Major League Baseball is not shy about wanting to make rule changes in the near future. This is precisely why during the 2019 MLB season, MLB plans to test potential rule changes in the Atlantic League.
The list of potential rule changes coming to baseball goes on and on. For example, ahead of the 2019 MLB season, MLB plans to continue limiting mound visits. Its also looking like the 20-second pitch clock will be used in regular season games very soon.
Many in the older generation believe that baseball should not change at all, but there’s no doubt that in such a competitive media landscape, baseball is struggling to get eyes on its product. I want to make one thing clear, I love baseball how it is, and I would watch four-hour games regularly. However, I understand that many casual fans don’t feel the same way, and I wouldn’t mind if there was a little less dead time during games.
Every rule change, even an extremely minor one, has unintended consequences. There are some rules that MLB thinks may improve the game, but they don’t want to implement them without testing. Which is why, on Friday, MLB announced a partnership with the independent Atlantic League to test out experimental rules.
It’s certainly possible that some of these rules will never advance past the Atlantic League. But it’s worth noting that MLB is making moves to test these ideas, which shows a certain level of interest. Some of these changes are minor, some are major, and these rules try to address different aspects of the game.
Now, let’s take a look at the seven rules, ranked from worst to best.