With spring training games now well underway, we’ve had a chance to see a bunch of baseball being played with the new pitch clock, larger base size and a very noticeable lack of infielder traffic jams between first and second. So, what are our first impressions of the “new normal” in MLB? Now that we’ve seen things in action, how do we think fantasy baseball will be impacted?
As more and more leagues get ready to hold their drafts, we posed these questions to the intrepid duo of Tristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Karabell. Read on to find out what they have to say about it.
Roughly two weeks into the spring training schedule, what are your takeaways?
Tristan H. Cockcroft: The new rules are great, great, GREAT!!!!!
Pardon the emphasis, but it certainly feels like there has been a distinct “rah-rah” posturing among broadcasters, writers and the like regarding how the new rules are improving the game. No, I am absolutely not here to feed you an “it’s a plate of perfection” take on this rules change package. I do passionately appreciate how the pitch clock is advancing the pace of these games, although I felt distinctly that way at every one of the numerous minor-league games I attended last year, so it’s not an unfamiliar change to me. At the same time, we’re still talking about spring games that don’t count, and there’s still an awkwardness to the volume of rule-violation calls that I hope dissipates as the players get more comfortable with them as we get closer to Opening Day.
(On an aside, I still loathe the “ghost runner” rule in extras, especially coupled with the speedier game. I still crave the possibility of attending a 20-inning game that gets me back home and into bed at 3:30 a.m. I’m not even joking! But, hey, maybe now I’d have been home by 2 a.m.)
First off, fantasy-wise, the rule tweak that most caught me by surprise was the one ironing out the rules on pitchers’ deliveries, something you can distinctly see with historic “toe…
