Which slugger would your favorite team\u2019s manager least like to face with the game on the line? Which ace would they most want to have on their side? And which manager do other managers respect the most?<\/p>\n
With all 30 MLB skippers on hand at last week\u2019s winter meetings in Orlando, Florida, we took the opportunity to find out the answers to those questions, plus get their thoughts on the state of the game, next year\u2019s biggest rule change and more.<\/p>\n
Here are our favorite responses.<\/p>\n
If you were commissioner for a day, what is the one change you would make to MLB?<\/p>\n
Craig Albernaz, Baltimore Orioles<\/a>: That\u2019s a great question. I wouldn\u2019t make any change. I love the game the way it is.<\/p>\n Warren Schaeffer, Colorado Rockies<\/a>: Every Monday off. Just like the minor leagues — every Monday off. In Coors, you can go six-man rotation. You have a whole day of prep for the next opponent. Every week, you get that rest, and maybe filter in off-days in between them.<\/p>\n Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers<\/a>: Shadows? Eliminate shadows. Can\u2019t have shadows — dangerous for players. Or devices to communicate for outfielders, so they don\u2019t run into each other.<\/p>\n How do you feel about MLB\u2019s new ball\/strike challenge system coming next season?<\/p>\n Albernaz: Just like anything where a new rule change comes in, you just have to see and adapt to it. Strategy coming in, yeah, we\u2019ve talked about it. We have some strategies how it\u2019s going to work in real time. Luckily last year in Cleveland, our stadium was one of those challenge system hubs, so we kind of got a firsthand look at it.<\/p>\n Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres<\/a>: I think it\u2019ll be exciting. It will be exciting for the fans. It will be another piece of strategy that you involve into baseball that we\u2019ll have to dive into and think about how we\u2019re going to use those two challenges, and when, where and who, so I think it\u2019ll be exciting.<\/p>\n Clayton McCullough, Miami Marlins<\/a>: In spring training, they rolled it out a little bit … I think it brought a different level of engagement at different points of the game. Giving the players an opportunity to have some say, impactful moments in the game, I\u2019m excited to see how it plays out.<\/p>\n And I\u2019ll also say that the umpires who are back there, it\u2019s a very difficult thing, 300 pitches a night with the type of stuff they\u2019re seeing. They do an exceptional job. Now Major League Baseball has done a good job recently enacting some things that have enhanced our fan experience. And this is another one that has a chance to go over well.<\/p>\n Blake Butera, Washington Nationals<\/a>: I\u2019m really excited about it. I\u2019ve obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while. One thing it does is you always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It\u2019s like, \u201cHey, challenge it. Let\u2019s see what you got.\u201d<\/p>\n I think one thing that\u2019s really good about it is like the umpires in the big leagues are really good. They\u2019re really, really good. It\u2019s a hard job, man. You have to lock in for that many pitches. And then you miss one, one\u2019s borderline, you\u2019re hearing it from the dugout. It\u2019s not an easy job. I think now the challenge system, what it\u2019s done is like, all right, you don\u2019t like it, challenge it.<\/p>\n Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds<\/a>: Last spring I didn\u2019t want to do it because we weren\u2019t going to use it. And then the guys from the league asked me — they were actually great about it — they go, can you just please do it? OK. Actually didn\u2019t mind it. I thought it was OK, and I thought the fans loved it. Didn\u2019t stop the game much. Everybody waited for the scoreboard. I think it will be OK.<\/p>\n What was your biggest takeaway from this year\u2019s thrilling MLB postseason?<\/p>\n Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies<\/a>: How competitive it was. Even our series where we got beat was really tight. Obviously, the World Series was fascinating the way it played out. The competition was really good.<\/p>\n Oliver Marmol, St. Louis Cardinals<\/a>: It was one of the most exciting playoffs I\u2019ve seen in a while. It was a vibrant, fun environment. You wanted to watch the games. There was an electricity to it.<\/p>\n Murphy: It\u2019s not like the regular season. It\u2019s that every pitch counts, all hands on deck. You know, the most important inning is this inning. It\u2019s awesome. Couldn\u2019t get enough. You\u2019d better have the stamina. You better have the stamina. Wow.<\/p>\n Albernaz: It was awesome. Just straight baseball.<\/p>\n Which opposing hitter would you least like to see up with the game on the line?<\/p>\n Schaeffer: Shohei [Ohtani]. He seems pretty clutch.<\/p>\n Skip Schumaker, Texas Rangers<\/a>: I\u2019m going to say Freddie Freeman<\/a>. Hits righties, hits lefties, stays inside the baseball, he\u2019s a hitter, he uses the whole field, he swings at the right pitches, he\u2019ll take his walk, so you\u2019re not going to get him out swinging outside the zone. He knows where the zone is, doesn\u2019t try to do too much, and he\u2019s going to put it in play. Obviously Ohtani is the best hitter, but I don\u2019t want to see Freddie.<\/p>\n Murphy: Freeman has dominated us for years with the game on the line. He\u2019s done it many times, broken our hearts.<\/p>\n Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>: Freddie\u2019s going to be able to understand the pitcher, he\u2019s going to adjust his approach, he\u2019s going to put the ball in play. You need a double, he\u2019s going to hit a double. You need a single, he\u2019s going to find a way to get on base.<\/p>\n McCullough: Kyle Schwarber<\/a>. He hammers velocity. He\u2019s gotten so much better versus lefties. Every time he\u2019s in the box, I feel like the field has just gotten too small. And he\u2019s in our division. There\u2019s [Aaron] Judge, but we just don\u2019t see Judge a lot.<\/p>\n Stammen: One player, when I was a pitcher, that I always respected, that always put up a good at-bat and was a tough person to face was Mookie Betts<\/a>. He\u2019s a good hitter.<\/p>\n Which pitcher — not on your team — would you most like to hand the ball to with the season on the line?<\/p>\n Stammen: I think right now, it\u2019s probably Paul Skenes<\/a> or Tarik Skubal<\/a>. Those guys are probably the two best pitchers in baseball. I\u2019d be fine handing those guys the ball. Fun to be their managers right now.<\/p>\n Lovullo: Skenes is an up-and-coming young player and he\u2019s had a lot of success, and there\u2019s a reason for it. You talk about process, understanding the big picture and being able to go out and execute, never sitting still and wanting to get better — he\u2019s the poster child for it.<\/p>\n Schumacher: I\u2019d say Skubal. I think it\u2019d be tough to not say Skubal.<\/p>\n Murphy: I like that dude from the Giants, Logan Webb<\/a>. But I like a lot of pitchers, man.<\/p>\n Schaeffer: I think [Webb] is an absolute bulldog. I love the way he goes about his business.<\/p>\n