Inside Buck Showalter’s Mets plan to deal with MLB rule changes

Inside Buck Showalter’s Mets plan to deal with MLB rule changes

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Buck Showalter has a 20-question quiz for players when they first meet as a full team.

Of course he is.

New rules coming to the majors — impactful changes — Mets managers want to know how much their players know about what’s going on. I doubt that I will receive it. This result therefore makes it easier to justify to players why he spends so much time training and retraining during the most important spring training session in MLB history. will do

So, for example, Showalter has already requested multiple pitch clocks. Sorry, but in the Orwell world of MLB, it’s the pitch timer. Located in Clover Park, it plans to have all pitchers pitch using the clock even in bullpen sessions to ensure training. Under the new rules: Pitches are released in 15 seconds if there are no on-base players, and 20 seconds if there are runners.

“We don’t want to end up reinventing the wheel,” says Showalter. “Everybody better prepare for what’s to come, because the learning curve gets really short in the spring.”

oh, succinctly. As if difficulty alone wasn’t enough to adapt to pitch clocks, new pickoff rules, elimination of extreme shifts, and variations of each. The World Baseball Classic will also be held this spring. That is, many of the best players first train and then spend a significant amount of time playing for the United States, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or he one of the 20 teams that will be participating.

Mets
Buck Showalter will work with the Mets in 2022 Spring Training.
Corey Shipkin

wait, get better. The tournament is held under the old rules. So players will join the camp by edict a few days before the actual report date to start working on the new rules. Many of these players then leave camp to play under the old rules. Also, if he’s playing for one of the nations that make it to the finals in Miami on March 21, he’ll return to the regular team on March 30, about a week before his season opener. It will be.

Finally, we knew there was going to be more, so it wouldn’t be evenly cluttered across the landscape. Specifically, the Astros, Dodgers, and Mets are expected to have many or the best players in the WBC.

Liquid. The roster is not yet fixed, but the Mets have two outfielders in Sterling Marte (Dominica) and Brandon Nimo (Italy), three relief pitchers in Edwin Diaz (Puerto Rico), plus Adam Ottavino and Brooks. – Possibility of losing Rayleigh (both American) catchers. His two starters in Omar Narvaez (Venezuela), Carlos Carrasco (Venezuela) and Jose Quintana (Colombia). Prospect groups such as Marc Vientos (Nicaragua) and starters Calvin Ziegler (Canada) may also be involved.

The biggest worry for the Mets is that starting infielders Pete Alonso (USA), Jeff McNeil (USA), Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico) and Eduardo Escobar (Venezuela) could leave in the spring. . This is the time when the new rules include shift restrictions, specifically requiring two infielders to be positioned on either side of his second base bag, and all infielders to have both feet on the dirt in the infield. I have to.

The maximum number of players an organization can take on leave is 15, and it has the power to withhold players who, like Marte, return from injury. By comparison, the Yankees are not expected to leave Aaron Judge or Gerrit Cole, for example, but are considering losing a few players like Nestor. Such as Cortes and Kyle Higashioka (both representing the United States).

“It sucks, but what are you going to do,” said Showalter. “Once the season starts, they’re not going to wait for you to catch up. It’s a competitive advantage if you know what you’re doing. Those guys. [his players]By the end of spring they won’t like me [because of how much the new rules will be stressed]”

Mets
Mets manager Buck Showalter
Robert Sabo

Showalter plans to maximize their time with players to deal with extreme shift removal. To help pitchers deliver the ball faster and hitters to be ready with at least eight seconds left in the clock, he said, “It affects hitters more than pitchers. Keep your promise.” said Showalter. For example, Max Scherzer, on his podcast “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman,” describes changing how long he stays on set or how long a pitch takes to make hitters uncomfortable and set the pitch clock in his favor. I said I would use it. each pitch.

Showalter, among other items, plans to dedicate the halffield so that players can use the larger base and rubber pitcher breakaways, for example, to throw first to bring the runners closer. Showalter intends to play a Mets-on-Mets practice game before the exhibition games start emphasizing the new rules. Additionally, every spring his training his contests will be conducted with new rules. Remember, this is also a learning period for referees.

These are seismic variations designed to speed up the pace of the action and shorten the length of the game, among other items encouraging you to be bolder in your base.

All clubs continue to go to school not only to familiarize their players and staff with the rules, but also to find ways around them. For example, a team cannot move an infielder from the dirt to his right shortstop. But against a left-handed pull hitter like, say, Joey Gallo, would a team move left field to that shifted position, essentially giving up having left field?

MLB is gearing up for something similar to when the replay was expanded in 2014. Over the first few weeks and months, there was a lot of grumbling about how it unfolded and its implications. This makes it more destructive and explosive, especially when the game is first decided, e.g. when the pitcher moves too slowly and the ball is valued, which leads to a winning run. must.

Mets
Adam Ottavino
Robert Sabo

Conversely, according to MLB, 46% of the current 40-roster players experience at least a first-hand pitch clock. In addition, one of the reasons why major leaguers are major leaguers is their adaptability. For example, Ottavino told me last month on Amazon that he bought a $30 timer, installed it in a gym he built in Harlem, and used it to prep. Most players have probably already done something similar.

“It was obviously a no-brainer,” said Ottavino. “We’re going to be playing by the new rules, so maybe we should get used to it. So be as prepared as you can be and try to stay ahead of it. And you know, there are other things to work on during that time. So I think it’s better to get ahead now. Around $30 is a good investment if you can get a feel for it now. ”

Plus, he definitely has one buck ready to spend the time he needs to deal with the new rules with the Mets.

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