“And the Braves take the series in 6 games against the Houston Astros!” The 2021 baseball season had so many great moments, so it’s understandable when people started getting scared when they heard the 2022 season is gonna be delayed. After all this time baseball is finally back, with a lot of changes.
In 2021 the MLB made a rule to make games end sooner. If a game went to extra innings both teams would start with a runner on second so if a team gets a single they could win the game. The MLB luckily kept this for the 2022 season. I like that they kept this rule, because when I’m at a game and it’s the 12th inning, all I want is for the game to end as soon as possible. One rule change that will be new in the 2023 season is the MLB banning defensive shifts. A defensive shift is when infielders and outfielders move to a spot where the hitter usually hits the ball. The point is to try and predict that the batter will hit to where your defense is shifted. I am not a fan of this rule because the MLB is just trying to improve players’ stats and take the strategic part of the game.
A new rule I do like this year is adding a designated hitter to the national league. The point of a D.H. is to have a bench player that actually knows how to hit for the pitcher, it has been a staple of the American league for a while but has never been a rule in the national league. This has hurt national league teams in many situations where your pitcher is doing well but you also need runs. The manager has to choose to take out their pitcher who is doing great and possibly lose the game because of that or keep him in and have him get out and lose the game because you had him bat. Now managers won’t have to make these decisions and national league pitchers don’t have to get taken out just because they can’t hit.
The MLB playoffs are going to be very generous this year. They are allowing 12 teams from the American league and 12 from the National league in the playoffs. The No. 1 division winner will play the winner of the series between the top two wild-card teams in the next round, while the No. 2 division winner will play the winner of the series between the No. 3 division winner and the worst wild-card team. After the first round, the playoff format will resemble what has been used in previous years: The second round will feature best-of-five series, with each team getting a chance to host games, while the championship series and World Series will be best of seven.
The final rule change is the amateur draft, there will be a draft lottery for the top six picks that is designed to prevent teams from tanking. In previous years the team with the worst record would get the top pick and teams with a better record would get the lower pick. The new system also includes limits on how many consecutive years a team can qualify for a high pick. (Teams that receive revenue-sharing payouts cannot pick higher than 10th in the draft for more than two straight years.) If a large-market team gets a lottery pick, it cannot pick higher than 10th in the next draft. This rule will give smaller teams a better chance to draft better players which will make it so having a bunch of money doesn’t just mean you’re gonna make or win the World Series. I like this rule a lot because if you’re watching your favorite team lose every game it makes you want to watch a new sport, trust me I’m a Rangers fan.
Even though the MLB is greedy and the Major League Baseball Players Association(MLBPA), Baseball is still back. I’m finally excited to be able to watch the Rangers go under .500 yet again.
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