⚾ What I Would Do as MLB Commissioner for One Year
By Joseph Ashcraft Jr.
If I were granted just one year as Commissioner of Major League Baseball, I wouldn't waste a single inning. I’d use that time to restore tradition, deepen fan engagement, and hold the game to a higher standard of integrity.
Here’s my vision — tough, fair, and unapologetically baseball-first:
🔥 1. Abolish the DH in the National League
Baseball is a thinking game. Managers used to out-strategize each other through double switches and intentional walks to the 8-hole. The universal DH takes the soul out of the National League. I'd bring it back — pitchers hitting, bunting, and sometimes even surprising us with a clutch double. That's real baseball.
🕰️ 2. Remove the Pitch Clock
Baseball isn’t meant to be timed like a microwave dinner. The pitch clock, while well-intentioned, rushes the game and chips away at its timeless rhythm. I’d eliminate it and let pitchers and hitters settle into the flow the game has always known.
🏃 3. No More Ghost Runners in Extras
Extra innings should be earned, not handed out. That runner on second to start extras? It’s a shortcut that cheapens the strategy and endurance that define great games. We play it straight — earn your runs, or go home.
💸 4. Enforce a Salary Floor
Parity doesn’t come from capping success — it comes from requiring commitment. I’d work with owners to implement a salary floor, ensuring every team spends enough to compete. Fans in smaller markets deserve more than hope — they deserve investment.
👧 5. Put Kids First
Baseball is a childhood memory waiting to happen. I’d make sure:
- Every team hosts “Run the Bases” events for kids.
- Players are required to sign autographs for young fans on select game days.
- Teams offer affordable family ticket packages, especially during weekday games.
Because if we don’t capture the next generation now, we risk losing them forever.
🧾 6. Make Official Scorers Accountable
Ever see a blown call on a “hit” that should’ve been an error? Under my leadership, official scorers would be required to explain questionable decisions publicly. Fans deserve transparency. Pitchers deserve fairness. And the scorecard deserves respect.
🧠 Final Thoughts:
I’m not here to reinvent baseball. I’m here to restore its heart.
“Baseball belongs to the people — not just to networks, spreadsheets, or automation.”
Give me one year as commissioner, and I’d remind the world why baseball is America’s game — slow, smart, stubborn, and beautifully human.
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Joseph Ashcraft Jr. is a sportscaster, baseball fan, and believer in the timeless values of the game. He believes baseball is for everyone — especially the kids in the stands who dream of being the next voice or hero of the game.
