Okay, the first week of baseball is almost over. Pre-season, I decided to run a series of articles explaining the issues baseball is facing and what I think could improve it. The article that sprung this series started with the new rule changes and how I don’t think they will improve the game. After a week of watching, and gambling on, baseball, I have some thoughts on what works, what doesn’t, and what could be tweaked.

Starting with the good. The bigger bases seem to be working. Stolen bases are up. Whether the number of moves the pitcher can make has had an impact, I have no idea. I think it’s too early in the season to tell. Pitchers are still getting a feel for how pitches are called and the time constraints, but as we get into the swing of things, I think the pickoff rule will come into play more often. There are more than double the number of stolen bases in the first week of the season compared to last year!

Something I don’t love, but seems to be having the impact MLB wanted is banning the shift. Batting averages are up 16 points from the first week of the season last year. Extreme pull hitters have a distinct advantage. Though teams are still trying to find ways to neutralize this by pushing the limits on the shift, there are more hits. As I’ve said before, I like hits. I think more hits makes the game more fun to watch. But, I think this comes at the expense of having actually good average hitters in the league. I don’t love that the league had to change what was allowed on defense in order to have major league players get base hits.

Anyone who has watched or listened to the We Like Sportz Podcast knows, I am a curmudgeon about the pitch clock. Are games faster? Sure. Are they more fun to watch? Not for me. I think this change has taken what makes baseball great out of the game. On Mondays podcast, we discussed in-game commentary this year, or the lack thereof. With the rapid pace of the game, there will be far less storytelling by old school announcers during the game. Radio broadcasts are play-by-plays rather than experiences. If you’ve had one too many beers and need to take a leak, be prepared to miss half an inning.

My biggest issue with the pitch clock is that it now gives umpires more ways to influence the game. We already know how a bad umpire can ruin a game. But we saw the Mets penalized for Pete Alonso not getting back to the bag fast enough. Is that a joke? It takes longer to enforce that penalty than it would have to let Alonso get back to the base an play on. If there weren’t enough scandals in baseball already, just wait until there is a pitch clock violation in the playoffs. There’s no doubt that people will be screaming that the umpires are deciding the games.

Since the home opener here in Cleveland hasn’t come yet, and I haven’t been able to see the impact of the clock on the in-stadium experience. I do have a prediction though. With how slow and expensive concessions are, expect teams to see an impact on revenue and expect fans to be frustrated with missing more of the game than before when they want to grab some helmet nachos.

I don’t expect that a faster game will be more fun when you want to take in a game on a July afternoon. My guess is that many fans will feel gipped. You use to spend your money and get an afternoon of entertainment. You could take some time to look away from the game, walk around the ballpark, and take in the day. Now, you will have to make a bigger sacrifice to do that, missing more of the game.

I hope the stolen bases and hits continue. If there is going to be a shorter game, I hope it stays exciting. I also hope they find tweaks to the pitch clock. I’m not naive enough to think they will ever get rid of it now that it exists. Let’s hope baseball grows, the game is fun, and I am wrong.

*Photo courtesy of mlb.com*