MLB Implementing Two Rule Changes Ahead Of 2025 Season
Major League Baseball has implemented several new rules in recent years, introduced by Commissioner Rob Manfred, aimed at speeding up the pace of the game and reducing a defensive team's advantage on the field.
A batter who performs extremely well in some specific situations, often showing a huge difference in their performance against left-handed versus right-handed batters. Particularly when a left-handed hitter was at the plate, teams would position an additional fielder in the right field corner, leaving only one fielder on the left side.
Following MLB's rule changes, teams must have two fielders on each side of second base, and they must stay on the infield dirt before the play starts.
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If that occurs going forward, the batter will initially be awarded first base and any runners will advance one base. The fielder will be assessed an error, while the batter will not be credited with an at-bat. The offense may also decline the penalty and accept the outcome of the play.
There were just two defensive shift violations in 2024, one made by Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa and the other by Boston Red Sox utility player Ceddanne Rafalea.
Major League Baseball has looked into another trend on the field, where players are running full speed into a base on a potential force out situation. The reason players are doing this is to avoid being forced out, thus allowing them to continue on to the next base:
Another rule change is a bit more obscure, but now replay officials can check to see if a runner who reaches second or third base went past the base when they didn't previously have to look out for that type of situation.
Going forward, the replay official can now call the runner safe on the force play, but also call him out for abandoning the base. Whether the run comes home from third base depends on when he is officially ruled to have left the base.
The rule change prevents teams from instructing runners to continue running to the next base to avoid an abandonment call, and instead, a runner would need to be stopped and be called out if they commit an abandonment violation.
These rule changes will have a net positive effect on fairness of minor situations in MLB games, benefiting both pitchers and hitters.
What MLB rule changes have had the most impact?
In the first year of defensive shift restrictions, teams committed 26 infractions, and that number decreased to just two last year.
Under the pitch clock, infractions by pitchers, hitters, and catchers decreased to 602, down from 1,048 in the first year after its introduction.
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