LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — One batter in, and the Rays were on the move. Wander Franco led off the bottom of the first against the Yankees on Tuesday with a walk, and was quickly cut down trying to steal second base.
The result, in a spring game, is inconsequential. The mindset, however, could be monumental.
Along with more celebrated rule changes such as the pitching clock, Major League Baseball is subtly trying to encourage base stealing by limiting the number of pickoff attempts by pitchers. A pitcher is allowed two pickoff moves during an at-bat — technically he’s allowed to disengage with the pitching rubber two times — and will be charged with a balk if a third move does not result in picking off the runner.
