MLB Experimenting With Another Major Rule Change That Could Transform the Game

[Matthew Nethercott]

Image courtesy of Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Rob Manfred's era as Baseball Commissioner has brought about a ton of rule changes that have fundamentally changed the way we look at baseball. We've added a pitch clock to speed up the pace of play (good), we've seen the ghost runner in extra innings to speed up scoring (can't stand it), and probably the biggest change was the implementation of the ABS system going into 2026 (phenomenal, give teams more challenges). 

At some point, all of these rule changes were piloted in the minor leagues, and right now, there are two big implementations in development. The first is a check swing challenge system, similar to the ABS system, which, in my opinion, needs more work and further development. The second, and the one of focus today, is one that could truly change the landscape of how baseball is played. The rule would restrict the way defenders in the outfield are positioned, encouraging more extra-base hits, according to FanGraphs. 

The Details

The Arizona Fall League is piloting this new program, which would restrict fielders close to painted anchor points when pitches are thrown. Infield restrictions apply with bases empty; outfield restrictions apply throughout. We saw changes to the shift a few years back to promote more infield hits; this would promote offense in general. Violations of the rules would need to be enforced by the umpires, with help from the Hawkeye tracking system.

The early returns, according to FanGraphs, were more hard-hit balls to the gaps, and fewer bloop hits falling in. That's a positive with most teams (not you Rays and Brewers!) looking for players who hit the ball hard, and right now, not all hard contact is rewarded. This won't be a perfect fix for that, but it will improve luck. 

Pitching has never been harder to hit than it is now, with the average four-seam fastball reaching 94.8 mph in 2026, the sixth consecutive year of breaking the previous year's velocity record. A lot of people like to see offense in the sport, and this rule would certainly boost it. There is a solid chance this rule never makes it to the big leagues; if it does, it's at least a few years away from even being considered and will likely need to be refined. With that being said, it's interesting that this program is even being discussed because of just how drastic the change would be to how the game is played.

Do we really want to go down the path of restricting what an outfielder can do on a play, where they would pretty much have to re-learn the whole position to conform to the new rules? I don't see that happening anytime soon, but it will be cool to see the early returns from the change in the AFL over the next few weeks.

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[Parfigliano]

Outfield defensive restrictions....HATE IT!!!

[old nurse]

Next trial will be a batting tee and a wiffle ball because pitching is expensive 

[Three Run Jack]

Absolutely not. Defensive shifts are a part of the game; MLB hitters ought to be able to adjust and to hit to the opposite field. Don't attempt to fix what is not broken.

[Otaknam]

“The Arizona Fall League is piloting this new program, which would restrict fielders close to painted anchor points when pitches are thrown.” I don’t know what this means. 

[tonyrodney]

Manfred is in love with himself. He has been a stain on the game, rivaling the promotion of steroids under the Hall of Famer Bud Selig.

[FlyingFinn]

What's next? Catchers must have their two feet in the exact same spot, behind the plate, on every pitch? Pitchers must pitch from the middle of the rubber? This is getting ridiculous.

[Brock Beauchamp]

15 hours ago, Otaknam said:

“The Arizona Fall League is piloting this new program, which would restrict fielders close to painted anchor points when pitches are thrown.” I don’t know what this means. 

They put symbols on the field that umpires use to judge whether the fielder is in a legal starting position.

[Original_JB]

Why have outfielders? Just big point circles ala Top Golf. Maybe the Marlins had it right with the fireworks and animatronics all along....🙄

[Steve Lein]

35 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

They put symbols on the field that umpires use to judge whether the fielder is in a legal starting position.

They also use Hawkeye to measure their position. There is a display Indicator that shows Red X or Green O (think the small scoreboards with balls, strikes, and outs around stadiums) for each outfielder to determine if they're legal or not. It is only being used at Salt River Fields, home of the Rafters (Twins, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Rockies, Nationals).

[TNtwins85]

I think they need to pump the brakes on these rule changes. Some have been beneficial for sure but damn! It’s every year there’s a new major rule change it seems. The his one just goes too far. I’m reminded of a commercial years ago with Ken Griffey jr. as a cyborg hitting a baseball with a metal bat hitting a ball 500’ into the stands with point targets in the stands hitting from a cyborg pitcher probably throwing the ball 120mph. It seemed far fetched then but just like anything these days fiction becomes reality faster than you think if you really sit down and look around you. 

[Arlen]

Pretty dumb rule change.
Frankly, I suggest making the baseball very slightly larger. It should be easier on the throwing arms, as well as dropping the velocity of pitches slightly and slightly reducing the distance that baseballs travel after they've been hit.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I like the goal, but disagree with the approach.

id like to see the mound dropped a couple inches. Maybe flatten the ball seams a bit to reduce pitch flight movement.

[dxpavelka]

No.

 

[Parfigliano]

On 10/13/2026 at 5:04 PM, Arlen said:

Pretty dumb rule change.
Frankly, I suggest making the baseball very slightly larger. It should be easier on the throwing arms, as well as dropping the velocity of pitches slightly and slightly reducing the distance that baseballs travel after they've been hit.

I'm all in on leaving the rules alone.