Philadelphia Phillies: Previewing positives and questions of the 2023 season

It was the Twitterverse, if memory serves, that told us the Philadelphia Phillies pitchers and catchers report for their first workout in Florida on February 16, so obviously it’s time to take a look at what’s coming this season for the defending National League champions.

Phillies fans stay informed. Some even celebrate the day the equipment truck is packed for Clearwater. This year that was February 2. So, let’s get onto some of the changes coming for the Fightin’s and all other MLB teams:

The new infield

No, this isn’t exactly about the Phillies signing Trea Turner; it’s about how infield play will be changed radically this coming season. The most obvious and commented upon change is the banning of the shift, and a very serious ban that is — not so much the fact that infielders must start two on each side of second base for every pitch, but also that they must have both feet on the infield dirt until the pitcher’s foot leaves the rubber with the pitch.

It remains to be seen how closely this will be enforced because some infielders will surely start moving to better positions for various hitters just before pitches are released.

The Philadelphia Phillies and all other MLB teams will be playing a different game in 2023

The shift as we now think of it dates back at least to the time of Ted Williams, and was likely used even before Teddy Ballgame was slamming pitches to the right side, but that business of both feet in the infield will surely have second basemen and shortstops tripping over their own feet now and then at the season’s beginning as one or the other races backwards and to the left (or right) as a pitch is released.

Grace — and its measurement somehow — will become a “thing.”

Also, look for a lot of Phillies defensive plays to begin with either Bryson Stott or Turner close enough to second base to spit directly down onto it.

And don’t forget the pitcher is an infielder. MLB pitchers will be working up a bit more of a sweat more quickly this season because of the new pitch clock — 15 seconds between pitches with no baserunners, 20 seconds otherwise.

Finally, stolen bases may be coming back into baseball because “disengagements” — throwing to a base or stepping off — will be limited to two per plate appearance. And the bases are a bit bigger, so the distance is between bases is cut down by that sometimes important, tiny distance.

In more concrete terms, both of the above changes suggest the 30-year-old Turner may surpass his 24-year-old total of 46 stolen bases, his career high.

From a defensive perspective, however, at least any infielder trying to tag him out won’t be trying to cover his base from another zip code.

But the major change with the infielder who starts each play is the fact that every team’s slower-working pitchers will have to work somewhat more quickly. That “somewhat” is there for a reason, though. For example, L.A. writer Jorge Castillo notes that the Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen, was MLB’s third-slowest pitcher between releases (25.6 seconds), but the time between releases isn’t what will be timed.

The clock will run from when the pitcher gloves his catcher’s throw until he begins his delivery.

Therefore, watch for catchers dawdling between catching pitches and returning them.