I grew up in a baseball family. My grandpa played, dad played and I took it as far as college ball. I've always been a hard-core traditionalist. But I'm not gonna lie. This is interesting. It likely will never happen, but I really don't think it would mess THAT much up. I think it would make the game more strategic. It would definitely increase drama and viewership. I personally am not a fan of it but I can learn to like it
The golden at bat does sound terrible, but I will say that I used to hate watching boring long baseball and then they implemented the time clock and the larger bases and made the game faster, which made it more exciting and that got me back into it. It also led me to baseball cards and a new hobby, so I’m definitely not complaining about those rules. If anything, just bring on the robo-umps and challenge rules. That will really make the game more exciting
@@jbkilluh Chris here - I was also pleasantly surprised by the new rules. Faster games are definitely better. The three batter minimum for relievers is fantastic.
This would really take away for the fabric/the integrity of the game. There are many reasons why baseball is so beautiful and this would take something away. Bring in some weekly or monthly homerun derby’s pregame
What if instead of a golden at bat, a team is allowed one line up restart per game, but only if they are behind in the 7th or later. Imagine your team is down by 2 going into the bottom of the 9th, and your best hitters just hit in the previous inning. That could be less disruptive than one guy hitting in random spot, and give more opportunities for big moments from the top of the order.
This would allow some current players to catch up on their potential AB missed from the short season. But either way, a lot fans will cry about it but wont stop watching the stars of the show.
Wouldn't this affect every statistic going forward. You could never compare players stats before or after the "Golden At-Bat". It's bad enough that we put this imaginary runner on 2nd base in extra innings. Getting kind of gimicky
Chris here - absolutely! This is theoretically when OPS+ is for. Counting stats could get ridiculous if guys like Judge and Ohtani get 140 more at bats every season.
I heard about the banana rule earlier and had a $h!+ FIT. I agree with Phil some of the rules put in I wasn’t happy with but they have grown on me. The bigger bases sure have made incredible impact. Some guys get on 1st and you know they will be on 3rd in 2 pitches. I don’t like the banana!!!
Rollins record of 778 PA would go down hard! I'd think Vladdy or Witt as the guys who are most "on an island" and get an extra 120+ PA because of this.
The other team facing the golden batter should be able to also substitute whichever pitcher they want to face that single batter. The stats for the batter and pitcher should not count on their stat line for this 1 at bat
I’m more interested in mlb,hof,writers get off their high horses and change the wrongs of baseball and induct players that have been left out forever. Mlb,Hof,writers which all are culpable in colluding to keep players out of the HOF but still use their likeness all over the Hof and baseball itself. I understand hardliners will say the steroid era was unforgivable but it’s very hypocritical for mlb,hof & writers to act as judge and jury. I speak from experience In working in professional baseball for many years in a clubhouse and if you think steriods were the only thing that went on during any era for that matter you are not only naïve but also have blinders on…remember it all starts at the top when it came to the steroid era..mlb knew,players knew & player’s association knew and even we were given notice to make sure things were tightened up if mlb security was due for a visit or a test. Again these garbage ploys of trying to be flashy should be left for exhibition teams,leagues such as banana ball.
Thanks for the comment. This is another discussion, and one we should definitely have on the show! But, I totally agree that baseball and the HoF have to find a way to include the steroid era’s best players. It’s absurd to think they wouldn’t be included in the historical discussion of an entire decade+ of baseball.
Some great comments..I am 💯 % against the golden at bat…however. One comment here made me rethink it. I would be for it, IF the only thing this effected was that particular game’s score. Period. No HR, RBI or ERA effect at all. Baseball’s career stats mean too much to otherwise give a star 160 extra at bats every year. This is a league who put an Asterisk * next to Roger Maris HR record because he was playing when the league added a few extra games!!
Jeff here: yeah that’s a really good thought. But baseball and baseball fans LOVE stats, so you have to figure those will somehow be counted, even if kept as a separate stat category maybe?
