2016 MLB Regular-Season Thread

Competition committee agrees to change strike zone to the top of a hitter's knee (rather than the hollow beneath the kneecap). Also, intentional walks won't require the pitcher to throw; the team can just order the hitter to take first base.

Full vote coming up.

Sources: MLB moves toward changing strike zone

 

I'll miss the 1-in-a-million when an IBB misses over the plate and gets hit, but I understand why they are making the change.

I also don't have a problem with raising the bottom of the zone, but that isn't going to make the games go faster if that is their goal.

 

Problem is, they're moving the strike zone the wrong way. I'd even go lower than the cap.....prolly 3-4 inches.

 

You want fewer runs scored? I don't think most people see excessive offense as part of today's game.

 

Adjustments that result in fewer total pitches and more ball in play are what need to be considered.

I'd like a time limit on replays, too. I don't think replays are necessarily making games that much longer in the aggregate but long delays without any action probably annoy fans the most.

 

If you lowered the strike zone three inches from where it is now, you'd see the average runs per game cut in half and you'd probably see the rise of five infielder defenses.

Not making a value judgment on whether that's a better game than what we have now. If someone likes that, sure.

 

Only thing I can think of that would do that is revisiting 60-6. The velocity is the problem there.

 

How long is your shin? You would need cricket players to be able to hit low strikes.

 

Dick Enberg throws a nice 1-2 slider of a comment on the air:

Listen: Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg chooses curious phrase to describe fat cat

 

Hope he didn't say Buster PO-see ...

 

Jeff Miller in the OCR today wrote about being a proponent of the electronic strike zone. All of the players he interviewed were against it, even Hector Santiago, who was ejected last night in the third inning for arguing ball-strike calls.
As part of the story, Santiago said that baseball can't even figure out how to use the between-inning clock to keep the game moving. He said he got a letter of warning from MLB.
“I remember the game,” Santiago said. “We had the seventh-inning stretch, somebody sang all these songs, and I was done with my warm-up pitches and there were still 30 seconds left on the clock. The umpire said we had to wait. So I waited. Four days later, I got that letter.”

 

Just as important, the belt shouldn't be the top of the strike zone.