Sitting here in the airport, I read in USA Today that commissioner Rob Manfred wants to increase action and decrease time. I’m not sure the two are compatible. If by more action, he means more balls in play, then it is possible. If he means more scoring, then we get the situation we have this season, longer games.
One way to achieve this might be to increase the size of the strike zone, and lower the mound to decrease velocity. That will force batters to swing at more pitches, and give them a better chance to make contact. I don’t think rules per se need to be changed.
I think you mean decrease the size of the strike zone. The increasing strike zone has caused to P/PA to increase almost 10% since the mid 80’s. It also has resulted in a historic high in K rates that’s almost double what it was in the 50’s
I’d like to see the mound pushed back to account for pitchers being taller than they were 50 years ago. As such the release point has to be a good 3 inches closer to the plate which increases the effective velocity, while pitching usage and stronger pitchers increases the real velocity. Taken together, hitters have a tough job. I’d move it back 6 inches. This will help pitchers safety as well as it gives them more reaction time. Speed off the bat has likely increased as well
I don’t know what is driving this game time fetish. I dont complain about game length as long as runs are being scored. Its the low scoring affairs, incessant mound visits, commercial breaks during pitching changes, and long AB’s that bore the crap out of me, and even shorter games dont make this right
Eliminate all mound visits except during a pitching change , even by the Catcher, and require RP’ers to get to the mound and be ready to throw within 30 seconds of being called (they can warm up in the pen, thats what its for) . That eliminates or shortens the commercials
coming from the guy who nearly destroyed baseball by representing the owners as their management attorney during the 1994-95 strike, which STOPPED ALL ACTION AND CANCELLED THE WORLD SERIES, this certainly is ironic.
this commissioner probably did more to destroy baseball, through the strike and the resulting steroids era, than any other human being.
anything he says, do not believe it.
he is a paid shill for management.
all he wants to do is destroy the union and destroy the game.
art kyriazis
And I thought Selig was bad…Nothing Manfred has said makes me think he is even a baseball fan with any sense of its history.