MLB announces trial changes for Atlantic League

Major League Baseball and the Atlantic League co-announced a series of rule changes Friday that will set up the independent league as a testing ground for several much-discussed initiatives.

The most striking changes include:

• The use of TrackMan radars to assist home plate umpires in calling balls and strikes

• No mound visits for anything other than pitching changes or medical issues

• The elimination of most defensive shifts by requiring two infielders on each side of second base

• A three-batter minimum for pitchers, barring injuries.

• Moving the pitching rubber back an additional two feet (to 62 feet, 6 inches) during the second half of the season.

MLB will monitor the effects of these rule changes during the first half of the Atlantic League season before deciding whether to implement further modifications after the league’s All-Star break.

“This first group of experimental changes is designed to create more balls in play, defensive action, baserunning and improve player safety,” Morgan Sword, MLB’s senior vice president of league economics & operations, said as part of an official league release. “We look forward to seeing them in action in the Atlantic League.”

The three-batter minimum was part of MLB’s latest proposal to the Major League Baseball Players Association in early February and is tied to pace-of-play initiatives that have marked discussions between the two sides in recent years. The Atlantic League will also reduce time between innings and pitching changes by 20 seconds, as well as increase the size of its bases from 15 to 18 square inches. All of these changes are part of the partnership MLB finalized with the Atlantic League last month.

“Players sign in the Atlantic League for the Major League Baseball showcase opportunity it offers,” said Atlantic League president Rick White. “We are excited to see that showcase grow exponentially, while working with MLB on initiatives critical to the future of the game.”