There are some new things that Major League Baseball players are going to have to deal with this year. The bases are bigger, there is a new pitch clock, and the shift is banned. However, there is a new wrinkle that is going to mess with certain pitchers in the league.
With the new pitch clock rule taking over, there is going to be an emphasis on the calling of balks. A balk can be called for a lot of different reasons but the rule is in place to keep pitchers from messing with baserunners. You don't see them called as much anymore but that may change.
This is a change that is going to affect a lot of pitchers around the league. Specifically, the guys with different kinds of windups. It might be something that is called a little bit extra early on and will be coached down as the year goes along.
The White Sox already have a problem with allowing base runners to advance so we can only hope that they are ready for this change when the season begins. It is on Pedro Grifol to make sure that his guys are ready for this new change.
Balks are going to be an issue the White Sox need to worry about.
As for the pitch clock, this might be something that helps the White Sox. They have a bunch of pitchers that have shown the ability to work fast and they have a few more in the minor leagues. It will be an adjustment for everybody but they can be ready by the time the season starts.
Allowing runners to advance a base because of a balk would be a terrible way to allow the opposition to score. The guys on this team that could see this become a problem have a lot of work to do before the year begins on Opening Day.
That is what spring training is for though, right? Everyone has plenty of time to make sure that they are ready to go when it comes to changes that need to be made.