Raising the strike zone could have unintended consequences

12:36 AM ET

Jayson Stark reported on Friday that MLB’s competition committee has agreed to a change in the strike zone for 2017, pending approval by the rules committee. Jayson wrote:

The committee agreed on a motion to effectively raise the lower part of the strike zone to the top of the hitter’s knees, sources said. The current rules stipulate that the zone begins at “the hollow beneath the kneecap,” but the change is a reaction to a trend by umpires to call strikes on an increasing number of pitches below the knees. …

Sources said the changes would also be presented to the MLB Players Association as part of negotiations for a new labor agreement. However, the playing rules committee isn’t required to have the union sign off on the changes, which could take effect next season whether or not the union agrees to them.

Baseball is talking about moving the bottom part of the strike zone to the top of a hitter’s knees. David Kohl/USA TODAY Sports

Jayson’s report said the proposed change is tied to concerns about “pace of action,” as commissioner Rob Manfred likes to phrase it, more than declining levels of offense, with the intended goal of a smaller strike zone leading to fewer strikeouts and more balls in play. It’s important to note, however, that while strikeout rates have continued to rise upward, hitters seem to have regained some of the balance of power. Offense declined to 4.07 runs per team per game in 2013, the lowest total since 1981, but climbed to 4.25 in 2015 and is at 4.28 this season.

As Joe Sheehan wrote about the proposal:

The idea with the rules change is that pitchers will have to work a little higher. This change should raise offensive levels a little bit, but its real goal is to raise contact rates through a higher percentage of hittable pitches. It’s not certain that it will happen that way, because messing with the strike zone is a risk that invites unintended consequences. It is, however, a reasonable approach to the problem.

I’d suggest: Be careful when you mess with the strike zone. …

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