Dodgers Dugout: The MLB rules changes you need to know about

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and in sad news, Tanner Boyle has also been deemed ineligible for the World Baseball Classic for disciplinary reasons.

With a new season comes new rules designed to make games go faster and create more offense. It’s sort of odd that a sport has decided “It’s best if we get fans out of here as quickly as possible” instead of educating them to the joys of the game that has been around for more than 100 years, but here we are. If I can go off on a mini rant, baseball seems to have decided that its product is utterly boring. When you go to a game, constant loud music is blasted. In-game hosts. 50/50 raffles. Wide concourses with different things (“look at this guy making a bat!”)

Everything is designed to take your focus away from the actual game. While the actual reason games take longer now, the extended break after each half-inning for television/streaming commercials, is here to stay. I’ve never seen leaders of a sport seem to hate their sport so much. OK. Rant over. Now all you kids get off my lawn.

Here are the key rules changes you should know about. At the end of each change, there is a link to a poll asking if you like or dislike the change.

Pitch timer

Quoting MLB.com: “In an effort to create a quicker pace of play, there will be a 30-second timer between batters. Between pitches, there will be a 15-second timer with the bases empty and a 20-second timer with runners on base.”

The pitcher must begin his windup before time runs out. A violation will result in an automatic ball.

Batters who violate the timer are charged with an automatic strike. Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher by the 8-second mark.

The plate umpire may provide extra time if warranted, such as a catcher making the final out of an inning and needing time to put on his gear.

This is the most interesting rule. It really could speed up the game if followed. And there are a fair number of pitchers who take their time before every pitch. Remember how long Pedro Báez took between pitches? Will fans start counting down with the clock? Will fans start a phony countdown to throw off the opposing pitcher? Will umpires allow a grace period to start the season? Will a batter get called out with two out in the bottom of the ninth if he takes too much time on a two-strike pitch?

Do you like the pitch time rule? Vote here.

Limited pickoffs

Pitchers are limited to two “disengagements” (a pickoff attempt or a step-off bluff) every plate appearance. If a third pickoff attempt is made, the runner automatically advances one base if the attempt is not successful. The limit is reset if a runner or runners advance during the plate appearance. This could lead to more stolen base attempts.

Do you like the limited pickoffs rule? Vote here.

Defensive shift ban

“The four infielders must be within the outer boundary of the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber. Infielders may not switch sides. In other words, a team cannot reposition its best defender on the side of the infield the batter is more likely to hit the ball. If the infielders are not aligned properly at the time of the pitch, the offense can choose an automatic ball or the result of the play. This rule does not preclude a team from positioning an outfielder in the infield or in the shallow outfield grass in certain situations. But it does prohibit four-outfielder alignments.”

We discussed this rule in the last newsletter, so no need to repeat it all here.

Do you like the defensive shift ban? Vote here.

Bigger bases

The bases, which were 15 inches square, will now be 18 inches square. The primary goal of this change is to give players more room and to avoid collisions, especially at first base. The distance between first and second and between second and third is reduced by 4½ inches. This supposedly will encourage more stolen base attempts (in conjunction with the two-pickoff-throws limit mentioned above) and help players avoid sliding past the bag and being tagged out. Home plate remains the same. The distance between home and first, and third and home, is reduced by three inches.

Do you like the bigger bases? Vote here.

More balks?

A pitcher must have a clear point to begin his delivery in order to stop the pitch timer. The pitcher is permitted to take one step back (or laterally) and one step forward. Taking multiple steps before lifting the free leg is now an illegal movement and will lead to a balk. For an example, this pitching motion no longer will be allowed.

Do you like this new rule? Vote here.

Limiting position players pitching

Last season, teams could bring in a position player to pitch if they led or trailed by at least six runs. This led to a record 132 appearances by position players on the mound (Shohei Ohtani is not included in that total). In the entire decade of the ‘90s, there were 57 appearances. Hanser Alberto pitched 10 times for the Dodgers last season. The new rule is that a position player can pitch only in the ninth and for a team leading by at least 10 runs, or a team trailing by eight runs. A position player can pitch any time in extra innings.

Do you like this new rule? Vote here.

Ghost runners are permanent

Not really a change, but the rule putting a runner at second base at the start of each extra half-inning has been made permanent. There will be no ghost runner during the playoffs.

Do you like the ghost runners rule? Vote here.

Kershaw out of the WBC

Clayton Kershaw was forced to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic after he had a problem finalizing insurance coverage required for the event because of his history of back injuries, sources told Jack Harris.

“We tried a lot of different things, all sides, really tried to make it work,” Kershaw said. “Nothing is wrong with me. It just didn’t work out. I really wanted to do it.”

On one hand, it’s too bad Kershaw won’t be allowed to pitch. On the other hand, considering his recent injury history, perhaps it is best if he saves all his pitching for the Dodgers.

Bigger Betts

Mookie Betts reported to camp a little heavier than last season after being at the Driveline training facility in the offseason. But he had an interesting quote about it.

