Move the mound back!

 Fifty-Three Years after Bob Gibson dominated hitters from a mound as high up as an orbiting satellite, baseball needs to change the mound again.

What you usually hear in April of a normal year, is that the pitchers are a head of the hitters, and it usually takes a month and a half to catch up. Well, it’s May 10^th when I’m writing this, and the Major League Average for all the hitters is .232 up to this point. That’s ludicrous. For context, the desire for exit velocity, launch angle, and go for it all at-bats has never been higher, but the pitching has never been better.

There are a few companies in the game that have advanced pitching beyond reasonable doubt. So much so that Jacob deGrom is averaging 99 MPH on his fastball. That means if you watching the game at home or at the ballpark you don’t have to look at the speed gun to know that the fastball that just landed in the catchers mitt or in the stands was at least 99 without a shadow of a doubt. THAT’S VIDEO GAME STUFF. That’s the type of thing players can only do if they’re being controlled by a Cheeto-eating baseball nerd with a controller in their hands. What also is happening is pitch tunneling better than ever. What that means is when a batter is in the box, a pitchers repertoire looks the exact same, which means trying to determine to swing or not, can be virtually impossible. That’s because of the amount the level of velocity, arm angles, the aforementioned tunneling, and number of pitchers a batter faces in a given game is mind bending.

Just take a look at a few top-of-the-line pitchers in the game and try to be your favorite position player for a moment (all videos via Pitchingninja):

Good luck!

Baseball has tried to change for the new generation of fans which has left the large majority of fans that have been watching the game for decades pissed off. I have been okay for the most part with the recent rule changes and moving the mound back is no different. I think it is time to change the mound following the 2021 season.

I think it’s best for the game if the mound is 61 feet six inches at the beginning of the 2022 season. With the Collective Bargaining Agreement up at the end of the year, Major League Baseball will go to the Players Association with a ton of rule changes included but not limited to:

1.      Universal DH

2.      Seven-inning double headers

3.      The new Extra Inning rule

4.      Three-batter minimum for bullpen pitchers

These are the most popular rules that were put in place for the Pandemic season and I’d say two of the four will stay in the next CBA. The most likely to be the two that stay are the universal DH and the three-batter minimum, although I do see a world where all four are in place and the owners hold out until the players agree to it.

In that list I also think it would be start to move the mound back a foot. This would be a drastic change for 99 percent of the leagues pitchers, but it wouldn’t be impossible to get used to. Even with being the most uptight creators of habit, Major League Pitchers would adjust to it. Although, I would give the pitchers an entire offseason to train for the change. If baseball was to implement this change with no warning, the pitchers could have a class-action lawsuit win in the bank because it would get a bunch of guys hurt. If the pitchers can build up their arms knowing the change at the end of this season, I don’t believe it would be that big of a change like the people in the game that oppose this rule change.

The move that I would add onto moving the mound back is limited the amount of defenders that can be on either side of the second base bag. I would make extreme shifting an illegal defense in baseball. Every sport has illegal defense, it’s about time baseball does to.

If this seems unbalanced for the pitcher after these changes, I’d change two rules in favor of the men on the mound. I would keep the ball baseball changed to this year, even thought the sample size isn’t a full season, the ball is flying over the wall less than the juiced balls that have been used since 2019. I would also allow the pitchers to use a legal substance that every pitcher game use, like pin tar for hitters, that would aid to the pitcher’s ability to grip the baseball. The rosin bag only helps to a certain extent, so I would let the pitchers use something that would give them a better grip on the ball, instead of the pitchers having to be coy hiding substances on their body. If the hitters are allowed a substance for better grip, the pitchers should as well.

All these rule changes are aimed to do, in my opinion, is balance out the game on the field. The pitchers have the advantage it’s time to give offense a shot in the arm—while also trying to maintain a competitive balance. If Major League Baseball changes the rules and it doesn’t help, jump on the league than, but until we see something different, look for things to enjoy in the game being played on the field, instead of screaming “get off my lawn.” It’s more fun for the game returning to be enjoyable, instead against it.