Major League's new IBB rule is a small, but welcome change

In response to the declining popularity of baseball, Major League Baseball officials have proposed several rule changes in order to make the game’s pace of play a bit quicker.

One change that will take affect this season focuses on intentional walks. The MLB agreed to change the rule where instead of having a pitcher throw four balls to walk a hitter, managers can send out a signal that will advance a batter to first base.

Most of the proposed rule changes from the MLB, spearheaded by Commissioner Rob Manfred, have been met with criticism — and in some cases, outrage — by baseball fans.

The change to the IBB rule has been met with better reception than some of the other proposed rule changes, such as using a pitch clock — similar to what is used in minor league and college baseball — fewer trips to the mound, changing the strike zone and putting a runner on second base to start extra innings, which is something that the MLB is experimenting with in the minors.

Most of these proposed changes have hit a road block in the form of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Manfred believes that ball club owners could unilaterally implement some rule changes in 2018, though like any leader he hopes to reach an agreement with the association.

I have mixed feelings on these changes. I think putting a pitch clock on the field would be a little distracting to players and fans. On the other hand, I kind of like the idea of limiting visits to the mound. I understand managers need to talk to pitchers who are struggling during a game, but when it happens 2-3 times during a game, it interrupts the flow. Of course, we have a whole year to see whether or not any of these rule changes come down the pike.

But I think changing the intentional walk rule is something that shouldn’t be met with outcry from baseball fans. It’s not like intentional base on balls (IBBs) happens a lot during games.

Last year, there were only 932 intentional walks — one for every 2.6 games — the lowest total since 1955 when statisticians started keeping track of intentional walks, according to the Major League’s website.

IBBs are not all that exciting, except when a pitcher throws a wild pitch, or when a batter decides to say “forget the free base, I’m going for it” and gets a hit. There are quite a few intentional walk mishaps that are stamped in baseball lore, including a Florida vs. Baltimore game on June 22, 2006 where Miguel Cabrera’s hit an RBI single off what was supposed to be an IBB. Cabrera’s hit gave the Marlins the lead in the 10th inning.

And there was Oakland’s Rollie Fingers faking out Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench during Game 3 of the 1972 World Series.

Detractors of the rule change say it tosses away the history that comes with IBBs. If you think about it, those historic moments are still there, you can watch the videos and view the pictures. The rule change just prevents new moments from happening.

During a Feb. 22 interview, Los Angeles Angels’ Jesse Chavez pointed out one benefit of the change, saying relief pitchers won’t have to be thrown into scenarios where they have to walk the first batter they face to get to the next one.

In the same interview, Chavez said the change “kind of takes the what-if out of the game,” and that the offense can’t take advantage of a mistake, for instance when a pitcher throws the ball over the catcher, allowing a runner on second base to steal third. True, but from a defensive standpoint, the rule prevents the team from making those mistakes.

However, changing the intentional walk rule will barely put a dent when it comes to speeding up the length of a baseball game, which can go between 3-4 hours.

According to MLB.com, IBBs take about a one minute of dead time and are not as time consuming as when a batter hits a home run and takes his sweet time trotting around the bases.

The Major League’s new IBB rule is a small change in the grand scheme of the game, but it’s a welcome one.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.