MLB commissioner Rob Manfred continues to beat the drum in favor of improving pace of play in the majors, suggesting again that rule changes to that effect might be coming sooner rather than later.
In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Daily News, Manfred said he expects continued discussions with the MLB Players' Association on the topic now that terms of the new collective bargaining agreement have been worked out.
“I think our players either understand or will come to understand the need to deal with the pace-of-play issues," Manfred said. "I went around my first year as commissioner and spoke to the players on every team in the clubhouse. One of the things I talked to them about was pace of play. I do believe our players are with us on the pace-of-play issues."
The topic remains sensitive even among the fan base that nominally would benefit from faster games. Part of baseball's traditional appeal, after all, is its lack of a clock. But an actual clock might just be the most radical change Manfred tries to implement in the coming years.
FAGAN: MLB finally gets it right on World Series home-field advantage
For the past two seasons, Triple-A and Double-A leagues have used a 20-second pitch clock, and it has indeed improved pace of play. In 2015, games in leagues with a pitch clock were an average of 12 minutes shorter than they had been the previous season, according to The Associated Press. Games in Triple-A's International League lasted only 2 hours, 40 minutes on average, while MLB games averaged 2:56 in 2015.
“The reason I like the clock is not that I’m looking to force somebody to do something, but I think it is a constant reminder of the need to move things along, and I think that’s really important in terms of dealing with the pace-of-play issues," Manfred told the Daily News. “It’s had great results in the minor leagues. Quantitative data shows that it made the games go faster, but equally important, players don’t complain about it. They get used to it and they work within it.”
Another popular suggestion for helping move games along is limiting the number of relievers managers can use in a particular inning. It doesn't sound like that option has as much traction with the commissioner given its potential implications on tactics and strategy. But as Manfred notes, it's the ancillary time around a pitching change that creates the most dead time.
FOSTER: Why MLB's rookie hazing needed to go away
"How much time does it take a batter to get into the box? How much time is there between pitches? How much time does it take to effectuate a pitching change?" he said. "There are lots of things around the concept of a pitching change. How quickly does the guy get in from the bullpen? How many warm-up pitches does he need?
“Those are all non-competitive things. When you get into dictating the use of a particular kind of player that affects the competition more directly, you have to go slower.”
Read more of Manfred's thoughts on pace of play and other issues in the full Q&A here.
