Who Is The Current Commissioner Of Major League Baseball?
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The current Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB) is Rob Manfred. He was elected to the position in January of 2015, and has been serving in the role ever since.
Rob Manfred
Rob Manfred became the 10th Commissioner of Major League Baseball on January 25, 2015, succeeding Bud Selig. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball. Manfred was born in Rome, New York, and graduated from Hamilton College in 1980 and from Harvard Law School in 1984. He worked as a labor lawyer for Proskauer Rose LLP in New York City before becoming a labor consultant for Major League Baseball in 1987.
Early life and education
Robert D. Manfred, Jr. was born in Rome, New York, the son of Nancy M. (Growney) and Robert D. Manfred, Sr., a lawyer. He grew up in Rome and Walworth, New York and graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. From 1980 to 1987, he worked as an engineer for General Motors.
Manfred’s career in baseball
Robert D. Manfred, Jr. is an American lawyer and business executive who is the current Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of MLB from 2013 to 2014. Prior to that, he worked as an attorney in the baseball industry.
Manfred was born in Rome, New York, and raised in upstate New York. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School. He began his career working for Proskauer Rose LLP, a law firm that represented MLB, before joining MLB in 1998 as Executive Vice President for Labor Relations and Human Resources. In 2002, he was promoted to Chief Labor Counsel, and in 2006 he was named Executive Vice President for Economics and League Affairs.
In 2013, Manfred was elected by the MLB owners as the 10th Commissioner of Baseball, succeeding Bud Selig. He took office on January 25, 2015. During his tenure as Commissioner, Manfred has focused on increasing pace of play and improving player safety, among other things.
Manfred’s tenure as Commissioner
Rob Manfred is the current Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He was elected to this position on August 14, 2014, and his term began on January 25, 2015. He succeeded Bud Selig, who retired on January 24, 2015, after 22 years in office.
Manfred’s accomplishments
Since Manfred took over as Commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2015, he has made a number of significant changes to the game. One of his primary goals has been to make baseball more appealing to younger audiences, and he has implemented several rule changes with that in mind. For example, he has shortened the time between innings, introduced new disclaimers for commercial breaks, and mandated that all teams have DJ booths in their stadiums. He has also been an advocate for increasing the number of African-American and Latino players in the league. In order to achieve this, he created the “Leading Off” program, which provides financial assistance to minority-owned baseball academies. Under Manfred’s leadership, minority representation in MLB has indeed increased, although some critics argue that more needs to be done on this front.
Manfred’s controversies
Under Manfred’s tenure as Commissioner, Major League Baseball has seen a number of controversies.
In 2018, the Houston Astros were accused of using illegal methods to gain an advantage during their run to the World Series championship. An investigation found that the Astros had been using a video camera to steal signs from opposing teams, and several Astros players were suspended as a result.
In 2019, Manfred controversially decided to not suspend any players after an investigation into allegations that the Boston Red Sox had used illegal methods to gain an advantage during their 2018 championship season. Manfred said that while there was evidence that the Sox had broken the rules, he did not believe that the team had gained a “significant competitive advantage.”
In 2020, MLB was forced to postpone its season for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manfred faced criticism for his handling of the situation, as some felt that he did not do enough to protect players from the virus.
What the future holds for Manfred
Rob Manfred was unanimously elected by the owners to be the tenth Commissioner of Baseball in January of 2015, succeeding Bud Selig. He was elected to a five-year term that will expire on December 31, 2019. At the time of his election, Manfred stated that his top priority as Commissioner would be to “grow the sport”, specifically mentioning the need to attract younger fans to the game.
Manfred’s possible successors
With Commissioner Manfred’s retirement announcement, speculation has already begun on who might succeed him.
The leading contenders appear to be Rob Manfred Jr., the Commissioner’s son, and Selig’s former right-hand man, Howard
angels. Other possible successors include current MLB executives such as Tony Petitti, Morgan Sword, and Charlie Hill, as well as former players such as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
Whoever is selected as the next Commissioner of Major League Baseball will have big shoes to fill. Manfred has been widely praised for his handling of the sport during his tenure, including successfully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing revenue to record levels.