We recently took a look at how the new rule changes fared during the unusual 2020 season including the universal designated hitter.

Here is my take on possible future rule changes in light of pandemics, climate change, and murder hornets or murder midges.

Ban the Shift

No, don’t do that. Baseball has used creative deployment of fielders since the first game in the 1800s. Remember when the second baseman stood on second base before each pitch? Yes, that’s how it started, until managers realized no one would hit it there. Except they actually do all the time. How many grounders went directly up the middle this postseason only to disappear in the glove of a perfectly placed infielder shifting?

Four outfielders? Why not? Fly ball pitcher vs. fly ball hitter. I love challenging the batter to adjust and try something different. It’s a great strategy decision that only adds to the game. I especially love the crazy base running situations when no one is covering third base. The best example was Daniel Murphy in 2015 taking third after a walk to the player batting after him. It rewards baseball instincts, one of my favorite aspects of the game.

Baseball is above all a game of adjustments, and as the universal DH removes some of the strategy around pitcher usage, let’s keep the shift and counter-shift to give the managers something fun to do and fun to watch when it doesn’t work.

Required retractable roof: Okay, so maybe you aren’t as worried about climate change as I am, but really, after this season, do you doubt that we could see a near future in which the climate is no longer suitable for outdoor baseball? Or even a dome that could get blown to shreds by the next level 5 hurricane. The new Globe Life Field is the prototype of the future with its weird horizontal garage door roof. Its either that, or build stadiums underground.

Push back the fences and/or raise the walls: So, in my mind there is a problem of too few balls being put in play, and two many three true outcomes. What to do?

Make the field bigger and more challenging to hit home runs to start with. And as an added bonus, raising fences to keep fans from interfering with balls in play a la Jeffrey Maier. People will complain about limiting home run robberies, but there will be creative ways to keep that in play, by creating a gap between fans and fence or perhaps fence cutouts over the bullpens. While they are at it, add some cameras to the foul pole going straight up to determine if high flies are fair or foul.

Raise/lower/?? the pitching mound: Bob Gibson, may he Rest In Peace, was responsible for getting the mound lowered from 15 inches to ten inches after his unreal 1968 season where his ERA was 1.12. If we want more strikeouts we can raise it back to 15 inches. If we want more balls in play, we can lower it to somewhere between five and ten inches. Or we can move the mound back, as suggested before the season to be tested in the independent Atlantic League. Well, no way it should be moved back.

I suggest lowering it to seven inches. Cut down on strikeouts, increase balls in play, get that enlarged outfield busy.

Strike zone: Bigger? smaller? higher? lower? wider? narrower? robot umpires? Can’t make the strike zone smaller and increase walks. But if you make it bigger you increase strikeouts. So, where’s the middle ground? Make the strike zone bigger in all directions, and make it so the batters will swing early and often. Make putting the ball in play the best outcome.

Robot umpires are inevitable and I will withhold judgement until I see what they have in mind. If they use them, though, there must be actual robots on the field standing behind home plate and making exuberant hand gestures for balls and strikes.

Pitcher wins: Make the win an award given by the Official Scorer to the most significant pitcher in a winning game. Same with the loss on the losing side.

Interleague play: Enough already. It was great in the beginning and has gotten progressively less great. With the universal DH, this would be the only way to separate the leagues until the World Series, and I really want that again.

Salaries: more creative bonuses, such as tied to attendance. Okay, so I get that 2021 will be uncertain in every way. How about building in some cost certainty by adding bonuses tied to annual team attendance. The closer to typical the attendance is, the closer to typical the salary is.

Team nicknames: Time to get rid of racist team nicknames. Cleveland has already started the talking process, and I assume this will indeed happen soon. Let’s go back to the future and rechristen the Cleveland Spiders. There is already a cottage industry of logos and merchandise, so the team won’t have to do any work on that end.

Buster Olney suggested the perfect new nickname for Atlanta: the Atlanta Hammers! Please do it while Hammerin’ Hank Aaron is still alive.

