The Major League Baseball hot stove has been ice cold, but we may at least see some movement in improving pace of play as soon as the 2018 season.
The league and players union reportedly will meet next week to discuss different ways to try and improve pace of play, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.
The slow pace, of course, has been a well-documented drawback of the sport, and is taking a toll on both devout and casual fans. And though the league has made some efforts to improve it, few have been fruitful.
So what’s on the docket?
“The major changes under consideration are a pitch clock and a limitation on catcher mound visits,” wrote Crasnick, citing a source.
Despite the number of replays dropping from 2016 to 2107, the time per game actually increased by over four minutes. For reference, the average game in 2017 lasted three hours, five minutes and 11 seconds.
Part of that largely can be attributed to the average time between pitches rising to 23.8 seconds last season, which validates why a pitch clock is among the suggestions.
Gaining some ground on the issue could be huge for the sport, especially as other leagues, such as the NBA, have found ways to keep its games snappy.
