Fansided

MLB eyeing rule changes for 2017 season

By Joshua Sadlock

Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

MLB may make changes to intentional walk and strike zone as pace of play remains an area of focus for the commissioner.

According to ESPN MLB insider Jayson Stark, the league is seeking to make two major rule changes. The rule changes would see MLB do away with the practice of requiring pitchers to throw four pitches to issue an intentional walk. More importantly, Commissioner Rob Manfred and the league office have proposed raising the bottom of the strike zone.

The league’s proposed strike zone would rise to the top of the knee. The last time the bottom of the zone was defined was in 1996, with the lower boundary for a strike set at “the hollow beneath the kneecap.” With better pitch-tracking technology available, MLB has compiled enough data on fringe pitches to conclude that adjusting the strike zone would effectively raise it by two inches.

Changing the rules surrounding intentional walks would have little impact on the game. The intentional pass was used just 932 times across all MLB games last year (essentially once every third game). Under the new rule, hitters would go directly to first base when the opposing team signaled for a free pass.

Finding a way to raise the strike zone may be more difficult. Any rule change must be approved by the MLBPA, and pitchers would likely have little interest in seeing an advantage transferred back to hitters. Still, it’s not difficult to see why the league continues to propose raising the strike zone. Over 30 percent of plate appearances end in a hit or walk, and adjusting the rules of the game to eliminate more of these “non-action” plays could help MLB gain traction with younger viewers who prefer action.

Next: MLB sends message with Cardinals punishment

With the new CBA signed, the players may be more interested in considering rule changes than they were last year when MLB floated the same ideas. Eliminating the intentional walk could be approved for the upcoming season, but the strike zone is probably a long shot at this point. It may take a few more years of data if the league is to fully back up its point that the strike zone should be raised for the benefit of the overall game.

Home/MLB