MLB to experiment with designated pinch runner in 2023 Atlantic League season

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it will experiment with various rule changes in the Atlantic League this season, which begins April 28. Since 2019, the Atlantic League and MLB have had a partnership whereby the latter uses the former to test out rule changes before they are brought to the majors, with the general goal being a better pace of play and more game action.

This year’s season will test the following rules, with direct wording from the MLB release:

• New to the Atlantic League this season will be the use of a Designated Pinch Runner. Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
• Unlike the new MLB rule which allows a pitcher to disengage from the pitching rubber twice during an at-bat, the Atlantic League will permit only a single disengagement per at-bat in 2023.
• The ALPB will continue the use of the “Double-Hook” DH rule, which allows clubs to use the designated hitter throughout the game provided that the club’s starting pitcher has completed at least five innings. If the starter fails to make it through the fifth, the club then loses the DH for the remainder of the game.

Of these three changes, the first one is clearly the most significant. The “Double-Hook” rule is not in place in the majors but was previously attempted in the Atlantic League in 2021. Initially, a team would lose its designated hitter as soon as the starter was removed from the game. Last year, that was modified so a team could keep its DH if the starter lasted five innings, with that modification continuing into 2023. The goal here seems to discourage creative pitcher usage, such as deploying openers or bullpen games. This would also increase the importance of strong starting pitching, something that has waned with time as teams rely more and more on relievers to finish games. Even if this rule were to ultimately make it to the major leagues, it wouldn’t be a drastic change, as it would simply revert certain teams to pre-DH rules on a temporary basis. The universal DH only became permanent a year ago with the new collective bargaining agreement.

The disengagement rule is already in place at the major league level, with this just being a slight modification of it. The goal there is to increase action by having more base-stealing attempts. Along those same lines, we have this new designated runner rule. It’s easy to see how this would lead to increased action on the bases, with the league having many players who can hit but who lack speed, or vice versa. Pinch running is obviously not new to baseball, but it has traditionally involved the removed runner also being removed from the game entirely. This new rule would allow a pinch running specialist to repeatedly ply his trade throughout the game, whereas a slower player could be removed early in a game but continue to hold his place in the lineup.

Like all proposed rule changes, the intended goals will be tested to see if they actually work, while many will debate whether the changes are worth it. Some baseball fans are resistant to any change whatsoever, while even some who don’t consider themselves traditionalists might still have problems with certain proposals.

It’s worth stating that it’s not a given that a rule tested in the Atlantic League will inevitably make it to the majors. Some changes have made the jump, including the three-batter minimum for pitchers, the bigger bases, defensive shift restrictions and others. There are also changes that were tried and ultimately abandoned, such as moving the pitching rubber back one foot.