Atlantic League Making Big Changes In Attempt To Speed Up Baseball Games

Baseball is a slow-moving sport by nature, but it has been reduced to a snail’s pace in the last decade or so. One independent league is trying to reverse that potentially damaging trend.

ESPN’s Buster Olney has the story of the independent Atlantic League’s drastic attempts (ESPN Insider link) to speed up the game. According to Olney’s column, the league’s dramatic overhaul will go into place Aug. 1.

Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Pat Gillick is on the committee that helped develop and install these new rules. According to Philly.com, the panel also included baseball lifers like Sparky Lyle, Bud Harrelson and Cecil Cooper.

Here are some of the changes the Atlantic League will see come:

• Defensive teams will be limited to three “timeouts” per game. That includes mound visits or players’ meetings at the mound, but it does not include pitching changes. A strict 45-second limit will be enforced for those visits, and failure to end a meeting in 45 seconds will result in a ball being called for the batter at the plate.
• Like many recreational leagues, a speed-up rule will be enforced for catchers as soon as they reach base. This will allow them to put their equipment on and be ready to go as soon as the half-inning ends.
• Warm-up pitches in between innings will be reduced from eight to six.

Additionally, umpires will strictly enforce time of game rules like Rule 6.02 and Rule 8.04. Hitters will not be allowed to step out of the box, and pitchers will have to deliver the pitch within 12 seconds of receiving the baseball. Umpires also will be forced to strictly adhere to the strike zone as defined in Rule 2.0.

Many believe long baseball games are turning away fans, especially in a smartphone era where attention spans are seemingly limited. Speeding up the game could help.

“I think the game can drag on,” Gillick told Olney. “It’s a different era. I don’t think fans are as patient as we were, and they don’t want to be there for three hours.”

It will be interesting to see what comes of these changes and how they’re embraced. If the Atlantic League finds success, maybe that would be enough to get Major League Baseball thinking about similar changes, which certainly would be welcomed by many fans.

Photo via Twitter/@BlueCrabs