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MLB Considering Rules To Keep Starting Pitchers In Games Longer

Featured Replies

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/08/mlb-considering-rules-to-keep-starting-pitchers-in-games-longer.html

 

The most drastic change on the table is a rule that would dictate starting pitchers have to complete six innings before being removed from a game.

Such a rule would have to come with exceptions for injuries, blowouts or other extreme scenarios. Rogers reports that the league has discussed criteria where a pitcher could leave before competing six innings, such as throwing 100 pitches, allowing four or more earned runs or suffering an injury. The last one would require an IL stint in order to avoid shenanigans.

Some less-extreme suggestions have also been thrown around, such as a five-batter minimum for relievers, which could give managers more hesitation about making a move. There’s also the possibility of lowering the sizes of pitching staffs or the double-hook designated hitter system. The latter, which has been in consideration for a while, would see a team lose its DH once they remove their starting pitcher. It’s also suggested in the ESPN piece that draft pick compensation could be offered to the team with the most innings pitched by its starting staff.

It’s worth emphasizing that no changes are imminent and MLB has shown that it will experiment with potential changes in independent ball and/or the minors before bringing it to the majors. They have also tried out many changes that never made it to the big leagues, so even getting to the experimental stage is no guarantee that a new rule will eventually be implemented in the majors. If any momentum builds towards making this change a reality, teams would have plenty of warning so that they could alter how they target and develop pitchers for this new reality.

1 hour ago, Michael said:

This is basically only going to affect prospects with silly innings limits after they debut.

Most pitchers who are under 100 pitches and less than 4 earned runs are getting through 6 innings anyways.

Effectively a nothing-burger.

Is that Jake’s brother?

2 hours ago, Michael said:

This is basically only going to affect prospects with silly innings limits after they debut.

Most pitchers who are under 100 pitches and less than 4 earned runs are getting through 6 innings anyways.

Effectively a nothing-burger.

I think the intent is to get rid of openers and bullpen games.  This should accomplish that.

“Many fans and people in the baseball world want to reverse this trend”  

ok…is this really true?

“Along with the pitch clock and the rules to incentivize base stealing, the league is hoping for a more action-oriented game and better entertainment product.”  

I see the pitch clock rule as an excuse for scoring runs, not saving time. The above quote states the truth, but I thought originally when the pitch clock rule was in implemented it was for saving time?  My point is, it’s not a coincidence that the bullpen is a nothing burger, just so scoring can be up.  By this rule, I wouldn’t be surprised if velocity goes down appearing like it’s for inning control when it’s actually geared for more home runs.  In the article they admitted that a pitcher has no control when a ball is at play yet they think pitching for contact will increase more innings pitched?  This is plausible but batters hit for power these days making the strike out pitcher a lot more necessary with better K-rates.  I could be wrong but didn’t SO pitchers become more prevalent because batters started hitting for power?   If a league says they want a better ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCT that should be red flags, unless your a sports fantasy junky. 

Edited by Nicebeinghere

Well.. whichever team has Robert Dugger starting will be able to change pitchers by the 1st or 2nd inning. 😂

 

Just checked and as always.. never fails to amaze me.. this guy keep somehow manages to get teams to sign him. This year he was in the A’s minor league system but also played in Korean league with like a 12.74 ERA. 😂

 

I’ve said this before on here.. but Robert Dugger is truly a hero.. he’s someone who’s so objectively bad at his job yet he still manages to keep getting hired and makes at least six figure salary.. literally any other job would not put up with someone this bad at it. It would be like if someone worked at McDonalds but kept dropping food on the floor they wouldn’t last long. But somehow Robert Dugger has found a way to keep getting hired and getting paid. Good for him! 😂

22 hours ago, Michael said:

This is basically only going to affect prospects with silly innings limits after they debut.

Most pitchers who are under 100 pitches and less than 4 earned runs are getting through 6 innings anyways.

Effectively a nothing-burger.

I ran some numbers. Since 2020, ~10k games and so ~20k starting pitchers.

- 5,721 (~28%) pitched more than 2 innings but less than 6, fewer than 100 pitches, and 3 or fewer earned runs.

The same conditions except pitched 2 innings or less, happened only 710 times.

Both of those numbers surprised me! Seems like the rule would actually impact many games.

Edited by mystikol87

The article says that hits increase if batters see or recognize a pitcher with more innings pitched, which is true, thus causing a problem with early bullpen appearances (fresh arms) which the article says they don’t want because of entertainment (runs scored).  They’re just using other theories to back up a motive that is clearly stated in the article.  Just an opinion, but I pretty sure there is a command pushing for less velocity while throwing fastballs for more HRs.

