LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) – Commissioner Rob Manfred says he can’t offer a prediction on how likely it is that baseball will be altering the strike zone this season.
Manfred discussed that and other potential rule changes Thursday at the Detroit Tigers’ spring training complex, which was hosting a Grapefruit League media day. Manfred says there are ongoing discussions with the Major League Baseball Players Association, and it’s not clear what changes might be made for 2017.
“You’d think given my career path that I would be a little better at predicting the outcome of negotiations with the MLBPA than I am. I just don’t know at this point,” Manfred said. “It’s been a long winter for both sides on labor, and fatigue can actually play a role in how many agreements you can reach, but at this point I just don’t feel comfortable making a prediction.”
MLB has studied whether to lift the lower edge of the strike zone from just beneath the kneecap to the top of the kneecap. Any change for 2017 would require an agreement with the players’ association.
Manfred has pushed for faster games since he became commissioner two years ago, although he said raising the bottom of the strike zone isn’t really a pace-of-play issue.