The “Golden At-Bat” Rule Is A Horrible Idea

In the history of baseball, no commissioner has done more damage to the sport than Rob Manfred. Almost nothing good has come out of his tenure running the sport. There have been many things that have happened during his tenure that have shed a poor light on the national pastime. Manfred’s retirement in 2029 can’t come soon enough! However, just when you thought Rob Manfred couldn’t be much worse, the incumbent commissioner always seems to find a way. Manfred recently floated the idea of having a “Golden At-Bat” rule and even claimed it was discussed at the owners’ meetings. This is where a team would be allowed to have its best hitter hit one time during a game when it’s not their turn. This might be the stupidest idea yet from Rob Manfred.

Rob Manfred Continues To Find New Way To Embarrass The Sport

Since becoming the commissioner of baseball, almost nothing good has happened during Rob Manfred’s tenure. Things like how he mishandled punishing the Astros, the 2021 lockout, the controversy with the actual ball, and how he’s letting owner John Fisher embarrass the sport with the Athletics relocation efforts are just a few of the many things that have put multiple blemishes on the game. One could argue that baseball has never had a commissioner do as much damage as Rob Manfred. But hey at least we can count down until his retirement in 2029 which will mark the end of an error! However, recently Manfred may have somehow found a way to further embarrass the sport.

While appearing on a podcast, the incumbent commissioner floated the idea of having a “Golden At-Bat” rule. This is where a team would be allowed to have its best hitter bat once when it’s not their turn. The incumbent commissioner most likely got this idea from a Savannah Bananas show which is the antithesis of baseball. Manfred even went as far as to say that the proposed new rule was seriously discussed during the owners’ meetings. It’s almost as if Manfred is trying to discover new ways to show how much he hates baseball.

This New Rule Would Be Too Radical

Out of all the major sports, baseball is the ultimate team game. All nine players in the lineup must make positive contributions for the team to have success. All you need in the other major sports are people like Patrick Mahomes or Lebron James to win a championship. While football and basketball are team sports too, those players have a greater impact on the outcome of a game. While this can be true about baseball as well, teams have more success when all the parts are running fluidly.

Professional baseball has been around for almost 150 years. The league hasn’t been immune from change. Except for the designated hitter, the changes have stayed within the scope of baseball traditions (including the pitch clock). None of them changed the overall fundamentals of the game. However, this new rule would go completely against how the game has been played for centuries. It would be a blatant bastardization of lineup construction and the overall batting order. Manfred seems to be trying to make MLB more pathetic than the NBA.

Baseball Has Had No Shortage Of Viral Moments

The big argument coming from supporters of the new rule is that it would create more viral moments. We would perhaps be treated to more moments like when Paul Skenes pitched to Aaron Judge in the all-star game. However, this is a moot point, baseball has had no shortage of viral from future Hall of Famers and unknown players. This is what makes the sport so thrilling and magical.

In 1991, it was utility man Gene Larkin who had the game-winning hit in the tenth inning of game seven, leading the Minnesota Twins to a World Series win. Cardinal fans haven’t forgotten about David Freese’s World Series heroics in game six in 2011. Yankee fans still remember Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run in the 2003 ALCS that sent New York to the World Series. In the 2016 World Series, it was light-hitting Rajai Davis who homered off Chicago Cubs star closer, Aroldis Chapman, to tie game seven and force extra innings. Joe Carter delivered the first and to date only World Series-winning walk-off homer in 1993.

Baseball’s most recent postseason was full of viral moments. Dodger fans aren’t going to forget Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in game one of the World Series. However, who can forget Jhonkensy Noel’s towering game-tying home run in the ALCS? The fact that it came from a relatively unknown player, who stepped up in a clutch situation, made the moment much more magical. If baseball were to implement the “Golden At-Bat” rule, it would potentially rob us of those kinds of magical moments.

The “Golden At-Bat” Rule Has No Place In Baseball

Baseball has had no shortage of iconic and viral moments over the years without the “Golden At-Bat” rule. While baseball has gone through plenty of changes over the years, the “Golden At-Bat” rule would go against nearly 150 years of tradition. Baseball has had no shortage of iconic and viral moments and doesn’t need this rule to have more. All this rule would do is potentially rob us of moments where a no-name player comes up with a clutch hit. Rob Manfred’s latest rule proposal is another reason why 2029 can’t come soon enough.

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