The 2023 Major League Baseball season features some new looks. There are pitch clocks, larger bases, shift restrictions, and pitcher disengagement from the rubber limits. The idea behind all of these innovations is to decrease “dead air” during games, and encourage more in-game action, with more hits, greater numbers of stolen bases, and an increase in balls put in play. We know that games are faster, and that there have been more hits and stolen base attempts per game this season. But the most important question is whether or not fans are showing more interest. The answer to the question is, so far, yes.

While the rule changes are in their infancy, and it may take years to judge their direct impact on fan interest, MLB attendance is up so far this season. In an article in Forbes by Maury Brown, the author provides some details on where fans are and are not showing up at ballparks.

Twenty of thirty MLB teams are showing year-over-year attendance gains in 2023 versus the same number of home dates in 2022. Not surprisingly, the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies are atop the leaderboard in attendance increase, averaging more than 10,000 more fans per game this year. They are followed by the Yankees with just over 6,000 more paying customers at each game in 2023, then the Guardians, Mariners, and Astros with over 4,000 more per game this season. The Mets come in sixth, with an average of 3,899 more people at their homes in 2023.

All six of the teams noted above qualified for the postseason in 2022, certainly a contributing factor to increased fan interest. Looking more broadly, through a month, the league-wide average of 26,753, per Baseball-Reference, is up slightly over 2022’s number of 25,275 (5%) – an encouraging sign given the summer’s natural positive effect on attendance is still two months away.

Not every team is doing well at the gates so far this season. The Colorado Rockies are drawing 6,304 fewer fans per game than they did last year. The San Francisco Giants, who came close to signing Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge and ended up with Michael Conforto, are seeing an average of over three thousand fewer people walk through the turnstiles per game. The Boston Red Sox, who sold out every game from May 2003 through April of 2013, are experiencing an attendance drop of 204 per opening.

On the television ratings side, Brown looks at ESPN’s numbers.

ESPN enters its 34th season of Sunday Night Baseball and its second with season with David Cone, Eduardo Perez, and Karl Ravech in the booth. The Worldwide Leaderbrings back the “umpire cam” which was first used in 2002. There have only been four games on SNB thus far this year. Compared to last year at this time, viewership is down. But that’s largely driven by the fact that ESPN aired a Yankees-Red Sox game early in 2022 and the rivalry and large national brands that the two have skewed the numbers.

Opening Night drew 1.5 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, which was up +4% from 2022. The Astros-Rangers game saw average viewership of 994,000, down -10% from the Easter Sunday game in 2022 with the Padres and Braves. Most recently, the Mets-Giants game saw average viewership of 1.3 million, which is up +8% from the same game slot last year.

Back to average attendance, the Pirates, off to a fast start with a record of 20-8 through April 29, are up 2,600 per game. The Rays, who are playing incredible baseball at 23-5, are drawing almost 3,600 more per date, and the Blue Jays, who have also gotten out of the gate quickly at 18-9, have welcomed 3,300 more per game this season.

At this very early juncture, the signs are positive for MLB. While attendance is up, it’s not possible to measure the impact of the rule changes, though the overall attendance increase may reflect a general rising interest. One thing we can see from the numbers is something we have known all along, and that is that winning matters. When teams make the playoffs, they draw. When teams rise from the ashes and pleasantly surprise their fans (the Pirates), people come out to the ballpark.

Baseball may have changed this year, but the effect of putting a good product on the field remains the same.