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The Atlantic League is restoring its pitching mound to 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate and returning strike zone judgment to umpires after experimenting with moving the rubber back a foot and using an automatic ball-strike system.
The changes were announced by the independent league as part of its partnership with Major League Baseball. The sides have been partners since the beginning of the year, with the Atlantic League agreeing to test rules and equipment that could one day reach the majors.
The ball-strike system was tested in the low-Class A Southeast League after it was introduced in the Atlantic League. The so-called "robo-umps" might still make it to the majors one day, but they don't seem to be moving to the majors very soon.
The distance to the mound appears to be dead. The extra foot did not seem to have much effect on the Atlantic League last season.
The Atlantic League will continue to use larger, 17-inch bases; anti-shift rules; and a change to extra-innings that puts runners at first and second to begin the first and second frames.
The league will announce other rules experiments later this spring.
The Atlantic League is honored to pioneer the future of the game with Major League Baseball. Many tests will find their way to the big leagues in the future. We will continue to corroborate the tests with MLB.
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