‘Not for Real Baseball’: Fred Toucher Compares “Golden At-Bat” Rule to Savannah Bananas Gimmicks
On Toucher & Hardy, the guys discussed Rob Manfred’s proposed “Golden At-Bat” rule, which would let teams send any player to the plate once per game, even if it’s not their turn in the lineup. Fred Toucher dismissed the idea as a gimmick, likening it to the Savannah Bananas’ entertainment-focused approach, which he argued doesn’t resonate with serious fans. He criticized the rule for disrupting the flow of the game and undoing the progress MLB has made with successful changes like the pitch clock and shift ban, which have sped up games.
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Jon Wallach, a traditionalist, was firmly against the idea, saying it ruins the strategy of batting orders. Meanwhile, Rob “Hardy” Poole found it interesting but only in limited scenarios, like testing it during the All-Star Game. The group debated logistical issues, such as how it might affect pitching decisions, and questioned whether such a rule would attract younger fans or alienate the sport’s core audience.
Ultimately, they agreed MLB should focus on bigger problems, like the financial disparities among teams, rather than experimenting with ideas that feel out of place in competitive baseball.