“My employer told me I need to go,” Betts said. “That’s how I ended up going there.”

That doesn’t sound like someone who was happy to go. Sort of like “My parents told me I had to take this class.”

Betts was 170 pounds last season. Now he’s 178, which doesn’t seem like a big difference.

“You just can’t skip the little snacks like I used to,” Betts said. “Just got to continue to eat, eat, eat, gain a little weight, gain some strength. Hopefully that helps … We’ll see how it plays out once the season starts.”

Ríos to the Cubs

Former Dodger Edwin Ríos will be joining Cody Bellinger with the Chicago Cubs after signing a one-year deal last week. Ríos has unbelievable power, and this could end up being a big loss for the Dodgers. He has a history of injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he will hit a lot of homers.

Two intriguing new Dodgers

The Dodgers signed left-handed-hitting left fielder David Peralta to a one-year, $6.5-million deal. Peralta hit .251 with 30 doubles and 12 homers last season, split between Arizona and Tampa Bay, good for an OPS+ of 109. He won a Gold Glove in 2019 and could end up getting the majority of the playing time in left. He never really has had a bad year, spending nine seasons with Arizona before he was traded to the Rays.

The other pickup was right-handed reliever Alex Reyes, who missed all of last season because of shoulder surgery and will miss the first few weeks of this season. Reyes was an All-Star with St. Louis in 2021 and finished with 29 saves and a 3.24 ERA, giving up 46 hits and walking 52 in 72-1/3 innings, striking out 95. He has a history of injuries, pitching only 26-2/3 innings from 2018-20. But if he can pitch like he did in 2021, he will be a valuable addition to the bullpen.

Vargas injured

Miguel Vargas, who is supposed to be the starting second baseman, has a hairline fracture of his right pinkie finger that will keep him from swinging a bat for a few days. He will still take part in fielding drills and is expected to be able to play when exhibition games begin Saturday.

Hands are very important to a hitter, so hopefully this is just a minor setback.

Did the Dodgers cheat too?

There’s a new book out, “Winning Fixes Everything” by Evan Drellich, that details the 2017 Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. In the book, unnamed sources say the Dodgers also stole signs. Manager Dave Roberts said last week at spring training that the Dodgers engaged only in legal methods of sign-stealing, such as having baserunners pick up a catcher’s sign and then signal them to the hitter.

“That’s the school of baseball,” Roberts said. “That’s gamesmanship. There was never anything illegal about it.”

Roberts did confirm the Dodgers were one of several teams investigated after the 2018 season for sign-stealing accusations — which were common at the time as teams grew suspicious of one another — but that the probe “came up with nothing.”

To quote Harris’ story:

When asked about having one of the players from his 2017 team — which lost to the Astros in seven games in the World Series — cited in the book alleging a video-based sign-stealing system, Roberts became irritated.

“I want to know who that anonymous person is,” he said. “I don’t know anything about that.”

Commissioner Rob Manfred said, “I can tell you, with respect to all the allegations that came in that 2017, 2018 time period, they were all investigated and you know who was disciplined.”

Speaking of cheating, during the offseason the Dodgers hired former Boston Red Sox video replay coordinator J.T. Watkins. In 2018, the year the Red Sox beat the Dodgers in the World Series, Watkins was tasked with using video to decode opponents’ signs before and after games, which was legal. However, he also used his access to live game feeds to “supplement or update” his work, according to the commissioner’s office. This was illegal. The details gathered by Watkins were used by runners who reached second base, who would use it to steal the catcher’s sign and signal to the hitter the pitch that was coming. Watkins was suspended for the entire 2020 season. The Red Sox’s scheme “by its very nature, was far more limited in scope and impact,” according to the findings of an investigation by the commissioner’s office that were released in 2020.

Kershaw said he didn’t have any problem with them hiring Watkins.

“No matter what enhancements technology had back then, there needs to be a clear distinction between what the Astros did and what everybody else did,” Kershaw said.

Watkins won’t have access to a live game feed in his role with the Dodgers.

You can read more about this in Dylan Hernández’s story.

TV/radio spring schedule

SportsNet LA will televise 30 of the 32 spring training games, with one of the split-squad games on March 11 and 22 being the only exceptions. Tim Neverett and Rick Monday will call the action.

Nine games will be on AM 570 radio, and eight games will be on Spanish language KTNQ 1020 AM.

You can view the Dodgers’ entire spring schedule here.

In case you missed it

Hernández: A Red Sox employee was suspended for sign-stealing role. Now he works for the Dodgers

Hernández: Rejuvenated Dave Roberts staying positive amid season of change for Dodgers

Hernández: WBC will never be the World Cup of baseball if paperwork bars stars from playing

Freddie Freeman gives rave review of new Dodgers teammate Jason Heyward

Clayton Kershaw won’t take part in World Baseball Classic

Dave Roberts sees ‘uptick’ in Noah Syndergaard’s pitch velocity

And finally

Tommy Lasorda has had enough of the Philly Phanatic. Watch and listen here.