A list of 10 things to change in the playing and managing of an MLB game

A few days ago, Name left a comment where he wished that we could start from scratch with the business of baseball. That led me to a corresponding thought – what if we could start from scratch with the actual games being played in the actual stadiums. What would we keep and what would we change with the game and how it’s played and managed? What follows are 10 things that I would change from how they are now. And remember this is the game itself, not ticket prices or start times or anything business-related.

10. Uniform ballpark requirements
Part of me thinks that the dimensions should be standard. But with MLB games in Denver around, we need to have flexibility and not the standard field size of the other major sports. But what we can have is all outfield walls being the same height. In the early days of baseball, field dimensions were often a concession to available land. You only have 310 feet down the left field line? Build a super-high wall. Today in the multi-billion-dollar-per-year enterprise, all fields should have walls of equal height. No silly lines to determine what is and is not an automatic home run. My idea is 8.5 feet, which should allow HR-robbing catches in all parts of every park. Additionally, fans should be placed at least five feet both above and away from the wall in the OF bleachers, doing away with fan interference.

Another requirement should be standard netting height and distance from foul pole to foul pole to protect fans from foul balls and loose bats. My preference would be not to have any nets at all but it’s a safety issue that needs to be addressed. We can eliminate tops from this require netting to allow foul balls to make their way into the stands, if they’re hit high enough. Enact one of those Blue-Ribbon Panels (BRP) to determine the height requirement for the netting.

9. Better quality control with the actual baseball
Currently, an MLB baseball needs to be between 9.0 and 9.25 inches, with a weight of 5.0 to 5.25 ounces. Additionally, the league requires all baseballs to have a coefficient of restitution (COR) — in simple terms, the bounciness of the ball — ranging from .530 to .570. There does not seem to be any requirement on seam height, which has recently become an issue.

The balls are currently hand-sewn in Costa Rica. It’s mind-boggling that the balls are not assembled by machine here in the 21st Century. Make that a requirement, with the balls being constructed in this country and with regular inspections of the equipment. And there’s no reason that a machine couldn’t construct a standard-size ball in shape, weight, bounciness and seam height. Another job for the BRP to establish these guidelines.

Finally, umpires or a club attendant under the supervision of an umpire is required to rub baseballs before the game. This should strictly be the umpire’s job and however many balls are used in a game – that’s how many they have to have rubbed.

8. Firm uniform guidelines
Each team is limited to one home uniform and one road uniform, including cap. We’ve seen some downright awful uniforms and there’s just no reason to dress MLB players like clowns. Furthermore, a team needs to give advance notice of at least five years before a uniform change can happen. If the walls and balls are going to be consistent, so can the uniform.

7. Eliminate the designated hitter
It seems to me that one of the basic tenets of baseball is that everyone gets a chance to hit, run, catch and throw. And if you excel at one or two of these, the team needs to weigh if your inability to do the others negates the value of your strength. The DH was introduced as a gimmick to raise offense. And it’s still a gimmick, regardless of what its proponents claim. Yes, nobody comes to the game to see pitchers hit. Upset with the incompetence at the plate of the Al Leiters of the world? Make them focus more on hitting. Instead of sitting in the dugout doing nothing on days they don’t pitch or chart – make them take extended batting practice. You want that bat in the lineup? Better make sure he can run and throw and catch at an acceptable level.

6. Revamped replay system
Instead of sending replay reviews to New York, have an additional umpire at each game to do the review. There should be a clock that starts once the first review is processed by the umpire and he has 30 seconds to make his call. If he can’t determine in 30 seconds, the play stands as called. Also, this umpire will announce to the crowd if the call is upheld, overturned or not enough evidence in time to make the decision.

Teams can continue to make challenges as long as their previous challenge was successful. It makes no sense to penalize teams for being right by no longer having a challenge to use. On the flip side, umpires should be graded by a BRP on all calls they make and calls of theirs that are overturned. At the end of the year, the 15 umpires who graded the worst become replay umps, with the previous year’s replay umps becoming field umps. A field umpire can be relegated to replay umpire one time. If he falls in the bottom 15 a second time, he’s no longer eligible to be an MLB umpire.

5. Installation of pitch clocks
A pitch clock will be put in place that starts once the pitcher receives the ball from the umpire. With the bases empty, he has 10 seconds to release the ball, otherwise the replay umpire will announce a ball. If a runner is on any base, the time is 15 seconds. On the flip side, the batter must be in the box within five seconds if the bases are empty and 10 seconds if a runner or runners are on. The replay umpire will announce a strike if the batter is not in the box at these times.

The home plate umpire can stop the clock at any time for any reason, like the batter got dusted and needs extra time to collect himself. He does this simply by calling time. A pitcher can stop the clock by throwing to a base if a runner is on or by gesturing for a new ball. A hitter can only stop the clock to replace a broken bat.

4. New hit by pitch rules
A batter can wear whatever protective equipment he wishes to the plate. However, if he is hit in an area protected by equipment – outside of the helmet – the pitch will be a ball and no base awarded. However, if any part of the batter is in the strike zone where he is hit, the umpires should call a strike. If you dive over the plate in preparation for an outside pitch, there’s a penalty rather than a reward for getting plunked if the pitch would otherwise be called a strike.

If a pitcher hits a batter above the letters with a pitch – the shoulder, neck and head areas – the pitcher will receive an automatic 10-game unpaid suspension. Additionally, both the manager and the pitching coach will be suspended without pay for five games. It’s time to stop letting pitchers appear in games who throw hard but have little idea where the ball is going.

3. New foul ball rule
Currently, if you bunt a ball into foul territory on the third strike, it’s a strikeout. That rule should be adopted for all foul balls. Yeah, it’s fun to see at-bats that last for 10 pitches or more. But like other measures on this list, this is an attempt to speed up the game. No PA will exceed six pitches.

2. New balk and pickoff rules
Pitchers try to fool batters all of the time. Why can’t they try to fool baserunners, too? A pitcher can now step in any direction he wishes and release the ball to home plate or any occupied base. All other balk rules, including coming to a stop, are still in place. Additionally, a pitcher will be capped at five pickoff attempts per PA. A sixth attempt will be called a balk.

1. New stat rules
No official stats will be allowed that credit an individual for a team outcome. There are no Wins or Saves or Game-winning RBIs. Managers will no longer try to coax five innings from their starter or hold their best reliever for an uneventful ninth inning up three runs. The game will be better when managers optimize the situation at hand, rather than managing for a statistic.

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It was relatively easy to come up with 10 things to change. There’s little doubt that others could come up with 10 completely different ideas. But the most impressive thing is what doesn’t need to change, specifically the distance from pitcher to catcher and the distance between bases.