Yes!!! This is the first thing I thought of that none of the pundits talks about!!! Ohtani, Judge, Harper, Trout, etc. potentially get 50-100 more AB’s this way. So when records start to go down whether it be number of hits, homers, ribeyes, whatever, how does that sit with guys who did it in 600 AB’s versus 700+?!!! Horrible idea is right.
I think this potential change is atrocious. I absolutely hate it, and I have been on board with most of the of the changes over the past few seasons (only base size was questionable to me). Love the pitch clock - means I can watch the whole game with my kids before they need to go to bed. If this stupid change is implemented, there needs to be some sort of consequence for the team using the golden at bat rule. Something like if the golden batter makes an out, they are out of the game. Or, if they make the last out, they cannot play the next game. Make the managers really have to think about it. Otherwise, all we are going to get is Mr. Burns yelling "You, Strawberry! Hit a home run!"
Jeff here: agreed. The pitch clock is an improvement. It’s a change, but not one (in my opinion) that changes the integrity of the game. The Golden AB would affect that integrity from my perspective.
Personal opinion it’s easy to predict what will happen to baseball viewership when Ohtani is gone. Same effect to when Jordan, Kobe, LeBron and Tiger disappeared from their respective sport. To maintain continual growth of interest in sport it needs a super trendy replacement. I think Juan Soto and Wemby both generational but is not that presence.
I think the broadcasting rules really hurt baseball as well. I know a lot of people like myself who pay for the MLB package and watch a ton of baseball. Then the playoffs come along and I can’t watch a single playoff game bc of broadcasting rights. They have to work something with the broadcasting rights. Regular season blackout rules also really hurt the sport. Especially if you live in certain areas in the northeast and you might be blacked out for 8 different teams.
@@ryanra44 💯💯 The blackout restrictions are the absolute dumbest thing imaginable. There have been rumors of Manfred addressing them so maybe we’ll see a change in 2025.
Hate it hate it hate it. I love baseball. I haven’t loved the MLB in a long time. I keep up with stats because of collecting cards. I don’t watch games anymore. I would say a rule like this would mean the MLB isn’t even baseball anymore. This is coming from someone who used to spend at least one weekend every summer in St. Louis. Too much unnecessary change.
@ As a spectator, I loved the strategy of baseball. As a Cardinals fan, the DH coming to the NL took away a lot of strategy. The three batter minimum took away a lot of strategy. Hardly any player can bunt anymore, more strategy lost. The runner in scoring position in extras reminds me of a little league umpire hurrying a game along just to get home. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the game was that there was no time limit. Which is why I still don’t understand the pitch clock, you either like the game or you don’t. I’ve never walked out of stadium and heard anybody say, “what a great game, but I wish it was shorter.” There’s things that aren’t commissioner implemented as well, such as it being okay to strikeout 200 times as long as you hit 25 or more home runs. Don’t try to hit .300, just have a nice launch angle. All of those things added up together and it’s a completely different product than what I grew up watching and loving. Winded response I know. I’m glad I got back into collecting to follow the players and I’ll always follow the standings. And finding a way to hit against a major league pitcher is still the most difficult thing to do in all of sports. But I don’t enjoy watching it.
ohtani is so good that any time anybody anywhere debates the golden at bat rule they use his name in the example. maybe i should buy that guys baseball cards?
Also, curious to get your guys opinion on this. I have a Barry Bonds PSA 10 Tops Traded rookie and a PSA 10 Adrian Beltre Bowman rookie. Debating consolidating those into a PSA 10 Ohtani Bowman Batting rookie. Would love to see if that is something you guys would do if you had those 2 cards and the option to consolidate them into an Ohtani.
In football and basketball in the last minute the star quarterback or the star basketball player has the ball trying to win the game. In baseball in the 9th inning the bottom of your lineup could be up. This rule would make more star clutch moments. Traditionalists may hate it but it would create more must watch moments. It might even keep half the crowd from leaving games in the 8th inning to beat traffic.
It’s funny you say “must watch moments.” I don’t even watch baseball anymore because of what Manfred has done to the sport. If people stop watching, there are no must watch moments.
