MLB's New "Golden At-Bat Rule"

[@actiumgd2891]

If it's the 9th inning, and your boy isn't due up, that means that your boy had his chance in the 7th or 8th. Don't mess around with it.

[@benkofi8570]

A double with no-one on base doesn't have the same impact as a double with the bases loaded. Not all at-bats are equal. That's not a conclusive argument

[@AntonelliBaseball]

@@actiumgd2891 true!

[@jono601]

Pinch hitter and runners are sort of the same idea. Such a big difference whether that player subbed is in the game already or sitting on the bench (sarcasm)

[@Ericericericericericeric]

What if they intentionally walked him? How is it fair that he gets no chance because the other team is scared of him ?

[@jono601]

@@Ericericericericericeric teams do this now. puts extra runner on base.

[@venalleader2909]

we need to come to grips with the fact that the people who come up with these rules actually hate the sport. This is just another form of money grab for them. The most valuable hit in the entire history of baseball was by a relatively-unknown catcher named Hal Smith, who played at a time when there was another catcher named Hal Smith. That's what makes this sport so incredible.

[@JustMeELC]

Bingo! Owners are shamelessly greedy & Manfred hates baseball sigh

[@arinerm1331]

Yes! My first thought about the Golden At-Bat rule was that it deprives us of the opportunity to see a .223 hitter turning a game around in the most unlikely way. As to the reply from @@JustMeELC I agree that Rob Manfred is ruining the game worse than Bud Selig, which was a pretty high bar to clear.

[@aa697]

Agree 100%. They are trying to destroy the game of baseball with these crazy rules. Ghost runners in extra innings, three batter minimum when bringing in a reliever, can't take out the second baseman or shortstop when sliding into 2nd base, can't take out the catcher on a play at home, pitch clock and now this golden at bat BS.

[@rimurutempest1646]

I respect your take but a money grab could only happen if the fans watched the sport and if their making more money from the rule that means more eyes have been put on the sport and that’s what you want as a fan to see your sport have a billion fans one day I think this rule could get baseball closer to that think about soccer players and NFL players they get crazy views yet Baseball players get more money than them yet no one outside of diehard fans haven’t even seen their face before but if the sports biggest stars had an opportunity to score big every game the sport could change for the best but I definitely see your point of view but hear me out World Series game two final inning imagine if they could’ve put Soto instead of Trevino we could’ve seen two grand slams in the World Series back to back it would’ve definitely been more thrilling

[@venalleader2909]

@@rimurutempest1646 anyone who understands baseball knows the "golden at bat" would be a flop. Even the biggest stars make outs 65-70% of the time. It's just making a joke out of the sport. Why not just have 9 hitters and 9 fielders and no connection between them? Would that be better if it brought in more fans?

[@howardroark413]

They should make a new rule that says you can't change the rules anymore.

[@tomdarragh8692]

So true

[@markc5771]

Man am i with you on this!!! Can't stand interleague play. Now there's no difference between the leagues. Bring back the pitcher batting. Strategy is part of the fun.

[@raelsackey104]

Why do we think it’s a good thing for us to change something to suit the people least vested in it? If you can’t appreciate this beautiful game for what it is, then in my opinion, your opinion shouldn’t matter as much as those that love the uniqueness of the game as is! Why don’t we just go ahead and legalize steroids so players can do extraordinary things to make the game more exciting? I’ll tell you why! Because we want to appreciate the greatness of human beings in our natural state, even the ones who may not be as talented as others. Every successful at bat by the eighth or ninth batter in the lineup, reminds the fan that even regular people like him/her, has an equal chance to do something spectacular and important if given a fair chance! It is a metaphor for the kind of country we want to create, where the “elites” can’t get multiple bites of the apple, and even avoid prosecution from crimes, because of their wealth, power, or celebrity status! Ooops! Sorry! We were talking baseball!😂

[@tonyk4621]

Man you did it keep the rules the same wtf

[@mhern57]

Enough with the changes. No need to keep digging in the bag of tricks for the sake of it. Let's live with the changes we have now for a while. There's been plenty already. What would be next, a Golden Run?🙄

[@michaelfuller34]

I’m with Freddy, this is like arena football. Leave my favorite sport alone!

[@AntonelliBaseball]

@@michaelfuller34 for sure!

[@michaelsegriff3362]

I knew exactly what Freddie would say. And he’s right.

