GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Major League Baseball’s new rules are at the center of the spring training scuttlebutt. There will be plenty of trial and error, learning and adjusting over the next five weeks.
The Guardians’ aim is to reach a point where the players are comfortable enough with the new wrinkles to not offer them much thought. One benefit: Many members of Cleveland’s youthful roster have used at least some of these rules in the minors. Andy Tracy, manager at Triple-A Columbus, has been a valuable resource for the Guardians’ coaching staff.
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The team will meet Monday with Michael Hill, the league’s senior vice president of on-field operations, to cover any lingering questions.
The pitch clock
The pitch clock will be visible during games to the hitter, catcher and pitcher, whether the pitcher is operating from the windup or the stretch. The Guardians have timers set up behind the fence at each of their back fields at the team’s spring training complex.
Pitchers have 20 seconds to initiate their motion when runners are on base, and 15 seconds when the bases are empty. The countdown commences when the pitcher is on the mound with possession of the baseball. Cleveland’s pitchers, when hastily surveyed, don’t seem overly concerned about the clock, but as is the case with all of the rules, they’re curious to see how it will influence the tempo of a game. The pitch clock helped to shave about 25 minutes off the average minor-league game last year.
Pitching coach Carl Willis maintained a dialogue about the rules with the hurlers over the offseason. James Karinchak, known for his hair/rosin bag/ball-flipping routine, assured Willis the time limits won’t be an issue.
“As long as he gets people out, I don’t care what he does,” manager Terry Francona said. “If we don’t have to worry about a clock, that’s the idea. Let him pitch and not have to be glancing up every couple minutes thinking, ‘S—, are we going to make it or not?’ That’s what we’re trying to stay away from.”
After Shane Bieber tossed 40 pitches in a live batting practice session earlier this week, he chatted with Francona about various pacing strategies. Francona suggested there might be instances — maybe 25 pitches into a laborious inning or 100 pitches into a start — when it might make sense for a pitcher to step off the rubber, even if it results in a violation, to collect themselves. Failing to start a pitching motion in time — umpires will adhere to a buzzer on their wrist — results in an automatic ball.
“Better than throwing something that goes 800 feet,” Francona said.
The batters must adjust, too. A hitter can no longer step out of the box after each pitch to adjust his batting gloves or to tap his bat on his cleats or to utter a quick prayer that he’ll make contact with Emmanuel Clase’s 101 mph cutter. Mike Hargrove’s Human Rain Delay act is officially a relic.
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Hitters must be engaged with the pitcher by the eight-second mark, and that has Francona thinking it’ll be more of an adjustment for them than the pitchers. The penalty for not being alert at the eight-second mark: an automatic strike.
“That’s maybe where you’re going to see some trouble,” Francona said. “A guy is still not really, fully ready, but you get to that eight-second mark and now this guy quick-pitches. I know it happened in Triple A. It’s probably going to happen here, too.”
Hitters can call one timeout per plate appearance. Pitchers are permitted two disengagements per plate appearance, either a pickoff attempt or a reset away from the rubber. A third pickoff attempt must result in an out, or it’s an automatic balk. Zach Plesac, who has tallied 10 pickoffs in four seasons, said he’s eager to find out how selective he’ll need to be with his pickoff attempts.
One scenario Francona mentioned is when a team places runners at the corners and a pitcher has burned through his two disengagements.
“If that guy fake breaks at third,” Francona said, “if you step off, you better get him out. So maybe we’ll position our third baseman closer. Things like that — what we don’t want to do is alter the way our guys pitch.”
Since he delivers the signs, bench coach DeMarlo Hale will also be responsible for tracking timeouts and pickoff attempts and anything else that surfaces.
There’s one other potential development: During spring training, pitchers can call their own pitches on their wrist using the PitchCom technology that was implemented last year. That can help save some time, since there won’t be a need to shake off the catcher’s suggestions. In 2022, many pitchers and catchers across the league relied on the devices, with the catcher pressing a button to signal the pitch, rather than flashing a finger or two from the crouched stance. This would take that one, efficient step further.
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Francona said, however, the league has not declared whether pitchers will be allowed to wear the wrist equipment during the season. The Guardians are hesitant to encourage their pitchers to get accustomed to a routine that ultimately might not be permitted.
The bases
Assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said the bases “look like an extra-large pizza box.” First, second and third base now measure 18 inches square, instead of 15.
So, there’s less ground to cover when trying to beat out an infield grounder or steal a base. But there’s also a shorter throw for defenders to complete. The consensus of those in Cleveland’s clubhouse is they need to get in games to really notice the difference. Roman Quinn, in camp as a non-roster invitee, spent time in Triple A last season and said the adjustment “is for the base stealer’s advantage.” The changes did boost stolen-base attempts and success rates in the minors.
“I don’t think it’s going to be drastic,” Francona said. “If we feel like it’s a strength of ours and is something we can exploit, we do it. Will there be more days where we feel that way? Maybe. We’ll see. Maybe teams really adjust and you show up and guys are really quick to the plate. We don’t know how teams are going to adjust.”
The shift
Four infielders must have their cleats in the dirt. Two on the left side of second base, two on the right side. Teams can position an outfielder as a fifth infielder, but they can’t use an infielder to create a four-man outfield.
A defensive alignment violation results in either an automatic ball or the result of the play, whatever the opponent prefers. Violations are also subject to replay challenges.
For Cleveland’s sake, having an athletic, Gold Glove-winning second baseman in Andrés Giménez could pay dividends, given the ground he can cover.
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The league cautioned teams not to try to exploit any loopholes.
“OK, we’ll get right on that,” Francona quipped.
Players are prohibited, for example, from getting a running start to the other side of the infield as a pitcher prepares to throw the baseball to the plate. And there’s no flipping spots, either. Once an inning begins, for instance, Giménez can’t switch positions with Amed Rosario, even if it makes sense to have the rangier defender at shortstop with a particular hitter at bat.
“If there’s something that gets exploited,” Francona said, “you’ll see every team doing it a week later.”
The replays
If there’s a close play on the field the Guardians might consider challenging, Francona holds up his hand to alert the umpires that Mike Barnett is on the case. Barnett, the team’s replay coordinator, said he can’t ever look down; he has to stay engaged every second of every game.
Teams used to have 20 seconds to challenge a call. Now, they’ll have 15. That might seem like the most minor of tweaks, but every second is precious during the process. As Francona notifies the umpires, Hale dials Barnett on the dugout phone and awaits his recommendation. Barnett doesn’t have an idea of exactly how much time he has remaining before his decision is required, nor does he have time to even ponder the status of the 15-second countdown. Barnett’s default setting is to assume he needs to review every play, though he said the way it typically goes, he won’t be needed for a few games, and then he’ll be called upon five or six times in one game.
(Top photo of Andrés Giménez, Terry Francona and an umpire: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
