Changes in Baseball 2021

 It looks as though the DH will not be required in the National League this year, though I think that will happen eventually, unfortunately.  However double-header games will be seven innings and in extra-inning games each extra inning will start with a runner on second base, an absurd idea that goes against the beauty of baseball; ending the game as a tie after nine innings would be slightly preferable. 

As for the new rules being tried out in the minor leagues (I am particularly annoyed at the demise of the Staten Island Yankees, which played in a beautiful park at reasonable prices; one can only hope some independent team will take it over) I find most of them dubious at best.  The biggest problem is not that games go on too long but that there are too many homeruns and strikeouts.  And, of course, too many relief pitchers, though I don't think requiring a pitcher to pitch to at least three batters or get the last out of the inning is the solution.  I again suggest expanding the strike zone to what it once was (and if the technology to call balls and strikes is successful in its trial in the Class A Southeast League that's one change I might support).  And bring back the spitball, so every pitcher doesn't eventually require Tommy John surgery.

As for base stealing, I don't think the rules being tried out in Class A are at all necessary, i.e., requiring the pitcher to step off the rubber to throw to first and only allowing him to do it twice; on the third try it's a balk unless the baserunner is thrown out, rather a strange and contrived rule.  I am all in favor of attempted steals but they are not rare because the pitcher throws over there too much but because the analytics show that it is not worth the risk, just as sacrifice bunts are rare.  I think runners can learn to steal and hitters can learn to bunt; circumstances change based on who the runner, the pitcher and the catcher are.  In the same way we do not need new rules banning the shift (threatened by MLB) or requiring all infielders to stay on the infield dirt (being tested in AA):  instead of trying to always hit homeruns against the shift it would be effective, for a number or reasons, for batters to learn how to hit to the opposite field.  As for games being too long I suggest that the rule against the batter stepping out of the batter's box be enforced. The average length of a baseball game in 2019 was three hours and five minutes, while in the 1970's it was two hours and thirty minutes.  Part of this is certainly due to more relief pitching but there has been more time recently for batters stepping out of the box and the time between pitches.  Simply start enforcing the rules against batters stepping out of the box and the current rule -- in effect, believe it or not -- that pitchers have twelve seconds to deliver the ball after they receive it.