Rob Manfred’s crises are coming. They are unavoidable when you are the commissioner of a major sport.
They also are mostly unpredictable in their scope, timing and content. Maybe you could see drug problems on the horizon, but how about under-inflated footballs or the raving racial insensitivity of one of your senior owners?
Commissioners, to a large degree, are judged by how they handle the worst moments — which is why NFL commissioner Roger Goodell projects as a buffoon now and the NBA’s Adam Silver as a sturdy leader.
Manfred is far removed from any verdict on his tenure a month in. But he has offered a positive early read by honoring the game’s history without being trapped in it.
Baseball, more than any of our other sports, is buoyed by its past, which is why its Hall of Fame and stats are more important than those of all the other sports combined. So you have to treasure the legacy. But Manfred has seen trouble spots and has made it clear in his term’s infancy that there are no sacred cows, that everything is open for discussion.
This most immediately impacts pace of game, with Manfred acknowledging that the absence of a clock is part of baseball’s beloved lore, but that the periods of inaction have increased and left the game less appealing to future fans.
So the commissioner is on his bully pulpit. He already is in negotiations with the union about items for 2015, such as keeping the batter in the box between pitches and being ready to ignite play quicker after half-inning breaks. Pitch clocks are being experimented with in the minors, and there is impetus to have them in the majors in 2016.
This is representative of the kind of proactive, unafraid-of-change commissioner Manfred appears to be, and that trait makes him the majors’ most interesting man heading into spring as we wonder what else will he do? Here is the rest of Hardball’s top 50:
2. Alex Rodriguez
He is no longer suspended, a third baseman or furiously fighting all his enemies. Yet he remains the most polarizing figure in the game. Can he still play well on the field and nice in the clubhouse?
3. Matt Harvey
It is not just the Mets who are better if the righty is all the way back from Tommy John surgery, but the game too — such is Harvey’s talent and charisma. Let’s hope Miami’s Jose Fernandez follows by June and July and these two begin ace vs. ace NL East duels that become legendary.
4. Giancarlo Stanton
Fernandez’s Marlin teammate became the majors’ first $300 million player ($325 million to be exact). That raises his profile and the pressure on him at a time he has to prove he can come back from the multiple facial fractures suffered last Sept. 11 when beaned by a Mike Fiers fastball.
5. Joe Maddon
There are many faces of the expected Cubs renaissance, such as team architect Theo Epstein, free-agent purchase Jon Lester and the reams of elite positional prospects, which should see can’t-wait-to-see-him slugger Kris Bryant reach the majors this year. But the daily face of the franchise is going to be the upbeat, cerebral Maddon, who was given a $25 million contract and immediately embraced the ultimate goal of winning the Cubs’ first title in more than a century.
6. Pete Rose
The all-time hit king is expected to petition Manfred for reinstatement, and for the first time since his expulsion there might be some momentum to bring him back.
7. A.J. Preller
Baseball’s busiest man this offseason was the Padres’ general manager, transforming what was arguably the majors’ least glamorous team into the talk of the game. The roster is sexier, but is it functional and, if it isn’t, “what will Preller do next?”
8. Troy Tulowitzki
Is it too early to think of the July trade market? If the Rockies shortstop proves he is fully recovered from his hip surgery, he immediately moves to No. 1 on big-time players likely to be traded. And we should assume both New York teams will be interested.
9. Cole Hamels
The Phillies ace already is available, so he can be moved earlier than Tulowitzki, perhaps as soon as this spring if a contender determines it needs a top-end starter.
10. Yoan Moncada
Sometime in the next week or two, the 19-year-old Cuban is expected to sign, perhaps for as much as $40 million to $50 million, with penalties potentially costing the signing team double that number. From the instant he hits the field folks will be watching intently trying to determine if he was worth the dough.
11. Madison Bumgarner
What do you do for an encore when you pretty much won a World Series single-handedly?
12. Don Mattingly
The Dodgers manager still has yet to reach a World Series as a player, coach or skipper. This could be his last best chance, at least with Los Angeles. Mattingly begins the season as perhaps the manager on the hottest of seats because a new rock-star front office led by Andrew Friedman will be doing the judging, the payroll will be by far the largest in the game and the talent is good enough to win it all.
13. Masahiro Tanaka
How is that elbow? The answer just might determine if the Yankees are contenders or not.
14. Yasmany Tomas
Arizona gambled $68.5 million that Tomas could be the latest Cuban success story but intensified the risk by trying to turn the outfielder into a third baseman.
15. Jung-Ho Kang
He is trying to become the first position player to make the jump from the Korean Baseball Organization to the majors. How many of the 40 homers he hit last year for the Nexen Heroes will be transferrable to the Pirates?
16. Prince Fielder
The Rangers remained largely silent this offseason, hoping their two big purchases from the previous offseason (Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo) rebound from injury-marred down seasons. Fielder, not long ago a productive iron man, is trying to return from neck surgery.
17. Mike Trout
It is about time we got to the majors’ best player. What can the Mickey Mantle of this era do next?