@@thekeithy4999 you are in the minority. They just got attendance and ratings up to a 5 year high last season with the new rules and pace of the game. If a golden at bat leads to a star player hitting a homer that wins a game and goes viral on ig and tik tok, that gets more eyes of a younger audience on the next game.
@@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin i see traditionalists all the time sayin they’ve stopped watching cause of manfreds rules. Yet mlb had its highest ratings in five years last year and the World Series was the most watched since 2015. So clearly for every traditionalist they are losing they are gaining more new fans that are enjoying the new game.
Dumbest idea ever... unless there are counters to it. Like... 1. Once the batter is used, they have to sub in for someone already in the lineup... or 2. Once the batter is used, the minimum batters faced for opposing pitchers is nullified for the rest of the game. There has to be balance to it, and it can't just be the wild west in such a traditional game. I hate the idea of it to be honest.
This makes sense, but it seems like it might just have a domino effect - more and more changes will have to be made to make the people in favor of this happy. Where does it end??
This rule makes about as much sense as a golden shower (the joke was there had to take it 🤷♂️). Just makes a mockery of actually having to manage a baseball game
Are they failing to understand all sports in the hobby there are positions where most people won’t buy there cards anyway even if there are some future HOF.
I think the golden at bat is a horrible idea. Roster composition is a big part of the game. If you don’t have enough hitters then you don’t deserve to win the game. There are better ways to spike interest in the game. This ain’t it
I want the bronze at-bat rule where only the player with the third best batting average can come in as a replacement and the other team has to use the third best pitcher by ERA to face him. Yea sounds stupid, get my point. I guess as time goes on nothing remains sacred and this will lead to the downfall of the WNBA of course, silly enough for ya!
I grew up in a baseball family. My grandpa played, dad played and I took it as far as college ball. I've always been a hard-core traditionalist. But I'm not gonna lie. This is interesting. It likely will never happen, but I really don't think it would mess THAT much up. I think it would make the game more strategic. It would definitely increase drama and viewership. I personally am not a fan of it but I can learn to like it
Chris here - this is basically exactly how i feel. I dont want to see this. NOT AT ALL. But if we do, will I stop watching? no. I'll adapt.
Jeff here: well-said, Jared! I’m with you here.
The golden at bat does sound terrible, but I will say that I used to hate watching boring long baseball and then they implemented the time clock and the larger bases and made the game faster, which made it more exciting and that got me back into it. It also led me to baseball cards and a new hobby, so I’m definitely not complaining about those rules. If anything, just bring on the robo-umps and challenge rules. That will really make the game more exciting
@@jbkilluh Chris here - I was also pleasantly surprised by the new rules. Faster games are definitely better. The three batter minimum for relievers is fantastic.
This would really take away for the fabric/the integrity of the game. There are many reasons why baseball is so beautiful and this would take something away. Bring in some weekly or monthly homerun derby’s pregame
totally agree - It seems impossible that this becomes reality.
Love the idea of some “extra” fun stuff like home run derbies, but keep that out of the actual games.
It’s not happening this year at least. It was “leaked” out there to get public reaction. Source: NYC MLB employees
@@krishdasgupta7313 Chris here - I think this is correct. Testing the waters
@@SpitballinCardsand I think they found them very choppy. Love your content!!!
@ thanks for checking us out!
What if instead of a golden at bat, a team is allowed one line up restart per game, but only if they are behind in the 7th or later.
Imagine your team is down by 2 going into the bottom of the 9th, and your best hitters just hit in the previous inning. That could be less disruptive than one guy hitting in random spot, and give more opportunities for big moments from the top of the order.
@@mostmodern Chris here - obviously I hate this as well. Lol
This would allow some current players to catch up on their potential AB missed from the short season. But either way, a lot fans will cry about it but wont stop watching the stars of the show.
Chris here - I hate even talking about changes like this. BUt I can also adapt to it if I have to.