[@DemonKingBadger]

I was thinking blernball from Futurama

[@dabneylanghorne6192]

I think you would miss those unsung heroes and playoff games. We wouldn't have a David freese moment from the Cardinals world series

[@venalleader2909]

yeah, who gives a shit about Bill Mazeroski or Bucky Dent?

[@AntonelliBaseball]

@@dabneylanghorne6192 good point!

[@AppleJuice-eo4gh]

@@venalleader2909Everybody did after they came through in the clutch. One of the best parts about baseball is that the person you least expect can be the hero of the game. That’s what makes the sport better than Basketball or Football.

[@venalleader2909]

@@AppleJuice-eo4gh yeah, and the "Golden At Bat" will be incredibly disappointing because great hitters fail 65-70% of the time

[@jaffleyfifteen5912]

@@venalleader2909baseball historians that’s who

[@EdwardCurrent]

This is absolute BS. I'm all for rule changes and evolution -- bring on the robo-umps, make fair-or-foul electronic, hell make it so they have to run clockwise around the bases every other inning just to mix it up. But this is would break one of the fundamental aspects of the game: batting order. Why not allow one roster addition in the middle of the game? Baseball means being stuck with your roster and batting order and having to deal with it. Worst idea I've ever heard.

[@ohger1]

Clockwise, eh?🤔

[@Jerome7-v5u]

I actually think running clockwise is a fantastic idea. No joke forcing a team to hit to all sides of the field keeps it entertaining.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

Maybe allow it under specific circumstances. Only right-handed batters after August, and only on Tuesdays under a new moon.

[@danballe]

Jokes aside, I think the One ROster +1 out of the blue would be more fun and better for HItting than this inane motion from the owners and Manfred

[@silentf0e]

Lol its EdwardCurrent! Checkmated any Atheists lately? :D P.S. I like watching you dismantle truthers in the comments section of your Building 7 videos.

I hate it. The Bucky Dent HR would not have happened with this horrible rule. Plus, Trout vs. Ohtani would no longer be special if it happened every day.

[@shrimp5033]

I really don’t like this, because as someone else in the comments section has said it’s exciting when a non superstar gets a crucial hit. For example Jim leyritz hitting a walk-off home run in game 2 of the 1995 ALDS

[@bradzeigler]

Don't ask me what I think...I'm still salty with the NL adding the DH. Part of the strategy of baseball is planning around lineups, and part of the excitement is watching the triple A call-up who's due up nail a walk-off home run. That's what's exciting about baseball. This golden at bat might be fun for the fans of one team, but also is an expletive-filled eye-roll for the fans of the opposing team. Why don't we just go back to the days where the batter could request what type of pitch they wanted? Forcing the pitcher to throw a fastball down the middle might make things more exciting too, right?

[@JackKnoxx]

Universal DH is a good thing. No one is trying to watch a pitcher hit.

[@huntermach7356]

DH should not be a thing in either league, if a pitcher can hit a batter then they should also be willing to take it.

[@bradzeigler]

@@JackKnoxx that's your opinion. Last I checked there was some Japanese pitcher who apparently is a pretty good hitter too. Game needs more two way players.

[@AppleJuice-eo4gh]

@@JackKnoxxThink of all the great moments that happened with a pitcher hitting. The relief pitcher who hit the home run in Atlanta when Jon Sterling was shocked, the Bartolo Colon home run, or Max Scherzer complaining about how lucky his teammates were getting. The NL DH took away so much strategy from baseball, and it took away future hilarious pitchers hitting moments.

[@danielosterman9676]

Commissioner may yet succeed in turning M L B into playground whiffle-ball. 😡

[@Greasyspleen]

What kills me is, this is the result of a slippery slope that started with a much older rule that I hate. The designated hitter.

[@ronondechek14]

NFL here we come.

[@paules0099]

Amen! The pitcher is part of the game, meaning pitchers have to bat, dammit!

[@roywall8169]

💯

[@caseybuentello]

Michael Kay brought up doing something almost exactly like this towards the end of last season. Not a coincidence the example was a yankees game. This is a straight up gimmick. Freddy and Joe both nailed it with their takes.

[@IAm-qf2xb]

NO NO NO NO NO MANFRED MUST GO

[@JustMeELC]

Except he just does what the shamelessly greedy billionaire owners want sigh

[@alsacrime4806]

@@JustMeELCThe Commissioner of MLB has a l w a y s worked for the owners exclusively, but in the past there was the pretext of magnanimity. This rule is full-on assclownery and they are turning the National Pastime into a 10th-rate carnival. The cabal is hell-bent on alienating lifelong fans, the same corporate gangsterism that characterized the Astros’ rise to prominence. On behalf of The Game: BARF.🤮

[@IAm-qf2xb]

@ I wrote a longer comment in support of you that was removed. I still agree.

