You're The New MLB Commissioner

[monkeystyxx]

You're the new commissioner for the MLB. Assuming that the owners and players will agree to whatever you want, which rules do you change? Which do you abolish entirely, which do you introduce?


For me personally:

- The 'Buster Posey Rule'
Currently, a player runs to home plate, the catcher tags him out, and the umpire rolls a dice to determine if the runner is out or has scored. I'm being cynical and facetious of course, but c'mon. If last night's Cubs/Pirates game proved anything (other than Joe Maddon is a crybaby, but we knew that) it's that nobody really knows what the rule is or when it's used. Also, it proved you shouldn't run home if a bunt goes directly to the pitcher, but everyone in the stadium except Baez knew that, too.

I'd change the rule by simply adding a running lane to the third base line, the same as the first base line, extending back to the end of home plate. If any part of the catcher's body is in contact with the ground within this lane and he doesn't have the ball in his possession, the runner has priority if he's inside the lane. If he's outside the lane, or the catcher has the ball in his possession, it's fair game. Simple, black-and-white, no arguments.

- Hit By Pitch
Obviously can't remove this one. But I'd change it. It's just getting silly now. Yes, I'm looking at you, Chris Coglan and Jose Tabata. Currently, if a pitch comes into contact with any part of a batter at all anywhere in the world, he gets to walk to first base. Jose Tabata, and now Chris Coglan, among many others have proved why this is ridiculous.

New ruling: If the pitch is inside the strikezone (regardless of where on the body it hits), or below the ankles, it doesn't count. The pitcher has done his job, it's your fault as the batter if a bit of you is in the way.
No more leaning into the pitch Tabata/Rizzo/Votto style and hoping it doesn't hurt too much. No more hopping melodramatically to first base (well, most of the way before you get bored of your burgeoning acting career) when the ball bounces OVER your foot. Wear better shoes. The office of the commissioner sends it's condolences to Chris Coglan's shoelace, and hopes it recovers well from it's harrowing experience.
In the strikezone, or below the ankles, is not a hit by pitch. No matter how many times you hop (before attempting to steal second on your seconds-ago-crippled limb).

- Inter-league Play
The All-Star Game, the World Series. These are the games where the AL take on the NL. Not during the regular season, thanks. I am aware that this cripples my own team (Pirates) this year, as it means we have to lose more to the mighty Brewers and Reds, but so be it. Winning your division and your league should be about beating your division and your league. Otherwise, why have divisions? It's frankly ridiculous that we're something like 29-36 against our division and have the second best record in all of baseball - second only to our division leaders. We should replace the inter-league matches with intra-league matches (not intra-division, as playing the same 4 teams billions of times would get old).

- Reviews Of Reviews
Now or never is the theme, here. If you can't decide whether a call is good or not right there, in the moment, then don't criticise the umpire who made it. The biggest farce in MLB currently in my opinion is the seemingly-half-an-hour a manager gets to wait around on the top step while his staff look at replays to determine whether an umpire made the right call or not, before deciding whether to make some other guys look at replays to determine whether an umpire made the right call or not.

If a player disagrees with a call, he should tell the manager. The manager must then decide immediately whether to challenge the call, or not. The rest of the rules regarding challenges work pretty well, but the "30 seconds" (more like 2 minutes) the manager's replay guy gets to review the play himself first is idiotic. You challenge, or you don't. Give them an extra challenge per game if it makes them happy, but you have to decide WITHOUT watching it 20 times on video first.

-- Reviews Of Reviews 2: The Reviewening
Any manager or player who asks a crew chief to review a play gets ejected. Immediately. It's ridiculous. The crew chief review is there for instances when a crew chief disagrees with - or wants to look more closely at - a call. It's not there for when a manager isn't sure enough about the result to potentially waste a challenge, or has no challenges of his own left because he wasted them all earlier.



What would you change? Why am I wrong?

P.s, try to keep arguments over the DH to a minimum, there's a thread for that.

[CONN CHRIS]

Pick off moves. Per AB, runner / base - 3 maximum. Next one is a balk. It will make the teams be more judicious with throws to bases.

