MLB Has A Pace of Replay Problem

Pace of play has been a hot issue for baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred seems to be considering every possibility in order to cut down on the length of games. There is the pitch clock, limiting mound visits by players and even the idea of bringing back bullpen carts.

Baseball is a game of strategy so players deserve time to think things through. A pitch clock would mess with that. However, I don't think it would hurt the game substantially and it would speed things along. Pilot programs have been put into place and they have studied the effects of the pitch clock, so on this subject I'm going to defer to those who have more information than I do. If Major League Baseball thinks it's an improvement then I'll have to trust they know what they are doing.

Seeing pitchers and catchers who can't get on the same page and continuously calling time to talk it over is tedious. Limiting mound visits by players is likely a good thing. It will force players to have a better plan before the game.

I have joked about bullpen carts and I think they would be fun and would be another source of revenue for teams, but they're goofy and likely aren't going to save that much time. I doubt many relievers would feel too pumped up riding in on a giant baseball. If it's optional for players who want to use it, fine, whatever.

One area where I think baseball can cut down on time and increase enjoyment for viewers is with the tedious replays on slides. I'm not talking about the close calls or important plays. I enjoy replay when I get multiple looks at a close play and can decide for myself whether I think the guy was safe or not. It heightens the excitement and adds tension when we get to watch an important play multiple times at different angles, knowing the decision can swing the game.

The plays I'm talking about are when the game gets stalled for five minutes while the crew in New York tries to decipher whether the baserunner's butt lifted a quarter of an inch off the bag. Nobody enjoys having the game delayed when the runner clearly beats the tag but we have to spend time looking at 16 different angles of the same slide over and over and over to determine if a guy running full speed can keep perfect contact with the base. These types of replays grind the game to a halt. It's tedious and unnecessary.

There should be a zone of control where if a player's body is over the bag they are safe. Players who over-slide the bag will still be called out, but it eliminates the anal retentive nature of the replays that take up more time than they should.

If they're willing to go to extremes like adding a pitch clock or limit mound visits that would mess with the strategy aspect of the game then they can certainly take the time to figure out how to eliminate a pointless time waster like the nit-picking slide replays.