Major League Baseball has a growing competitiveness problem.
This isn’t an in-game issue. It’s not about parity, tanking or banging garbage cans. It has nothing to do with runners on second base to begin extra innings or three-batter minimums.
It has to do with rules of how the game are structured. Whether it’s in-person pro scouting, the prospective Arizona Fall League season or the structure of the minor leagues, front office officials see a worrying trend.
Instead of allowing teams to carve their own paths and letting the free market of ideas demonstrate what works and what does not, MLB appears to be heading in the direction of a command economy, where decisions are made at the top to ensure that all teams abide by the same set of rules and structures.
It’s a one-size-fits-all approach in a sport that has long encouraged non-conformity.
Many great ideas in baseball, such as Branch Rickey’s development of a farm system and racial integration of the game, Bill Veeck’s promotions and Ewing Kauffman’s Royals Academy, have come from free-thinking iconoclasts. Now, there is a push to ensure that everyone operates identically.
The clear goal is for everyone to operate under the same rules, but the subtext is just as important. Teams that want to operate in a more efficient, i.e. cheaper, way don’t want to permit other teams to take a different, more expensive approach.
Look back at the drawn-out decisions over continuing to pay minor leaguers weekly per diems. Owners in several cases didn’t want to spend the money, but they also didn’t want to seem cheaper than their peers.
This story is from the August 2020 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2020 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NOBODY'S PERFECT
No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday has one flaw in an otherwise airtight profile
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
At nearly every level of his professional career, outfielder Colton Cowser has taken time to acclimate. His major league debut last season was no different.
ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS
For the second consecutive year, the Orioles enter the season with the best farm system in baseball.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH NEW ROSTER LIMITS
No one can fully predict what will happen with the reduced 165-player minor league roster limits, but baseball officials weighed in with predictions for 2024, some of which we heard repeatedly.
NO MORE SLACK IN THE SYSTEM
The in domestic minor leagues creates consternation for farm directors
INTERNATIONAL TREASURES
Why MLB teams value foreign professionals more than ever
HIGH-FLYING BIRDS
Learning from past success and failure in Houston, Mike Elias and his united front office remade the Orioles into winners— and they got there ahead of schedule
ARIZONA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Early promotions of star prospects led to a bit of a down season for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Even before the Rookie-level Florida Complex League season began, scouts who saw extended spring training gushed over the Yankees' talent, starting with shortstop Roderick Arias and 6-foot7 pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange. Outfielder John Cruz mashed 10 home runs as a 17-year-old.
SALAS COULD BE SPECIAL
When Ethan Salas arrived in the California League on May 30, he immediately displayed talent well beyond his years.