Wouldn't this affect every statistic going forward. You could never compare players stats before or after the "Golden At-Bat". It's bad enough that we put this imaginary runner on 2nd base in extra innings. Getting kind of gimicky
Chris here - absolutely! This is theoretically when OPS+ is for. Counting stats could get ridiculous if guys like Judge and Ohtani get 140 more at bats every season.
I heard about the banana rule earlier and had a $h!+ FIT. I agree with Phil some of the rules put in I wasn’t happy with but they have grown on me. The bigger bases sure have made incredible impact. Some guys get on 1st and you know they will be on 3rd in 2 pitches. I don’t like the banana!!!
Chris here - the Bananas are not for me. At all.
Jeff here: agreed. The pitch clock, pickoff limits, etc. have grown on me.
Only way i would even consider this, is if it was once per SERIES, not once per game. Once per game is way too frequent.
It does seem too frequent. Can it be real??
Rollins record of 778 PA would go down hard!
I'd think Vladdy or Witt as the guys who are most "on an island" and get an extra 120+ PA because of this.
Yeah, that’s a big issue. Alllll those extra at bats would skew single season records/numbers big-time.
The other team facing the golden batter should be able to also substitute whichever pitcher they want to face that single batter. The stats for the batter and pitcher should not count on their stat line for this 1 at bat
Thanks Mango, if they DO end up incorporating this, I like the idea of the stats not counting.
I’m more interested in mlb,hof,writers get off their high horses and change the wrongs of baseball and induct players that have been left out forever.
Mlb,Hof,writers which all are culpable in colluding to keep players out of the HOF but still use their likeness all over the Hof and baseball itself.
I understand hardliners will say the steroid era was unforgivable but it’s very hypocritical for mlb,hof & writers to act as judge and jury.
I speak from experience In working in professional baseball for many years in a clubhouse and if you think steriods were the only thing that went on during any era for that matter you are not only naïve but also have blinders on…remember it all starts at the top when it came to the steroid era..mlb knew,players knew & player’s association knew and even we were given notice to make sure things were tightened up if mlb security was due for a visit or a test.
Again these garbage ploys of trying to be flashy should be left for exhibition teams,leagues such as banana ball.
Thanks for the comment. This is another discussion, and one we should definitely have on the show!
But, I totally agree that baseball and the HoF have to find a way to include the steroid era’s best players. It’s absurd to think they wouldn’t be included in the historical discussion of an entire decade+ of baseball.
So what happens if the golden bat player gets walked does another golden player comes on to bat? Weird rule for me to follow up on.
So weird. Changes the integrity of the game. But does it make the gme better? IDK
Jeff here: my biggest concern, too. I feel like that would happen A LOT. Is that building excitement??
It doesn't matter who up there for the Yankees "Yikeskees;" They choke!!! U b D' "Judge." D'odgers Domination❣
🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂🤷♂
Some great comments..I am 💯 % against the golden at bat…however. One comment here made me rethink it. I would be for it, IF the only thing
this effected was that particular game’s score. Period. No HR, RBI or ERA effect at all.
Baseball’s career stats mean too much to otherwise give a star 160 extra at bats every year.
This is a league who put an Asterisk * next to Roger Maris HR record because he was playing when the league added a few extra games!!
Chris here - yeah maybe the golden bat stats just don't count.
Jeff here: yeah that’s a really good thought. But baseball and baseball fans LOVE stats, so you have to figure those will somehow be counted, even if kept as a separate stat category maybe?
Awesome my friend
🍻🍻
Thank you!
How can you then compare stats with prior to rule change
Horrible idea
Yes!!! This is the first thing I thought of that none of the pundits talks about!!! Ohtani, Judge, Harper, Trout, etc. potentially get 50-100 more AB’s this way. So when records start to go down whether it be number of hits, homers, ribeyes, whatever, how does that sit with guys who did it in 600 AB’s versus 700+?!!! Horrible idea is right.
Chris here - are well just looking at OPS+ moving foward???
Because you're exactly right.
Yup! Alters single season records and stats a LOT.
Why do we seem to forget the value of the dollar has fallen so far down and that has increased what the game can handle on paper at least.
