MLB 2017 season brings new rules and regulations
After their historic victory last season, the Cubs are a high contender in the 2017 season. Photo By: flocku.com
By Collin Giuliani// Staff Writer
As the 2017 MLB season begins, the Chicago Cubs will look to repeat as baseball champions. The Cubs won the World Series last year over the Cleveland Indians for the first time since 1908, and the victory parade held by the Cubs in celebration drew roughly five million people, making it the seventh largest gathering in human history.
This year, the Cubs return most of their championship roster, including Kris Bryant, the reigning National League MVP, and pitcher Jake Arrieta, who won the NL Cy Young Award in 2015.
However, despite keeping most of their roster, the Cubs lost Aroldis Chapman in free agency to the New York Yankees. Chapman was traded by the Yankees to the Cubs in the middle of the 2016 season, and after spending half of the season with the Cubs, will return to to play for the Yankees. Chapman signed with the Yankees for $86 million, making it the most expensive contract for a relief pitcher in baseball history.
The Cubs also lost outfielder Dexter Fowler, who made the All-Star Game last season, to the rival St. Louis Cardinals.
Other notable free agent moves included the San Francisco Giants, a team that blew 32 saves last season, signing closer Mark Melancon, who has recorded 98 saves over the last two seasons, from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Edwin Encarnacion, who led the entire American League in RBI last season, going from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Indians.
During the offseason, Major League Baseball announced some rule changes that would take place for the 2017 season. For the first time since 2002, the MLB All-Star Game will no longer mean home-field advantage in the World Series. The controversial home-field advantage rule was put in place by previous commissioner Bud Selig after the 2002 Midsummer Classic ended in a 7-7 tie, but was scrapped this past offseason by commissioner Rob Manfred.
Starting in 2017, home-field in the World Series will be decided by whatever team has the better record. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Marlins Park on July 11, making it the first time that the city of Miami, Florida, has hosted the game.
Additionally, in a more controversial rule change, MLB announced that teams can now signal for an intentional walk instead of throwing the pitches necessary to walk a batter. According to ESPN, there were 932 intentional walks last season, and this rule change would speed up the game by one minute. Commissioner Manfred has experimented with numerous rules over his time in charge to speed up the game and improve the pace of play, and this rule is no exception.
The 2017 season also marks the first season that the Braves will play in their new stadium, SunTrust Park, which is located approximately 20 minutes north of Atlanta in the suburb of Cumberland. The stadium, which according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, cost $622 million to construct, holds 41,500 and will open for the regular season on April 14 against the San Diego Padres. The Braves move into this stadium after spending the past 20 seasons at Turner Field in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
The 2017 season starts on Sunday, April 2, with a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 1.