As Major League Baseball gets set to unveil its plethora of new rules and tweaks in the 2023 season, with the hopes of returning to shorter game times, increased action, and more balls in play, Mets manager Buck Showalter wonders if another blast from the past could make its return as a result of the changes.
Asked about the pitch clock on Tuesday, Showalter wondered aloud if the timer for pitchers meant that some relievers would ask for the bullpen carts to be brought back in order to use less time getting from beyond the outfield wall to the mound on foot.
“There’s another part of this, of coming out of the bullpen, knowing how much time and how quick you have to get to the mound,” Showalter said. “I think you might see some of the golf cart stuff come back.”
Some of the findings reported by MLB when using the upcoming rule changes in the minor league ranks included less time by relievers throwing extra warmup pitches in the bullpen before making their trek to the mound, and less time walking across the outfield grass while teammates huddled around the mound, waiting for their next pitcher to take more warmup tosses at a different rubber.
Bullpen carts are seen as a glorious time capsule from decades past, and the use of them at the Olympics in 2021 was a joy to many, particularly because of the look of the cart that transported pitchers onto the field. Who knows, maybe they will be back in droves across MLB in 2023.
“I think it’s important you get from the warning track to the mound quickly,” Showalter said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)