I think this potential change is atrocious. I absolutely hate it, and I have been on board with most of the of the changes over the past few seasons (only base size was questionable to me). Love the pitch clock - means I can watch the whole game with my kids before they need to go to bed.
If this stupid change is implemented, there needs to be some sort of consequence for the team using the golden at bat rule. Something like if the golden batter makes an out, they are out of the game. Or, if they make the last out, they cannot play the next game. Make the managers really have to think about it. Otherwise, all we are going to get is Mr. Burns yelling "You, Strawberry! Hit a home run!"
Chris here - I LOL'ed at the Burns quote.
I don;t want to see this. Not at all. Zchanges the game too much. the beauty of the lineup is gone.
Jeff here: agreed. The pitch clock is an improvement. It’s a change, but not one (in my opinion) that changes the integrity of the game. The Golden AB would affect that integrity from my perspective.
Personal opinion it’s easy to predict what will happen to baseball viewership when Ohtani is gone. Same effect to when Jordan, Kobe, LeBron and Tiger disappeared from their respective sport. To maintain continual growth of interest in sport it needs a super trendy replacement. I think Juan Soto and Wemby both generational but is not that presence.
Ohtani will be around for awhile. WHo knows who the next earth shattering talent will be.
Hopefully Ohtani stays healthy and we won’t have to worry about and Ohtani-less league for another decade or so. 🤞
Does baseball consider minor league contracts into baseballs overalll payroll?
No. Not for luxury tax purposes.
I think the broadcasting rules really hurt baseball as well. I know a lot of people like myself who pay for the MLB package and watch a ton of baseball. Then the playoffs come along and I can’t watch a single playoff game bc of broadcasting rights. They have to work something with the broadcasting rights. Regular season blackout rules also really hurt the sport. Especially if you live in certain areas in the northeast and you might be blacked out for 8 different teams.
@@ryanra44 💯💯
The blackout restrictions are the absolute dumbest thing imaginable.
There have been rumors of Manfred addressing them so maybe we’ll see a change in 2025.
I seriously hope they don’t implement this. An extra 100+ ABs for 30 or so players.
💯
Would really skew single season records/stats.
Hate it hate it hate it. I love baseball. I haven’t loved the MLB in a long time. I keep up with stats because of collecting cards. I don’t watch games anymore. I would say a rule like this would mean the MLB isn’t even baseball anymore. This is coming from someone who used to spend at least one weekend every summer in St. Louis. Too much unnecessary change.
Chris here - you don't watch any games anymore??? come on. Why not??
@ As a spectator, I loved the strategy of baseball. As a Cardinals fan, the DH coming to the NL took away a lot of strategy. The three batter minimum took away a lot of strategy. Hardly any player can bunt anymore, more strategy lost. The runner in scoring position in extras reminds me of a little league umpire hurrying a game along just to get home. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the game was that there was no time limit. Which is why I still don’t understand the pitch clock, you either like the game or you don’t. I’ve never walked out of stadium and heard anybody say, “what a great game, but I wish it was shorter.” There’s things that aren’t commissioner implemented as well, such as it being okay to strikeout 200 times as long as you hit 25 or more home runs. Don’t try to hit .300, just have a nice launch angle. All of those things added up together and it’s a completely different product than what I grew up watching and loving.
Winded response I know. I’m glad I got back into collecting to follow the players and I’ll always follow the standings. And finding a way to hit against a major league pitcher is still the most difficult thing to do in all of sports. But I don’t enjoy watching it.
“Unnecessary change” - think this rules fits that description to a T.
ohtani is so good that any time anybody anywhere debates the golden at bat rule they use his name in the example. maybe i should buy that guys baseball cards?
@@nightrain19986 😂😂😂😂😂
Chris here - well played.
Also, curious to get your guys opinion on this. I have a Barry Bonds PSA 10 Tops Traded rookie and a PSA 10 Adrian Beltre Bowman rookie. Debating consolidating those into a PSA 10 Ohtani Bowman Batting rookie. Would love to see if that is something you guys would do if you had those 2 cards and the option to consolidate them into an Ohtani.
