Pitch Clock Coming to MLB Betting in 2018 and their Possible Effects

If you’re not the world’s most fanatical fan or MLB betting enthusiast, then you may not know that a pitch clock has been used in some levels of minor league baseball for the last two seasons. What you do need to know if you’re a big league MLB betting fan is that a pitch clock will soon be coming to a major league stadium near you and that this new-age technology will affect you, the players themselves, the outcome of games – and the way you bet on them. Oh, let me count the ways people – after a statement from MLB Commissioner Rib Manfred, on the arrival of the pitching clock at the major league level. “We feel it’s been effective in the minor leagues,” Manfred said. ”You look month-by-month in terms of where we were in terms of game time, we did really well early and kind of regressed the second half of last year, and certainly this year. According to statistical analysis, the average time for a nine-inning MLB game is three hours and five minutes this season. If this figure holds throughout the remainder of the 2017 campaign, it would break the 2014 record of three hours and two minutes. Now, here’s how it could affect the game and the way you should start baseball betting on it.

Pitch Clock Coming to MLB Betting in 2018 and their Possible eEfects

Balls and Strikes

If a pitch isn’t thrown within 20 seconds, a ball would be called. If the hitter isn’t in the batter’s box with five seconds remaining, a strike would be called. Can you imagine you’re MLB betting on the Texas Rangers to beat the Seattle Mariners because ace right-hander Yu Darvish is on the mound against a mediocre Mariners starter and Darvish gets three or four time violations that results in balls being called, with, theoretically one or two of those violations resulting in free passes to first base for the runner. Then, let’s say Darvish gives up a run-scoring hit to the next batter while trying ‘rushing’ to stay within the pitching clock time limits. A scenario like this could very well affect how you choose to bet on the Rangers every time Darvish is on the mound. Balls, that would have never been called could lead to free passes and extra base runners, which could, in turn lead to guys infielders ‘rushing’ to make poorly executed double play attempts and…oh you get it.

More or Less Offense

While it would seem that a pitching clock could produce more offense, it’s probably just as likely that it could produce lower scoring games, depending on who’s getting called for what. If a handful of pitchers in a particular game get called for time violations that result in walks and extra base runners, then the scoring in that game could very well be higher than normal. However, let’s say, Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton get called for batter time violations that result in third-strike violations that effectively take the bats out of their hands and put them on the bench before they can take a final cut. The scoring could be down. MLB betting the total, or hell, or Run Line, for that matter, could get a whole lot more difficult in the very near future.

Pitching Injuries

Will forcing a guy to pitch faster than he normally does result in more injuries to both, starters and their bullpen counterparts? It could, although there’s no real statistical evidence of that being the case right now. I mean, imagine Clayton Kershaw throwing a fastball one pitch, then his looping change-up then next, before coming back with another fastball or cutter. Now, imagine he’s pitching much faster than he normally does and either his mechanics or something else get ‘out of whack’ and he suffers some freak elbow injury that sidelines him for weeks, if not months. This will affect the way you bet on the Dodgers, possibly for the remainder of the season – or for a long stretch in a best case scenario. Injuries to pitchers could very well take place because of the addition of the pitching clock, but right now, no one really knows.

Base Running

How will a pitching clock affect base runners and pitchers’ abilities to keep them from running wild? Sure, while there’s no one close to the legendary Rickey Henderson or Lou Brock in today’s MLB, will Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton or Washington’s Trea Turner be able to time their steals even better because a pitcher is close to being late on the pitching clock? Will Miami’s Dee Gordon or the L.A. Angels’ Cameron Maybin get advice on when certain pitchers release their pitches, thereby, effectively giving them an even bigger edge on some pitchers than they already have? Again, while there’s no real definitive answer just yet, I’ve got to believe that a pitching clock will likely aid base runners in their attempts to steal bases far more than it will help pitchers on the mound.

The Postseason

What happens when the postseason rolls around and games take longer than they do during the regular season? Will umpires be forced to stick to the regular season clock or will they give an extra second or two to both, pitchers and hitters? What happens when a pitchers commits a time violation in a tie ballgame, let’s say in the eighth or ninth inning? Do fans wants pitch clock rules deciding the outcomes of games or would they prefer to have their postseason games played without a pitch clock? To close out my look at how a pitch clock could affect you and your MLB betting selections in the near future, here is a look at the five fastest and slowest starting pitchers in the majors this season.

Slowest

Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers: 26.2 seconds Alex Cobb, Tampa Bay Rays: 26.1 seconds Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays: 26.0 seconds Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers: 26.0 seconds Jason Hammel, Kansas City Royals: 25.8 seconds

Fastest

Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals: 19.6 seconds Wade Miley, Baltimore Orioles: 19.8 seconds Mike Leake, St. Louis Cardinals: 19.8 seconds Jason Vargas, Kansas City Royals: 20.2 seconds R.A. Dickey, Atlanta Braves: 20.3 seconds