Baseball, Softball Pitch Modernization

(ATR) The president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation tells Around the Rings the sport is making changes.

Riccardo Fraccari spoke to Around the Rings last week at the conclusion of the Women’s Baseball World Cup in Florida.

The tournament, won by Japan, shows the growth of the sport in Asia, Fraccari says.

He says he’s looking for ways to grow the women’s side of baseball but the strategy to keep men’s baseball and women’s softball in the Olympic program past Tokyo 2020 is a priority.

Around the Rings: How do you evaluate the just ended Women’s World Championship? How to make it better?

Riccardo Fraccari: It’s being suggested to us that some countries are at a very high level. Japan for example, has a professional league which plays 75 games a year. But what we see are requests from other countries such as India or Pakistan to compete in the World Cup, but it is not possible.

What we are analyzing now is whether to split the competition into two pools. The top eight, the strong teams in one pool. And then we can also add the new countries. Don’t forget the women’s World Cup is a new competition. It is growing. This way we can have a pool for the top teams and one for the new countries.

ATR: How would this be based? On their world ranking?

RF: Yes it would be.

ATR: The US team here failed to advance to the final. Was this a disappointment?

RF: The US was coming here to get a medal. But if you lose the important game…it was a strong team. Unfortunately they did not qualify for the final. They lost the crucial game. For me it was important to come to the United States because this is the first time they organize this World Cup. It’s important.

ATR: Where does women’s baseball fit within the work of the WBSC?

RF: We are pushing a lot because it helps improve gender equity in the sport. In softball we have men and women. In baseball we have men and women. I can tell you that it’s growing fast. It’s one of the important assets of the WBSC.

ATR: You’re trying to make baseball five another asset?

RF: This is exploding. For example we have received a letter from India saying there are 21 states that have baseball five and they want to have a professional league. In Africa they make a great job. In Mexico there is a professionally. MLB asked us to show them baseball five when we visited during the All-Star game.

The secret of baseball five, when we introduced it, was to facilitate it as a way for the kids to enter baseball or softball. But once we saw serious athletes play baseball five, it was at a high level. Now it is a demonstration sport in Buenos Aires. We have asked for it to be included in the Urban Games.

ATR: The WBSC Olympic commission met in Cocoa Beach to talk about the Tokyo Olympics and plans for Paris 2024?

RF:We are making major analysis of the road to Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. We are discussing in the executive board how to make softball and baseball more attractive, more appealing, more dynamic. And I think after the meeting will have some results.

We have already started here at the world championships some new things. The 12 second rule between pitches. The one minute 30 seconds time limit for changes between the innings. And we reduce the length of the game, by about 45 minutes.

ATR: Is that really important for the Olympics?

RF: Exactly.

ATR: How will it be for the Tokyo Olympics? How will the competition be organized? Into two groups of three?

RF: Well we have two groups of three to start. We finally agree to a format that creates a lot of games. We have a system that gives everybody the possibility to play when the championship. Qualifying for the tournament will be very difficult because we only have five teams to select with Japan already chosen as the host nation.

ATR: You have representatives of the French Baseball Federation here. They will be your allies in your effort to get baseball into the Paris Olympics?

RF: We want not only this, but we want to leave a legacy. For us 2024 is important not only to the Olympics but to the sport on the European continent. And also the fact that MLB is going to play games in London next year. That means we want to grow for the continent.

ATR: Paris will take some work to include baseball and softball. But what about Los Angeles in 2028?

RF: I cannot assume anything. But for sure we are more confident like we are in Tokyo. Our goal in this moment is to give the best game as possible. Our goal is to modernize our sport to give the opportunity to be selected for the Olympic Games.

ATR: What kind of support do you get from MLB and other professional leagues around the world?

RF: It is very good. Major League Baseball and USA baseball want to have the qualifier for the Americas in the United States.But let me give you another side of this. Because professional baseball is no longer just with MLB. Now we have globalized the sport. Now the Japanese stop their season for the Olympics. Korea, the CPBL, they do the same. I think we bring a sport that is more professional to the Olympics. Finally we are now organized within the professional leagues. In Japan, in Korea, in Chinese Taipei. We have globalized our sport.

Reported by Ed Hula.