How the Blue Jays can capitalize on latest MLB rule changes – Sportsnet.ca

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Catchers do a lot of heavy lifting in spring training. There’s the big work of completing bullpen sessions for the dozens of pitchers at camp, learning each hurler’s likes and tendencies, repetition to improve their receiving, blocking and throwing skills, and working on their own timing set on the plate.

As if that wasn’t enough, the next six weeks will also serve as a crash course in upcoming Major League Baseball rule changes for catchers and everyone else alike. Between a 15-second pitch clock, limits on infield shifts and larger bases, the industry is preparing for a difficult period of adjustment to what is expected to be a major transformation in the way the sport is played.

“All the new rules are going to affect how I do things,” said Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen. “The shift will definitely result in more hits. The clock will be something that takes a bit of time and (requires) more focus on getting on the same side as the pitcher. Obviously there will be many more attempts at stolen bases this year. Even right there, I try to change my stance to block a little more and throw from a similar position. In the previous years I was caught in a slightly different attitude every now and then. It has already changed the way I will set up.”

Jansen isn’t the only one preparing for this new baseball world, and finding ways to acclimatize as quickly as possible permeates almost everything the Blue Jays do this spring.

Manager John Schneider points to “some limitations” the club have built into their prep work, whether it’s bullpens, live batting practice or taking grounders. Think side sessions with timers or messy infield drills to help players quickly get used to thinking differently.

There’s no time to waste because once the exhibition matches take place later this month, the new rules will come into effect “so the lads can get a feel for it,” he added.

The spring plan also includes a month of inconsequential experimentation on how to take advantage of the new moves, as well as a period of gathering information on how rivals intend to use their roster.

Everyone will be watching everyone, wondering what the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to do, what everyone else is trying to copy, and how the Tampa Bay Rays are going off the menu.

“I’m curious to see what the coaching will look like or how you can strategize certain situations,” said Kevin Kiermaier, midfielder for the Blue Jays. “I also have many questions.”

Plenty of others do as well, so with that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s in store for us.

The pitch clock

Schneider calls this “the big thing to get used to”, and rightly so in view of the side effects caused by the 15-second cycle.

The way this works is that as soon as the pitcher gets the ball back, a countdown is triggered until his next pitch. After the start, a hitter must be in the batter’s box and alert the pitcher to the eight-second mark, and the pitcher must then either begin his move when throwing from the windup or his leg raise throw from extension before the timer begin hits zero.

A pitcher injury will result in an automatic ball being called, while a batter injury will result in an automatic strike.

Pretty basic, but it’s in the plentiful core pieces that things get interesting.

For example, hitters are granted one time-out per plate appearance, while pitchers are granted two disengagements, including pickoff throws, from the mound. The latter is plentiful with opportunities for clever clubs.

Teams must be careful when throwing, because once a pitcher runs out of disengagements, any pickoff attempt that doesn’t result in an out on bases will result in a suspension. A clever baserunner may try to pull two pitches before taking off with less chance of being picked up, or simply try to taunt the pitcher to a point of distraction. First and third situations could be particularly messy.

“As a speed guy like me, I’m already on a pitcher’s mind before these rule changes,” Kiermaier said. “Now if I hit an eight or a nine and George (Springer), Bo (Bichette), Vlad (Guerrero Jr.) come in, I want them to get as many fastballs as possible. When I see a pitcher just want to keep turning, I go, and now I’m in goal position and all they have to do is hit a single. Our chances to score are getting bigger. So I’ll try to be a threat in as many ways as possible.”

To that end, Jansen expects slip steps “to be even more of a focus than usual” to get the ball to the plate faster. He’s trying to refine his setup in anticipation of more throws to bases, including more frequent throwing from behind the runner or backpicking.

“That’s part of shortening only secondary lines,” says Schneider. “That’s the whole aim of (throwing behind the runner), it’s not to get someone out. If so, that’s kind of a bonus. … catchers will be active in the league. I know our captors will be active. We talked about it and it will be fun to see how teams try to execute their strategy.”

