Interesting little article from Neyer, on the
increasing rate of strikeouts, and what should be done about it.
Couple questions: is this a problem? If it is, what should be done about it?
Since I also don't like Three True Outcomes baseball (walks, strikeouts, home runs), I'd like the K rate to be lower without increasing home runs or walks. So some "solutions" won't work. (if you reduce the strike zone, thats going to increase the number of walks.)
Neyer argued for lowering the mound, but I think I'd rather move it back 1 or 2 feet. The problem isn't movement, its pitching speed, pitchers have been progressing on pitching speed more than the hitters ability to react.
The pitcher has been moved back before, in the earliest days they were 45 feet from the plate, but they were overpowering the hitters so badly that every few years they'd move the pitcher a few more feet until they finally arrived at 60 feet 6 inches through trial and error at about 1893. Its over 120 years later, and now I think its time to move the pitcher back a few more feet.
It won't happen anytime soon of course, because most people don't see it as a problem right now, but it would improve the game. When the three true outcomes happen more often than they should, the game is longer and less fun to watch.