Major League Baseball is set to implement some new rules at the minor league levels this season, including bigger bases and shifting restrictions, and while those changes will take time to reach the majors, if they reach it at all, some Yankees already have their opinions on it.
When asked about the announced changes by the league, Luke Voit didn’t seem too fond of MLB’s plans, particularly the changes to the bases, which will be expanded by three inches to both avoid collisions on the bases and hopefully increase traffic and aggressiveness with stolen base attempts.
“The game’s been played at 90 feet bases forever,” Voit said. “I don’t think they need to change that. I think it’s stupid, honestly. But I get it, they’re trying to change the game.”
Voit was thrown out tagging for third base in a spring training game earlier this week, which could have been a much closer play with bigger bases, but is certainly not known for his running, like teammate Tyler Wade, who could use the potential change as a way to try and swipe more bags. But more drastic changes, like possibly banning infield shifts in the future, could make the game look a lot different than it has been in recent seasons.
For example, in 2020, the World Series teams in the Rays and Dodgers were two teams that were among the league leaders in shifts per plate appearance, with the Rays shifting more in a 60-game shortened season than they did during the entire 2010 season, when they led the league in that mark.
“The shifting part…even if they go back to just regular defense to where they’re supposed to be, in my opinion, you have to adapt to in this game, and if you don’t adapt, you find a way out of it,” Voit said. “I think a lot of people have found their way out of it because of the shifting, and it’s smart. If you have to hit the ball to the opposite field or do something different with your approach, change it.”
Voit may have pulled a career-high 51.2 percent of his batted balls last season, but he still led the league in home runs despite his batting average on balls in play dropping nearly 90 points from his 2019 season. Still, he believes it’s the players that need to adapt to strategies that teams implement.
“I think a lot of guys get content and find their way out of the game,” Voit said. “I think guys need to adapt to the game, and I think it’s smart. It’s worked for a lot of teams and helped a lot of teams that usually wouldn’t be around and be in the playoffs every year.”
Manager Aaron Boone seemed more open to the proposed changes, acknowledging that the sport is trying to capture a younger generation that may benefit from more in-play action and a quicker pace to a game that has been trying to increase action and decrease total game time for years.
"We gotta be mindful of what the younger generation does like and love, and if we want it to be something that gets instilled in them at a young age, that they love and grow up and can’t get rid of it,” Boone said. “And we’re all charged with that.”
Boone has strong ties to an older era of baseball, having begun his playing career in 1997, but if the league believes its changes can attract a new audience and increase action, he’s open to any ideas.
“I think on some level, I’m interested in all of them," Boone said. "I think it’s really good that they get implemented at the minor league level so that we can get a feel of this…I don’t think you should just lightly throw a rule change somewhere, so I think implementing them in different ways in the minor leagues and different leagues, and seeing how they play out, I think that’s important. I’m definitely interested to see how it plays out."
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