Adam Wainwright thinks MLB proposal is a ‘horrible idea’

When the powers that be at Major League Baseball came up with the idea to alter the strike zone they didn’t ask Adam Wainwright for his input.

There aren’t many pitchers in baseball with a better grasp of the strike zone than the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander, who is best known for his pinpoint command and his ability to keep the ball down.

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Given Wainwright’s bona fides, it isn’t all that surprising he isn’t in favor of the bottom of the strike zone being raised to the top of a batter’s knees.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“It’s a horrible, horrible idea,” he said. “One, I’m a pitcher. And I’m a pitcher who likes to keep the ball low. Two, and mainly, all this talk about making the games shorter — what part of raising the strike zone up is going to do that? … They want more offense. I understand that. But taking 45 seconds off for an intentional walk one out of every three games isn’t going to make up for the added balls in the gap by raising the strike zone, in my opinion.”

If anything, Wainwright’s opinion is indicative of the fine line MLB walks when it comes to implementing these kind of changes in the game. The revised strike zone could be put into place as early as next season, which wouldn’t give pitchers much time to adjust. 

It appears, however, that Wainwright won’t have much of a choice but to make those adjustments even through his objections. An upset pitcher or two is part of the price MLB is willing to pay as it continues to search for a formula that speeds up games and also enhances the entertainment value.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr