Image via Complex Original
For a sport that relies so heavily on its long, proud tradition, baseball still finds itself in a constant state of change. What’s generally considered America’s grand old game is in the midst of trying to reinvent itself as a sport so it can appeal to a younger generation, while still keeping the soul that’s made it so popular for so long. Much of what we take for granted in the game now—instant replays, two wild cards, overly-dominant pitching—would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. What will the game look like a decade from now? These 10 people have had a big say in shaping that future.
Rob Manfred
MLB’s 10th Commissioner has proven to be considerably more proactive than his stodgier predecessor, taking the lead on a number of initiatives. Keeping in mind baseball’s aging fan base and the need to reinvigorate a younger generation, Manfred has focused on areas like pace of play and in-market video streaming—two issues that have gained the sport increasingly negative attention in recent years.
Tony Clark
On the other side of the coin, former first baseman and current players' association head Tony Clark is about to find himself in the spotlight when the MLB’s collective bargaining agreement expires following the 2016 season. With players angling for a bigger piece of the revenue pie and several other changes, the chances of a work stoppage are higher than they’ve been since the 1994-95 strike/lockout. Clark has only been leading the union for a little over a year, but is suddenly finding himself in a pivotal position in the game’s history.
Gabe Kapler
The developmental growth of minor league prospects involves more than just baseball skills—players must also be emotionally and physically strong as well. Nutrition has a big part to play in these areas. Luckily, Gabe Kapler, the new Director of Player Development for the Dodgers, is one out of a group of executives trying to make this process healthier for players, particularly when it comes to what they consume. A self-described fitness nut with his own lifestyle and health blog, Kapler is bringing fresh, healthy food to the Dodgers’ organization, hoping that better fuel leads to better production.
Brady Aiken
Aiken has never thrown a professional pitch, and he won’t pitch anywhere at all this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. But much like how the clunky medical term “ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction” is far better known by its first prominent recipient—Tommy John, of course—Aiken’s name may soon be attached to a seismic shift in how teams gather information on amateur players. The first overall pick in the 2014 draft, Aiken’s negotiations with the Astros fell apart due to the team’s post-draft concerns over the health of his arm. The fallout was so embarrassing that talk of an NFL-like pre-draft medical combine seems to be a potential part of baseball’s future thanks to Aiken’s case.
Kris Bryant
Despite being the universal top prospect in the game and hitting more spring homers than any other player this year, Bryant landed back in Triple-A to start the season. It’s not because he’s not ready; it’s because the Cubs very reasonably decided that holding him down for a few weeks in order to gain a full year of service time down the road was a wise move. That’s good for the Cubs, but bad for the fans and players. This has been an issue in the game for years, but the furor has never been louder than it was with Bryant. As with Aiken, Bryant’s case may help to change the rules for all.
Garrett Broshuis
Minor league pitcher-turned-labor lawyer Garrett Broshuis is one of a group of lawyers representing nearly three-dozen minor leaguers arguing that baseball is violating minimum wage practices in how lower-level minor leaguers are compensated. In a sport where the top players make $30 million annually, many minor leaguers receive only around $1,000 a month, and only during the season. If the lawsuit is successful, it would mean enormous changes throughout professional baseball.
Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, and Aroldis Chapman
There have been Cubans in Major League Baseball dating back a century, but nothing like the recent wave embodied in baseball stars like Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, and Aroldis Chapman. The incredible success that Cuba’s baseball stars are having in America is, in part, aided by recent international policies aimed at helping the island rejoin the global community after a decades-long embargo. Renewed Cuba-America relations are pushing forward the idea that a more open relationship with the world could benefit all sides. Overall, Major League Baseball has done spectacularly well in accumulating talent from Latin American countries, and Puig, Abreu, and Chapman are that relationship’s emerging stars.
Bob Bowman
As MLB's president of business and media, and formerly the head of MLB Advanced Media, Bob Bowman has led the league’s forward-thinking media initiatives. Foremost among them has been the development of MLB.tv, a huge success that dwarfs the efforts of any other sport when it comes to media access. Bowman is also the champion of developing the spatial tracking system StatCast, which has the potential to introduce huge improvements in how we measure defensive skill.
Andrew McCutchen
Pittsburgh’s MVP center fielder isn’t simply one of the greatest players in the game. He’s also taken a leading position advocating for the future of the sport, voicing his opinion in economically-depressed urban areas and taking up the plight of minorities, especially African-Americans. As MLB continues its attempt to gain back lost fans in those demographics, McCutchen’s role both on and off the field could be an enormous factor.
Mike Trout
How could we end this list anywhere other than with the man who is rewriting the future by dominating the present? In the entire history of baseball, no hitter has dominated through the age of 22 like Trout has, putting up nearly 30 WAR. The next 10 names on that list weren’t just great players—they’re inner-circle greats like Cobb, Foxx, Mantle, and Kaline. Still younger than most of the sport, Trout is well on his way to being the best player any of us will live to see.
