MLB hasn’t shied away from contemplating rule adjustments over the previous few seasons. The league has unilaterally applied a pitch clock, a three-batter minimal for pitchers (barring harm), shift limitations, and incentivized base stealing with pickoff limits and bigger bases. MLB and the Gamers Affiliation additionally agreed to implement a common designated hitter within the 2022 collective bargaining settlement.
That hasn’t dissuaded commissioner Rob Manfred from contemplating different adjustments. Maybe essentially the most excessive suggestion that the commissioner has publicly floated could be the potential of implementing a “golden at-bat” rule. Jayson Stark of The Athletic revealed a prolonged piece on Monday detailing potential variations of that idea.
At its core, the golden at-bat concept is to permit a group one alternative to name upon a hitter who’s within the lineup however not due for the upcoming at-bat. It’d be considerably akin to pinch hitting with a participant who’s already within the recreation. As Stark notes, the rule may very well be narrowed to restrict when groups might use the golden at-bat (e.g. after a sure inning, solely after they’re trailing, and many others.)
In October, Manfred recommended there may very well be some assist inside the league for exploring that idea. In an look on The Varsity podcast with Puck’s John Ourand (X hyperlink), Manfred mentioned on the time “there was slightly buzz round” the idea at a latest house owners assembly. The commissioner mentioned that concept is “within the conversation-only stage proper now.”
It’s price stressing that there’s nothing to counsel MLB has any plans to check this concept. There’s a big hole between it surfacing in informal dialog and its look in any of Spring Coaching, the minors, or on the All-Star Recreation — a lot much less in significant MLB contests.
The aim could be to extend the variety of high-leverage plate appearances that go to prime hitters. That’d create extra drama in shut video games, however it’d be a radical change to the game. The fastened nature of the batting order typically leaves enormous at-bats within the fingers of much less heralded gamers. One might argue that’s a flaw compared to different sports activities the place groups can select to show the ball to their stars when video games are on the road. On the similar time, a lot of baseball’s most magical moments come when gamers on the backside of the order rise to the event with key hits.
Whereas implementing one golden at-bat wouldn’t fully remove these alternatives, it’d cut back them. It’s additionally an inherently synthetic measure that’d symbolize a basic change from the way in which baseball has been performed all through its historical past. That’s arguably true of another latest rule changes, however the golden at-bat would most likely have a a lot greater impact than any of the opposite adjustments.
Stark’s column goes into way more element concerning the technique implications that might be at play, in addition to considerations about custom and inflated file totals that’d include permitting groups to offer their greatest hitter an additional at-bat each recreation. Stark speaks with gamers, entrance workplace personnel, and longtime skipper Joe Maddon (a lot of whom categorical their disapproval for the idea) concerning the concept in a bit that’s price a full learn.
