http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18631714/mlb-proposes-scrapping-intentional-walk-raising-strike-zone
I'm all for raising the bottom of the zone to the top of the knee. The pitches below that are barely hittable and the umps have been doing a really good job of calling the high strike in recent years. I don't think we'd go back to the 1990s zone that's wider than it is tall. But getting the pitchers to agree to give up a weapon like that is the tough part.
I don't see the point of eliminating the four pitches that have to be thrown for an intentional walk. As long as there are times when the pitchers screw it up or a Vlad Guerrero reaches out and swings for one, it's worth the 30 seconds every couple games it comes up.
I'm all for raising the bottom of the zone to the top of the knee. The pitches below that are barely hittable and the umps have been doing a really good job of calling the high strike in recent years. I don't think we'd go back to the 1990s zone that's wider than it is tall. But getting the pitchers to agree to give up a weapon like that is the tough part.
I don't see the point of eliminating the four pitches that have to be thrown for an intentional walk. As long as there are times when the pitchers screw it up or a Vlad Guerrero reaches out and swings for one, it's worth the 30 seconds every couple games it comes up.