I like what Bill James said about this, to paraphrase: The rules are not sacrosanct. They were made up 100 years ago by a bunch of guys trying to make a buck off a game. If they decided that after a while, you had to 'do something' while throwing to the plate where all the action is (4 balls) they surely would have limited pick off attempts if they could have known that a century later there would be guys throwing to first 7 times in a single at bat.

[monkeystyxx]

That's a good one, actually. Would also increase the impetus on catchers throwing people out with pitchouts, too. John Lester would be pleased, at least.

Can't remember the last time I actually saw someone get picked off. Pretty sure it was a Giants game, though.

[David Watts]

I would do away with expanded rosters in September. I would allow teams to carry 30 players in April.

[TGH-Adfabre]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I would do away with expanded rosters in September. I would allow teams to carry 30 players in April.

30 players all season?

[David Watts]

I would move Houston back to the National League where they belong. Either Arizona or Colorado moves to the AL. I do this for selfish reasons. I'm a Tiger fan living in Louisiana. The Astros used to be my gateway to the National League.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by TGH-Adfabre

30 players all season?

No just for April.

[Doc_Brown]

I'd wish Loria and Wilpon all the best and good luck with whatever they choose to do next.

Whilst I'm at it, Crane would be out too, for agreeing to move the Astros to the AL to save himself some $$$$.

Only new rule I'd add at present is this: If you have the #1 pick in the previous draft you can't get the #1 in the next one.

[Green & Gold Heart]

Let the A's move to San Jose. I might be biased.

[jaxmagicman]

Originally Posted by monkeystyxx

You're the new commissioner for the MLB. Assuming that the owners and players will agree to whatever you want, which rules do you change? Which do you abolish entirely, which do you introduce?


For me personally:

- The 'Buster Posey Rule'
Currently, a player runs to home plate, the catcher tags him out, and the umpire rolls a dice to determine if the runner is out or has scored. I'm being cynical and facetious of course, but c'mon. If last night's Cubs/Pirates game proved anything (other than Joe Maddon is a crybaby, but we knew that) it's that nobody really knows what the rule is or when it's used. Also, it proved you shouldn't run home if a bunt goes directly to the pitcher, but everyone in the stadium except Baez knew that, too.

I'd change the rule by simply adding a running lane to the third base line, the same as the first base line, extending back to the end of home plate. If any part of the catcher's body is in contact with the ground within this lane and he doesn't have the ball in his possession, the runner has priority if he's inside the lane. If he's outside the lane, or the catcher has the ball in his possession, it's fair game. Simple, black-and-white, no arguments.

- Hit By Pitch
Obviously can't remove this one. But I'd change it. It's just getting silly now. Yes, I'm looking at you, Chris Coglan and Jose Tabata. Currently, if a pitch comes into contact with any part of a batter at all anywhere in the world, he gets to walk to first base. Jose Tabata, and now Chris Coglan, among many others have proved why this is ridiculous.

New ruling: If the pitch is inside the strikezone (regardless of where on the body it hits), or below the ankles, it doesn't count. The pitcher has done his job, it's your fault as the batter if a bit of you is in the way.
No more leaning into the pitch Tabata/Rizzo/Votto style and hoping it doesn't hurt too much. No more hopping melodramatically to first base (well, most of the way before you get bored of your burgeoning acting career) when the ball bounces OVER your foot. Wear better shoes. The office of the commissioner sends it's condolences to Chris Coglan's shoelace, and hopes it recovers well from it's harrowing experience.
In the strikezone, or below the ankles, is not a hit by pitch. No matter how many times you hop (before attempting to steal second on your seconds-ago-crippled limb).

- Inter-league Play
The All-Star Game, the World Series. These are the games where the AL take on the NL. Not during the regular season, thanks. I am aware that this cripples my own team (Pirates) this year, as it means we have to lose more to the mighty Brewers and Reds, but so be it. Winning your division and your league should be about beating your division and your league. Otherwise, why have divisions? It's frankly ridiculous that we're something like 29-36 against our division and have the second best record in all of baseball - second only to our division leaders. We should replace the inter-league matches with intra-league matches (not intra-division, as playing the same 4 teams billions of times would get old).

