Major League Baseball (MLB) has recently announced that it will be testing out some new rule changes in the Atlantic League, a professional independent baseball league. This is part of MLB’s effort to modernize the game and make it more appealing to younger fans.
The most notable change is the introduction of a “robot umpire” system. This system uses sensors and cameras to track the ball’s trajectory and determine whether a pitch is a strike or a ball. This technology has been tested in the minor leagues and is now being used in the Atlantic League. The hope is that this system will help speed up the game and reduce the number of incorrect calls made by human umpires.
Another rule change being tested in the Atlantic League is a “pitch clock”. This clock will be set to 20 seconds and will be used to limit the amount of time pitchers have between pitches. This is intended to help speed up the game and reduce the amount of time players spend standing around between pitches.
The Atlantic League is also testing out a new rule that will allow teams to use a designated hitter for both teams in a game. This rule is intended to help reduce the number of injuries caused by pitchers hitting, as well as to give teams more flexibility in their lineups.
Finally, the Atlantic League is testing out a “three-batter minimum” rule. This rule requires pitchers to face at least three batters before they can be replaced by another pitcher. This rule is intended to reduce the number of pitching changes and help speed up the game.
These rule changes are being tested in the Atlantic League in order to gauge their effectiveness and determine whether they should be implemented in MLB games. If successful, these changes could help modernize the game and make it more appealing to younger fans.
