March signifies a new beginning in the baseball world every year. Spring Training brings players back up to speed, and fans can get a preview of what’s to come as the world begins to warm up. Hope springs around this time, and anticipation bubbles. This year that notion is especially true. Sweeping rule changes, league-altering transactions and the return of a fan favorite event signify a new dawn for a sport that has historically been reluctant to change. As teams attempt to acclimate to the new baseball landscape, it’s important to take a look at what waits for them this season.
Rule Changes
Spring Training carries a rhythm. The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, the crunching sound as metal studs dig into dugout floors. Off beat at first, perhaps, but it sorts itself out as players go through the motions and get back into the routine of playing. This year, however, the tempo will be sped up. Commissioner Rob Manfred has held an initiative to speed up the pace at which baseball is played since he assumed the job, and this year his goals have begun to manifest with the introduction of the pitch clock.
Kicked around for years and tested in the minor leagues for the past few, the promotion of the pitch clock into the major leagues is the most controversial of a large set of major rule changes that are coming in 2023. The pitch clock, in its short lifetime, has had its struggles, with broadcasting companies being unable to figure out how to display the clock to fans in their scorebugs. Some camera shots include the large, eye-catching clock, and has drawn criticism for being too distracting. The league has said that the pitch clock is out of sight on the main camera shot in every team’s regular season stadium, and broadcasters have found ways to integrate the clock, so these concerns may only be an issue during the Spring Training games. Some fans also say the pitch clock adds an element of confusion and creates more stoppages in play due to violations of the rule. Players have said they’ve generally felt rushed, but Angels outfielder Brett Phillips said that “[the clock is] here to stay, whether you argue over it or not.”
Some games have ended on pitch clock violations, much to fans dismay, and some wiggle room of a few seconds added to the clock has been tossed around as an idea if the players don’t seem to be totally up to speed. With all of that said, the effects of the clock on the speed of the game, which was the clock’s goal, are undeniable. The first game with the clock, a 3-2 Mariners victory over the Padres on February 24, clocked in at 2 hours and 29 minutes in length. For reference, an Astros 3-1 win against the Angels on Opening Day took 3 hours and 15 minutes from first pitch to final out. What’s more, a Dodgers-Padres game played an entire half inning in under two minutes, which was less time than it took Pedro Baez to deliver one pitch in a 2016 playoff game. The clock’s aim is to drive engagement up with the sport, which has been deemed too boring. Those goals have seemed to be working, with buzz on social media saying that baseball’s new rules have made it more approachable.
The pitch clock isn’t the only rule that’s been brought into the league. Rules that benefit offensive players are being brought into the fray, a way to increase the action in a game and get out of the league-wide slump that hitters have been in. Larger bases have been brought in to entice baserunners to steal second, or try to stretch a double into a triple, and defensive shifts have been limited. Defenses must have two players on either side of the 2nd base bag in the infield and can’t have more than four players in the infield. This rule doesn’t ban the shift entirely — Joey Gallo, who is notorious for hitting nearly all his balls in play to the right side of the field, has seen shifts this spring, where the first baseman and second baseman play closer to their respective bags, and the outfielders shift to the right, with one infielder covering the hole between first and second. These rules are changing the game as fans and players have known it, but teams are already finding ways to adapt and keep strategy as an integral part of the game.
Team Changes
The landscape of contention is also changing in the MLB, with teams making moves to become even better, or changing direction. The National League East is entering an arms race, with three teams, the Mets, Phillies and Braves trying to one-up each other all offseason. The Braves locked up young arm Spencer Strider, while trading for and extending catcher Sean Murphy from Oakland. The Mets found even more spoils to take another crack at the division crown after a devastating pennant race in 2022, reuniting First ballot Hall of Famer Justin Verlander with fellow veteran ace Max Scherzer. The Mets also won the sweepstakes for Kodai Senga, who was able to enter the market from the NPB in Japan. The Phillies, coming off of a surprise 2022 World Series appearance, acquired Trea Turner in the free agency market, as well as several bullpen options, an area that sunk the team in the Fall Classic last year.
Similar things are happening in the NL West with the Dodgers picking up JD Martinez and Noah Syndergaard, attempting to win the division for the tenth straight year over a Padres team that bounced them from the playoffs this prior fall. San Diego locked up Manny Machado very recently. They will retain Juan Soto this season, as well as have Fernando Tatis Jr. return from a suspension during the season and acquire Xander Bogaerts to provide even more depth on a loaded infield.
In the American League Central, the shock division champion, Cleveland Guardians, agreed to terms with Josh Bell, and Minnesota picked up Joey Gallo, Michael A. Taylor and retained Carlos Correa, who had agreed to terms and failed physicals with two teams over the winter. The AL West saw lots of retooling. Texas acquired Jacob DeGrom, who has been plagued with injuries but is perhaps the best pitcher when he can play, and Seattle, coming off of their first playoff run since 2001, made moves to acquire Kolten Wong and Teoscar Hernandez. Seattle seems to be ready to take the next step to potentially create a bit of noise this year in a division that has been dominated by the Houston Astros as of late, signifying a shift in the league as a whole; things are changing and the teams at the top may be shifting. Additionally, every team will play every other team for the first time ever, meaning a more equitable playing field and some intense playoff races.
This year, we will see even more baseball than usual, too. Baseball’s world cup, the World Baseball Classic, will make its long anticipated return this month. The WBC is a fan-favorite event and displays unique aspects of baseball culture across the world while proving a very good product of baseball. The United States won the last event in 2017, and are expected to be contenders again this year, along with other baseball pipelines like the Dominican Republic, South Korea, Venezuela, Cuba and Japan. Japan won the last large-scale international baseball competition, taking gold at the Olympics in 2020.
Overall, this season has potential to be one of the best seasons in recent memory, with the league having a serious opportunity to re-ignite a nationwide interest in the sport, starting with the WBC igniting a national pride and interest in the United States’ national team, just as the World Cup did, and carrying the interest into a season with a very competitive set of teams and rules that will make the game more exciting and captivating for newcomers.
Written by Alex Sheesley of Magruder High School
Photo courtesy of MLB