster, but does it make the game better? For me the answer is no.

Watching players stand around and do nothing doesn't make the game better. I am pro pitch-clock. It's not the whole solution but I think it is part of it.

[4twinsJA]

Yesterday, Winder and Sands pitched at good pace. Justin M. had good point that, with pitch clock in minors, pitchers will be used to pitching at quicker pace. So when at MLB, will pitch at quicker pace, batter also will not pick up bad habits of multiple adjustments between pitches.

[TheLeviathan]

3 hours ago, 4twinsJA said:

Yesterday, Winder and Sands pitched at good pace. Justin M. had good point that, with pitch clock in minors, pitchers will be used to pitching at quicker pace. So when at MLB, will pitch at quicker pace, batter also will not pick up bad habits of multiple adjustments between pitches.

Exactly.  Some of the nonsense we've grown accustomed to has been creeping worse and worse as the two elements (pitcher and hitter) indulge each other in time wasting.

[Otto von Ballpark]

21 hours ago, DJL44 said:

How does an umpire call a guy out for taking too much time when he's already standing in the batter's box? That doesn't make any sense.

This particular video clip seems to be gone now, but I believe the batter's head was down and he was still getting set in the box 5 seconds after the pitcher received the ball, so that's the violation. The current rule is 14 seconds pitch clock with no one on base, and the clock starts when the pitcher receives the ball. Plus the batter must be ready with 9 seconds left on the clock.

Some people think that is harsh, but batter was in that position only because he took 4-5 seconds to stare at the ground after his swing and miss, before he finally stepped out of the box and then back in. If he had stayed in the box, or just decided to step out and back in right away, it wouldn't have been an issue.

[DJL44]

7 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

This particular video clip seems to be gone now, but I believe the batter's head was down and he was still getting set in the box 5 seconds after the pitcher received the ball

If the batter is in the box, point to the pitcher and tell him to throw the pitch. If the batter's head is down he'll miss it.