I heard of this article that retired baseball player; Gary Sheffield had written and sent in to the Players' Tribune and I thought it was an interesting read.
Now I don't necessarily agree with everything that he says but I thought some points that he makes in the article that he wrote were interesting so I thought I should create a thread about it and then after we reply to his points we should decide on what we would do if we were the Commissioner of MLB.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/ga...ner-for-a-day/
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Issue: Throwing at Batters
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Now while I agree that throwing at batters is wrong it's wrong how things are done and it's also wrong what Sheffield encourages.
I think that if a pitcher intentionally throws at a batter then the opposing pitcher should be allowed to do the same then teams should be warned if it goes any farther than that.
Also Pitchers shouldn't be allowed to throw at batters' heads and if the Home Plate Umpire or the Crew Chief feels that a Pitcher is doing so then they should be ejected immediately and automatically subjected to a fine and a suspension and the suspension should last at least 20 games.
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Issue: Telling Guys How They Can Slide
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I agree that the sliding rules are ridiculous but to be fair they are designed to prevent a serious injury.
while his suggestion for Extra Innings is interesting I'm not for it and Extra Innings should remain as they are.
I disagree that instant replay is ridiculous. Replays help get the call right and the majority of the time the replays are right yes there are those long replay calls that take a lot of time to get the call right but I'd rather they get the call right than wrong even if it takes them 10 minutes to go through the various video angles.
Now about the pace of play I disagree there should be no mound visits but I do agree that there are way too many visits to the mound between the Pitcher and other fielders now I'm not saying they should get rid of the fielder mound visits but they should limit them depending on the score on the game and what inning the game is in.
Shifts shouldn't go away since they do help out the defense as well as the Pitchers.
I do agree that the Wild Card Play-Off format should be a series instead of a 1 and done game.
Nope no DH in the NL since I like that the leagues have different rules and therefore they have different strategies granted it's an unfair advantage for the NL when it comes to Interleague Play but I do think there's an easy way to overcome that unfair advantage.
I agree that the PED policy is not strict enough since the first suspension is a 80 game suspension along with the Playoffs, the 2nd suspension is a 162 game suspension including the Playoffs and the 3rd suspension is a life ban.
Commissioner For A Day
Throwing at Batters = this would be allowed but only in the case of if a Pitcher throws at a batter then the opposing Pitcher would be permitted to do so as well but in the event that a Pitcher throws at a batter's head then an Umpire (only the Home Plate Umpire or the Crew Chief) would be permitted to throw a Pitcher out for intentionally throw a Pitcher out.
Also if a Pitcher throws at a batter and an opposing Pitcher continues and then continues after that then the Umpires may elect to warn or eject at their discretion.
Instant Replay should be expanded but things such as balks, check swings and of course ball and strikes shouldn't be counted in the replay list but all other things should be included in the list regardless of whether the play is done before the Umpire or not.
Wild Card Game - the 1 and done game should be done away and it should be a best of 5 series.
no DH in the NL but I do think there should be more Interleague Games in fact all 30 teams should have the opportunity to play each other at least once.
PED suspensions should be stricter not as strict as what Sheffield suggested but I do think the first suspension should suspend a player for 100 games and the next 2 suspensions should remain what they are currently.
No-pitch intentional walk and the time clocks shouldn't exist the clocks should only exist for the purposes of when the TV networks are aware of when to come back to the game.
All Star Teams should be picked by the Managers only and not by the fans however the special MLB Ballots that Players and Coaches elect their votes on should still continue for some bench players and a few Pitchers that will be in the bullpen.