There is an interesting article in the Washington Post today about pace of play. I think you can read it without a subscription but if not, try a Google News search for the article: Velocity is strangling baseball.
One paragraph that I will quote is about a study made by FiveThirtyEight in 2017 that found pitchers holding the ball two seconds longer than they did a decade previously and results therefrom.
"Pace of play? A 2017 study by FiveThirtyEight.com found that MLB pitchers were holding the ball for two full seconds longer than they did a decade earlier, and that for every extra second they waited — in effect, gearing up for each full-throttle pitch — they gained 0.02 mph. Some teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to have recognized the link and made it part of their coaching. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s proposed 20-second pitch clock, tested during spring training, is largely an effort to reverse this trend."
One paragraph that I will quote is about a study made by FiveThirtyEight in 2017 that found pitchers holding the ball two seconds longer than they did a decade previously and results therefrom.
"Pace of play? A 2017 study by FiveThirtyEight.com found that MLB pitchers were holding the ball for two full seconds longer than they did a decade earlier, and that for every extra second they waited — in effect, gearing up for each full-throttle pitch — they gained 0.02 mph. Some teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared to have recognized the link and made it part of their coaching. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s proposed 20-second pitch clock, tested during spring training, is largely an effort to reverse this trend."