Major League Baseball could be looking at a drastic change with their starting pitchers.
The proposal would require all starting pitchers to throw at least six innings except those who reach 100 pitches, give up four earned runs or more, or suffer an injury. ESPN Chicago insider Jesse Rogers reported the news on Aug. 15.
This rule change would not be implemented during this season or next, as it would take quite some time for the MLB to make this change. They would experiment in the Minor Leagues first, similar to how they did with the pitch clock.
According to sources close to the situation, MLB is also considering limiting the size of its pitching staff to fewer pitchers and having a double-hook designated hitter. MLB’s goal is to restore the importance of the starting pitchers and let fans know that they can watch one pitcher for most of the game.
“We are interested in increasing the amount of action in the game, restoring the prominence of the starting pitcher, and reducing the prevalence of pitching injuries,” an MLB official told ESPN. “There are a whole host of options in addressing those issues.”
The goal is for the pitchers to be on the mound more, get injured less, and hopefully reduce some of the strikeouts that many have grown tired of. The average starting pitcher is only throwing 5.27 innings per game, down from 5.97 last season. In Triple-A, it’s almost a full inning lower at 4.3 innings per start.
Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes spoke to Rogers about how this rule change would impact training pitchers in MiLB.
“I think we would look to build up pitch counts sooner than we currently do in the minor leagues,” Gomes said. “I think teams would approach their top prospects the same but maybe invest a bit more in the middle draft rounds to guys they think can command the ball with upside.”
Arizona Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen also weighed in on this proposal.
“From an efficiency standpoint, it’s just a lot harder to pitch deep now. We would need to find a different way to train them… but this sport always adjusts. We would have to,” Hazen said.
I understand the idea behind trying to make the starting pitcher more important since the win has now been undervalued for several years. Justin Verlander, 41, is the active leader at 260 career wins but will face an uphill battle to reach the magic 300 due to age and health concerns in the past few seasons.
The MLB has made several rule changes within the past few years, such as the three-batter minimum, pitch clock, and ghost runner for extra innings.
This rule would feel gimmicky and forced, even though eliminating openers would make the game better to watch. I don’t think they should implement this rule, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up going through with it in a few years.
_____
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Corbin Carroll (7) grips a rawlings baseball with the Major League logo during game 2 of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 20, 2022, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
