Here we go again. More rule changes are coming to the Rules Test Laboratory that is known as Minor League Baseball. Since taking over operation of Minor League Baseball, MLB has used it as a test lab for rules changes. The pitch clock, limited timeouts by batters, limited engagements from the mound, the ABS Challenge System, and other things have all started in the minors. Over some time they were tweaked, twisted, and tested in various forms prior to making their major league debut.

So, just what does commissioner Rob Manfred and his minions have in store for a minor league ballpark near you?

PitchCom issue? Too bad, play on or use a mound visit!

This one is good. It’s amazing how many times those goofy PitchCom devices malfunction. Or, do they? Pitchers quickly figured out that if they need some extra time, just say the PitchCom isn’t working. Amazingly, when the umpire comes out to the mound, it starts to work again. Interesting.

Starting this season, if your PitchCom malfunctions (or you just want to pretend it did), feel free to step off the mound and let everyone know you have an issue with your PitchCom. Look confused, shake it a few times, do whatever. Oh, by the way, your team has just been charged with a mound visit. If your team does not have any mound visits remaining, guess what? You have now been charged with a pitch-clock violation and the batter has been awarded a ball.

Batter timeouts

Here — and in a couple other spots — MLB came up with variations of a potential rule change and wasn’t sure which would work best. So, they put different rules in different leagues:

Low-A – No timeouts for you! Batters will not be allowed to call time. The only exception is for “special circumstances.” In other words, trainers are going to become very good at getting invisible, non-existent specks of dirt out of batter’s eyes this season. Perhaps, the old bug flew up my nose excuse will be used a few times.

High-A – Batters will be allowed to call time only where there is a runner on base. Otherwise, too bad. Of course, the usual “something in my eye” or “bug up my nose” excuses are still allowed.

Double-A / Triple-A – Sure, you can have time. The catch is that immediately after stopping the pitch clock when time is called, the clock will reset and the umpire will signal for it to be started again. Need to adjust equipment — baseball equipment or personal equipment — do it fast. The batter must be back in the box and “alert to the pitcher” before the clock reaches :08, or it’s a pitch-clock violation. Invisible specks of dirt and bugs with horrible navigational skills still apply to the usual timeout rules.

Talk fast

There has been a countdown clock for mound visits in the minors, but nobody really pays any attention to it. Now, all players, coaches, etc. must be off of the dirt part of the mound and moving to their position or dugout prior to the clock hitting zero. (It’s not clear how much time will be on the clock originally.) If the clock runs out, a pitch-clock violation will be called and the batter awarded a ball.

Give the signals fast

Catchers would sometimes “fake” giving defensive signals to their teammates to give the pitcher a little more time. They can still do that, or give real signals, but they have to do it quickly because the pitch-clock won’t stop. The catcher must be back behind the plate and in his crouch before the clock hits :09 left. Or, it’s a pitch-clock violation.

These rule changes all fall under the ever-popular Pace of Play rules. Game times, which had fallen in recent years went up by two minutes last season. Somebody got their undies all knotted up by that fact and came up with these to justify their job with Major League Baseball.

A mulligan for the starting pitcher

You liked it in Spring Training games, you’ll love it in regular season games. A starting pitcher sometimes comes out and struggles. With their pitch count climbing, the manager wants to lift them to prevent them from throwing too many pitches in one inning, but they also want them to get their work in. No problem. Sit him down, bring in a relief pitcher, and then bring the starter back out in the second inning; a baseball mulligan.

Thankfully, this rule will only be used in the “developmental leagues.” The youngest of pitchers in the Dominican Summer League, Arizona Complex League, and Florida Complex league will be subject to this rule, allowing managers to keep them from throwing too many pitches in an inning, but still wanting them to pitch longer overall.

Put that over there

Have you ever been moving furniture for your wife, a friend, or maybe even yourself, and it is suggested that the couch would look much better if only it were about nine inches that way? We’ve all been there.

