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

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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