Bigger Bases? Here's Major League Baseball's Post-Lockout Plan
One of these days, Major League Baseball is coming back.
Same as it ever was.
Except ... different.
Whenever the Texas Rangers and the rest of MLB does return to the diamond, following the end of this maddening labor lockout, , there will be some differences in "America's Pastime.''
The first thing that might pop out: A change to larger base sizes.
Greg Lovett-USA TODAY NETWORK
Last season, baseball experimented with larger base sizes in its Triple-A games, increasing first, second and third base from being 15 square inches to being 18 inches.
What's the difference actually look like, side by side?
Fairly substantially, really.
There is, one would hope, a series of logical reasons for a change to an essetial piece of a sport that, when it comes to change, usually moves ... so ... very ... slowly.
The logical reasons? More offense. And more safety.
Conceptually, the increase in the size of the bases will ideally lead to an increase in stolen base success rates, an increase in infield hits and a decrease in the number of collisions and injuries around the bag.
Baseball is working to make alterations to the sport in an attempt at generating more offense and more excitement into a night at the ball park. And the "bigger base'' plan did work last year in the minor leagues, as stolen bases were indeed up last year in Triple-A.
Greg Lovett-USA TODAY NETWORK
Greg Lovett-USA TODAY NETWORK
So the bigger base problem is solved. Now, if only Major League Baseball could solve its biggest problem of all.
