Jose Ramirez Will Benefit From MLB Rule Changes
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On Friday, MLB announced a series of rule changes coming to the game in 2023. The changes include a pitch timer, bigger bases, and shift restrictions.
There have been some split reactions to these changes from both players and fans. One thing is for sure though and that's Guardians third baseman, Jose Ramirez, will be one of the biggest benefactors from these rule changes.
It always seems like opposing teams are putting the shift on Jose Ramirez because of how much he tends to pull the ball. It's the smart thing for them to do. Check out these graphs showing where he has hit the ball this season.
Clearly, there is a theme as to where he hits the ball. Despite this and the number of shifts he gets, Ramirez is still slashing .278/.353/.504 this season with 39 doubles.
So he is still finding a way to produce.
Take away the shift, and these numbers are guaranteed to increase making Jose an even more valuable player than he already is.
The increased bag size will also be a welcome change for Ramirez.
MLB says that the increased size of the bases will help player safety as they slide into the bags. While this is true, the bigger bases will also give runners more area to touch the bag which could cause steals to go up.
It's no secret that Jose loves to steal. He has 14 this season, which is a little bit lower than the past years, but this could change with the bigger bags.
I can't wait to see these changes come to the game. Limiting the shift was a long time coming and we'll finally get to see more offense and defenders demonstrate their athleticism.
The game is changing, but changing for the better.
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