[@godblesstrolls]

Yes, for sure! While we are at it....if you are batting under .200 you get 4 strikes but the second baseman can only throw to first underhanded. And if 6 lefty batters bat in a row the other team gets a run.

[@meazer]

You’re only giving Manfred more ideas

[@gamrkidd]

Let’s also implement a GOLDEN TEE rule. Every team has ONE golden opportunity to literally put a little league Tee on home plate every game to make it easier to hit a homer. But WATCH OUT - you only get one opportunity per game!

[@babylonian.captivity]

hahahaahahah! Perfect. For real.

[@dodiad]

How ’bout a slaughter rule like in Little League? If a team is ahead by 10 runs or more, they don’t get to bat in their half of the inning. The other team just gets to keep batting until they narrow the score. Hell, let’s just make it 5 runs instead of 10. No more blowouts, every game is close. Or here’s an idea: if the game goes into extra innings, both teams get to start the inning with a runner already on second base. Oh, wait . . .

[@karenhewes1257]

No, no, no, no, no. This will ruin baseball. We have enough exciting moments in the game that come back "organically." We don't need to play around with it. PLEASE don't let this happen!

[@truekingofthejungle9038]

Why not just take on all the Savanah Bananas Ball?! WTF? This is Manfred taking a page out of the another horrible commish in the NFL, "We need scoring up" so they do dumb stuff like making incomplete passes illegal so we have more points. Like its exciting to watch the refs tell us why the teams are walking down the field. It ruined the game for fans of the game in order to attract people who are not fans. It makes no sense to change your game that people love, for people who will never like it.

[@AntonelliBaseball]

@@truekingofthejungle9038 😂

[@curlyfries5095]

I refuse to watch any thing regarding the Savanna Bananas. What a travesty they make of the game of baseball. If Manfred the Wonder Dork thinks this type of thing is good for the game he has totally lost me. He needs to concentrate on why the Dodgers can get away with deferring the majority of Ohtani’s contract so they can load up now on other overpaid players. Bowie Kuhn would have tossed that contract ASAP, and I was no Bowie Kuhn fan.

[@truekingofthejungle9038]

@curlyfries5095 i love the Savanah Bananas (more of a Party Animals fan but..) when I am watching them ,I know what I am watching. I do not want to furn on a MLB game and see those shenanigans though. Its apples and oranges really. Its a fun crowd involved game that moves fast, its great, but only for what it is. It should not become the standard of baseball thats for sure.

[@bigsasha500]

Teams should have to build rallies! If your best hitter is due up 5th in the inning, you had better get on base!

[@acelm8437]

Exactly! The at-bats with RISP are the most tense and exciting parts of baseball. I'm a new fan but would love if more teams played small ball again and weren't just swinging for HRs.

[@johnzzhu]

Why not just give your 27 outs to whoever you want? Have Harper hit 27 times. Have 9 DHs. Split offense and defense like the nfl.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

Add in some special teams for certain situations...

[@irtnyc]

That's called cricket, basically. Everybody bats until everybody is caught/thrown/bowled out. One guy can put up a 100 runs before he gets out.

[@johnzzhu]

​@@irtnyc Little known fact, we fought a war just so we didn't have to play in sweaters.

[@philip7833]

Part of what makes baseball great is that it’s “Americas past time” it’s a very traditional sport that’s been passed down from generation to generation. It’s more than a game, it’s a culture. All these rule changes take away the historical and nostalgic aesthetic that is baseball.

[@JT29501]

Absolutely, they are destroying one of their biggest selling points. I'm fine with the pitch clock because the amount of time some guys were taking really took the piss, but banning the shift (i.e. mandating where players have to stand), universal DH, potentially messing with the batting order? That's all way too far and destroys what makes baseball so unique in the first place - that you are watching fundamentally the same game today that was played 100 years ago.

[@jamesgage5418]

​@@JT29501 they also take away the ability to compare today's players to legends of the past. Why do we have records, then? Why keep stats?

[@JT29501]

@@jamesgage5418 Yeah that's a big shame too. I forgot to mention the ghost runners in my original reply too of course.