- Reviews Of Reviews
Now or never is the theme, here. If you can't decide whether a call is good or not right there, in the moment, then don't criticise the umpire who made it. The biggest farce in MLB currently in my opinion is the seemingly-half-an-hour a manager gets to wait around on the top step while his staff look at replays to determine whether an umpire made the right call or not, before deciding whether to make some other guys look at replays to determine whether an umpire made the right call or not.

If a player disagrees with a call, he should tell the manager. The manager must then decide immediately whether to challenge the call, or not. The rest of the rules regarding challenges work pretty well, but the "30 seconds" (more like 2 minutes) the manager's replay guy gets to review the play himself first is idiotic. You challenge, or you don't. Give them an extra challenge per game if it makes them happy, but you have to decide WITHOUT watching it 20 times on video first.

-- Reviews Of Reviews 2: The Reviewening
Any manager or player who asks a crew chief to review a play gets ejected. Immediately. It's ridiculous. The crew chief review is there for instances when a crew chief disagrees with - or wants to look more closely at - a call. It's not there for when a manager isn't sure enough about the result to potentially waste a challenge, or has no challenges of his own left because he wasted them all earlier.



What would you change? Why am I wrong?

P.s, try to keep arguments over the DH to a minimum, there's a thread for that.

If you want to end interleague play during the season (which I wouldn't), you'd have to either expand by 2 teams (one in each league) or move a team to the AL or NL.

You can't play a schedule right now without interleague play, unless you want 2 teams just sitting out for 3 days at a time.

[ludosc]

I would automate the strike zone. I don't know if anybody here watched the Rangers/Astros game last night, but that was one of the worst called games I've ever seen. I wouldn't get rid of the home plate umpire since there are a lot of calls he'd still have to make, but I'd implement something similar to goaline tech in Soccer. The umpire wears a wristband that vibrates if it's a strike.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by ludosc

The umpire wears a wristband that vibrates if it's a strike.

... and then decides whether he wants to call it as such?

[ludosc]

Originally Posted by Westheim

... and then decides whether he wants to call it as such?

No the point would be he calls it a strike if it vibrates...the ump would have no say in the matter.

[Raidergoo]

I would expand MLB by six teams, two per season, spaced four years apart. I would add teams in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Austin, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Montreal. I'd allow the A's to move to San Jose.


50% of all RSN revenue would get taken and added revenue sharing pools. RSN revenue would be broadly defined, so if a team owned the network, then MLB would take half.


The first six draft picks would be subject to a lottery. If a team was a lottery pick "winner" for more than two years in a row, they would lose 50% of their revenue sharing proceeds for that season. If a team was a lottery pick "winner" for more than three years in a row, the franchise would be confiscated by MLB at the original sale price +2% a year since the sale, and then resold, with the difference between the prices redistributed between all clubs via revenue sharing.


I would expand the regular season roster to 26 players.


Any failed pickoff attempt would be charged a ball. A coach would be permitted one trip to the mound per game without requiring a pitching change.


I would spin off MLBAM but retain a sizable ownership stake.


I would end compensation for signing a free agent.


I would triple the RBI program. I would build hundreds of urban ball fields and fund thousands of scholarships.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by ludosc

I would automate the strike zone. I don't know if anybody here watched the Rangers/Astros game last night, but that was one of the worst called games I've ever seen. I wouldn't get rid of the home plate umpire since there are a lot of calls he'd still have to make, but I'd implement something similar to goaline tech in Soccer. The umpire wears a wristband that vibrates if it's a strike.

Done!

I'd get rid of expanded rosters at any point in the year, but increase the roster size to 27 throughout the year. I hate the parade of relievers we always see in September, but I'd like to see more versatile bench players.

For pickoff attempts, just ban them altogether. You almost never see them successful and if anything they distract the pitcher from focusing on the batter. Pitch and get the game going already.

