Baseball committee to experiment with 20 second pitch clock, could be used in 2016 if approved

[ULalum06]

Baseball Rules Committee recommends an experimental rule adding a 20-second pitch clock w/ runners on base. If approved, available for 2016.

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) July 15, 2015

[Redgineer]

How about MLB? I guess the ncaa is the guinea pig.

[Turbine]

This should not be a problem for Robichaux's pitchers.

[Just1More]

That means that every ballpark would have to have a clock visible to both the pitcher (behind home plate) and the catcher (out in center field). How are they going then to regulate timeouts? Currently, there's no limit to timeouts, and they're strictly granted by the umpire at his/her discretion. This is going to be an odd rule to enforce. Can you imagine how many baserunners are going to work to distract a pitcher just to get him to go over the 20 second limit? How many more trips to the mound are pitching coaches going to take in order to prevent the clock running out? This is going to be interesting.

[redstickcajun]

I am pretty sure this is already a rule in the

SEC

[roarman]

Nice idea. It was painful watching Virginia's catcher look into the dugout to get the pitch from the coach, look at his wristband, then signal the pitcher. It took between 40 and 50 seconds for the pitcher to throw a pitch. That's why those games lasted almost 4 hours.

[Lexhead]

And so he doesn't get the pitch off in time. What happens then? Will there be replay available to determine if time out was called before the clock expired?

[CajunEXPRESS]

Buzzer and flashing light on the backstop😓

[Frenchie35]

I thought with runners on base no limit and with no runners on base 20 seconds to pitch from when the batter is in the box. I have seen it called once in softball and never in baseball for the last 60 years I have been watching the game.

[Frenchie35]

As far as the rules posted above. All the pitcher has to do is throw to 1st base to start the clock over again.

[Duggie35]

That means that every ballpark would have to have a clock visible to both the pitcher (behind home plate) and the catcher (out in center field). How are they going then to regulate timeouts? Currently, there's no limit to timeouts, and they're strictly granted by the umpire at his/her discretion. This is going to be an odd rule to enforce. Can you imagine how many baserunners are going to work to distract a pitcher just to get him to go over the 20 second limit? How many more trips to the mound are pitching coaches going to take in order to prevent the clock running out? This is going to be interesting.

There are limits to timeouts. Coaches are only allowed to make 3 visits to the mound during a regulation game. More than one in an inning to the same pitcher requires a pitching change and each visit after the aloted 3 requires a pitching change. So if a team has unlimited pitching, I guess you could say there is an unlimited number of time outs. But I am not aware of any team that has unlimited pitching.

Other than this, it is the umpires discretion as whether a time out is granted or not. Players can only "request" time.

[CajunDreDog]

I am pretty sure this is already a rule in the

SEC

For the past several years, it has been. There is actually a pitch clock on the outfield wall that the ump and catcher can both see in all SEC stadiums.