Edited by Nicebeinghere

17 minutes ago, Nicebeinghere said:

The article says that hits increase if batters see or recognize a pitcher with more innings pitched, which is true, thus causing a problem with early bullpen appearances (fresh arms) which the article says they don’t want because of entertainment (runs scored).  They’re just using other theories to back up a motive that is clearly stated in the article.  Just an opinion, but I pretty sure there is a command pushing for less velocity while throwing fastballs for more HRs.

Tom Cruise What GIF

27 minutes ago, mystikol87 said:

Tom Cruise What GIF

“This is due to various factors, including the fact that pitchers are less effective a third time through the order. This year, for example, hitters are slashing .238/.311/.388 the first time they see a pitcher. That jumps to .250/.311/.416 the second time and .263/.327/.437 the third time through. Bringing in a high-octane reliever is simply just a better strategy than letting the starter stay out there”

It’s saying that teams who bring relievers in sooner, it’s based on the strategy of hitters not seeing the SP  before the 3 time in the order.  This “strategy” is actually to keep runs down which the league says they don’t want based on that article. 
 

Edited by Nicebeinghere

The league actually purposes compensated draft capital if teams sacrifice their starting pitcher for more innings just to produce more runs. 

“It’s also suggested in the ESPN piece that draft pick compensation could be offered to the team with the most innings pitched by its starting staff.”

It’s basically saying they will reward teams who bite the bullet and cheat on their fans. 

On 8/16/2024 at 5:17 PM, Michael said:

This is basically only going to affect prospects with silly innings limits after they debut.

Most pitchers who are under 100 pitches and less than 4 earned runs are getting through 6 innings anyways.

Effectively a nothing-burger.

Its geared toward eliminating the stupid use of an opener more than anything.

I like the double hook proposal the most tbh. 

The other thing they are trying to accomplish (which is their own fucking fault anyway), is to deemphasize 100% max effort every pitch and reintroduce 'Gasp!' pitching and the ability to do something other than just have plus stuff.

Again this is MLB and their clubs own faults for empahsizing velocity and not really giving a fuck about anything else.

Why teams dont run at will since 80% of pitchers dont bother to even pay attention to runners with the newer rules still just baffles me. 

50 minutes ago, Das Texan said:

Why teams dont run at will since 80% of pitchers dont bother to even pay attention to runners with the newer rules still just baffles me. 

If teams ran at will it would expose the league as stat padding and scores would look more like NFL scores.  Certain players will get the green light for superstar treatment but the goal here is controlled success. To much salt can be unsavory.  

 

5 hours ago, mystikol87 said:

I ran some numbers. Since 2020, ~10k games and so ~20k starting pitchers.

- 5,721 (~28%) pitched more than 2 innings but less than 6, fewer than 100 pitches, and 3 or fewer earned runs.

The same conditions except pitched 2 innings or less, happened only 710 times.

Both of those numbers surprised me! Seems like the rule would actually impact many games.

Huh. Well good on ya for doing the research! I type corrected.

 

1 hour ago, Das Texan said:

I like the double hook proposal the most tbh. 

No.

49 minutes ago, Michael said:

No.

why not?

Want to use an opener?  Sure, just lose your DH. 

Refuse to teach your starting pitchers to pitch and not just throw through a wall thus cannot complete 6 innings?  Burn your DH as a result.

The goal obviously is to reintroduce the actual art of pitching to baseball again.

 

7 minutes ago, Das Texan said:

why not?

Want to use an opener?  Sure, just lose your DH. 

Refuse to teach your starting pitchers to pitch and not just throw through a wall thus cannot complete 6 innings?  Burn your DH as a result.

The goal obviously is to reintroduce the actual art of pitching to baseball again.

 

Furthermore, no.

I’m won’t beat the dead horse any longer but here’s an article on moving the mound back one foot and why they are doing it. 

“Through Tuesday, batters were striking out at a 24.7 percent rate this season, an increase of 10 percentage points since 1992. The average time between balls in play this season has risen to almost four minutes. Triples, doubles and stolen bases — action plays that fans say they want, according to the league — are down. That is no way for an industry to attract the younger generation, the paying customers of the future. More Strikeouts, Less Action. Major League Baseball’s strikeout rate has increased every year since 2005”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/sports/baseball/pitchers-mound-atlantic-league.html#:~:text=The league's declaration on Wednesday,This is fundamental.

