TIME FOR CLOCKS, NO SHIFTS
Jeff McNeil thinks he’ll adapt quickly to baseball’s big shift — really, an anti-shift.
“I’m playing a normal second base now instead of in short right field. I’ve been playing second base my whole life so it shouldn’t be too hard to adjust to,” the New York Mets All-Star infielder and bigleague batting champion said.
Spring training opened Monday in Florida and Arizona for players reporting early ahead of the World Baseball Classic, and the rest of pitchers and catchers will start workouts two days later.
Following an offseason of record spending in which the New York Mets approached a $370 million payroll, opening day on March 30 will feature three of the biggest changes since the pitcher’s mound was lowered for the 1969 season:
• Two infielders will be required on either side of second base and all infielders must be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber.
• Base size will increase to 18-inch squares from 15 inches, causing a decreased distance of 41⁄2 inches.
• A pitch clock will be used, set at 15 seconds with no runners on base and 20 seconds with runners.
“This has been an eight-year effort for us,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, thinking back to when the first experiments were formulated. “I hope we get what our fans want — faster, more action, more athleticism.”
Spring training started a month late last year because of the lockout, and many players scrambled for deals as camps opened. This offseason has proceeded more normally — other than skyrocketing payrolls — and some of the focus will be on stars with new homes: Xander Bogaerts (Padres), Jacob deGrom (Texas), Justin Verlander (New York Mets), Trea Turner (Philadelphia).
Some teams also have new bosses in Bruce Bochy (Texas), Matt Quatraro (Kansas City), Pedro Grifol (Chicago White
Sox) and Skip Schumaker (Miami). What they face is far different from the challenges thrown at John McGraw and Connie Mack, or even Earl Weaver and Billy Martin.
The average time of a nineinning game stretched from 2 hours, 30 minutes in the mid-1950s to 2:46 in 1989 and 3:10 in 2021 before dropping to 3:04 last year following the introduction of the PitchCom electronic device to signal pitches.
“Pitch clock, I’m thrilled about,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Speed the game up. They get too long. If we’re playing the Red Sox or playing the Yankees, they turn into four-hour ballgames.”
Use of a slightly stricter clock in the minors (14/19 at Triple-A and 14/18 at lower levels) cut the average time from 3:03 in 2021 to 2:38 last year.
“My guess is in April you’re going to probably see some incidents. It’s inevitable,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “Hitters are going to step out or somebody’s going to get a ball.”
Defensive shifts on balls in
play totaled 70,853 last season, according to revised totals from Sports Info Solutions. That’s up from 59,063 in 2021 and 2,349 in 2011.
“I think for left-handed hitters, we’re trying to put the game back where it was historically,” Manfred said.
‘Manfred Man’ here to stay
Starting extra innings with a runner on second base during the regular season was made a permanent rules change by Major League Baseball on Monday after three seasons of use during the coronavirus pandemic.
Known by some as the “Ghost Runner” and by others as the “Manfred Man” after the commissioner, the rule was unanimously adopted by the sport’s 11-person competition committee.
Use of position players as pitchers also was tightened by the committee. They will be limited to extra innings, when a player’s team is losing by eight or more runs or is winning by 10 or more runs in the ninth inning. Last year, a position player could pitch only in extra innings
or if his team was losing or winning by six or more runs.
Cortes out of WBC
Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes will miss the WBC due to a strained right hamstring but hasn’t ruled out being ready for the start of the regular season. Colorado lefthander Kyle Freeland replaced Cortes on the United States roster.
“Came in on Wednesday and told the staff I was a little banged up,” Cortes said at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa. “After long talks, obviously, the best interest was to stay out of it. The biggest goal right here is to get healthy and be ready for the start of the season. I think it’s something that’s definitely doable to start the season off healthy and in the rotation.”
Cards extend Mozeliak
John Mozeliak and the Cardinals have reached agreement on a two-year extension for him to remain president of baseball operations through at least the 2025 season, a source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.