With new rules in play, including a pitch timer and a ban on defensive shifts, MLB hitters should be more productive in 2023.
The goals are to speed up the pace of play, make the game more exciting and to showcase the athletic abilities of the league's stars. Not everyone will benefit, though, especially pitchers, who must speed up their time between pitches and be tactical when attempting pickoffs.
A pitcher must deliver a pitch within 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. If the rule is violated, a ball will be awarded to the batter, and the at-bat will resume.
These Cardinals could be affected most by the rules changes.
As a rookie in 2022, former top prospect Gorman posted a .226 batting average with 14 home runs and 35 RBI. He had a .301 batting average on balls in play, but making consistent contact was an issue. He struck out 103 times.
In 313 plate appearances, Gorman faced the shift 71.2% of the time, by far the leader on the team. (Outfielder Dylan Carlson was second at 59.8%.)
The ban on shifts should benefit Gorman, allowing him to focus on squaring the ball up instead of trying to pinpoint a spot to hit it.
Here's an example of the shift Gorman faced during the majority of his 2022 at-bats.
Nolan Gorman what a stud pic.twitter.com/gUBYT8qpg1
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) July 16, 2022
Nootbaar is another hitter who could see improved production thanks to the shift ban.
He is a far more complete hitter than Gorman, walking and making contact more often, but he hit only .248 on balls in play.
Nootbaar faced the shift only 53% of the time in 2022, but his numbers were significantly better when he wasn't facing one. His weighted on-base average was .378 with no shift compared to .312 against the shift in 2022.
The Cardinals expect Nootbaar to build off his great second half in 2022.
.@Cardinals fan-favorite Lars Nootbaar has had a huge impact on the success of the #STLCards this season.@markdero7 and Dan O'Dowd dive into Nootbaar's splits throughout the season to show the areas he has improved and discuss the value he has added to the club #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/I80QCfXqrW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 9, 2022
Gallegos could face more challenges than any MLB pitcher because of the pitch clock. He is a notoriously slow worker. In 2022, he ranked second-highest in tempo with bases empty at 25.8 seconds in between pitches and second-highest with runners on at 30.6 seconds, per baseballsavant.
Gallegos must speed up his tempo by nearly 10 seconds to meet the new requirements.
At its core, pitching is about repeating the same bodily movements, so it will be interesting to see if he looks comfortable on the mound.
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