Blue Jays Notebook: MLB’s ‘horrible’ rule test; Romano’s slider-fest; Chapman crushing it

Baseball

Published 19.04.2023

Blue Jays Notebook: MLB’s ‘horrible’ rule test; Romano’s slider-fest; Chapman crushing it

HOUSTON – What’s Whit Merrifield’s first impression of the designated pinch-runner rule Major League Baseball is testing out within the Atlantic League this season?

“That’s horrible,” stated the Toronto Blue Jays utilityman, a part of the 11-member Competition Committee that features six possession representatives, 4 gamers and one umpire. “Maybe the Atlantic League will like it. Hopefully, not in my lifetime will that be up here.”

The idea permits groups to listing one participant not within the beginning lineup as a chosen pinch runner who may be subbed in for anybody who reaches base, with each gamers eligible to return later within the recreation.

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Major League Baseball can be testing out a single disengagement for pitchers per at-bat – they’re allowed two underneath this yr’s guidelines within the large leagues – and lengthening the “Double Hook” rule, which eliminates a group’s designated hitter if the starter doesn’t pitch 5 innings.

The former is one other solution to additional pace up video games, whereas the latter is aimed an incentivizing using starters deeper into video games, slightly than operating out an array of high-velo relievers.

Use of a rule within the Atlantic League doesn’t imply a big-league arrival is imminent, however a number of guidelines carried out in recent times, together with the three-batter minimal for relievers, greater bases and ban on infield shifts, have been first evaluated there earlier than advancing to the minors.

Of the three guidelines within the combine this summer season, a chosen pinch runner carries the potential to most dramatically alter the way in which video games are performed and strategized and groups are constructed, which is what bothers Merrifield.

“There are three parts to being a major-leaguer: being able to hit, being able to play defence and being able to run the bases,” stated Merrifield. “You don’t have to be fast, but you need to run the bases if you want to be an all-around baseball player. To basically have somebody come in and do that, we’re just slowly getting away from what the game, I feel like, was made to be.”

Having a speedster on the bench eligible to return out and in of video games would enable groups to hold bat-only gamers and never fear about them clogging up the basepaths. Although that will create pathways to roster spots for one-tool gamers, it will additionally subtract from some great benefits of groups with multi-tool gamers and deep rosters.

Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider is intrigued by an idea “you see in the playoffs, where teams carry guys on the roster just to go out and pinch run.”

“It’s interesting. We’ll see how it plays out,” he continued. “But whenever they’re trying something, there’s usually some traction to it. … There’s always going to be a time, and you can look at our roster for sure, where it’s like it’d be a good time to have a burner in there as opposed to (Alejandro) Kirk or (Brandon) Belt, you know? It’s definitely interesting.”

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Having extra speedsters on the bases would enhance the strain on pitchers to carry runners and catchers to throw them out, at a time when there are already restrictions on the variety of occasions a pitcher can throw over.

“It’s weird. I don’t know how I feel about it,” stated Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen. “It probably opens up opportunities for people to maybe be on a big-league roster to do that. It creates pretty much a position. But, at the same time, it’s just a lot, you know what I mean? I understand the goal for more action with all the rules this year. That just seems like a lot.”

Other rule concepts to debut within the Atlantic League are the dropped pitch rule, pushing the pitching rubber again and the calling of automated balls and strikes utilizing TrackMan know-how.

As for the present trio of modifications, “none of this stuff has been relayed to players, so that kind of tells you where it’s at in the process,” stated Merrifield. “I think it’d be quite an uprising if (commissioner Rob) Manfred came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re going to do next year or the year after.’ That wouldn’t be good, I don’t think.”

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ROMANO’S SLIDER-FEST: Fifteen pitches to file 4 outs isn’t uncommon for All-Star nearer Jordan Romano. Fourteen sliders in 15 pitches, however, positive is.

“Me and Kirky (catcher Alejandro Kirk), we just thought the boys wanted heaters today, know what I mean?” Romano stated after recording his first four-out save of the season in Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. “We could kind of tell from some of the swings they were sitting heater. So, we just went heavy slider.”

Tuesday’s outing wasn’t an aberration, even when it was an excessive manifestation of an early-season development. Although his pitch utilization final yr was cut up practically even between his fastball (47.9 per cent) and slider (51.8 per cent), to this point in 2023 the cut up is dramatically tilted towards slider at 68.3-30.3 per cent.

It’s been a weapon, too, with an astonishing 47.4 whiff charge.

“I feel like my slider right now is better than it was last year,” stated Romano. “I just feel more comfortable with the shape, it’s a little bit better, I like how I command it. I don’t feel like it’s better than the heater. The velo I feel like is pretty solid on the heater right now. It’s outing to outing. I feel very confident with both pitches, so whatever the catchers throw down, I’m not going to second guess it too much.”

The solely fastball he threw to the Astros was ripped for a single by Jake Meyers and though he considered displaying them one other fastball or two to hurry them up earlier than slowing them down, he finally determined to remain breaking ball.

“A lot of those guys are good fastball hitters, so I really just didn’t want to give them too many chances. I liked the slider match-up,” he stated. “Yeah, it’s unusual throwing just one heater for four outs, I don’t know if that’s going to happen too many more times, but it happened (Tuesday).”

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CHAPMAN KEEPS CRUSHING: Matt Chapman felt he pulled the ball too usually final yr and made some modifications over the winter designed to have him use your entire area once more, the way in which he did earlier in his profession.

The ends in a torrid begin have supported the shift, with 4 of his 5 house runs hit to right-centre or proper, and a close to completely balanced batted-ball profile. That’s led to a .415/.472/.785 batting line together with 100^th percentile common exit velocity (97.4 mph) and hard-hit proportion (66 per cent).

“It just gives me confidence and trust that approach works,” stated Chapman. “I’ve been able to get some more hits, maybe hit the breaking ball a little bit better, stay back on the baseball and not try to do too much. Obviously, it’s nice things are going good right now. I know it’s a long season, but it’s nice to start off like this and feel like I’m helping the team win. But that approach is going to be able to keep me more consistent throughout the season and be able to know that when things maybe aren’t going good, I have something to go to and have something I know that works to help me get back on track.”