The minor league 2021 season will see some new and changed rules at various levels of play, according to a Major League Baseball statement. “Consistent with the preferences of our fans, the rule changes being tested are designed to increase the action on the grassroots, create more balls in play, improve the pace and duration of games and reduce injuries to players,” says communicated.
Many of these changes have been discussed or even already used in other minor leagues – Baseball America’s JJ Cooper notes that fans of the independent Atlantic League will recognize many of these rule adjustments. Nor is it necessarily the case that all of these new rules (whether in their current form or any other) will appear at the MLB level, given the basis of trial and error.
Baseball Triple-A will have the size of the bases increased from 15 square inches to 18 square inches, a seemingly small change that could end up having a noticeable impact on the game. As the league statement says, “the Competition Committee also expects that the shorter distances between bases created by the increase in size will have a modest impact on the success rate of stolen base attempts and the frequency with which a runner batter hits the base in ground balls and bunt attempts. ”In addition, larger bases will also reduce the chances of collisions on the base paths.
Double-A baseball will experience a new rule that addresses defensive changes, since, going forward, “the defensive team must have a minimum of four players on the infield, each of whom must have both feet completely in front the outer boundary of dirt on the pitch. ”Although the shift has been a part of baseball for decades, teams have been using the shifts more often and more elaborately in recent seasons, to the point that seeing a club put four or even five players on the outside field for a specific beater is not out of the ordinary.
This initial rule will keep the internal fields within the internal field, and the statement also suggested other limitations for changes in the second half of the Double-A season: “Depending on the preliminary results of this experimental rule change, the MLB may require that two internal fields be positioned entirely on each side of the second base … These restrictions on defensive positioning aim to increase the average striking of the balls in play. “
Withdrawal and withdrawal movements are the main focus of changes in the rules of the Single-A, as in the High-A ball, “the pitchers are obliged to release the rubber before playing for any base, with the penalty of an impediment in the case of the pitcher does not comply. ”This was one of the rules instituted in the Atlantic League in 2019, as noted in the MLB statement, and the amended rule“ resulted in a significant increase in stolen base attempts and an improved success rate ”.
Withdrawal / withdrawal rules will be changed even more significantly for all Low-A alloys. If there are one or more runners at the base, the pitchers may only launch a maximum of two pickoffs or make two step-offs per appearance of a sign. The pitcher may attempt a third pickoff or step-off, but the move must result in the retirement of the baserunner. If the runner returns to his original base on this third attempt at the pitch, the move is called a hindrance and the runner advances anyway. The MLB statement said the limitation could be further reduced to just a single step or attempted withdrawal due to the appearance of the plaque, seeing how the initial rule works.
The Liga Oeste Low-A will adopt stopwatches in the field “to impose time limits between the delivery of pitches, entry intervals and pitch changes”. An even more interesting electronic element will be part of the Southeast Low-A league, as the Automatic Ball Strike System will be used “to assist home plate referees in calling balls and strokes, ensuring that a consistent hitting zone is called and determine the optimal attack zone for the system. “