Carlos Correa has mixed feelings about rumored 'golden at-bat' rule

The rule would bring crazy drama to a game that is desperate for new attention.

Sep 25, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) hits an RBI double against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball is reportedly toying with the idea of a "golden at-bat" rule that could essentially allow teams one opportunity in every game to choose a player to bat regardless of where they are due up in the order.

Quick example: The Twins have the bases loaded and a slumping Ryan Jeffers is due up but the Twins use the golden at-bat to allow Royce Lewis to hit in that spot even if Lewis had just hit a few batters earlier. It would make for exciting drama, but whether it'll be implemented is a mystery.

The idea would give baseball a new wrinkle and Twins star shortstop Carlos Correa has mixed feelings about it. When asked by The Athletic what he thinks of the golden at-bat rule being featured in exhibitions like the All-Star Game, he was all for it.

“You’re onto something right there,” Correa said. “It’s fun, right? Just put whoever you want in the ninth inning to hit. That would be great. I love it.”

Correa was less optimistic about the rule being featured in the regular season.

“My relievers are going to hate me if I say I agree with that one,” Correa told The Athletic's Jayson Stark. “I can’t agree with that one because the relievers are going to be under really, really high stress all the time, and then the injuries are going to go even higher.”

While it would be fun to see Royce Lewis in consecutive at-bats, or Correa batting out of turn in a clutch situation, the rule would afford players a greater opportunity to break records.

Let's say the Yankees want to use Aaron Judge for a Golden at-bat 100 times over the course of the the season. Well, Judge has homered once ever 9-10 at-bats over the last three seasons, so that might mean an extra 10 homers with the added at-bats. Ten extra homers in 2022 would've put Judge at 72 and 10 more this past season would've given him 68.

On the flip side, the pitchers would have it rough. Imagine being Jhoan Duran of the Twins and you just struck out Shohei Ohtani for the second out of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series, but now you have to face him again because the Dodgers call on him for the golden at-bat and he winds up hitting a walk-off homer.

Brutal, but amazing drama.

Baseball has to find ways to make the game more appealing and it has to do so while protecting and balancing the game's history and traditions. For now, the Golden at-bat is simply an idea. If it comes to life, so be it...