Major League Baseball, in an effort to try to increase the pace of play, has introduced new measures to try to cut down on time between innings and during mound visits. Let's look at them now.

Change No. 1: Mound Visits

Teams are limited to six mound visits per nine innings of play, with one additional mound visit for every extra inning played. This now includes any instance where the catcher, the shortstop, etc leave their position to go talk to the pitcher. Exceptions to this include when there is a potential injury, when field conditions are terrible and the infielder is cleaning his spikes, or right after the announcement of a pinch hitter. The rule that states that a pitcher must be removed after a second mound visit by the manager is still in effect.

Change No. 2: Inning breaks

The time between innings has been shaved, so locally televised games now have two minutes and five seconds. Nationally televised games get an extra twenty seconds. The exceptions to the rule would be if there is a bang-bang play on the bases or the pitcher or catcher are on the bases when the final out of the inning is made. This gives just enough time for TV stations to return from commercial break. These same rules also apply to pitching changes and take effect as soon as the pitcher crosses the warning track. The umpire will tell the pitcher to finish up at the 25-second mark, the batter steps in with 20 seconds left, and the pitcher must be delivering his first pitch before the clock hits zero

Change 3: The Batter's Box

The rule that was in effect for 2017 in regards to the batter stepping out of the box will be in effect for 2018.

I have three issues with trying to speed up the pace of the game. First, you are leaving pitchers more prone to injury because this may lead them to not being properly warmed up before the inning starts, resulting in sprains and muscle pulls. With disabled list usage on the rise, does the league really want to see star pitchers have to leave games because they hurt themselves.

Second, the whole cat and mouse game of the pitcher trying to throw off the hitters timing sometimes involves needing to be slowed down by the catcher, or maybe the shortstop wants to run a pickoff play at second. You're telling me that the shortstop wanting to discuss that counts against a team who may need to calm a pitcher down? Get that crap outta here.

Lastly, baseball was never meant to be played with a clock. The beauty of the game is that you can spend an afternoon out in the sun, just relaxing. Putting a game clock in there would ruin that.

You know what can be done to increase viewership and interest in the sport? Stop starting the games so late. A playoff game on the East Coast, even with new measures to increase the pace of play, would end at 11 at night if it started at 8:30. Kids are not going to be able to stay up to watch the end of games at that time. I can barely do it, and I'm a caffeine addicted college student.

Stop messing with a good thing, lest you eventually want to lose all viewers.