MLBPA: 2-second cut to pitch clock too soon for some pitchers

[Auggie]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball's move to slice two seconds off the pitch clock with runners on base is too much, too soon, according to players' association head Tony Clark.

The clock is shortening this season to 18 seconds from 20 with men on base and will stay at 15 seconds with no one on.

"That's a conversation that should have warranted a much longer dialogue than what we had," Clark said Saturday. "We voiced those concerns, players voiced those concerns, and yet, the push through of the change to the pitch clock still happened."

SNIP

"We just had the biggest adjustment this league has ever seen in regards to length of game and how the game was affected by including a clock," Clark said. "Rather than give us another year to adjust and adapt to it, why are we adjusting again, and what are the ramifications going to be?"

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39590930/2-second-cut-pitch-clock-too-soon-some-pitchers

JFC, stop trying to speed up the game.

[True Dough]

1. I like the adjustment

The way the game was sped up last season was a major improvement. How long do we need to stare at Emmanuel Clase working through pitch selection anyway?

[Auggie]

3. 15 seconds seems too quick to me

Why not just standardize it to 20 for every at-bat, with or without runners? At least there’s a set rhythm for everybody.

[Dave in VA]

2. Seriously, damn

Please stop this shit!

Baseball is baseball.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. I'm For The Reduction

People say "That's baseball" but I don't buy that.
As a kid, I used to look at the box scores every day. In the agate below, the last thing listed was time of game.
9 inning games rarely lasted 2:30. Many games clocked in at under 2:15 with some (like those pitched by the Cubs pitchers Fergie Jenkins, and especially Bill Hand) came in at under 2 hours.
For me, the way baseball "was" was the 2:15 game.
Before this change, it was over 3 hours.
But, the action time was about the same. So 45 minutes of dead time.
I hate that and fully support cutting as much wasted time as possible.
There is ZERO reason a pitcher can't deliver a pitch in 18 seconds. The average possession in the NBA is 16.5 seconds. A pitcher needs longer than it takes a 5 man team to run their offense? I think not.

[Auggie]

5. With a runner on base ...

especially in scoring position, the pitcher and catcher may need a little extra time on deciding the right kind of pitch to throw, and to adjust the field defense accordingly. It’s just two seconds — a total of maybe a few minutes per game.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Those Situations Have Always Existed

Yet somehow games took 45 to 50 minutes more.
Was nobody ever on base with a good hitter at the plate in the 50s, 60s, or 70s?
Certainly so.
Somehow those tactics could be executed without interminable dead time.
OK, I'll grant the 10 more minutes or commercials per game. The other 35 minutes of dead time is still pointless.