Major League Baseball has implemented a number of different rule changes in recent years, including a pitch timer, defensive shift limits and larger bases.
Each of the changes was with the goal of improving the sport’s popularity, and have largely been successful in doing so.
The door has been left open for additional MLB rule changes, such as the automated ball-strike system (ABS) that will be tested in Spring Training games in 2025.
Another idea that has been floated is implement a minimum innings requirement for starting pitchers. Starters averaged just over five innings per game during the 2024 season, a number that has steadily decreased over the last decade.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was once in favor of the idea but now believes it is no longer feasible, via Questions for Cancer Research:
“I don’t think a specific inning requirement, even with exceptions, is workable. I guess maybe the way to say it, it’s just too blunt an instrument to fix this problem.”
The thought process behind a minimum requirement for starting pitchers is to restore the prestige that was once associated with the role.
The league also hoped that a minimum innings requirement would force starters to focus less on max velocity and more on endurance.
A recent MLB study showed that higher velocity and max effort have a direct correlation to the increase in arm injuries for pitchers.
Any potential minimum inning requirement for starting pitchers would come with exceptions, such as pitch count and the amount of earned runs allowed.
Rob Manfred not in favor of MLB adding golden at-bat rule
Manfred first mentioned the idea of the golden at-bat rule during a podcast appearance but has since clarified it was still years away from possibly reaching MLB. Manfred added it’s not a rule change he supports.
Given the negative reaction to the golden at-bat rule, the chances of it being implemented any time soon are slim to none. As of now, there are no plans to test the golden at-bat rule at the Minor League level next season.
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