Major League Baseball in conjunction with the Player’s Association have announced rule changes for the 2017 season.
With pace of play being a hot topic this offseason, it should come as no surprise that a few of the rules have addressed that issue. There are, however, some other interesting rule changes that will affect how the game on the field is actually played. The joint press release states the new rules are as follows:
The intentional walk rule had already been announced and discussed at length. With respect to the replay rules, this announcement was also anticipated. With that said, looking over the changes, this appears to be both sides seeking to enforce the replay rules that were already in place more than it appeared to be a re-writing of the rule to increase the expediency of the replay process.
One important note, is that the time it takes to conduct a replay is a “guideline” and not a mandate. As such, it is possible we see little to no change in the replay process.
One important change is the use of markers on the field. This was an issue the New York Mets brought to the forefront last year. As reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Dodgers were marking their own and opponents outfields so they could align their outfielders properly during the game. While the use of such markers may have been a grey area last season, they are clearly forbidden this year.
Perhaps, the biggest impact of the new rules is the new delivery rule. As many are sure to point out, former Mets prospect John Gant takes two steps towards home plate during his delivery. Where things get more interesting is how Major League Baseball will rule on the delivery of San Diego Padres reliever Carter Capps‘ delivery.
It will be interesting to see if baseball rules this as a drag, hop, continual motion, or even an illegal pitch. With respect to Capps, it may be a moot point as he may not pitch in 2017 as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery. With that said, it is an issue that will eventually arise with him, Gant, Jordan Walden, and any number of major leaguers who use some variation of what may now be determined an illegal pitch.