Umpires will be on the lookout for small ways to get around the clock, whether it’s catchers holding the ball longer before returning it to the pitcher to delay the start of the timer, or hitters claiming to have something in their eye , or pitchers who use movement in their throw avoid an infraction.

On that front, Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman has a requirement that pitchers throwing out of extension must enter and hold the set position before raising their front leg. It’s an old rule that’s being enforced more consistently this season, and the right-hander, who was called to a suspension for his pre-set rocking motions during a crucial matchup against the Baltimore Orioles last September, has made adjustments to ensure that he is in agreement.

“Pete (Walker, the pitching coach) has been great to be in touch with Kev and work through some minor changes to what he’s going to do,” said Schneider. “He’ll continue to use spring training to iron it out but he’ll stick to the rules of a full body stop well and hopefully not have another episode where he gets a little heated up with a referee.”

Another area for experimentation will be the PitchCom system, introduced last year, which allowed catchers to call pitches with a portable push-button transmitter. This spring, pitchers will also be able to wear a transmitter to call pitches instead of just receiving signals, a change approved for the show schedule but not yet approved for the regular season.

Infield Movement Restrictions

Remember all those times that looked like a sure hit right off the bat and turned into a defensive run? Kiermaier certainly does, which is why he said, “I think there’s going to be a lot of lefties out there who are very happy that long-line drive or grounders squeezing you to second baseman aren’t going to be out anymore .”

Teams are now required to field two infielders on each side of the diamond when the field is released, preventing, for example, the shortstop from taking off with the windup to attempt to get into a switch position. Infielders must also have both feet on the dirt away from the outfield grass when the pitcher begins his move.

The restrictions don’t apply to outfielders, however, who can field where they want. That makes a two-man outfield a possibility for clubs looking to be bold, as Major League Baseball believes the risk of extra-base hits is too great for the practice to become commonplace.

“We talked about that,” Schneider said. “We have three very, very, very capable defenders in the outfield every night in (Daulton) Varsho, KK and George. That really boils down to a select handful of racquets that you would really engage with, if the opportunity arises at all. Two-man outfield sounds fun, but as with anything, you’re working on your squad’s strengths, and if there’s an opportunity that we think her ability can help us with, we’ll look at it and try , to do it. We’ll see how it develops.”

Additionally, there is no change of position when a player is substituted at the start of an inning, meaning an infielder cannot play for a batter and then play for the next shortstop.

Teams can use the replay challenge for shift infractions that are penalized with an automatic ball. If a ball is put into play and everyone reaches it safely, the score stands, but if another play results from a pitch with infielders in injury, the batsman’s manager may deny the penalty and accept the result of the game.

Enlarged bases

As the least invasive of the three rule changes, the bases grow to 18 x 18 inches instead of 15 x 15. Because of the way they are positioned, this decreases the distance from home to first and third home by three inches and around 4.5 inches from first to second and second to third.

In testing in smaller leagues, larger pockets reduced what Major League Baseball described as on-base injury events by 13 percent from 2021-2022, and there’s no argument for more safety.

First basemen in particular should benefit from the extra room to reach for misses without fear of colliding with runners, and the same goes for pitchers sprinting to cover the bag.

The impact on baserunning is less clear, with the 2021 season’s stolen base success rate up 1-2 percent in Triple-A Tests, although combined with the restrictions on pickoff attempts, elite baserunners will likely find ways to benefit from it.

“It opens the door for guys like Matt Chapman or Varsho to add a little bit,” Schneider said. “Vladdy had eight stolen bases last year. You play along a bit and try to be a bit proactive with the rules that are out there. We definitely have the staff that can do it. It’s something I’ve always liked, not just stealing bases, but just being aggressive, first-to-third-first, first-to-home, second-to-home. Those are the things we will focus on.”