At times, it seemed like Commissioner Rob Manfred was simply not going to be able to get on the same page with the MLB Players Union in the early weeks of summer. Ultimately, the decision to settle on a 60-game season meant that it would always be accompanied by an asterisk, and therefore the league saw an opportunity for a few trial runs.
Baseball purists have already been tested in recent times, with the introduction of limited instant replay in 2008 and its expansion shortly after. However, with the average age of the baseball fan rising consistently over time, it has been encouraging to see young people and women boosting viewership ratings in 2020.
Let’s dive into the specific rules implemented this year and whether or not they deserve to stick around when we return to the normal 162-game grind.
EXPANDED PLAYOFFS
We have yet to see the direct results of this major structural shift, but on the surface this seems like a rule to leave in 2020. Baseball has always been a game of hot-and-cold stretches, which is why such a grueling schedule is required to bring balance and to reward better teams.
What do you get with a 60-game sprint? Well for one, you have a Miami Marlins squad that was slammed by COVID-19 still firmly in the playoff picture near the halfway point (14-14 record, 2nd in NL East).
Because of the small sample size, MLB decided to expand playoff teams from 10 all the way to 16, with two teams from each division and two third-place finishers from each league advancing to the first round. Instead of the traditional wild card structure, teams are seeded 1-through-8 in each league, and we get a round of 3-game series before moving to the best-of-five Division Series and best-of-seven Championship Series and World Series.
Right off the bat, this cannot stay beyond 2020 as long as we are playing a 162-game season. How can you justify playing that many games just to have more teams make the playoffs than not? Not to mention, a normal five-game series is already on the harsh side when judging division winners. A 3-game series? No way.
This one is straightforward. Unless MLB plans on drastically reducing regular season games, which probably isn’t the right call either, they need to revert back to the “normal” playoff structure and even consider making the Division Series a best-of-seven affair like other major sports leagues.
UNIVERSAL DH
National League traditionalists have long championed the idea of having the pitcher hit, and the supposed “small ball” mentality and strategies that go along with it. However, as someone who has watched countless pitchers swing aimlessly or kill rallies by failing to put a bunt in play, I welcomed this change with open arms.
The results have been a bit surprising, with NL runs per game totals (approximately 4.7) remaining quite similar to the 2019 totals in our small sample size thus far, but it has been a definite positive.
In middle-and-late-game scenarios, the DH allows pitchers to stay in the game who may otherwise be pulled in a crucial run-scoring situation. This can go a long way to reducing bullpen strain. Additionally, it gives increased playing time to quality hitters whose defense prevents them from getting regular at-bats in the National League.
Plus, as much as some want to deny it, baseball is most popular when the ball is flying out of the park. The league clearly did something to the ball last year to inflate offensive output, making it an obvious priority.
I generally agree with these sentiments. Bring on another offensive threat to NL lineups.
RUNNER ON 2ND IN EXTRA INNINGS
This is a fascinating one, and an idea that has been tested in Minor League Baseball for a few seasons now. Placing a runner on second base immediately puts the pressure on and forces the hitting team to make some decisions. While this change was made to speed up the game and limit 13+ inning marathon contests, I find the added bit of strategy just as compelling.
So far this season, we have seen 42 extra-inning affairs, 29 of which didn’t make it past the tenth (or eighth in shortened seven-inning games). In 126 half-innings with the placed runner, teams have scored 59 times, which means the rule is indeed having its intended effect.
Those never-ending games are fun every now and then, but generally I like this setup better. The only tweak I would consider is potentially playing the 10th inning as usual before placing the runner in the 11th and beyond. Otherwise, chalk it up as another win for the offense-first crowd (sorry, relievers).
SEVEN-INNING DOUBLEHEADERS
Lastly, due to the amount of games being postponed for COVID-related issues and a generally tight schedule, MLB adopted another MiLB-tested method of seven-inning doubleheaders. This is another idea that has gone seemingly well in 2020, with players staying fresher for the stretch run.
It is also more of a necessity this year, with the teams like the Marlins and Cardinals being forced to sit out numerous games in a row as players recover from the virus.
I’m more 50/50 with this one. I wouldn’t mind seeing it utilized moving forward, but I also don’t think the general movement towards seven-inning games is warranted just yet. A major argument surrounding baseball in recent years is pace-of-play and becoming more appealing to fans by shortening games.
The better alternative is probably the three-batter minimum rule for relievers and quicker warmups between innings that we’ve seen as opposed to altering the game’s basic structure to such a degree. I wouldn’t be surprised if this happens in the future, but for now let’s keep it limited to doubleheaders.
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