Another Rules Change Could Affect Positioning Of Outfielders

Baseball has been full of knee-jerk rules changes in the last few years, and the latest one being tried in the Arizona Fall League could affect the positioning of outfielders like Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing of the New York Mets if it survives the minor league test process, according to a piece written by Josh Norris and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. 

Ready to read about something truly goofy? Some AFL games feature a ribbon board behind home plate that contains seven boxes that light up throughout the game, and they’re present to indicate to fielders whether they’re in an “acceptable” spot before a pitch is delivered. 

It gets worse. If they are in a good spot, the section of the board for their position lights up green with a black circle. If not, it is red with a black X. If they are on the border, it’s yellow with a dash, according to the writers. 

The details of the system haven’t been formally announced, but according to FanGraphs players will be guided by hash marks painted in the outfield, with penalties imposed if a “non-compliant” player fields a batted ball. 

Moreover, those penalties are also a judgment call, which makes the entire system even more of a nightmare waiting to happen. Imagine, if you will, center fielder A.J. Ewing “out of position” on a ball fielded by Carson Benge in right. The umpire will then deterimine where the runner is placed, which should create all sorts of fun, time-wasting arguments that will extend the time of game back to ridiculous lengths. 

So where did this idea come from? A poll, of course. Fans want to see action plays where something actually happens beyond a strikeout or a home run, as doubles and triples are slowly disappearing for the game as analytics increase the accuracy of outfield positions. 

It’s analogous to the attempts to prevent shifts in the infield, which has given us an abundance of super-exciting double plays with almost no action at all on what used to be singles up the middle. 

Blame spray charts for this if you’d like, but the writers also cited the fact that teams like the Mets are positioning their outfielders deeper than ever to cut down extra-base hits. Outfielders like Ewing are the exception to the rule, but it’s only a matter of time before a system add is done to try and take brilliant, exciting fielding plays out of the game.