Buried in this WaPo article is this nugget:
A rule like this would put an even greater emphasis on a catchers defensive abilities, while also possibly changing pitching strategy for faster players (perhaps being less likely to throw pitches in the dirt/chase pitches)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/10/baseballs-robot-umpires-are-here-you-might-not-even-notice-difference/?utm_term=.1acbb8b4ddefThe experiment is part of a three-year agreement with MLB that allowed big league officials to install experimental rules in the Atlantic League to study their effects on game play, strategy, tempo and prospect development. In return, MLB promised to “enhance its scouting coverage of the Atlantic League” and to install hardware to enable advanced analytical study of players.
Some of those rule changes include a prohibition against mound visits, a ban of defensive shifts, a three-batter minimum for new pitchers and larger bases (18-by-18 inches, rather than 15-by-15). In the second half of the season, the league will allow batters to steal first base: Any pitch on any count not caught in flight will be considered a live ball, and a batter may run to first base, similar to a dropped third strike.
A rule like this would put an even greater emphasis on a catchers defensive abilities, while also possibly changing pitching strategy for faster players (perhaps being less likely to throw pitches in the dirt/chase pitches)