Rob Manfred Unanimously Elected Commissioner of MLB

Major League Baseball (MLB) have revealed their next Commissioner as Rob Manfred was elected to the post to succeed incumbent Bud Selig in 2015. 

Rob Manfred was elected in a 30-0 vote Thursday to replace Selig in January, becoming the 10th person to hold the industry’s highest office.

Five hours after deliberations began on the final day of the quarterly Owners Meetings, it was announced that Manfred, MLB’s chief operating officer, will formally take over on Jan. 25. Selig has presided over the game for 22 remarkable years.

“We’ve had quite an interesting day, a lengthy day,” Selig said. “We had a significant number of votes, but in the end the vote was unanimous, 30-0. The process is complete.”

Manfred commented: “I’m tremendously honored by the confidence the owners showed in me. I have very big shoes to fill. [Selig] has been a friend and mentor for me the entire 25 years I’ve been in the game. There is no question that I would not be standing here today if it were not for Bud. And I hope I will perform in a way that adds to his great legacy.”

Selig’s tenure resulted in a sweeping transformation of the game, including an unprecedented era in labor peace, a sharp rise in revenue and attendance, a string of new ballparks, improved competitive balance, instant replay, expanded playoffs, the most comprehensive drug-testing program among the major professional sports and the creation of Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

When Manfred, 55, was promoted to COO on Sept. 28, 2013, it put him directly in line to follow Selig. Since then he has overseen all traditional functions of the Commissioner’s Office, including labor relations, baseball operations, finance, administration and club governance.

But a seven-man search committee, headed by Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., eventually presented a slate of three candidates to the Executive Committee: Manfred, MLB’s executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan and Red Sox chairman Tom Werner.

“We ended up with three very strong, highly qualified candidates,” DeWitt said. “In the end, Rob Manfred was elected because of his dynamic leadership, his passion for the game, his ability to lead the staff in New York, which he has done, and his overall ability to deal with labor issues and really all aspects of the game. When we put together the requirements for the next Commissioner, he really checked all the boxes.

“You have to have broad-based support. And I think so many people in all aspects of the industry — large, middle and small markets — talked about how he was sensitive to their needs. He’ll treat everyone equally. It’s not about one club or one group of clubs. It’s about all 30 clubs.”

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