They bring up the golden batter you have your pitcher drill him and give him first.
Lol
hahahahaha
Yes! Hitting the guy or even just intentionally walking him would be a real issue, right? How does that build any excitement the way they want it to?
Ridiculous. I'll stop watching current MLB. Will stick to old games, books and cards.
Perhaps it would be good for vintage card prices?
@@Jackson_Farnsworth Chris here - yeah it’s too dramatic a change to the game.
In football and basketball in the last minute the star quarterback or the star basketball player has the ball trying to win the game. In baseball in the 9th inning the bottom of your lineup could be up. This rule would make more star clutch moments. Traditionalists may hate it but it would create more must watch moments. It might even keep half the crowd from leaving games in the 8th inning to beat traffic.
Jeff here: This is all true. Would the “star moment” benefits outweigh the hatred of the traditionalists??
It’s funny you say “must watch moments.” I don’t even watch baseball anymore because of what Manfred has done to the sport. If people stop watching, there are no must watch moments.
@@thekeithy4999 you are in the minority. They just got attendance and ratings up to a 5 year high last season with the new rules and pace of the game. If a golden at bat leads to a star player hitting a homer that wins a game and goes viral on ig and tik tok, that gets more eyes of a younger audience on the next game.
@@Blabbin_Bout_Slabbin i see traditionalists all the time sayin they’ve stopped watching cause of manfreds rules. Yet mlb had its highest ratings in five years last year and the World Series was the most watched since 2015. So clearly for every traditionalist they are losing they are gaining more new fans that are enjoying the new game.
Stop testing for PEDs and let it go back to 90s baseball.
I mean i wouldnt stop watching! (chris here)
But i'd hate for the players to jeopardize their health
Dumbest idea ever... unless there are counters to it. Like...
1. Once the batter is used, they have to sub in for someone already in the lineup... or
2. Once the batter is used, the minimum batters faced for opposing pitchers is nullified for the rest of the game.
There has to be balance to it, and it can't just be the wild west in such a traditional game. I hate the idea of it to be honest.
Dumb regardless. You can’t making something stupid a good thing by adding caveats
Chris here - I agree that baseball is too traditional a game for sometjing like this
This makes sense, but it seems like it might just have a domino effect - more and more changes will have to be made to make the people in favor of this happy. Where does it end??
I refuse to even discuss this. I cannot and will not take it seriously
Can’t blame this take - on the face of it, it is utterly absurd!
Chris here - this is how I felt as well.
It's absolutely disgraceful.
I agree! Stop it!
🍻🍻
Bottom 9th. Dodgers down 1. Ohtani lead off HR to tie. Golden Bat, Ohtani walk off HR!
hahaha - i mean, hilarious.
Could happen! 🤣
This rule makes about as much sense as a golden shower (the joke was there had to take it 🤷♂️). Just makes a mockery of actually having to manage a baseball game
@@ryanra44 😂😂😂
Can we make a rule to impeach Rob Manfred?
@@riptheripper9060 hahaha - what’s the mechanics for that? There has to be a process but he works for the owners. So if they’re making money…
Are they failing to understand all sports in the hobby there are positions where most people won’t buy there cards anyway even if there are some future HOF.
@@fliplife67 this is true
I think the golden at bat is a horrible idea. Roster composition is a big part of the game. If you don’t have enough hitters then you don’t deserve to win the game. There are better ways to spike interest in the game. This ain’t it
@@Space321978 Chris here - well said.
I want the bronze at-bat rule where only the player with the third best batting average can come in as a replacement and the other team has to use the third best pitcher by ERA to face him. Yea sounds stupid, get my point. I guess as time goes on nothing remains sacred and this will lead to the downfall of the WNBA of course, silly enough for ya!
@@outwest100az 😂😂😂
Manfred is better than what Adam Silver is doing with the NBA.
Hitler wasn’t as bad as Stalin from what I hear. Still not a fan though.