As you may have heard, Major League Baseball will implement several rule changes for the 2020 season. The most controversial change is the three-batter minimum, but the other new rules could have a significant impact on the league as well.
With the Spring Training schedule underway, let’s examine the purpose of these new regulations and how they will affect gameplay across the majors.
Three-Batter Minimum
The rule
Starting on March 12th, pitchers must face at least three batters or pitch to the end of the inning, with exceptions for injuries and illnesses. Before this season, pitchers were only required to face at least one batter in a given appearance.
Why the change?
Speeding up the pace of play has long been a goal of Commissioner Rob Manfred. Although 20-second pitch clocks have been successfully integrated into the minor leagues, MLB players remain generally opposed to the concept.
Without a pitch clock to keep the game moving, MLB has decided to give the three-batter minimum a shot. The rule’s intent is to limit mid-inning pitching changes, and therefore reduce the number of unnecessary interruptions to actual gameplay.
How will it affect gameplay?
This rule change will all but eliminate the “LOOGY,” or the “Lefty One Out Guy.” Baseball fans are accustomed to seeing lefties like Jerry Blevins come out of the pen to face a single batter. But this new rule will make it harder for managers to employ this strategy.
Rarely will a manager be able to insert a pitcher based on a favorable matchup against one batter. Instead, the manager must consider how that pitcher will fare against multiple batters in a sequence.
In addition to affecting strategy, some analysts believe that this rule will have the opposite effect of its intended goal. For instance, if managers are unable to lift pitchers who are clearly struggling, more batters will reach base and longer innings will ensue. Thus, the rule may actually add time to games rather than shortening them.
Roster Limits
The rules
Active rosters for each team will expand to 26 players (with a maximum of 13 pitchers) from the start of the season through the end of August, as well as for the postseason. Previously, each team was granted 25 spots on its active roster.
The new roster rules also specify that a team can carry as many as 28 players on its September roster, with a maximum of 14 pitchers. The previous rule was that teams could add any player on their 40-man roster to their active roster in September.
Why the change?
The expansion of rosters in September has often led to longer games, with managers making constant pitching changes and substitutions in order to use every available body. Limiting September roster sizes is an attempt to fix this issue, and the league has compromised by allowing teams an extra roster spot through the first five months of the season.
How will it affect gameplay?
For decades, expanded September rosters have allowed teams to give prospects their first crack at playing in the majors. However, now that teams won’t have as many available roster spots for the season’s final month, some prospects will be denied that opportunity. Fans of teams that have long since fallen out of contention may be disappointed to see fewer future stars break into “the Show.”
Two-Way Player Designation
The rule
A team can have a maximum of 13 pitchers on its 26-man active roster (14 when the roster expands to 28 in September). However, a player will not count toward that total when designated as a “two-way player” rather than a pitcher.
A two-way player is a player who, like Shohei Ohtani, functions as both a pitcher and a position player. In order to earn this designation, a player must pitch at least 20 major league innings and start at least 20 games as a position player or DH in the current or previous season. The player must also have three or more plate appearances in his 20 starts as a position player.
Why the change?
Ohtani has proven that two-way players are an extremely valuable commodity, mainly because they offer teams greater maneuverability with their rosters. This rule change allows clubs to have these type of players while still limiting the number of traditional pitchers that a team can carry.
How will it affect gameplay?
At the time of its introduction, the rule will be most beneficial to the Angels and their use of Ohtani. More specifically, it will allow Ohtani to rehab his pitching arm while still serving as a designated hitter for the big league club.
Because Ohtani is classified as a two-way player, the Angels can send him on a rehab assignment as a pitcher while still inserting him into their big league lineup as a position player. More and more players are being drafted as two-way players, and teams will appreciate the flexibility this rule affords them.
Position Players Pitching
The rule
A position player can only pitch if his team is winning or losing by more than six runs, or if the game goes into extra innings.
Why the change?
Position players have been asked to pitch more frequently in recent years, with a record number of mound appearances made by non-pitchers in 2019. However, these appearances make blowouts even sloppier than they already are. Simply put, position players pitching makes for ugly baseball and drawn-out games.
How will it affect gameplay?
Truth be told, this rule probably won’t have a major impact. The majority of position players who pitched in 2019 entered the game when the deficit was at more than six runs, so this change will lead to a negligible reduction in such appearances.
Other Rules Going Into Effect in 2020
- Managers have twenty seconds to decide whether or not to challenge a play, rather than the thirty seconds they were allotted in the past.
- Pitchers and two-way players can only be reinstated from the Injured List after a 15-day period. Position players, however, will continue to have a 10-day Injured List.
- Pitchers who are optioned to the minor leagues must remain there for 15 days, rather than the 10-day period they were previously allowed. Position players still have a 10-day option period.
Searle’s Final Say
Many baseball fans value tradition, so rule changes will always be met with a certain amount of controversy and debate. The three-batter minimum is sure to change in-game strategy, and it remains to be seen whether it will lengthen games or shorten them as hoped. Other changes, such as the two-way player designation, reflect the way that modern ballclubs are constructing their rosters to maximize defensive versatility. Though some of these changes will be received negatively, others will come to be seen as welcome and necessary adjustments.
