Is MLB creating a Savannah Bananas-like circus with the golden at-bat idea?

Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. Imagine being able to insert him into an attack at any point in the game that is out of order in his place.

Wittenmyer & Williams is a regular point/counterpoint column by Enquirer Reds reporter Gordon Wittenmyer and sports columnist Jason Williams. This week they’re debating MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s “golden at-bat” idea.

Williams: Rob Manfred must love being the most hated guy in baseball. And he’s working to make that a life’s work with his latest stupid idea, which he recently brought up on a baseball podcast. The damn golden at-bat. Are you kidding me?

Wittenmyer: What is your problem? That’s a great idea. Imagine the possibilities. There are many details that need to be clarified before this can be officially considered. But the ability to field any player from any part of your batting order for a single shot at a critical point in the game? That’s great. How exciting would it be if Elly De La Cruz could be used at any point in the late innings she wanted, perhaps even in back-to-back at-bats. Baseball needs more creative thinking, not less. I assume you want Manfred off your lawn now.

Williams: There’s a reason the Savannah Bananas aren’t in the majors.

Wittenmyer: What do you have against the bananas?

Williams: I love her. My children love them. They have more Bananas gear than Reds clothing. But the Bananas are a traveling baseball circus. That’s great for who they are. You strive for the show, not the competition. Thugs light their clubs on fire and try to hit people with them. If a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. It’s a lot of fun, but there’s no place for something like that in a serious professional sports league with billions of dollars at stake, championships on the line, and fan bases that live and die with their teams.

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Wittenmyer: So now you’re the funny police. They want to ban fun in the big leagues. That’s the problem, old man. I kind of like the thing with the burning bat. Look, the game has undergone a lot of major rule changes over the years that people have hated. There is still heated debate about the DH in some circles. This could be an exciting new element to the game within all the other core rules we follow in baseball.

Williams: Ground rules? What is more fundamental to playing baseball than batting order? Look, I’m in favor of some of these rule changes over the last few years. I like the pitch clock rule, which I was originally skeptical about. It adds to the pace of the action, but doesn’t fundamentally change the way the game is played. There’s nothing playful about it. However, the Golden At-Bat idea screams for change for the sake of change.

Wittenmyer: It calls for putting the game in the hands of the best players when it matters most. Like all other sports. Michael Jordan’s game is on the line. Patrick Mahomes trails by four with a minute to go. Don’t you want to see Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani in the box to make the most important attack late in a tight game?

Williams: Give me a break. You would never have Bucky (Bleeping) Dent. And Bill Mazeroski might not be in the Hall of Fame if he didn’t have the chance to hit the walk-off home run from the No. 8 hole against the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.

Wittenmyer: Bucky (beeping) Dent? Is the world a worse place without Bucky (Bleeping) Dent? I was able to find many people in Boston who could agree with me on this. Imagine if the seventh inning at-bat came in that winner-take-all game No. 163 and you could set up the drama where Reggie Jackson arrives four pitches early to take Dent’s at-bat. No matter what happened in this fight, it would be unforgettable.

Williams: What makes this moment memorable almost 50 years later is the fact that it was Bucky Dent and not Reggie Jackson. The worst hitter in the lineup instead of being made to be a superstar hitter. It’s special because the underdog became a star. That’s why this moment is part of history. And that’s one of the reasons baseball is so great.

Wittenmyer: Look, I love baseball as much as anyone else. You know that. But I also love seeing the best players against the best players in the biggest moments. And that’s what makes this concept really interesting. Just the thought of Reggie Jackson having the deciding say at a moment like this is the thrill that will keep you glued to the television at that moment.

Williams: Until they intentionally accompany him to the next guy. Or will Manfred try to throw punches during these attacks too?

Wittenmyer: That’s the only thing about it. Even if they eventually adopt this rule, we don’t know what it will look like. Can both teams use it once each at any point in the game? Just the last few innings? Will only the team trailing in the late innings be allowed to use the game? And what if the player you want to use is on base at that time? We don’t know how this would all work at this point, but it’s fascinating and exciting to think about.

Williams: Yes, unless you’re the Reds, the Pirates or the Sacramento A’s. Be careful what you wish for because this looks like another get rich scheme? Suddenly the $300 million superstars — and the teams that can afford them — have even more power to step on the little guys’ throats. Imagine the end of the ninth at Dodger Stadium. The Reds played an excellent game and led 4-3 with the Dodgers’ 8, 9 and 1 hitters due. The Golden at-bat would allow the Dodgers to send Ohtani up twice in this scenario.

Wittenmyer: That’s the only good point you’ve brought up so far. Of course, the other side of this argument is that perhaps the Reds should spend a few more dollars to have their own superstars in the lineup. Not long ago, you could have gotten Joey Votto for his golden at-bat. Professional sports are always about the players and that means it should also be about the stars.

Williams: That’s why we have an All-Star Game. They could use the golden at-bat there and invite the Bananas to throw out the first pitch.

Is MLB creating a Savannah Bananas-like circus with the golden at-bat idea?

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

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