New Rules To Be Implemented In MLB's 2023 Season

By Lily Belcher

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced three new rule changes to the 2023 season on behalf of MLB and the MLBPA at the beginning of September. As a result of the new CBA, a joint Competition Committee was created to address key issues in the rulebook and vote on them ahead of the upcoming season.

Three major changes will be made in the 2023 Championship Season:

1- A 15 second pitch clock (with bases empty) or a 20 second pitch clock (with runners on)

2- Regulations to defensive shifts (two infielders on either side of second base within the outer boundary of the infield

3- Bases will be an 18-inch square

“These steps are designed to improve pace of play, increase action and reduce injuries, all of which are goals that have overwhelming support among our fans,” said Manfred in a statement about the new rules.

Now, these new rules shouldn’t shock fans who have been listening to discussions around MLB and MiLB over the past few years. With a general concern for the length of the game and player safety, Rob Manfred has allowed the implementation of the pitch clock, larger bases, and shift regulations to go through a trial run in the minors.

The minor league pitch clock presented key flaws during its trial run since 2015, leading to the addition of a two pick off attempt limit in the MLB rule for 2023. Data shows that the average time for a nine-inning game has decreased an average of 26 minutes in the minor leagues that used the new pitch clock rules last year, according to statistics from Baseball America.

To regulate defensive shifts, the new rules dictate that two infielders must remain on either side of second base and all infielders must keep both feet in the infield dirt. This prevents a team from stacking players on one side of second or in the outfield based on their opponents’ batting tendencies. There has been a .003 increase in batting average in Double-A, which implemented the shift rules last year. Triple-A, which did not implement the shift ban last year saw a .001 increase in averages.

Finally, MLB will use 18-inch bases, as opposed to the current 15-inch bases, in the 2023 season. This is intended to protect the players and prevent spiking at first base. This also will slightly decease the distance between bases and could promote more stolen base attempts. According to the press release from MLB, stolen bases attempts have increased by .6 per game with a success increase of about 9%.

Read more about the changes and key stats in the press release below: https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-announces-rule-changes-for-2023-season