Kris Bryant Weighs in on Proposed MLB Rule Changes

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has had a pretty good career so far, and he has some thoughts on proposed changes that MLB is putting forth as a way of speeding up the game of baseball

In an era where Major League Baseball is trying to speed up the pace of play in its games, not everyone is a fan of the rule changes being discussed, and one of the Chicago Cubs’ biggest stars is among that group.

The player in question is Kris Bryant, who has had a decent career thus far, with a Rookie of the Year Award, an MVP award, two All-Star appearances, and a World Series championship under his belt. Bryant was asked about rule changes to the game, with the elimination of the four-pitch intentional walk the focal point of the question, and he doesn’t see why the game has to change.

“The game’s been the same to me since I was young, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” he said. “I think that’s what makes our game great. It is a long game and we play 162 games a year and there’s more strategy involved with it. I think it could be a slippery slope once you start changing all these things.”

MLB has been looking at eliminating four-pitch intentional walks as part of a broader push to speed up the pace of play in games. Other rule changes, like limiting pitching changes and adding a time clock between pitches, are also being discussed, but Bryant feels like diehard fans wouldn’t be receptive to the changes either.

“The people you really need to ask are the fans,” he said. “The diehard fans are going to be the ones that oppose more changes. They’re the ones who pay to watch us play. Those are the opinions that you need.”

If approved, the changes would take place for the 2018 season, but it’s unclear at this point whether the league will act unilaterally to enact the changes without Player Association approval.

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