Manfred: MLB Rule Changes In 2023 ‘Will Produce A Crisp, More Exciting Game’

By Barry Janoff

February 16, 2023: Last year, MLB unveiled a number of changes to the game that, after having been tested in the Minor Leagues, would hit baseball for the 2023 season.

As the Chambers Brothers sang, “Time has come today/Can’t put it off another day/I don’t care what others say/They say we don’t listen anyway.”

"This is the first time since 2019 that we're going into a season where the focus is on the field and the play of the game, which is always where we do our best,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said during a Spring Training media conference in Phoenix on Wednesday.

"We think the changes are going to produce a crisp, more exciting game. More balls in play, and I think the athleticism of our great athletes will shine through.”

Among the rule changes: larger bases, a pitch clock and a limit on defensive shifts. These will be in-play throughout Spring Training and then beginning with Opening Day, scheduled for March 30.

They not not be in effect during the upcoming World Baseball Classic (March 8-21).

"We reached the conclusion that if you have a grace period, you effectively have two periods of adjustment," said Manfred. "Our experience in the Minor Leagues suggested we are just better off putting in the rule changes and moving through that adjustment period as fast as we can."

In addition,  the automatic runner at second base in extra innings, which has been tested in the Majors over the past couple of seasons, is now permanent.

"The clubs have come to the point where they prefer the rule," said Manfred during the media conference.

“It saves them from putting excessive strain on their pitching staffs or putting position players out there to pitch when they're not used to pitching."

Manfred said "It eliminates that really long game. There is a lot of consensus. I think for fans it does bring focus at the end of the game. I think that's a good thing over the long haul."

MLB acknowledges that players and fans will need time to adjust to the rules.

To help acclimate people, MLB Network is airing a special, MLB Tonight: What's New in 2023, to debut tonight (Feb. 16, 7 PM ET).

“There’s no doubt the game has evolved a lot over the last two to three decades," Theo Epstein, former Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs executive and now a consultant for MLB, says during What's New in 2023.

"Some of those changes have been driven by optimizations that were led by front offices and people like me, pushing them. While it might have helped you win some more games, it didn’t necessarily change the game for the better for the fans, in terms of the game that is played on the field aesthetically."

The changes were officially approved by a Joint Competition Committee, which included a voting body consisting of four active players, six members appointed by MLB and one umpire, created as part of the 2022-26 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

According to Epstein, “Credit to commissioner Manfred, the owners, the players, who all got involved and worked on these new rules, tested them out in over 8,000 Minor League games. (MLB) threw out the ones that didn’t work, improved the ones that did work, and now we’re excited to have these new rules that’ll make the game better for the fans."
 
Also new in 2023 is a balanced schedule, which see each team play at least one series against every other MLB club.

“With 19 games against your division opponents, what you started to hear from the clubs is, 'It would help us, in terms of attendance and trying to appeal to our fans, to have a little more variety in the schedule,'" Manfred said.

"When you do more games outside your division, almost by definition travel is going to be a little worse. The conclusion is it was worthwhile in terms of trying to make the game better for fans.”

Beginning in 2023, there will be a 30-second timer between batters, which impacts both hitters and pitchers.

There will be a 15-second timer between pitches with the bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base.

Pitchers who exceed the time will be charged with an automatic ball. Batters who exceed the timer are charged with an automatic strike.

The bases (except for home plate) are being increased from 15 to 18 square inches.

The larger bases are aimed to reduce collisions, particularly at first base, and in MiLB has also seen a rise in both stolen base attempts and successful steals.

The move to put limits on defensive shifts is aimed to support offensive production.

“It's not about changing the game,” said Manfred. “It’s about making sure we put the best form of baseball on the field.”

Commissioner Manfred: Rule Changes Are Needed For MLB’s Continued Growth

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