Thinking it through
When it comes to Major League Baseball rule changes, I consider myself firmly in the progressive camp (the Bernie Sanders wing, if you will). I am, at very least, open to any idea that improves the on-field product or popularity.
As such, I’ve enjoyed the last few years of outside-the-box thinking from Commissioner Rob Manfred—especially with the new changes having solved pressing issues. For instance(s)…
- Sign-stealing scandals running rampant? Introduce the Pitch-Com system.
- Games too long? Implement a pitch clock & use ghost runners in extra innings.
- On-field play governed by analytics, not athleticism? Restrict shifting & enlarge the bases.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
I believe each idea made baseball a better sport to watch (yes, I’ve warmed to the ghosts).
The latest Manfred trial balloon is the “Golden At-Bat”, which would allow a batter to swap into a lineup spot for high-leverage moments. If that sounds vague, it’s because few concrete details have been hashed out. This isn’t on the immediate MLB docket.
The warning-siren drawback of the Golden AB would be that some of baseball’s charm revolves around every batter taking a turn in order. With superstars monopolizing the biggest moments, it would rob the sport of Brett Phillips airplane-zooming, Bill Mazeroski cap waving, or Gene Larkin whipping Dome denizens into a frenzy. All those moments are as memorable for their unlikely protagonists as for their outcomes.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
But, in keeping with my progressivism, I have three tweaks to the Golden AB that might pique my interest…
Condition #1
- It can’t be used the first time through the order—maybe even the second. I want this to be a late-inning move (even if the highest leverage situation might transpire earlier).
Condition #2
- A runner already on base cannot be inserted as a Golden AB for the current batter. On base = off limits. As soon as a cleat touches home? Fair game again.
Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
Condition #3
- If the GAB is utilized, it would amount to a lineup swap which would then remain permanent—eliminating the same batter stepping into the box a few spots later.
Unlike the other MLB changes described above, I truly am wary of the Golden AB. I view batting-order adherence as a “feature not a bug”. But my outside-the-box mindset is intrigued, so long as Manfred/MLB doesn’t butcher it. But when would that ever happen?!