Bud Selig on the State of the Game

At the 2014 MLB All-Star Game, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig hosted his annual Town Hall Chat to talk about Major League Baseball.

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During today’s Town Hall Chat, the following question was asked: Should there be a time limit on a player stepping out of the batter’s box?

Before I get to Selig’s response, I remember Jonny Gomes always adjusting something in between pitches when he didn’t really need to do so at all. Rule 6.02 deals with the batter’s box.

Selig’s response:

"Good question. I have said that a lot, you know. Way back when, and I’ll say years ago, decades ago, once a player got in the batter’s box he stayed in the batter’s box. Henry Aaron in his years, he never got out of the batter’s box.And it might be crazy, and the pitcher pitches ball one, a guy gets out and starts adjusting anything, he hasn’t swung yet. And that takes time. We’re working on time of the game. We really are working on time of the game. And I am very comfortable that Joe Torre and all of our baseball people, we are right at three hours right now. We’re working on it."

Another question was asked about whether MLB would go back to one award for the entire league instead of one for each league.

“I think it’s fair that each league have its own,” Selig said of the Cy Young, MVP, and Rookie of the Year awards. “We are now up to 30 teams and only do one. Even this year it’s going to be tough enough picking in each league, but you will only get one. Players deserve that kind of honor.

“You have Felix Hernandez, you have got Adam Wainwright, and Clayton Kershaw, who has been lights out. And so each league ought to have its own Cy Young Award and M.V.P.”

Selig also said that he did not see MLB expanding beyond the current 30 teams.