[@curtisharvey5579]

This feeels like NASCAR creating a single race championship format for the "game 7" moment. The specialness of that "game 7" moment wore off after a few years

[@BruhMomentTTV]

Honestly I think this is an even worse idea. And I'm saying this a diehard NASCAR fan

[@GS-vb3zn]

I hear Manfred also wants to have something called the Red Circle. A red circle will be set up on top of the the fence in the deepest part of the outfield in every park. It’ll be 15 feet in diameter and if a batter hits it for a home run, then an extra three runs will be added on top of the home run’s original total. Some are already calling it the 3 Point Circle.

[@bonefishboards]

Try it in the all-star game? It's like every at-bat is the Golden At-Bat Rule.

[@TheBierp]

Terrible idea. If you crave artificial drama this much, just stop testing for steroids.

[@JimH-ey4ov]

I gave up on the MLB "improvements" with the designated hitter! Now you have bigger bases, runners on second in extra innings, robo balls and strikes coming? I'll stay home and give up on the MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA. Results are fixed to the benefit the ownership mobs! Maybe the opposition can pick the next hitter?

[@paulpinball9952]

No lie, they're all fixed, and wagering companies now buy huge amounts of broadcast advertising.

[@willdiaz6050]

That sounds effing lame to me. I’m not against rule changes in general, but this one sucks. What a cheesy gimmick. Let the Savanna Bannanas keep that childishness.

[@michaelsegriff3362]

How about starting in the 10th inning, you start with the bases loaded and can bat any players you want, any order you want, but the same batter can’t bat consecutively, unless it’s a Tuesday?

[@willdiaz6050]

@ Two-fer Tuesday!

[@BrettShadow]

Manfred is making history! He is the first commissioner of a sport who actually despises everything about said sport.

[@jamesmyrick9083]

A great thing with baseball is how performances compare with the past. There's already a lot of things that muddy these efforts. I don't like it.

[@raelsackey104]

@@jamesmyrick9083 Good point! Fans like nothing better than comparing eras. (Not earned run averages) There will soon be no points of reference, no tradition!, no continuity. I, like so many others, was introduced to the game by my father….the same game! Not some reasonable facsimile of the game!

[@dougsiddall4506]

One of the things that makes baseball such a beautiful game is the fact that it's a TRUE team sport. In order to have a consistently winning team, you need offensive production up and down the lineup. Everyone doesn't have to be a 90-RBI guy, but they need to be productive in some manner. Taking your best hitter and just inserting him into the lineup once a game takes away from that. I vote no.

[@etadaking]

I'm 37, and I'm a new baseball fan (have known baseball since I was 9, but only fan for 2 years), and I HATE the idea of Golden At-Bat. I love game of strategizing your line-up, love Trout-Ohtani moment, but I also so love that sometimes your best hitter will miss the opportunity to come up and seal the game. That is what makes baseball interesting. So the executive that loves the idea is WRONG about new fans like me. We love baseball as it is. If this rule is implemented, a lot of new fans like me will leave, and I'm a Shohei fan as well, but HATE the idea.

[@Tim_the_Enchanter]

How about an offense and a defense? Nine designated hitters. That sounds like fun. Let's do that.

[@rickseuferer5418]

That would be the end of baseball for me. Just make every game a HR hitting contest. Get a commissioner that actually likes the game not just trying to attract 20 somethings to watch.

[@sortofanoakyafterbirth3661]

The tiktok Goldfish brained morons? Yeah, I wouldn't cater to them at all. They'll never have enough money saved up anyway.

[@ajmacphoto]

They basically had this with pitching but then they implemented batter minimums. If you can’t have golden relievers why have this? Manfred wants to golden shower all over baseball. Also would we have a Big Sexy homer with this rule? What about Koo Dae-Sung vs Randy Johnson? How much harder will this make it for a young player to get playing time. Forget a cup of coffee, guys are going to have to settle for an espresso. Manfred can start his own league and play Calvinball in his back yard. I want to watch regular baseball because after over a century and hundreds of thousands of professional games you still see weird and wild new things happen because of the players. They are really what makes baseball great. Not gimmicky rules.

[@JeffBaker]

As far as drama, look at Game 3 of the ALCS. A rookie, Jhonkensy Noel, is sent in to pinch hit with 2 outs and hits a home run to tie the game. Would that moment have been as dramatic and memorable if it had been Jose Ramirez. Sometimes, those moments are remembered because that guy who can't bat his weight comes through with a clutch hit.

[@MiscThoughts]

Chasing short attentions with record nullifying changes to the game upsets everything. Being jealous of Banana-ball and its popularity, respectable and expected. The entertainment industry known as MLB needs a pick-me-up in the softer markets, but changes like this seem like good conversation more than a functional adjustment. Also, the ripple effect into the lower levels. Little League would be broken.

