MLB Solution # 4: Eliminate Stolen Bases
Alright, we’re making progress. Time to shave off some minutes though. If Major League Baseball is truly serious about improving pace of play, they need to scrap the stolen base.
Baseball blasphemy, you say? Well, simmer down old-timer.
Sure, it’s kind of exciting when the high play actually happens. Yet what this picture fails to capture are the ten throws to first base over the course of the inning that occurred before Dee Gordon finally took off.
Talk about a snooze fest.
Therefore, giving rid of this insanely antiquated practice would shorten game times dramatically. Pitchers throwing over to first would become an extreme rarity, almost to the point of being interesting to see. There’d be no point. Dee Gordon is still getting to second on most ground balls. Pablo Sandoval not so much.
Plus, think about all those players you see getting hurt sliding into second. Eliminating one more way players get injured keeps star players in the lineup. Secondly, this option also places less value on speedy players, and more on thumpers. Which if you recall solution three, translates to more outs and even faster games.