Rob Manfred Must Be Stopped After Claiming There Is "Buzz Amongst The Owners For A New 'Golden-At-Bat' Rule" Where Teams Can Send Any Hitter To The Plate One Time Per Game Regardless Of Where They Are In The Lineup

Sports Illustrated - As Rob Manfred continues to look for ways to spice up Major League Baseball, he apparently is considering a new out-of-the-box idea.

MLB's commissioner recently told Puck's John Ourand that the "Golden At-Bat" rule has been discussed throughout the league.

"There are a variety of [rule change ideas] that are being talked about out there. One of them—there was a little buzz around it at an owners' meeting—was the idea of a 'Golden At-Bat.'" Manfred said on The Varsity podcast.

Most probably haven't heard of the proposal for a "Golden At-Bat," but the basic concept is that a team could choose one at-bat in every game to use its best hitter regardless of where they are in the lineup. So if, say the New York Yankees had the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, they could bring Aaron Judge to the plate even if it wasn't his turn in the order. It would be a one-time replacement, not a substitution like a pinch hitter.

Upon writing this blog, I asked my dad for his opinion. He's forgotten more about baseball than I could ever dream to know. And his disdain for Rob Manfred is only surpassed by that for Roger Goodell. 

He pointed me to former Indians and White Sox owner, and Hall of Famer, Bill Veeck. 

Here were two amazing quotes of his I came across that I think apply to this situation. 

Veeck, ever the showman, understand the importance of presenting a product that kept fans engaged, entertained, and (most importantly) paying to watch.

It's why he came up with such hairbrained ideas such as -

• Disco Demolition Night: A disastrous promotion at a White Sox game where fans were encouraged to bring disco records to be destroyed, leading to a riot and the forfeiture of the game.
  
  
• Sending a midget to bat: In 1951, he sent 3-foot 7-inch Eddie Gaedel to bat for the St. Louis Browns, who walked on four pitches.
  
  
• Grandstand Manager's Day: Fans were given placards to vote on managerial decisions during a game.

(Fun fact- Veeck is also credited with the seventh inning stretch, “take me out to the ballgame” tradition. Which he started in 1979.

…Veeck decided to have announcer Harry Caray sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch.

Veeck asked Caray to sing for the entire park, but he refused. Veeck replied that he already had a recording, so Caray would be heard either way.

Caray reluctantly agreed to sing it live, accompanied by White Sox organist Nancy Faust, and went on to become famous for singing the tune, continuing to do so at Wrigley Field after becoming the broadcaster of the Chicago Cubs in

1982. This tradition has continued there since even with the death of Caray in 1998.

Granted, all things are relative, but these stunts were being conjured up back in the 70s and 80s when you could barely find a baseball game on television and couldn't pay people to go watch in person. The experience, and likewise, player salaries were a wicked far cry from what they are today. For reference, in 1983 when Wade Boggs won the batting title (.361), he was paid a then astronomical $1.2 million salary. 

This PR release "leaked" as a story through a league friendly podcast, is a concept so ridiculous, it’s almost hard to type out without laughing. In this brilliant masterstroke, teams would get to pick one at-bat per game to use their best hitter, regardless of the lineup order. 

Remember when baseball purists and the unwritten rules crowd was ready to go to war over the National League adopting the DH? 

Somehow we went from that being a bridge too far to being able to send Shohei Ohtani up, anytime Dave Roberts needs to tie the game up. 

There could be variations on it. As The Athletic's Jayson Stark points out, restricting the rule only to teams trailing at the time could be an interesting constraint. It could also lead to scenarios where a hitter bats one spot before his turn in the lineup, so what would happen if he gets on base? Would the original hitter take his spot on the bases, for the Golden hitter to step back in the batter's box for a second consecutive at-bat? There is a ton to think through here.

"That rule, and things like that, are in the conversation-only stage right now," Manfred clarified on the podcast.

One thing is for sure: If the "Golden At-Bat" rule is eventually implemented, scorecards are going to be an absolute mess.

I really wanted to get Barstool Carl's take on this whole thing, because I think he's one of, if not the best baseball writer, not just at this company, but in the country, AND, because he respects the game as much as anybody, but also realizes that nobody gets in their own way more than Major League Baseball. 

BUT, then I remembered that he is sleeping with the enemy. 

He's a big Manfred guy. So we can probably expect a propaganda piece coming down the pike very shortly after this publishes. 

I however, am not a "Rob Manfred Stan". Far from it. 

I have seen through his facade to disguise the real reason he's been here since day 1- because he's a union-buster. 

The scumbag MLB owners cherry picked him, hot out of Harvard Law School to help combat the MLBPA back when during the strike of 1994-95 (as outside counsel), and couldn't wait to snatch him up for good when the position became available. 

