Major League Baseball has recently had some very controversial rule changes. They started with banning the shift, forcing all four infielders to be standing in the dirt until a ball is thrown by the pitcher. This is very good for left handed power hitters because they will now be able to land more hits in right field.

One of the most controversial new changes is the addition of a pitch clock. This makes the game more fast paced and shorter in time. The batter has to be ready by 8 seconds left of the 15 seconds if nobody is on base, and 30 seconds with runners on base. The pitcher has to start their windup before the clock hits zero. 

Pitchers are already taking advantage of this by working very fast. Wandy Peralta of the New York Yankees has already recorded a strikeout in a total of just 19 seconds. Some Baseball fans around the world don’t like this because it makes the game shorter.

The MLB also changed the amount of disengagements/pickoffs you are allowed to do per at bat. You used to be able to attempt it as many times as you wanted, but pitchers are now limited to 2 per batter, and if they attempt a third the runner has to be out. If not it will be an automatic walk and the runner will advance for free. 

The last rule and potentially the second most controversial is the bigger bases. They increased the size of the base from 15 inches to 18 inches. The MLB instituted in an attempt to reduce injuries and increase stolen base attempts. This decreased the base path distance will help batters steal bases slightly easier.