Generally, people don’t like change. They like consistency, a routine, and something to count on. For a lot of people, baseball has been just that, as the rules of the game haven’t drastically changed in a long time. However this season, the MLB is implementing several new rules, including the 3-batter minimum.

What is the 3 batter minimum?

The new rule states that a pitcher must face at least three batters or end the half-inning, unless he gets injured. According to MLB, the change will cause a decline in lefty specialists who are brought in for lefty-on-lefty match-ups.

Potential Positives:

• The game speeds up
  • This is the most obvious reason why the rule is being put in place. Pitching changes take a ton of time, especially in the middle of an inning. Commissioner Rob Manfred is making a big push to speed up baseball and this seems to be a step forward in that process, whether you like it or not.
• Relief pitchers become more valuable
  • Relievers are going to have taller tasks this year. Gone are the days of the lefty specialist (at least we think) and relief pitchers are going to rack up more innings. There will be less pitching changes, there’s no doubt about that, which means extended outings.
• There’s more incentive for teams to spend money on relievers
  • Yeah, starting pitchers are always going to make more money on average than relievers. But hey, generally, they are the most underpaid players in the game. However, with relievers being such an important part of the game, there will be more incentive for teams to dish out a little bit more cash to get some better arms to bolster their bullpen.

Potential Negatives:

• It won’t speed up the game much
  • Obviously games will speed up a little bit. There won’t be as many pitching changes. But how much time can it possibly save? The biggest question in all this is: Is it really worth it? Is a few less minutes worth a reliever possibly blowing a game in a certain situation?
• Lefty specialists are out of a job
  • Not that there are a ton of lefty specialists anyway, but some relievers are either going to be out of jobs or have to adjust their game accordingly. This honestly could turn into a positive.
• Teams could try to fake injuries to get their pitcher out
  • This is hypothetical. I don’t see this being a problem in the regular season, but it could be in the regular season. I guess faking an injury isn’t as bad as banging trash cans, @Astros.

My take:

As you can see, I just laid out the potential positives and negative of the 3-batter minimum. So what is my take? Right now, it is too early for me to tell. I think it’s going to be crazy to see a guy come in and have to face 3 batters (unless they end the inning). This could bring some excitement to the game; it adds a whole different element to baseball.

To gain another perspective on the rule change, I talked to my friend Steven, who is a BIG Chicago Cubs fan. Steven says that as of now, he doesn’t like the rule change. He wonders if it will really speed up the game and like I mentioned before, he sees it as a big game changer. And he’s right, it is a big game changer. Think, when’s the last time that the rules of baseball have changed this drastically? Sure, we’ve seen playoff formats change with divisions, wild card spots, etc. But now we’re talking about actual rules. Because baseball is so complex compared to other sports, it’s hard to make a comparison to another sport of something that would be similar.

Overall, I’m excited to see how this changes the game of baseball. I am going in with no expectations; I don’t have any control over the situation. I am going to have an open mind about it and not make my final judgment call until I see how the rule adjusts the best game on the planet; baseball.