This is actually an old issue that MLB addressed four years ago when they made the bases a little bigger. As much as possible, I will provide the Reader’s Digest version of the issue. Abner Doubleday — or whoever invented baseball — put second base in the wrong spot. Picture a diamond. The bases should be in each of the four corners with the outside of the diamond and the outside of the base lined up with each other. It’s not. The outside of the diamond actually cuts the base in half. That means that second base should be nine inches closer to home. That also makes it nine inches closer to first and third bases.

Combining the move of the base with the larger bases that were put in four years ago, second base will be 13 1/2 inches closer to first and third base than it was before the size of the bases was changed. Think about how many runners are called out at second on bang-bang plays and then imagine if the base were nine inches closer for them.

It turns out that we love stolen bases and Major League Baseball wants us to be happy, so move that sofa — I mean base — over nine inches. This rule will be implemented in the second half of the season.

Stay engaged

Another effort to pump up stolen base attempts is coming to all three Double-A leagues this season. Instead of having two free disengagements from the mound — stepping off and/or throwing to a base — pitchers at the Double-A level will have just one. On the second disengagement they either have to pick-off the runner or it is called a balk and the runner automatically advances.

This and the change in the position of second base constitute one of those either/or situations where the higher-ups at MLB weren’t sure which one would do more to encurage stolen bases, so they went with one in one league and the second option in another league so they have some data to look at after the season.

Technology and the check swing or as I call it; The Bryce Harper Rule

Bryce Harper and umpires have varying opinions on just what a check-swing is. I’ve always heard that if the bat “breaks the plane of the plate,” it’s a swing. Two problems with that though: 1. Which plane (the inside plane or the diagonal frame in the back, or the front plane?) and 2. This isn’t actually a thing. There is no such rule in the MLB Rule Book.

The first thing that baseball did was to set a standard. It’s not actually a rule, because it’s not in the books, but at least there is one uniform standard which is that a swing is when: “the maximum angle between the bat head and the bat handle exceeds 45 degrees.”

In the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, technology will be used to tell if that indeed happened. Just like with the ABS system, a pitcher, catcher, or hitter can challenge the call and the technology will make the call. Also just like with ABS, if the challenge is overturned, the team keeps their challenge, but they lose it if the call is upheld. Now, for those of us who attend Triple-A games in the east, there is no technology and no challenging a check-swing call. However, umpires have been given the new standard and will use that as a guide to determine whether or not the batter swung.

In every other league, including the majors, nothing changes and the standard is not being introduced. You have to believe though that the umpires in the other leagues are aware of the standard and could even subconsciously use that to determine swing or no swing. Oh, and it only comes into the PCL starting with each team’s first home series in May.

For what it’s worth, the technology was used in the Florida State League last season and the strikeout rate dropped by a little over 3-percent, which is the intended goal of this whole thing, to drop the strikeout rate.

Finally… Should we try this one?

This one is not being put into the sample bin for 2026, but should it be? It wasn’t too long ago that for high school and Little League games there was what was called the Mercy Rule. In other words, if you’re getting your butt kicked, let’s just call it a game and hit a drive-thru. *It turns out that calling it The Mercy Rule apparently wounded the psyches of children, so that term — along with sudden death, suicides (you know, the back-and-forth sprinting), and a few others — were changed. It’s now the Run Rule.

WBC Mercy Rule Details:

  • 15-Run Rule: The game ends if a team is leading by 15+ runs after the 5th inning (or any completed inning thereafter).
  • 10-Run Rule: The game ends if a team is leading by 10+ runs after the 7th inning (or any completed inning thereafter).

The only drawback to this one is that fans could conceivably complain that they paid to see a full game and did not get to see it. First, look on your ticket – probably on the back and in small print – a game is considered five innings. You play five innings, it rains, the rest of the game is cancelled because it is an official game. And second, at some point, most of the fans leave anyway. Give everybody a voucher for a free hot dog and they’ll be happy.

It saves on pitchers and ends the dreaded “position player coming in to pitch” situation. It also prevents bruised egos that can turn into fights on the field and sometimes, in the stands.

In the immortal words of former Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence: “Good game, let’s eat!”

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