[@nedlitam]

You don't have to be a "purist" to oppose the new GAB idea. Removing pitchers from the batting order already juiced the game without fundamentally changing its architecture. Pinch hitters are always available. The owners can't stop fantasizing about cashing in on a theoretical new fan base, but people who want adrenalin rushes every five minutes aren't likely baseball fans anyway unless you fundamentally alter it. (On that note, I love the 7th-through-9th inning home-run-derby joke.) The whole thing is clownish and greedy.

[@terrywho22]

Flat out stupid. First it's one "Golden At-Bat", then its 2, 3... 5. What they need to do is add another 5 seconds to the pitch clock. 1/2 the players coming up to bat look rushed.

[@JustMeELC]

And injuries are up league wide... But you know $$$ over everything sigh

[@terrywho22]

@@JustMeELC 💯

[@Jsully78]

This just sounds dumb'

[@onnieduvall2565]

I’m a purist. Stop playing with the game. Get rid of the DH and let pitchers bat like they did in the old days.

[@MM33003]

No one wants to see pitchers hit. Get over it.

[@Ishin69]

okay boomer

[@chuckinhouston9952]

Get rid of this stupid, communist commissioner.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

@@MM33003Ignorant comment. Get over it, son.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

@@Ishin69Okay, son.

[@michaelsegriff3362]

First order of business: Manfred should be fired.

[@stevendriver1399]

I think we are all getting punk'd. Nobody is considering this. I suggest to Manfred...let's say, your in a a bit of a pinch, a batter is up who doesn't do well against the current pitcher, you can have a different guy bat for that guy, but only if they haven't played in the game yet. How's that for a new rule? Not sure what you would call that batter. I'd call him a relief batter. The other team could replace the pitcher, too. I'd call that a "pinch" pitcher. I think this would be great for the sport.

[@mastercko]

I was talking about this with a friend of mine, and what I ended up thinking was just about exactly the same points as what Joe Maddon said. It completely undercuts the concept of team play, undoes 100+ years of core strategy in batting order and reliever management, cheapens the actual big moments by making the whole thing manufacturable whenever you want, etc. etc. and for what, exactly? A lot of the he other recent rule changes, I can at least see how they were pitched as being about speeding things up, creating more interactions within the rules and playstyles that already exist, and otherwise just heightening the sport within the spirit of what it already was, so they have ended up being pretty well received. This kind of nonsense, though, shows that no one is immune from losing the plot, not even Golden Boy Manfred.

[@MikeHart72]

Is this for real ? If so one of the stupidest ideas I’ve heard in a while

[@gabrielrockman]

There are very few rule changes by MLB that I have liked. The rules to protect players from dirty slides (or collisions at home) is about the only change that I have liked. I don't see any need to ban the shift, for a pitch clock, to limit throws to first base, for the designated hitter, for multiple wildcards, etc. They have done a great job making me lose interest in baseball.

[@chuckinhouston9952]

But I’m sure the gays like it.

[@PaulMcElligott]

7:39 This executive should not work in baseball. Sports are not reality television.

[@glynnmcneill1875]

If you want offence, shrink the strike zone to favor hitters.

[@josephstuby8373]

Absolutely not!! If you want that kind of garbage, go watch banana ball. Manfred is a disgrace as a commish and will go down in the history of the game as the absolute worst!

[@JustMeELC]

Manfred hates baseball but its billionaire owners shameless greed driving the bs ugh

[@jono601]

Isn’t pinch hitting and pinch runners sort of the same idea?

[@ronaldwayne7092]

@@jono601 No, becuase Nohit Shortstop would remain in the game under this proposal.

[@jono601]

@@ronaldwayne7092 I didn't say it was the exact same thing. it's the same concept. just slightly different players. guys off the bench can pinch hit. But it's completely different if it's guys on the lineup?

[@brianbieron4733]

It is hard to think of a worse idea. Madden's critique was spot on, point by point. And no, nobody cares if Steph Curry takes the last shot in a game in Sacramento in December.

[@russellcurtis2501]

Additionally, with the NBA example, teams can draw up the play to get the last shot in the hands of Curry or James, but the other team can also double/triple team that player and force you to take the shot with someone else.

[@DAWGpound1776]

Not a fan at all. It prevents a player from having a "clutch" moment which could change their career. If Juan Soto gets a game winning hit no surprise. But if the rookie gets that hit it changes history

[@dustycheddar4261]

They should have to let one random fan bat every game instead of this.

