MLB’s Bizarre Practice Branded ‘Disgrace’ as Teams Fail to Act Despite Veterans’ Overhaul Plea

A 462-foot moonshot in a blowout MLB game isn’t usually headline material. However, Baltimore’s rookie Cody Mayo’s blast simply lit a storm. Not because of his power or his promising future. No, this stirred the pot because of who was on the mound—a position player. A player just tossed it in to end the innings.

So what could have been a feel-good welcome to the big league moment for him? However, it opened a crack in MLB that many veterans have raised concerns about. The sight of hitters launching homers off utility infielders who are masquerading as pitchers has gone from being quirky to concerning. And some of the sport’s most respected voices are speaking against this.

One All-Star USA TODAY: “It’s ruining the game and making a farce of statistics, and you just wait until one of these guys gets hurt. It’s time they stopped making a mockery of the game.” And it even gets deeper.

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Bob Nightengale mentioned, “It’s embarrassing that teams have used position players to pitch in games for five consecutive days this past week and six of the last seven. Javier Sanoja of the Marlins has pitched in three of those games. There were actually five games on Wednesday in which a position player pitched. That is a disgrace.” Just think about that—giving games in one night where teams have basically used the white flag and let non-pitchers lob the ball across the plate.

This is not an odd event that takes place once in a while. In 2025 alone, position players have over 140 innings of logging. That’s almost triple what was seen a decade ago. No doubt that it does save bullpens, but essentially at what cost? The safety concerns, that watered-down product, and that inflated stat? For baseball veterans, it’s not only about killing the vibe of the game—it’s about the integrity of the sport. And baseball is supposed to be the best hitters facing the best pitchers.

Instead, now you see rookies like Mayo putting up numbers against the guys who should be fielding grounders at second base. This frustration comes at a bad time for MLB, because they are always facing pace-of-play tweaks, postseason expansion debates are also on, and more. They needed another backlash—but here they are—right when they are in the middle of a major change by Rob Manfred.

Rob Manfred’s possible new change sparks a meltdown across MLB

The truth is, Rob Manfred has never been shy to change the sport. He recently dropped the big bomb that sent the MLB purists into a frenzy. During the MLB Little League Classic, he openly mentioned the idea of realignment. It is a potential overhaul that could eliminate the AL and NL as we know them. “If we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. We could save a lot of wear and tear on players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing… you’d be playing up out of the East and out of the West,” said Manfred.

Then came the outrage, and Mets broadcaster Howie Rose basically put forth the viewpoint of the traditionalist. He called it “the last move before total destruction of the traditions that made baseball great.” For the fans, the entire idea of the AL and NL divide is what makes the game what it is. The rivalry has stood for more than a century, and it would feel foreign without it.

Of course, thought expansion is like the first domino. Cities like Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City, Orlando, and Charlotte will all be lining up for new teams. And Nashville is one such place that is seen as a frontrunner. But the real kicker is, how will this realignment work out? For now, it seems to be an NBA-style East/West conference system, with 16 teams apiece. So the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies in the Northeast, maybe, and maybe the Dodgers, Giants, Angels, and Padres form a California-heavy space.

While on paper it might sound near, it would be a challenge. And Manfred has already brought several changes to the sport, from pitch clocks to bigger bases and more. If he manages this realignment, it would be his biggest move.

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