The quote above wants balls in play not strikeouts.  Strikeout time has risen almost 4 minutes rather than balls in play for slower pace and less action.  Wow people these days can’t watch 4 more minutes of baseball, so mlb wants a change?   I think their consumers are fantasy owners who don’t even watch the games anyway, they just check stats because that’s what MLB wants, more stats.  

12 hours ago, Das Texan said:

The other thing they are trying to accomplish (which is their own fucking fault anyway), is to deemphasize 100% max effort every pitch and reintroduce 'Gasp!' pitching and the ability to do something other than just have plus stuff.

Again this is MLB and their clubs own faults for empahsizing velocity and not really giving a fuck about anything else.

Why teams dont run at will since 80% of pitchers dont bother to even pay attention to runners with the newer rules still just baffles me. 

The Marlins have actually been experimenting with this at the low levels. If you watch or read the box scores, they sometimes steal like 9 or 10 bases a game. 

MLB tweaks the rules, like to stimulate stolen bases- bigger bases, limited throws to first, then the analytics guys come in and take advantage to the extreme.

It is happening in all sports and completely changed the way they are played for better or worse 

They ❣️have embraced the analytics finally with the bendix era but the problem is they were so far behind the curve in the first place that it will cause a lot of short-term suffering, i.e. the abysmal product we currently have.

Technology, analytics, and AI have crept into all aspects of society and the evolution of it has created optimal strategies and cost savings (think self checkouts, computer screen ordering at a restaurant, etc. ).

Ultimately it is up to the consumer to accept it or reject it. But I digress.

Edited by TheMarlinsProject

8 hours ago, TheMarlinsProject said:

The Marlins have actually been experimenting with this at the low levels. If you watch or read the box scores, they sometimes steal like 9 or 10 bases a game. 

MLB tweaks the rules, like to stimulate stolen bases- bigger bases, limited throws to first, then the analytics guys come in and take advantage to the extreme.

It is happening in all sports and completely changed the way they are played for better or worse 

They ❣️have embraced the analytics finally with the bendix era but the problem is they were so far behind the curve in the first place that it will cause a lot of short-term suffering, i.e. the abysmal product we currently have.

Technology, analytics, and AI have crept into all aspects of society and the evolution of it has created optimal strategies and cost savings (think self checkouts, computer screen ordering at a restaurant, etc. ).

Ultimately it is up to the consumer to accept it or reject it. But I digress.

So we are getting an artificial product that can be controlled with discretion?  The farm systems have now turned into an experiment for analytics. The fear in this is taking out the purity and spontaneous of the game and installing a nearly simulated script.  Ok, I have no problem making the game more competitive but they aren’t doing that, they’re purposely putting rules in that create disadvantages for entertainment.  I don’t want a product I want all things equal. 

On 8/17/2024 at 11:05 PM, Das Texan said:

why not?

Want to use an opener?  Sure, just lose your DH. 

Refuse to teach your starting pitchers to pitch and not just throw through a wall thus cannot complete 6 innings?  Burn your DH as a result.

The goal obviously is to reintroduce the actual art of pitching to baseball again.

 

Because it would be adding a win-more mechanic. If your team is behind and needs to pull the SP early, you are not only in a hole but now the offenses are completely lopsided in favor of the winning team. 
 

I do think there needs to be added reemphases to the importance and impact of starting pitching, but a team shouldn’t be crippled even further by a bad SP outing 

31 minutes ago, Nny said:

Because it would be adding a win-more mechanic. If your team is behind and needs to pull the SP early, you are not only in a hole but now the offenses are completely lopsided in favor of the winning team. 
 

I do think there needs to be added reemphases to the importance and impact of starting pitching, but a team shouldn’t be crippled even further by a bad SP outing 

Indeed, this. Well said.

6 hours ago, Nny said:

Because it would be adding a win-more mechanic. If your team is behind and needs to pull the SP early, you are not only in a hole but now the offenses are completely lopsided in favor of the winning team. 
 

I do think there needs to be added reemphases to the importance and impact of starting pitching, but a team shouldn’t be crippled even further by a bad SP outing 

Learn how to pitch and control a strike zone effectively, thus not allowing a lot of runs?

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12 hours ago, Das Texan said:

Learn how to pitch and control a strike zone effectively, thus not allowing a lot of runs?

Anna Kendrick Movie GIF by Pitch Perfect

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