[@stevewiley8409]

ridiculous... theoretically this rule would give Ohtani 162 more at bats in a season.. To hell with HR, RBI, SB records

[@a.hardin620]

Easy no from me, a cheap gimmick that threatens the integrity of the game. Another example: Golden Out Rule change: a team has the option once in a game to extend an inning by 1 out to 4 outs. 😂

[@hrockoff]

how much more could Soto command on the open market if he was going to get an extra 50-100 ABs per year? This is a non-starter

[@brianbuckley9682]

Next will be a "silver at-bat" rule. Where each team gets to pick an inning in which all batters that inning get to use a metal bat

[@babylonian.captivity]

Yes! hahahahahahaahahah!!!

[@ronburgundy8174]

Dumb idea. Let's not turn baseball into a carnival.

[@markt8086]

I don't like that rule and hope it does not become implemented. Strategy is often a big part of the game. Especially since the situation can change with every pitch. I can picture a counter strategy of HBP of the golden at-bat. Not an IBB.

[@danflammang6583]

I thought this was a joke. In a way I was right. What else is next... in every second inning runners get prepositioned halfway between the bases, or maybe the offense gets to make one defender play without a glove each inning? Why not, just make the bats Titanium or whatever... they have zero respect for the game.

[@hardyworld]

I have a much simpler/better suggestion: add the option that the team can have a "Pinch-Hitter" from off the bench replace the batter in the lineup. /s

[@mvan8307]

Rules that stroke egos have no place in professional sports.

[@sportsrefereeeconnection4884]

This is the dumbest idea ever!! These people are not baseball people. The game is better in charge of baseball people. They do stuff like this, they are going to lose the real baseball fan. Why are they trying so hard to hold the attention of someone who watches the game for three innings. Besides, by the time a team uses this, a lot of fans have left the game or turned it off anyway. People leave college and NFL games by middle of the 4th quarter. They need to go home, or want to beat traffic. What are we doing here? Trying to appease 10 percent of the population to get their attention for a few minutes is crazy!! Leave the game alone!!

[@LuisGonzalez-cw3so]

I agree with Freeman, Maddon, and Antonelli. That said, I can come up with one version of the rule that might be acceptable to me. There has to be more of a cost to a team to exercise their golden at-bat opportunity. So, I would possibly find it acceptable if the player chosen for the golden at-bat has to sit out the next game. That extra wrinkle would make it so that teams likely wouldn't use the opportunity every game. When they would use the opportunity it would likely be scenarios where they're playing a division rival and the next game is perhaps against a less challenging opponent. At least in the version I'm proposing, the star player wouldn't get an extra 162 at-bats for the season, relievers wouldn't always be facing the star batters from the opposing teams, and there might be a few more opportunities for fans to get to see the star players batting in crucial end of game moments. I could still do without the rule. But I might be able to tolerate the version I just described.

[@LuisGonzalez-cw3so]

Just to add one more Idea... On top of the Golden at-bat hitter having to sit out the next game, maybe the offense needs to give up an out to be able to use the rule. This would also limit the usage of golden at-bat opportunities because if a team is down by 3 in the ninth, for example, it wouldn't make sense to use the opportunity until you had at least a couple base runners. And by the time you get a couple base runners, maybe you've also got a couple outs. So the defensive team could save themselves from having to face a golden at-bat opportunity from the other team. With this wrinkle added, I could possibly tolerate revising the requirement of the player sitting out the next game to them receiving an automatic out for their next at-bat. The out doesn't have to count against them in their individual statistics, but the team would receive an automatic out. So it could be their first time up in the next game they play in. So, I think they either need to sit out the entire next game or have their team receive an automatic out at the time they use their golden at-bat opportunity as well as an additional automatic out in their next scheduled at-bat. I can still do without this rule entirely.

[@bluecreekroad]

This might be the worst idea for a rule change I've personally ever heard floated out there for MLB. I wouldn't even want to see this in an ASG... HOWEVER, this sounds like a really fun idea for a slowpitch beer league, or the annual military softball tourney I play in that's solely for bragging rights (and also drinking beer) lol

[@tboicourt]

Who ever came up with need to be fired! To many owners and execs only care about money. The game is getting put on the back burner.

