MLB nearing changes to strike zone and intentional walks

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, Major League Baseball is on the verge of making two rules changes that could only be described as ground-breaking.

In a report filed on Friday, Stark says that the league's competition committee reportedly agreed to alter the strike zone and eliminate the four-pitch intentional walk during their meetings with owners this week. Those two changes could be implemented as early as the 2017 season.

The strike zone is currently defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's knees and the midpoint of their torso. Of course, if you asked most baseball fans what the strike zone is right now, most wouldn't be able to tell you. That's because there's long been inconsistency from umpire-to-umpire, and sometimes even pitch-to-pitch.

According to Stark, that inconsistency is why the league is looking to make changes. He says the strike zone will be raised to the top of the knee, because umpires have taken a liking to calling pitches that were below the knees entirely. That means pitchers will have to bring the baseball up, which means hitters should have a better chance to elevate the baseball.

Obviously, that won't make pitchers too happy on the surface, but I think everyone would be quite thrilled if this actually leads to some consistency, and therefore a truly defined zone.

As for intentional walks, Stark wrote the following:

The change in the intentional-walk rule would end the traditional practice of requiring the pitcher to lob four balls outside the strike zone. Instead, a team could signify it wants to issue an intentional walk, and the hitter would be immediately sent to first base, sources said.

This is a change that's been talked about and debated for years. On one hand, a purist might argue that the game needs to be played all the way through, because throwing the pitches could lead to a mistake that alters the game. We've seen wild pitches on intentional walks before, so it's a valid point.

Others would then argue that it doesn't happen nearly enough to matter or justify wasting another 30-60 seconds. Apparently, the competition committee agrees with the latter opinion, thus meaning the intentional walk as we know it will soon be extinct.

There's quite a bit to digest here, and we'll surely hear more debates in the weeks and months ahead. But it sounds like MLB is ready and willing to evolve before our very eyes.