Speaking of speeding up the game, a strict pitch clock is definitely coming in with a ball as the penalty. It's not just on the pitcher though, if the batter causes an unnecessary delay then he gets a strike on him.

And replay? Just kill it already. I'll admit, part of me likes that they're more likely to correct egregious calls with it (there's less thinking that umpires are screwing your team over that way), but I hate how long they take. Maybe have a timer and if you can't decide a call within 30 seconds then you stay with the call on the field. My guess is they do have a time limit set on it, but if they do it's too long or they don't follow it.

Move the As out of Oakland, but somewhere close, like San Jose or Sacramento. Same thing with the Rays.

Give Montreal an expansion team.

Do away with the draft and allow teams a set amount of money (equal or different depending on last year's record, I haven't decided yet) to sign amateurs to and once they spent it all that'd be all they could sign.

Put netting down the 1st and 3rd base lines. Far too many people are spending far too much time on their phones at games or otherwise not paying attention. Part of my feels like they deserve getting hit if they're not paying attention, but sometimes you just have to protect the stupid from themselves. That or ban those people.

Do away with the rule that every team must have an all-star rep.

Do away with the MVP award, but add a Most Outstanding Player award so we can put to bed this question of whether that's what the MVP award is for or whether it's only for players that make the postseason.

Organize a committee on whether we should get rid of the balk rule entirely or somehow improve it so it's actually clearly understood and followed.

Improve the MLB.tv blackout rules. They don't hurt me, but I've read that they're pretty bad elsewhere.

Of course though, the first thing I'd do would be to enact the SP-only DH. But if I couldn't get that through, I'd at least move the Jays to the NL.

And right before I go, let's expand to some crazy number like 48, divide MLB into a small market league and a big market league, increase the percentage of teams that make the playoffs at least in the big market league, and the World Series will end up like a David and Goliath matchup every year.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by ludosc

No the point would be he calls it a strike if it vibrates...the ump would have no say in the matter.

If the umpire has on say, replace him with a display that lights up with

STRIKE

when it's a strike, and

BALL

when not. Nobody needs cosmetic umpires.

[ludosc]

Originally Posted by Westheim

If the umpire has on say, replace him with a display that lights up with

STRIKE

when it's a strike, and

BALL

when not. Nobody needs cosmetic umpires.

Well there are plenty of things the ump would still need to call. Foul tips, HBP, swings, plays at the plate, fair/foul balls and so on. The umps aren't going away, we're just taking away part of their responsibilities.

[psd]

Call a balk a frikkin balk!! No more of these lefties stepping 3/4 of the way to home then throwing to first. Thats a balk. The rule is this: "At any time during the pitcher’s preliminary movements and until his natural pitching motion commits him to the pitch, he may throw to any base provided he steps directly toward such base before making the throw." Steps DIRECTLY toward such base. That's the way the rule is, the way the rule should be. Enforce it for cripes sake.

Eliminate artificial turf. Eliminate domes. Catwalks?? PUH-LEEZE! None of these belong in baseball. Cant afford grass or the weather is not conducive to baseball? No team. Simple. Baseball is outside on natural grass. That's it.

Salary floor & salary cap. A MINIMUM that a team must spend, and a maximum that a team must spend. Simple. Spend over the cap? Spend too little? You lose your first round draft pick. Do it again in 2 straight years? Lose your first & second round picks. Continued that way every year until you are in compliance.

Every stadium MUST have an established "family section". Which are cheap tickets, like $10, for families. this way a family of four can actually attend a game, without taking out a second mortgage.

Thats it for now. I'm sure i will think of more.

[Bluenoser]

Originally Posted by kq76

Done!

For pickoff attempts, just ban them altogether. You almost never see them successful and if anything they distract the pitcher from focusing on the batter. Pitch and get the game going already.

Do we ban lead-offs too then?

I mean what's stopping a runner from taking a lead off half way to 2nd since he knows he can't be picked off?

[Westheim]

I'd like to go through and pick apart all the half-done, half-baked proposals not thought to conclusion in this thread, but I'm almost 30 - I might not make it in my lifetime.