[@GlizzyMcGuyere]

I see this as a completely out of touch suggestion and comparing the game to basketball is illustrative of that fact. Pinch hitting already exists, and with enough stipulation to keep the game interesting. Also, while the ramifications for ‘lesser’ players in the league would be big, imagine what a change like this does at all the lower levels. How many kids are gonna have to stomach watching the coach’s son strikeout in their place? Or how many minor leaguers won’t get their chance to prove their spot to their senior? Its one AB sure, but top loading the league for stars leaves the game in shambles.

[@threebeerss]

Hey, at least you can hear the beeping lol

[@alvinthecat8426]

Who proposes these rule changes? MLB is slowly going the way of NBA. So who would CWS or DET or COL put in there.

[@martinbansey719]

A terrible idea that must surely (?!) be something to keep people talking baseball during the quietest news time. A lot of good reasons not to do it described above and below the line here but one more to consider: What happens to those unsung heroes who score the game?

[@flaquis2729]

This would be stupid. It could be even stupider if the defense could bring in a pitching machine, that throws 120 mph fastballs, to counter the golden batter.

[@paulpinball9952]

Or, a villainous Golden Headhunter.

[@michaelpennington8410]

Of all the dumbest things Rob Manfred has come up with this is the dumbest. Clock? DH in the NL? RP min batters? Ghost runners? Now free AB's for the best hitters? Is this even the Baseball we all grew up on anymore?

[@chrisfriedline]

If MLB wants more fans maybe they should stop messing around with the rules and stop blacking out the home team.

[@plantacademy3073]

I flat out despise this insane golden at-bat rule!

[@billnoi]

If you want the better at bats, eliminate the 8, 9 hitters.

[@mmnj6963]

Ridiculous. When I was about 11, some of my friends tried that BS on the playground. It didn’t fly then, and I hope it never does.

[@pfailor]

I hate the ghost runner with all my heart and I hate this idea even more. I agree that the golden ab is banana ball.

[@LeoAmbrogi-ou9jp]

How about just an 8 man lineup.

[@JonClemence]

You should consider reaching out to Trevor May. He also made a video about this. I think it would be pretty cool to watch the two of you discuss things like this, especially with the pitcher/hitter dynamic at work.

[@itsnotme07]

Hello Jesse Cole? How's that Golden At-Bat working for you? It's just awesome! Banana Ball possibly impacts MLB....very cool! Let's add in foul balls caught by a fan is an out. LOL

[@Kwolfx]

This has been a great stunt for a minor league team to draw more attention and more fans. It is an utterly stupid idea for the major leagues. Tweaking things like the pitch clock is one thing, the golden at bat rule would change baseball into something else. Something that isn’t baseball.

[@JustMeELC]

Manfred truly hates baseball & billionaire owners are greed driven above shame ugh 🙄🤦

[@somethingelsedoesmatter]

If they truly cared about what fans think, they'd do something about shitty umps. I'm ready for fully automatic robo umps. Tired of seeing so many great pitches being miscalled.

[@stephenkaake7016]

I am going to propose a rule, home runs now count as outs(the runs count), 3 balls instead of 4, a 'if no one is on base' the batter doesn't have to swing, he only gets 3 pitches, if he choses not to swing he gets the base, so the batter has a choice, the pitcher can just lob some balls, the purpose is to get balls on bat

[@illhaveanother8173]

Look, the reason MLB is losing viewers has nothing to do with the content. There is no need to try and spice it up. Put it back on TV. The advantage baseball has was it just on 5 nights a week, and for part of the year it's the only sport of the big 4 that is even running. Now you have to pay $50+ per month to follow a team, and it's still full of advertisements. Degenerate gamblers don't care, while regular fans said no way am I doing that. All you have to do is put it back on TV with no blackouts and people will see MLB's advertisers again.

[@babylonian.captivity]

100% this. I didn't follow my beloved Yankees this year because I just couldn't bite the bullet to pay the hundred bucks a month it would have cost. And that exact thing has happened in the past, too. When I was a kid, they were on channel 11 every day and I watched them every day. Then in the mid eighties they moved over to Sportschannel and had like one game a week on free tv. My family didn't have cable and so I basically drifted away. Not because I didn't love baseball or my Yankees, but because they didn't love me! (I.e., they became inaccessible.).

[@joealessandra7726]

yeah this doesn't make sense, seems like an idea cooked up in a marketing conference room by people who have no concept of what baseball or sports are.

[@黒いジャムス]

Come the day and come the hour ,come the man, Come the power and the glory. A chance for any man to be a hero, taken away in the name of entertainment.

[@10Peter25]

Change does not necessarily equal progress.

