Pitch clock coming for spring training games; Manfred denounces "negativity" in baseball coverage | St. Louis Cardinals

Commissioner Rob Manfred, at a lively and sometimes hectic press conference on Sunday prior to the Governor's annual Florida dinner, revealed that baseball would begin setting up a 20-second clock by the end of next week. the opening of spring training matches. Manfred said the leagues had to start using technology now so players, referees and managers would be comfortable with the clock if it was approved as a new rule before the start of the game. regular season. The commissioner's office may, as a general rule, impose a timer on the match, but has negotiated with the union of players to incorporate other changes to improve the pace of play.

Manfred asserted that the designated hitter will not be introduced to the National League in 2019, but the union could accept a minimum of three batters for the relievers who would be immediately caught in the match.

The clock will be a phased phase to allow people to get used to it, "Manfred said. "We still hope to reach an agreement with (the union) on the pace of play this year. I just think it's by agreement or otherwise, the only prudent solution for us is to be able to proceed if we actually have an agreement. "

Manfred's count of throws and his eventual unilateral integration into the game come on top of the growing worries of the workers, especially the players. Two of the best players to have reached the free player stage at the age of 26 remain unsigned after the camps open and Manfred himself pointed out that 11 players with at least 1.0 win were unsigned at the beginning of his press conference. The players are agitated and some have talked about the broken down system.

In a radio interview, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals warned of an imminent attack and feared that the players would leave mid-season. He wanted to clarify his comments in a series of tweets Saturday night, while capturing the frustrations of the players.

Manfred postponed the strike talks – years before the expiry of the current employment contract.

"It's a fundamental misunderstanding of how you have a good working relationship to let people run three years before the agreement expires before there is a word of negotiation – saying that 'There will be a strike,' said Manfred. "I have a degree in Labor Relations. We have never learned this tactic. This is not productive in terms of our business. I do not think it's good for our fans. I do not think it's good for our players. And I know it will not change the outcome of the negotiations, in the end. "

Manfred explained that there were several reasons for the cold weather that had taken hold of the last two reasons. He also suggested that it was an "obstacle" to negotiations when a player, several years before free will, was presented as the first player in the $ 400 million game.

"This market will erase (before) the real games," he said.

The rules governing these games are still uncertain. The 20-second clock will force the thrower to throw before the time runs out or a ball is called. A referee can also trigger a strike on a batting hitter. The precise mechanics and language of the rule will be introduced during the spring training before the official rule is finalized, if any, on the day of opening. Manfred led the conversation on the pace changes of the game and the improvement of the game's action, which helped to create a cloud of questions around the game.

He began his press conference by listing all the events he had planned for this season – such as the first baseball visit to London – and yet, at the start of spring training, this annual period of optimism has a darker shade due to free agents, rule changes and work conflicts.

"I hate the negativity that surrounds the cover of the game right now," Manfred said. "I think the best antidote to this is to start playing the game because the game is always positive for us. It's this gap during the off season when … the negativity seems to increase. Maybe we will make some small changes to make it even better. And I think once we go there and start playing. the positive glow around the game will reappear. "

While the sideline players joined the practice sessions, the pitchers officially stopped on Sunday, which had the effect of staggering the throwing program on Sunday, which had the effect of shifting the weapons preparation program. to the preparation of the gloves. Director Mike Shildt and his staff conducted a series of varied exercises, ranging from ragout balls (a softer baseball) on a given field to given situations, to a coach who screamed random situations before hitting the ball on the ground. This last exercise was called "bonsai". It has been several years since such exercises were not used in the camp.

The use of a rag ball on a regulatory pitch allowed to accelerate the pace and react without the regulatory baseball spins fast. And in one of the exercises, it is the pitcher who gave the signs of the situation, not a coach.

In each case, the goal was to work on the reaction and not on the recall by heart.

"Not planned," said Brebbia. "We blocked a little time to go crazy."

Justin Williams (broken hand) will participate in spring training but not in baseball activities. Shildt said his work would be about "mental" preparation. The outfield adventurer got his hand on television this winter, and he should not be attending a grapefruit league game. … All of the Cardinals' position players had to report to Jupiter, Florida, Sunday night. Tommy Edman, a field AAA class player, arrived at the camp on Sunday and almost all players had already taken part in informal training sessions.