By Peyton Capellen Posted March 07, 2017
Opening day may be a long way off, but spring training for the 2017 MLB season is already underway. Predictions are never guaranteed, and especially so early in the year; a little bit of imagination, logic, and analysis is needed to decide what the 2017 MLB season will hold for its teams and players.
Baseball is not considered a sport that is action-packed all of the time, but there are several exciting rule changes awaiting approval this season that could be massive game changers and bring some more excitement to fans of the sport.
First is the proposal to eliminate the four-pitch intentional walk. This means that if a pitcher wants to intentionally walk the batter, no pitches will be required to do so, and the batter will be automatically allowed a walk to first base. The proposal of this rule is meant to speed up the game, and although it probably won’t do so by much, the MLB will most likely approve it.
A modified strike zone is also on the list for approval. This proposal would raise the bottom part of the strike zone to above the knee cap. This will help hitters and hurt pitchers. Its purpose is to put more balls into play, have more base runners, and have more action.
The proposal getting the most buzz is the rule that would put a runner on second base during extra innings of a baseball game. Once extra innings are needed to determine a game, at the start of every half-inning, a runner will automatically start on second base already in scoring position. Baseball games are already fairly long, so this rule has been proposed in hopes of ending those longer games that cannot be decided in 9 innings.
Predictions from all over are already coming in of teams expected to stand out this season.
The Cubs are expected to have another great year, although sources like ESPN and Bleacher Report say they will not repeat for another World Series championship. Cleveland and the Giants were at the top of their leagues last year and will most likely remain there this season. Teams like the Astros, who barely missed the postseason last year, are predicted to do so this year. Bleacher Report has already projected the final standings for each team at the end of the regular season. Here are the picks for number one in each division from Bleacher Report: AL East – Boston Red Sox, AL Central – Cleveland, AL West – Houston Astros, NL East – Washington Nationals, NL Central – Chicago Cubs, NL West – San Francisco Giants.
The Red Sox could go far this year. In the past five years, they have had two first-place finishes in the AL East. They should have a pretty strong offense this year with David Price, Rick Porcello, and newcomers Chris Sale and Andrew Benintendi, who is expected to be in contention for rookie of the year.