[@michaelpennington8410]

Rob Manfred would be wise to take a look at what has happened to NASCAR. NASCAR was so entertaining and the fastest growing sport in the late 90's to mid 2000's. Then they went silly with the rules. Now they are irrelevant with a nonsense and unfair points system that nobody understands. Please don't do this to Baseball Mr. Manfred.

[@irtnyc]

This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Everyone involved should be fired or forced to sell their team. IMHO

[@tflash2612]

Sounds like a mockery. Might as well start adding power ups, extra lives, and level (inning) skips. Sounds like someone is watching too much Savannah Bananas.

[@Dr.StephenH2017]

Let's get back to pure baseball. It isn't broke, don't fix it!

[@randywhitehair5403]

You're all missing the big silver lining here! The example he used for Witt, Jr. getting two ABs in a row made me realize this. This is a chance for MLB to FINALLY implement the ghost man! Who among us doesn't love it when the highest level of baseball resembles a back yard whiffle ball game being played by a group of five 9 year olds?

[@babylonian.captivity]

Who, indeed!

[@heysmithify]

Batting team's manager: "Send in our best hitter." Fielding team's manager: "Walk him."

[@craigcavaliere6744]

If everyday was Christmas, nobody would care about it.

[@mikepuncsak7297]

Those powers that be need to quit tinkering with baseball

[@nacoran]

I've got a different rule I'd like to see, one that would give good hitters better at bats. It's a fix for intentional walks. It would, I think, be better than the automatic intentional walk, although it could be combined with it... make pitchers pitch to batters by making it so any 4 pitch walk puts the batter on 2nd instead of 1st. The logic for it is basically it forces the pitcher to get at least one strike. That means the hitter gets at least one decent pitch in most situations. Runner on second and a great hitter up? You don't intentionally walk him because it pushes the runner to third and it doesn't set up the double play. If you do get that one strike? Well, now you are just two strikes away, so maybe you go after them. It also puts more pressure on a pitcher who is struggling. If you fall behind 3-0 it's always a hitters count, but if the batter will get at least two bases with another ball? That creates new strategy. I don't even like the golden at bat for all star games. Think about it... you've got a bench full of all star hitters and you tell someone that you are sending up Ohtani or Judge instead of giving them an at bat. I agree that it kills the idea of team. Now, spring training... the games don't count and it's not a prestige situation. Maybe there it works. Sure, if you want to win you send up a Soto or a Judge, but maybe you want to see how your rookie responds in a high leverage situation. In spring training it actually creates some actual utility. Heck, in spring training do it once an inning. That lets you get more at bats for hitters you either want to evaluate or for hitters you think need a few more swings to get locked in.

[@MH-Tesla]

Hate that bat rule idea!

[@OccidentalonPurpose]

Flip it around, give each team a chance to pick the batter for one of the opponent's at-bats, so they can make the worst hitter go up there and flail and maybe get lucky once in awhile which would be humiliating for the pitching team.

[@babylonian.captivity]

hahahahaahahaha!! Like a reverse Uno!

[@LBlucher13]

This rule is far more annoying than your smoke detector's noise.

[@BobWGABIAB]

I would like to see a rule that once you get to the 10th inning, possibly later, batters and defensive replacements can return once you run out, especially in the All Star game. Maybe you would have to put in players in the same order they exited. I really like this for catchers since the position is so specific and teams sometimes like to use the other catcher as the DH.

[@johnr8645]

I dont think the players union would be down for this. This is potentially taking a job away from a depth player. Those bench bats who pinch hit, wont be needed. That guy often is then subbed out for a better runner or defender, so now maybe 2 people dont get on the field.

[@JustMeELC]

Not to mention its a ridiculous cheap gimmick smh

[@ScottCleve33]

Let's also make a golden pitch. One at bat where the fielding team can choose to strike out a batter with one pitch. Next we'll come up with a way for a base runner to steal third base from first and some runners are wort two runs when they score instead of just one run.

[@babylonian.captivity]

Any runner who wears an even number and scores in an odd inning is worth two runs. Any runner who wears an odd number and scores in an even inning is worth four runs (because why not)?

[@ScottCleve33]

@babylonian.captivity haha. Why not?

[@TheMr32hunter]

I hate it.

[@LenLen-c1x]

Awful idea. An even worse idea than runners on base to start an inning in extra innings.

[@taccosnachos]

How about the opposing team can ask to switch the pitcher with any one else on the field for any one inning?

[@davidjarrard2678]

You can already do that though unless I’m mistaken.