MLB Distributes New Data on How Rule Changes Have Impacted Pace of Play, BABIP
Major League Baseball gave media members access to new data ahead of Rob Manfred's press conference at the 2023 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, demonstrating the significant impact of this past offseason's rule changes on the sport.
The implementation of the pitch clock was one of the biggest sticking points in the baseball community over the past few years, but it has certainly made games shorter. Two years after the average game time reached an all-time high of 3:10 in 2021, the average length of a nine-inning MLB game in 2023 has dropped all the way down to 2:38.
That is the shortest average game length since 1984.
And according to the league, 60% of games do not feature a pitch clock violation by either team. 28% feature a single pitch clock violation, while 9% feature two, 2% feature three and only 1% feature four or more.
Violations have also steadily declined since the start of the season, with the league averaging 0.23 per game over the last 100 games compared to 0.87 in the first 100 games.
The league-wide batting average has gone from .243 in 2022 to .248 in 2023, and the average number of runs has gone from 8.6 to 9.2. This year's strikeout rate of 22.7%, meanwhile, remains comparable to last year's 22.4%.
Those numbers are also impacted by the infield shift getting banned, which had been another point of contention with fans, players and media members alike.
Across the league, batting average on balls in play was at .292 in 2021 and .290 in 2022. That number has inched up to .297 so far in 2023, but it has managed to significantly even the playing field in another way.
Right-handed and left-handed hitters are both batting .297 on balls in play this year. Righties' BABIP was 12 points higher than lefties' in 2022 and eight points higher in 2021, for reference.
The pitch clock and increased base sizes have also impacted baserunning so far this season.
In 2021, there was an average of 1.2 stolen base attempts per game, which was the lowest the league had seen since the 1960s. Teams are now attempting 1.8 steals per game – which is the most in over a decade – while also succeeding on 4.0% more of those attempts compared to 2022.
MLB presented all of that data alongside new attendance numbers, likely in an attempt to insinuate that the rule changes have been embraced by fans.
League-wide attendance is up 8.1% compared to 2022, with 23 of the 30 clubs seeing positive year-over-year growth and 12 teams seeing a boost of 10% or better. Attendance in June reached its highest point since 2017, and Father's Day attendance broke 600,000 for the first time since 2008.
The league's new rules will all be in effect at the 2023 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised by FOX.
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