Since Rob Manfred announced his “One Baseball” vision, MLB has pulled the strings for a number of rule changes in lower-level professional leagues. Even before the Atlantic League became an official MLB partner this offseason, it was often used as a guinea pig for various tweaks to the game that Manfred might want to use in the future.
They were the first to use an automated ball-strike system, which was basically an umpire wearing air pods as a computer actually calls the game. The three-batter minimum as well as other changes that will take hold in the minors this year -- like larger, 18-inch bases and two infielders on each side of second base -- also began as experiments in the Atlantic League.
This time around there are two completely new -- meaning they’re not adjustments of existing rules -- changes coming to the Atlantic League.
First, the pitching rubber will be moved back one foot for the second half of the season. The idea here is that this will create more game action and combat MLB’s steadily climbing strikeout rate over the past 15 years.
The other big change will be to the way that teams are allowed to use their designated hitter. In what’s been dubbed a “double hook,” teams will only have their designated hitter available for the duration of the starter’s outing. Meaning, once a reliever enters the game, they take over the DH’s spot in the lineup and from then on it’s traditional National League rules.
So, looking through the scope of the 2021 Pirates, it’s obvious which rule would benefit this team the most.
Entering Wednesday night’s contest, the Pirates have the fourth-fewest homers in MLB with nine. Since they’re not reliant on the long ball, they’d be the type that would benefit from increased game action. And since they’re in the bottom third of the league in starter innings, that other rule might not provide much for them at all.
Obviously, the Pirates and every other team will be very different if or when these changes eventually reach the bigs. But there’s enough precedent to expect that updates to the Atlantic League rulebook could soon find their way to the majors. So, when the league, at the behest of MLB, announces a new series of changes, it’s best to keep an eye out.
YOUR TURN: Besides the universal DH, which is the unique rule change, Atlantic League-tested or otherwise, that you would like to see implemented in MLB? Don’t be afraid to get weird (within reason) with it.