We had another lockout back in 2021 during his watch, and are likely headed for another one in 2026. (Deferred salaries!)

But that's not the point of this blog. 

The point is how stupid this golden-at-bat rule proposal is. 

Sure, it sounds exciting… in theory. But here’s the problem: baseball isn’t a video game. It’s a sport built on strategy, tradition, and the the inherent drama of earning your moment. The beauty of baseball lies in its unpredictability. You don’t get to manufacture heroics; they happen because the game naturally allows for them. If this rule comes into play, MLB will be ripping the soul out of its own product for the sake of cheap thrills.

This is one step above the 30-point shot on MTV's Rock & Jock Bball game. 

(I spent way too much time than I'd like to admit scouring the internet for the softball eqivalent of this. I could swear that the softball games had a golden softball or something that a batter or manager could call for and if the player went yard with it it counted for 10 runs or something crazy like that. Again, not far off from where MLB is headed. But I couldn't find it and now I'm thinking it's just a Mandela Effect thing messing with me? Anybody else remember this?)

Manfred’s desperation to capture new fans is painfully obvious, but his approach is all wrong. Baseball’s challenges- the pace of play, youth engagement, and marketability, won’t be solved by a goofy rule that cheapens the competition. 

The issue isn’t the product itself; it’s how it’s presented. Lean into the game’s strategy, history, and stars, (especially its stars) instead of slapping on gimmicks that make it look like a reality show.

The "Golden At-Bat" also undermines the fundamental fairness of the game. The lineup is sacred. It’s the manager’s chessboard, and navigating it is one of the most fascinating parts of baseball. You don’t just skip ahead because you need a big play. 

This rule introduces more problems than it solves. Who bats next if your “Golden” hitter gets on base? Does the original hitter take over? Does the Golden At-Bat hitter get to bat twice in a row? Does the original batter magically reappear on first? Do we have a designated runner situation? And if it’s only available for teams that are trailing, does it become just another participation trophy for the losing team?

Even if the specifics get ironed out, think of the mess this would create for scorekeeping, analytics, and fan engagement. Baseball has enough trouble explaining the infield fly rule to casual fans. Now you want to throw in this bullshit?

Credit where credit is due, the pitch clock has done wonders for the game .

(David Ortiz told me that he would absolutely dominate today thanks to it, and also thanks to managers not being able to change pitchers every at bat- check out the interview here if you haven't)

It's made unbearable 4.5 hour games a relic of the past. Kept fans interested and helped attract younger audiences. 

But aside from that, this idea is just the latest chapter in Manfred’s ongoing saga of trying to reinvent the wheel. From juiced balls to extra innings automatic runners, he seems hell-bent on fixing problems that nobody asked him to fix. The worst part? It’s all driven by a misunderstanding of what makes baseball special.

Manfred and the owners think fans want spectacle, but what they really want is authenticity. They want the nail-biting tension of a late-game rally. They want to see players rise to the occasion within the natural flow of the game. 

Remember how unbelieavable this year's post-season was? (Until that dud of a World Series) There is nothing like, true, legitimate, meaningful baseball. 

Gimmicks like the “Golden At-Bat” don’t enhance the experience. They cheapen it. 

Instead of throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, here’s an idea: grow the game by focusing on what already makes it great. Showcase the stars. Embrace the rivalries. Invest in youth leagues and grassroots programs to get more kids playing.

Stop trying to turn baseball into a cheap carnival sideshow. Focus on addressing real issues like competitive balance in a league that's become the "haves vs. the have nots", and promoting the game to the next generation that you're losing rapidly to the NBA. 

Speeding up the game with pitch clocks? Fine. But this “Golden At-Bat” thing? Leave it on the cutting-room floor where it belongs.

If Rob Manfred and the MLB owners think this is the kind of innovation that’s going to save baseball, then the sport is in bigger trouble than I thought. Baseball doesn’t need a golden ticket; it needs smarter leadership. And unfortunately for the fans, that’s the one thing that seems to be in short supply.

p.s. - I don't think Dave or I have ever mentioned this but back during that lockout in 2021-2022 Anthony Rizzo, Freddie Freeman, and a handful of other big-name players got together and pitched an idea to do an unofficial "home run derby" for charity in partnership with Barstool. They were all sitting around bored, being locked out of official spring training, so it was a fun idea. And it was for charity. After bringing the idea to Dave and Erika, Dave and I thought about doing a modern-day Barstool Rock n Jock softball game instead. The players loved it and just when Erika was set to get to work on lining up advertisers and logistics, the lockout ended and spring training reopened. What could have been… I still think we should make something like this happen as there's no other company around today that could pull it off, nor execute on the level we could. Not to mention it would probably blow the ratings for the All-Star Game out of the water and be a huge draw.