MLB rule changes, explained: 3 players who will benefit the most

Brent Suter could benefit from the upcoming MLB rule changes

While plenty of MLB pitchers will have to adjust to a quicker tempo with the implemented time between pitches, Brent Suter of the Milwaukee Brewers will shrug it off because he is already one of the fastest-working pitchers in the game today.

The 33-year-old southpaw is tied with Sam Long of the San Francisco Giants on the pitch tempo leaderboard on Baseball Savant, needing an average of 12.6 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 19.1 to deliver a pitch with a runner on base. Both of those numbers are within range of the 15- and 20-second marks going into place with the MLB rule changes in 2023.

In all, according to the pitch tempo statistic (measuring the median time from pitch release to pitch release), there are 26 MLB pitchers who deliver an average pitch currently at the 15-second mark with no one on base, and 16 that match the 20-second time slot with a runner on base. Tim Hill of the San Diego Padres has been the fastest pitcher with runners on base in 2022, logging 18.3 seconds between pitches.