Overview
- Major League Baseball is running a live trial at Salt River Fields that limits outfielder positioning by showing a green “O” when players are 'straight up' and a red “X” when they are shaded or out of position.
- The rule has pushed outfielders to play much shallower, which has cut down on bloop singles and produced more running on fly balls.
- Early games under the experiment have yielded noticeably more extra-base hits, including a game that produced five triples, an Arizona Fall League record.
- The trial is confined to Salt River Fields because the test requires stadium display and tracking technology that other AFL parks do not have.
- MLB has declined formal comment and league officials say any big-league adoption would be gradual and likely take years, while the AFL remains a low-stakes lab for rule experiments.