MLB rule changes to stay and go for the future?

The 2020 calendar year has been turned on its head by COVID-19. It has affected every aspect of society, and sports are no exception. If there has been a positive, it's that leagues have had to become innovative and efficient to not only better their sport this season, but for the future. The MLB had been in talks to make universal changes to help grow the sport for its fans. Prior to this season, the minor and independent leagues had been a testing ground for potential changes at the big league level. The results from these tests have provided some great insight for MLB officials to make important decisions.

Below we'll analyze some of the larger changes that were instituted during the 2020 season, and see which of these rules could become common place going forward.

Universal designated hitter

This rule has been hotly contested since the American League adopted the Designated Hitter in 1973. Since that time the American League has consistently produced higher offensive numbers than it's counterpart, the National League. As we've seen in other sports, offense has lasting impacts on attendance and viewership. For example, Football and Basketball have altered their rules in recent years to aid offensive output, and have seen a positive affect on the popularity in both sports.

2020 was a perfect year to let the cat out of the bag and try the Universal Designated Hitter. Because of the condensed schedule, it's hard to quantify the impact as having a positive affect from a numbers standpoint, but it has clearly enabled opportunities for its players. Essentially, this rule created 15 full-time positions in the National League that weren't previously there. The CBA will expire after the 2021 season, and I fully expect to see the Designated Hitter in both leagues going forward.

Curious as to how close the National League came to adopting this rule? Look no further than the summer of 1980, and a fishing trip to alter the course of MLB history.

Story Here: https://thatballsouttahere.com/2020/06/18/phillies-ruly-carpenter-designated-hitter/

Runner on second to begin extra innings

If you are a traditionalist, this rule probably incensed you in its concept. However, after seeing the impacts over a full season, albeit shortened, the results from extra inning games were not predictable; this was a key argument against instituting this change. To an extent, you could make the argument this rule helped prepare teams for the postseason. Teams had to make real time decisions such as bunting, pinch hitting and pinch running.

Defensively, managers had to decide if they were going to intentionally walk the first hitter to setup a double play and/or force play. Or, do they sell out on the bunt and take a chance on a tag play at third. Baseball is a slow methodical chess game played over the course of nine innings, but this rule made for speed chess which was engaging to the common fan. I fully anticipate this rule staying around in the future much to the chagrin of relief pitchers and their Win-Loss records.

7-Inning Doubleheaders

I don't know this for a fact, but I would assume players were thankful for this rule change. A normal 9-inning game averages around three hours. So, prior to this season you're looking at two 9-inning games taking at least six hours to complete. This doesn't factor in players having to arrive early for warm up, time between games, and postgame press conferences.

From a fan standpoint, you want to see the best players play. In two 7-inning games, you are more likely to see the best players participate in both contests of the doubleheader. Baseball purists on the other hand could argue against 7-inning games as they potentially skew statistics and outcomes of games. Another argument could be the lack of innings and opportunities afforded to teams that fall behind early in a game. I don't necessarily agree with these counterarguments, but these are just a couple of the ones I have heard.

I think this is another rule that will stick once the new CBA is agreed upon in 2021 (fingers-crossed after how things went leading into this season). It will be interesting to see the impact condensed doubleheaders have on fan attendance. Fans would be more inclined to stay and watch 14-innings of baseball than they would 18-innings.

3 hitter minimum

"Pace of play." How many times have you heard this phrase within the past 5 to 10 years? It's a legitimate argument to help grow the sport. We've seen in the past few seasons the implementation of a pitch clock, limitations on mound visits, and quicker in-between inning breaks. Ironically, we haven't seen a huge impact on the average time of a 9-inning game yet.

Beginning this season a new rule was instituted that forced relief pitchers to face a 3-hitter minimum. The caveat to the rule is if a pitcher comes in during the middle of an inning and is able to get the third out before facing three batters. Again, many purists were very skeptical of this new rule change and how it would impact the strategy and decisions of a manager. Many believe this rule was created for pace of play, while others see this as another way to aid offensive outputs. Another counterargument against this rule is that it significantly benefits large-market teams. Here's a great excerpt from Sports Illustrated, “This only helps large-market teams like us,” said one executive. “Simply because we can afford to have more guys who get out both lefthanders and righthanders. The smaller-market team can’t afford as many of those guys who you just leave in the game.”*

There are definitely contrasting opinions on this new rule. Yes, it has sped up the pace of play to an extent. Another piece that goes into this puzzle is that it has forced pitchers, specifically relief pitchers, to adapt and hone their skills. Previously, teams would carry one to two specialists that were on the roster to get one, maybe two outs a game. This new rule has altered this scenario. Right handed and left handed pitchers now have to get right handed and left handed hitters out at an even rate, or be subject to being left off the roster. Due to this, it's not inconceivable to think the league features better quality relief pitchers, as opposed to previous seasons.

Of all the rules that were instituted this one might be the most disputed of them all. As someone that is on the fence for this rule, I can see both sides of the argument. A key component going into the CBA will be roster size. If the roster is expanded from the traditional 25-man then we could see this rule sticking around for the long haul.

Expanded Postseason and Wild Card Series

Up until 2012 only 8 of the 30 teams made the postseason. This meant the 3 division winners and 1 wild card team per league were eligible. If there is something that fans love to watch in sporting events it's elimination games. Very smartly the MLB created a Wild Card, winner-take-all, game between the 2 best records outside of the division winners. This began in 2012 and has been a great source of marketing and revenue for the game of baseball.

With all the weird circumstances this season the MLB expanded to 16 total teams (8 per league) and a 3-game Wild Card series. We're not fully through this postseason, but most people would say it's been wildly successful.

If the postseason were setup as it had been between 2012-2019 the teams that would've been on the outside looking in this year would have been the Astros, Blue Jays, Yankees, Brewers, Reds, Marlins/Cardinals. The Astros, Yankees, and Marlins all won the Wild Card series as the road team. Thus, the unpredictability factor could play a role in keeping expansion in the future.

Expanded postseason should be a top priority for the league. One of the best ways to help grow the sport will be involving more markets. Specifically, getting postseason starved markets an opportunity they hadn't been afforded in the past. Teams like Blue Jays (last appearance 2016), Reds (2013), and Marlins (2003) had been yearning for the chance to taste October baseball. Personally, 8 teams per league (16 total) is too many as it diminishes the regular season. However, 6 teams per league (12 total) could work perfectly. Similar to that of the NFL, the MLB could constitute first-round byes for the top 2 seeds in each league and have the remaining 4 seeds, per league, compete a in the Wild Card series.

Another interesting proposal that I heard from Joel Sherman of MLB Network is to make every game of the Wild Card round an elimination game. Thus, Game 1 would be an elimination game for the road team. If the road team (worse seed) wins that game however, they would then have the opportunity to eliminate the home team (better seed) in Game 2. If the home team wins Game 2 then it would go to a winner-take-all Game 3. This would be an interesting format, but if we've learned anything in sports its that elimination games sell. Also, it would place importance on the regular season seeding and deter teams from resting players if they hadn't secured a top 2 seed. These are some fascinating scenarios that should be strongly considered by the MLB going into the CBA in 2021.

*Verducci, Tom. "Why the Three-Batter Minimum Is a Huge Mistake; Recapping Baseball's Announced Rule Changes." Sports Illustrated, March 14th, 2019. https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/03/14/mlb-rule-changes-three-batter-minimum-home-run-derby