Spring Training got under way on the 27th of February, 2023. The debut of Major League Baseball featured a wealth of controversies surrounding the newly-implemented rule changes in MLB. Most notably, is the introduction of the pitch-clock, that serves to ultimately increase the pace-of-play, aimed at shortening contests to maintain the interest of viewers more effectively. An average nine inning game has widely been considered to take too long, with a MLB game in 2022 eclipsing an average of three hours. Baseball infamously carries the burden of being overly redundant and slow-paced, resulting in a boredom factor for those who may not be avid fans.

In the past several seasons dating back to 2015, the pitch-clock has been present in Minor League games, serving to provide experimental results, regarding the reactions of fans and the effect on the general pace of play. Meaning to create a general visualization of what it would do to a professional baseball game, the games were seemingly sped up enough to convince MLB commissioner Rob Manfred that it would be beneficial at the Major League Level. 

However, the drastic manipulation on the pace-of-play and rhythm of basic aspects of the game have received plenty of criticism. A violation of the fifteen-second pitch clock brings along with it a penalty for either the pitcher or batter: an automatic strike call against the batter, versus a ball for the pitcher. 

This consequentially, (prematurely), ended a spring training game on only the second day of the pre-season, seeing a batter automatically struck out by the umpire after taking too long to step back into the box. Highlighted by media and fans alike is the potential catastrophic consequences of a meaningful regular season game, or playoff game, ending like this, in which the game is essentially taken out of the players control, which is entirely counterintuitive to the nature and point of competitive sports.

“It’s a good idea – but the clock needs to be changed. It should be longer, in my opinion,” says Jerry Leonard, local baseball coach. 

However, the clock is immediately proving its effectiveness, trimming down the time of games to two-and-a-half hours and below, significantly shorter than what we’re used to.

Aside from the pitch-clock, the bases have been increased in size from 15 to 18 square inches. The previous undersized bases made it difficult at times for there to be enough room for the defended and subsequent base-runner. This saw players manipulating their bodies in unfavorable manners to avoid the opposing player, resulting in severe injuries. So far, the bases have proven successful.

Also noteworthy is the ban on the shift. This prevents infielders from “shifting” over to particular sports in the infield to prevent balls that would otherwise be hits from reaching the outfield. In recent years, teams have become increasingly creative with how they shift, moving multiple infielders to one side of the field, or even moving outfielders to where a batter predominately hits the ball. The MLB seemingly wants to see more runs and potent offensive play, which will be a direct result of not allowing the defenders to better position themselves against players that have a tendency to hit the ball to one side of the field. “Players like Joey Gallo will be a lot better,”, says baseball player Noah Lee.