On The Clock

Things die in the desert, or so I've been told.

After seeing one of the first Arizona Fall League games to featuring a pitcher's clock, I sure hope that's the case. Because this is an idea that needs to die.

As part of its test of ways to help speed up the game, the AFL is once again being used as a guinea pig. Last year, it was the proving ground for instant replay, although they kept tinkering with the rule and asked managers to appeal stuff they might not have otherwise, just to see what they looked like through the lens of the camera.

There are clocks by each dugout, behind the plate and in left field.

Some of the things Major League Baseball is looking at are common sense, such as telling players to keep one foot in the batters' box unless otherwise given the OK from the umpire. High school games have had this rule as long as I covered the sport, and even the NCAA adopted it in 2006, so most of today's players have had to hew that line.

Twins prospect Byron Buxton takes a pitch on Tuesday night.

Just keeping guys like Bryce Harper from taping and retaping before each pitch would move the game along.

But at Salt River Fields they are testing a clock that would formalize one of the rules baseball already has on its books and never enforces.

When the bases are empty, a pitcher is supposed to deliver the ball within 12 seconds of coming set.

Mark Appel plays "Beat The Clock."

 What the league is testing this fall is actually more lenient -- a 20-second clock. But it is enforcing the rule all the time, even when there are runners on base.

The result last Tuesday night was a bit of a circus that included Houston Astros prospect Mark Appel getting charged with two balls, one in the first inning when the clock ran out and a second to start the third inning after his last warmup toss got away from the catcher. In the latter case, the clock allows no more than 2:05 between half-inning changeovers, and by the time Appel got back to the mound the clock was down around 14 seconds.

About a half hour before the game I was lucky enough to be next to the umpire's room when someone from MLB went in to explain the clock rules. The four umpires then came out with the guy and he pointed the clocks out to them, but I could not really hear much of the conversation. The guy then went to Surprise's clubhouse to explain the rule to the Saguaros' coaches, since I guess Salt River was already familiar with it.

Tuesday's umpires stand at home plate with clock behind them.

I'm not sure what the effect of the clock was. I found myself staring at it a lot when I should have been watching the game.The umpire also has the authority to call a strike if a batter is late getting to the box or messing around, but we did not see that happen on Tuesday. Using the clock with runners on base really penalizes the pitcher because I think a guy on first will be able to figure out when the throw HAS to go home to avoid an automatic ball, and use that to his advantage.

Another out-of-the-ordinary sight was Boston prospect Sean Coyle getting tossed after a called third-strike, which seems a little odd in a development league like this, but maybe his lack of speed leaving the batters' box is what caused the ejection.

On the plus side, the game only took 2:14, although I think the 1-0 score had a lot to do with it. We actually had to leave for Los Angeles following the seventh-inning stretch since we had stayed longer than we had planned to see the clock in Salt River to begin with.

It was something I wanted to see with my own eyes, but now that I cannot un-see it, I just hope MLB realizes the pitch clock is a bad idea.