The institution of MLB’s field clock has drawn its fair share of criticism, but superagent Scott Boras thinks it could affect player health and he’s calling for change.
A guest on “Baseball Isn’t Boring” this week, Boras said the clock is wearing down pitchers, creating the need for an extra spot on MLB rosters.
“The pitch clock is wearing out a lot of these guys. It’s very tough now to get past five innings,” Boras said. “I think we definitely need to increase the number of pitchers we have on Major League teams. We’re going to see a whole slew of guys with 65, 75 appearances out of the bullpen. We need to cut that back. ”
Boras says the pitching staff should be reduced from 14 to 15 players. This could help reduce innings for pitchers and could reduce the use of positional players on the mound, a practice that has become even more common in the pitch-clock era.
The pitch clock has been a hot issue throughout the season, with players on both sides issuing complaints. In April, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper commented on the infield clock, saying many in MLB “want our game back.” Meanwhile, Harper’s teammate pitcher Zack Wheeler said he may never “feel comfortable” with the clock, while New York Mets’ Max Scherzer shared similar comments.
MLB is not likely to drop changes made to speed up the pace of games. However, as Boras hints, perhaps some tweaking is needed for the betterment of the players and the game as a whole.
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