As another season of high strikeout rates and lower batting averages settles in, Major League Baseball has begun its experiment with a cornucopia of rules changes in the minor leagues.
Limiting shifting, moving the mound back, 15-second pitch clocks, larger bases and electronic strike zones — aka robo umps — are just a few examples of changes in store this summer at a minor-league ballpark probably not anywhere near you.
The idea is to make the game more exciting through higher contact rates, greater athleticism and more base-running with less downtime between the action.
Former Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein, hired as an MLB adviser to find solutions to the game’s most pressing issues, has become baseball’s version of environmental activist Greta Thunberg, seeking solutions to problems that pose grave danger if left uncorrected.