Rangers Dealing With New Baseball Rules

The shift ban, the pitch clock and the enlarged bases are all something the Texas Rangers will get used to in Spring Training.

Major League Baseball approved a flurry of rules changes for the 2023 season, all of which will take effect in Spring Training — and require plenty of adjustments by players and managers alike.

As the Texas Rangers prepare for their first Spring Training games on Feb. 24, here’s a primer on the rules changes and how they could impact the Rangers.

For Pitchers

The biggest rule change is the pitch clock, something the minor leagues have used for several years. There will be a 30-second timer between hitters. With the bases empty, pitchers have 15 seconds to start their motion once the ball is returned to them. With runners on base, it becomes 20 seconds.

The idea is to speed up the game. So is the idea behind limited disengagements from the pitching rubber, as MLB calls it.

Pitchers will only be allowed two per hitter. That can be to step off and throw to a base or get a new sign.

And, while it’s not a new rule change, MLB is planning to properly enforce the balk rule, something Rangers manager Bruce Bochy alluded to in December.

What does that mean? Per CBS Sports, it means a crackdown on "bouncing" or "rolling" deliveries. The pitch timer is supposed to end when the ball is delivered. If a pitcher has a weird hitch or tic in their delivery, it could lead to a balk.

For the Rangers: Younger pitchers who have thrown in the minors are used to the pitch clock. The Rangers are employing a veteran rotation, with all six projected starters in their 30s. They’ll spend Spring Training getting used to that, learning to get the most out of two pickoff moves and finding out if their deliveries lead to a balk.

For Fielders

The shift ban is on. No longer can three infielders be on one side of the field. Starting this season two fielders must be on each side of second base and all must be on the infield dirt, the latter preventing infielders from playing too deep and emulating a shift.

For the Rangers: The four infielders will have to field their position. Middle infielders will have to cover more range to their left or right. First basemen, like Nathaniel Lowe, will have to charge balls more frequently. Lowe said in January he’s actually looking forward to it because it streamlines decision-making for him. He doesn’t have to worry about cutting off second baseman Marcus Semien in the shift.

For Baserunners

The bases are bigger. The bases are now 18-inch squares instead of the traditional 15-inch squares. The move was made for player safety. But it also means that the bases are not quite 90 feet apart anymore. It’s a small thing, but something to remember.

For the Rangers: Quicker players like Bubba Thompson, who already put pressure on pitchers to begin with, will benefit from the bigger bases and slightly shorter distance. Theoretically, it should result in fewer injuries on stolen bases and double plays.

For Batters

There are no rules changes for batters. But that doesn’t mean that batters won’t have to adjust, according to Bochy.

“Hitters have their own routine, too,” Bochy said in January. “They step out, call a time out. You only get one time out and once you use it what do you do? You can’t do anything. The pitcher can hold it for 10 seconds, so the batter has to realize that too.”

Oh, and One More

The ghost runner is now a permanent part of baseball. So each half-inning, starting in the 10th inning, will start with a runner at second base.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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