18. Clayton Kershaw
It is about time we got the majors’ best pitcher. What can the Sandy Koufax of this era do next (though maybe we have to wait until the postseason, which so far has been the Dodgers lefty’s lone Kryptonite)?
19. Didi Gregorius
Can he replace Derek Jeter, or do the Yankees already have the Rockies on speed dial to see about Tulowitzki?
20. Max Scherzer
The Nationals had the best roster in baseball before giving the righty $210 million to top their rotation. This gives Washington more talent but also even a greater burden (particularly for manager Matt Williams) to translate this starry group into a champion.
21. Manny Machado
The Orioles lost Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis to free agency but have Matt Wieters and Machado returning from injury-damaged years. Machado is just 22 but has now had surgery on both knees. At this best, he is a two-way marvel — perhaps the best defensive player in the majors — but who is he now?
22. David Wright
Finally, the Mets appear ready to contend, but does their highest-paid player still have the physicality and skill to be a star in that effort?
23. Matt Kemp
The Dodgers traded him down the freeway to the Padres. He was one of the majors’ best hitters in the second half last year. Is he spurred by NL West vengeance to do that for a whole year or is his body ready to betray him again?
24. Yasiel Puig
The Dodgers are committed to figuring out how to get more of the otherworldly talent
and less of the immaturity.
25. Dale Scott
The veteran came out as the first openly gay umpire in the majors. Is there any backlash?
26. Hanley Ramirez
The Red Sox invested $183 million in Pablo Sandoval and Ramirez to invigorate their offense but with the gamble that Ramirez can transition from shortstop to left field.
27. CC Sabathia
Taxed arm, surgically repaired knees — is there anything left?
28. Ruben Amaro
The Phillies GM has some of the most untradeable players in the game — Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, Cliff Lee — and a mandate to trade them. How he does in this forum may determine if he keeps his job.
29. Billy Beane
Is the Oakland GM tearing it down, building it up or — as usual — doing some multi-pronged game of baseball chess? Whatever it is, his offseason was fascinating, and he is unlikely to stop maneuvering now.
30. Noah Syndergaard
Is this righty plus lefty Steve Matz ready to enlarge the Mets’ rotation of power arms?
31. Lorenzo Cain
The Royals are blessed with a group of young but experienced players who blossomed enough to get them to the World Series last year. Cain’s emergence — and promise of potentially more to come — is the most intriguing.
32. Joe Mauer
Has the Twins first baseman fallen and can’t get up, or is there still a high-caliber hitter in there?
33. Robinson Cano
Both Cano’s new team (Mariners) and old team (Yankees) missed the playoffs last year, but Seattle arguably is better positioned to play in October 2015.
34. Chris Davis
From 53 homers to humiliation (a 2014 that ended with a 25-game suspension for amphetamine use that covers the first regular-season game in 2015). Who is he now?
35. Dellin Betances
Is he ready to replace the man (David Robertson) who replaced The Man (Mariano Rivera)?
36. David Price
In the conversation with Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann for the best pitcher heading toward what looks like a great class for free agent pitchers. Word was Price was not all too comfortable in Detroit after his July acquisition — does he want to stay or leave?
37. Tony Clark
He is entering his second year as union head and having to decide how much he partners with a new commissioner on pace of play, an international draft, youth initiatives and possibly even a ban of the shift.
38. Bryce Harper
Keep in mind the Nats outfielder is two months younger than Syndergaard, but impatience still persists if he will have that fully healthy breakout campaign.
39. George Springer
Houston has intentions this year to go from also-ran to above .500, and he is the best of the Astros prospect wave to reach the majors.
40. Michael Wacha
Two years ago, he looked like an ace, but injuries already have his career looking more susceptible. The Cardinals are a team to beat if Wacha and Adam Wainwright are healthy.
41. Miguel Cabrera
The best hitter on the planet had foot and ankle surgery in October, and his cleanup protection (Victor Martinez) had knee surgery last week. How quickly do they come back to form the best 3-4 in the sport?
42. Tim Lincecum
Of the 58 pitchers who have worked at least 500 innings the past three years, Lincecum’s 4.76 ERA is second worst. Just 30, he is in the last year of a contract. Can he help himself and the Giants still?
43. Robin Ventura
The White Sox bulked up as much as any AL team this offseason, meaning there is now bigger pressure on the manager.
44. Jeffrey Loria
The last time the Marlins owner allowed his team to chase stars and raise payroll, he was in dump mode by midseason. What does the impulsive Loria do this time if Miami does not contend?
45. Russell Martin
The Jays have been thought of as talented but not a team — can a two-way glue player like Martin make a difference in the culture?
46. David Ortiz
Hit 35 homers last year, needs 34 this year to reach 500. Do we see any signs of slowing down at age 39?
47. Kevin Cash
It might not be replacing Jeter, but Cash is succeeding the popular, successful Maddon as Tampa Bay manager.
48. Carlos Beltran
What do he and Mark Teixeira have left?
49. Andrew McCutchen
We all probably should be paying attention to someone who over the past three years has three All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers and three top-three MVP finishes.
50. Curtis Granderson
Does having Kevin Long as a hitting coach again make a difference?