Happy Friday,

A happy day indeed! The MLB announced today that their Competition Committee has voted to implement an infield shift rule. The days of Manny Machado lined up in Right Field, being the 3rd baseman will finally be over. Baseball is heading back to how it was played for 100’s of years… 2 players on either side of 2nd base, with both feet on the infield dirt.

The MLB has been looking for ways to make the game more exciting for years, and I personally feel this is a step in the right direction, as it will add more hits to the game. Now a shot to the 3-4 hole won’t be a routine ground ball for the 2nd baseman playing in shallow right field. More hits will fall in no-man’s land and Texas Leaguers will again be more common.

While I understand the analytics behind shifts and the reason they are done, I can’t help but think how much more exciting it will be to see lefties have a couple of base hits to the left side, opposed to 0-4 day because the entire team is on the left side of the Diamond.

Among other changes coming to the MLB in 2023 are a pitch clock of 15 seconds when no one is on base – 20 seconds when runners are on, and implementation of larger bases, expected to create more offense and stolen bases.

Unfortunately the MLB Players association was against the shift rule, which favors pitchers but not hitters… but hey, it’s all about growing the game and hits are the thing that are going to drive fans to watch!

Till Next Time,

Trevor