"New" High Strike Zone

[Carl Childress]

I think there is a misconception here concerning what happens to the high pitch.

A high pitch that is a mistake may get hit out of the park more often than a low pitch.

The problem is that batters are taught to swing level. When they stride for a pitch and swing, they most often swing under "high heat."

Boys and girls, there's not a pitcher alive who wouldn't lobby for a strike zone that included "nipple-high" (based on the batter's ORIGINAL crouch) as the top of the zone. Pitches at that point, not in the heart of the plate, and thrown as a fast ball and not a hanging curve, results in: "Swing and a miss." If the pitcher's now will have that pitch as a called strike, they will be in high cotton.

I imagine that the high scores results from: (1) pitchers not getting their customary "outside" corner; and (2) batters getting to swing at pitches closer to the plate. It's not a function of the HIGH zone.

I'll bet it's a quid pro quo attempt by baseball to strike a balance between offense and defense. Offense: Yes, we're gonna make 'em bring in on the edges. Defense: Yes, we're gonna you that high strike.

They're going to discover, I predict, that the offense has gained BIG TIME.