Five ways to improve the MLB All Star Game
The day after last week's MLB All-Star Game, which the NL won for the first time since 2012, word came out that it was the lowest-watched ASG in the sport's history, coming in at just a little over seven million viewers. This broke the record which was set all the way back in … 2022. Although the big picture is bad news, there are a few silver linings - for instance, it's still the most-watched ASG of any sport, and, compared to last year, it increased viewership in a couple of target demographics (males 18-49 and 25-54).
So what can MLB do to try to turn things around, and bring back some of those fans who have left? Let's throw some ideas around. And before we start changing a whole bunch of stuff, let's keep what I think is working: Each team should have at least one representative on the ASG roster, and the top vote-getter in each league should be guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup.
No team should have more than two starters
Can somebody please tell me who, outside of Texas, was pumped to see five Rangers in the AL starting lineup? How did fans of the first-place Brewers feel about seeing three Dodgers and three Braves starting on the NL squad? It's really become less about who truly is the best player at each position and more about which fan base can stuff the ballot box the most. It's understandable that the Braves would send a lot of players to the ASG, since they have the best record in the majors, but if MLB wants to pull in fans from outside Atlanta, LA, and Texas, they should strongly consider limiting the number of starters from any one team, so that other fan bases have a chance to see their guy in there.
A player from the host team should start
What's the point of hosting or attending the ASG if your hometown player never makes it into the game? For last week's game, Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez should have been in the starting lineup, so that Mariners fans were guaranteed to see him play. That said, J-Rod, who was a reserve, did come up in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win the game - if he hits a walk-off homer there, M's fans would probably take that over seeing him in the starting lineup and sitting down after a couple of at-bats. The next suggestion might allow for both opportunities.
Bend the rules to substitutions during the game
There are a few things that could be done to baseball's substitution rules that might make things more interesting. For one thing, MLB should give each manager one or two opportunities to re-insert a batter who was subbed out earlier in the game. As mentioned above, this could allow for J-Rod to start in front of his hometown fans and also appear in the bottom of the 9th in a key spot. Or Dusty Baker could have brought up Shohei Ohtani, arguably the best player in the game right now, in that same spot. There could also be 'designated runners' - a batter can get a base hit, and then be replaced by a designated runner without actually having to be removed from the lineup. Each roster could be expanded by a couple of spots to allow for these designated runners, and the managers would then be able to select baseball's most elite baserunners who may not have an ASG-caliber bat. Stolen bases are exciting, right? Well, why not showcase the best of the best?
As for pitching? There isn't much room to do anything there - I'm sure pitchers would not want to be put back into a game after they've already warmed up, pitched, and cooled down. MLB could do things like remove the pitch clock or eliminate the three-batter minimum, but that would make the game longer, which is the opposite of what MLB wants.
The ASG should be rotated through all 30 venues
There is no reason why the Mets had to wait 49 years between hosting ASGs (first in 1964, then in 2013), which, at the time, was the longest drought in the majors - and during that span, several other teams hosted it two or three times. Each team should have a chance to host - once one team hosts it, they can't get it again until all of the other teams have had their chance. If MLB wants to broaden its appeal, it should have the ASG go through all of its franchises' locations to ensure the respective fan bases can get an up-close look at the game. Of course there will be exceptions granted here and there - for instance, MLB is putting the 2026 ASG in Philadelphia, as part of the country's 250th anniversary celebration. Overall, though, MLB should work to ensure no other fan base has to wait 49 years between hosting the Midsummer Classic. And that brings us to our last, and arguably most important rule…
The players should wear their own team's jerseys
I really started to get into following the Mets in the early 90s, when the team was terrible. But each summer, I knew I could count on one thing: There would be at least one Met in the ASG, and he would be wearing a Mets jersey. That was, for many years, one of the few highlights of an otherwise forgettable season. To paraphrase one-time SUNY Oswego student Jerry Seinfeld (sorry, just had to throw that Oswego reference in there), we root for the laundry, not the players underneath. To put everyone in the same jersey really dulls the impact of seeing your favorite team’s players - er, laundry - take part in the game. Put an ASG patch on the sleeve, wear a special hat, sure - but bring back those individual team jerseys!
So there you have it, five thoughts as to how to improve the MLB All-Star Game. Do you agree? Disagree? Please let me know in the comments, or on our social media pages!