The Pandemically Fractured Baseball Rules Are Here To Stay For A While

  Last season the baseball season MLB announced that a 60-game season would begin on July 23 or 24. 

  Last season was a tough year on all fronts for everyone, but we were finally able to get some sense of normalcy with the return of baseball. The MLB Players Association agreed to report to training camps by July 1 and it was done with the league’s health and safety in mind.  At that said time, everyone probably knew that very little has been let out about the 76-page safety and testing protocols, but the league reportedly gave in to player requests for greater access to medical and training equipment. It was nice to hear that the two side were cooperating a little better after numerous negotiation.

  The way baseball was played in 2020 was by far very unorthodox and it seems as we await the 2021 season to kickoff, many of does newly implemented rules will be a main stay as spring training is underway.

  Last year, according to Commissioner Rob Manfred, “Major League Baseball is thrilled to announce that the 2020 season is on the horizon. We have provided the Players Association with a schedule to play 60 games and are excited to provide our great fans with baseball again soon.” The proposed schedule will largely focus on divisional play, with teams also playing against their opposite league’s corresponding geographical division to lessen travel.

  The decision reached was done by unanimous voting. I still don’t get why it took so long for the owners and players to settle on something that was already in the works. After back and forth debating, the two sides agreed upon the March 26th agreement, which is what I believed should have been done from the beginning.

  The league asked the MLBPA to confirm that players could report to training camps by July 1, which the union agreed to on Tuesday. MLB is working with a variety of public health experts, infectious disease specialists and technology providers on a comprehensive approach that aims to facilitate a safe return.

  Baseball returned to the diamond, players underwent COVID-19 testing upon arrival, then begin workouts if they test negative.

  Players, coaches and support staff tested for COVID-19 every other day during training camps, the regular season and postseason. Anybody testing positive had be quarantined. Two negative tests are reportedly required for a return. I was very glad that things were moving along and it was encouraging to hear that the organization was being diligent with their employees. The players were being monitored via temperature/symptom checks at least twice per day, and antibody testing were be conducted approximately once per month.

  In 2020, this is what Mark Feinsand of MLB.com said:

  “MLB has submitted a 60-game regular-season schedule for review by the Players Association. In order to mitigate travel, the schedule would include 10 games for each team against its four divisional opponents, along with 20 games against the opposite league’s corresponding geographical division (for example, the AL East will play the NL East, and so on)….”

  So with baseball back on the field, plans had to be put into effect to have players ready for major league action.

  Feinsand discussed those plans by providing the following information in the piece he wrote:

  "For the vast majority of teams, Spring Training 2.0 will be held in the clubs’ Major League ballparks, as recent spikes of the coronavirus in both Florida and Arizona caused all 30 spring facilities to be shut down for deep cleaning…”

“…Pitchers and catchers will report first, followed by position players. Teams will be allowed to invite 60 players to big league camp, with only those players eligible to play during the season. Each team’s 60-man list must be submitted by Sunday afternoon. Teams will have the ability to send up to 20 players who are not on the 40-man roster to an alternate site…”

  As we await the start of the 2021 season, many of the previous season's protocols will be in place again to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  If you thought the rules were bizarre in 2020, I suggest you accept them as the new normal because 2021 baseball action will mostly likely look even more unorthodox. For those of you who care to read through the full announcement itself, see the Mark Feinsand tweet embedded below:

https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1359180010888826882?ref_src=twsrc%5…

  The On Field Playing Rules

    Last season a 7-inning doubleheader rule was put into place  to limit physical stress on players during doubleheaders, which was particularly done for the pitchers.  It was a very controversial rule and it had a mix of reactions from both the players and athletes alike, but it looks like baseball officials will stick with it for the upcoming season.  With this information out there on the table, it would seem that the decision to implement the rule is meant to save teams from needing to cover 18 innings of pitching in one day without shortening the games too much. Yes, it does result in less baseball, but since the games affected occur as a part of doubleheaders, fans should actually still be able to get their baseball fix for those double-header days.

    Another on field regulation that will continue to stick from last season is the much more controversial “runner on 2nd base” rule in extra innings. The idea behind this rule is to  shorten games, and therefore again place less physical stress on players out on the baseball diamond. With this rule in effect, regardless of fans' skepticism, this rule will be in full effect during all extra-inning games once the season gets underway.

    Aside from all the above rules, there is a less serious matter to just hint at, and that is the matter of position players having the responsivity of toeing the mound to pitch games without restriction.  On that note, a position player who has done well on the mound is Pablo Sandoval and he   has a career 0.00 ERA and has never allowed a hit or base on balls in his two inning pitching career.

Roster Rules

  The rules regarding the case of a COVID-19 outbreak in a team have also changed from 2020 to 2021, in which case teams can temporarily add players to the active roster without the need to option, waive, or outright them in order to remove them from the 40-man roster. This rule is intended to enable the continuation of playing a teams schedule amidst an outbreak.