Ray’s Rundown 7/15: State of the Union

Major League Baseball took its break this week for the All-Star Game. Part of that process involved a whole lot of interviews with players, coaches, front offices and the commissioner. This podcast will discuss eight big ticket items from the A.S.B. (data is directly from Bob Nightengale’s article).

(1)  PITCH CLOCK: Major League Baseball is open to considering the possibility of adding a few seconds to the pitch clock in the postseason. “We don’t want a postseason game decided by a rules violation, and I understand it’s a possibility,’’ Manfred said. “I think you ought to play the postseason the way you play the regular season. There’s exceptions.”  There have been 721 pitch-clock violations this season, but 60% of the games have had no violations with just 12% of the games featuring multiple violations. The average time of nine-inning games with the pitch clock is 2 hours, 38 minutes, 26 minutes less than a year ago. It’s on pace to be the fastest nine-inning games since 1984. (2) ROBOT UMPS:  MLB continues to explore the possibility of adding an automated strike zone system, but one high-ranking MLB official told USA TODAY Sports that it will be years before it will be implanted, and certainly not before 2025. (3) BIGGER BASES/SHIFT: There has been an increase from 8.7 to 9.1 runs a game while stolen-base attempts have increased from 1. per game to 1.8 per game. Left-handed batters are hitting .248, an increase of 13 points from a year ago, while right-handed hitters are also batting .248, an increase of 1%. (4) ATTENDANCE: The pace and timing of the games, Manfred said, has also helped lead to an 8.4% attendance increase to 28,404, which would be the highest since 2018, with the median age of ticket buyers down by three years. (5) THE ATHLETICS: The A’s still have not submitted their relocation plan to MLB, which includes a proposal of where they may play after their Coliseum lease expires after the 2025 season until their proposed new ballpark is ready in 2028. (6) INTERNATIONAL GAMES: MLB will play games outside US/Canada next year: -Red Sox vs. Rays, March 9-10, Dominican Republic (spring training) – Padres vs. Dodgers, March 20-21, Seoul -Rockies vs. Astros, April 27-28, Mexico City -Mets vs. Phillies, June 8-9, London. (7) NEW BASEBALL: MLB is working with Dow Chemical in an attempt to develop new baseballs with a sticky surface to eliminate the need for players to use rosin, or illegal substances for a better grip. (8) REALIGNMENT: MLB will quickly form an expansion committee once the Oakland and Tampa Bay stadium situations are resolved, hoping to expand to 32 teams, which is expected to involve massive realignment, and perhaps end the traditional American League and National Leagues. (9) SCHEDULE CHANGE: The union is willing to open discussions about reducing the 162-game schedule, but not at the expense of players’ salaries. “We’ve had conversations about the length of schedule in past negotiations,’’ Tony Clark executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association said. “The conversation often stops with the conversation that we had during COVID, which is rolling back player salaries.’’