Patriotic displays: No more military flyovers, Star Spangled Banner sinning, God Bless America. America the Beautiful, maybe. Honor first responders, medical workers, and all the COVID essential workers every day.

Inclusion and diversity initiatives: Plenty of non-profit organizations have been created focusing on encouraging marginalized communities to participate in sports at all levels, such as You Can Play, Athlete Ally, International Women’s Baseball Center, Pitch in for Baseball and Softball, Dream (formerly Harlem RBI), Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), etc. The biggest tragedy of baseball history was segregation. Let’s not make that mistake ever again.

And let’s make sure all children can afford to play in Little League.

Minor league/Independent leagues: Minor League Baseball is going through its biggest transition since the beginning. It’s time to rectify some long-term injustices, no matter what form it ultimately takes. They need a powerful union of their own, or full participation in MLBPA. In addition, all professional baseball players need to be treated like full-time employees, including being paid every week of the year, at a real living wage at the very least. Non-profits are popping up to work for this right now, and I support them fully.

New Draft system: Full single international draft of all players after they turn 18. Their draft rights would be held for two years and then they can re-enter the draft.

Expansion: Expand to 32 teams ASAP. MLB needs the revenue and I need a number of teams divisible by four. 16 teams in each league, divided into four division of four teams each. Or, if you prefer, two division of eight teams each to echo the traditional setup of eight teams in each league.

Marketing the game and the players: Keep showing the ads shown during the playoffs, focusing on history/present, emotion, cultural diversity, and personality. Let fans create fan art to sell, such as Athlete Logos (@athletelogos on Twitter). Getting baseball images out in the world is good for baseball!

Mascots: Dancing must be added to required skills and job description for all mascots. See how the CPBL Uni-Lions do it. And please retire Mrs. Met. Send her to graduate school or to NASA to become an astronaut. Replace her with Baby KissMet, a small nonbinary baseball head with charisma.

TV experience: MLB Network include international, women’s, youth, and urban baseball. Find the balance between new and long-time fans. Emphasize entertainment value while letting managers employ analytics in their decision-making.

Analytics/Statcast: (tie into above) Listen to Bob Costas.

Gambling: I hate the addition of gambling to baseball pregame shows and marketing. It’s clearly here to stay, but it really makes me angry. Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are spitting tobacco juice in their graves. Oh wait, Rose is still alive.

MLB TV/At Bat app: Great app, just add MLB Network streaming, remove the blackouts, and add international leagues, and you have a customer moving forward.

MLB Film Room Video clip app: Brilliant!

Playoff systems:

8 teams: Six division winners and one Wild Card from each league. To reward effort, draft position will be changed to reward teams that just missed the postseason, followed by the worst teams and then the playoff teams. This is the system I prefer. I know it will never happen because MLB does not go back to the past.

10 teams: Six division winners and two Wild Cards from each league (current system). I like this system just the way it is.

12 teams: Six division winners and six second place finishers. This is the most I would ever consider until the inevitable expansion to 32 teams.

14 teams: NO combination works until MLB expands globally to at least 40 teams.

16+ teams Not until MLB expands cosmically to at least 60 teams.

Unwritten Rules

“Let the Kids Play; Let the Managers Calculate”

Swinging on 3-0 with big lead: Why wouldn’t you?

Stealing with big lead: Fine.

Bat flips: The more the merrier.

Pointing at opponents: Not so much.

Gesticulating on the mound: Fine.

Bunting during a no-hitter: Fine.

Elaborately choreographed celebrations: Fine with me. Extra points for creativity.

Fraternizing with the enemy: Be careful, find the right time and place.

Throwing at someone’s head: Never ever.

Sign stealing: Only if they are smart enough to figure it out without technology.

My basic attitude is I want to see personality and exuberance from the players, and I want to celebrate individual and cultural expression of passion and joy. Yes, this is not the game I grew up with. Yes, I’m incredibly fortunate to have experienced both in my lifetime.

Quotes

Tampa Bay Ray Hunter Renfroe was asked if he’d like to see some of this year’s new rules, such as a runner on second in extra innings, and seven-inning doubleheaders, carry over to next season. His response: “I want to go back to baseball.”