Among the defining storylines of the 2023 season will be the league’s steadfast efforts to increase the pace of play and shorten game times. For this aim, everybody at the ballpark will play a role—even bat boys and bat girls.
In a memo sent to teams on Wednesday, MLB outlined several minor changes to its pitch clock protocols after introducing the new system during spring training. And while most of the alterations were benign, one in particular stood out regarding the children who are often seen trotting in and out of the dugout between at-bats.
“New standards will be enforced for bat boys and bat girls, whose ability to quickly retrieve equipment will help efforts to speed up the game,” the memo said, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “The league will evaluate the performances of bat boys and bat girls and could ask teams to replace them if their performance is considered substandard.”
