Rob Manfred Voted Next MLB Commissioner, Will Replace Bud Selig Next Year
Rob Manfred will become the 10th Major League Baseball commissioner after he was voted to success Bud Selig, who is set to step down from his post in January next year.
Manfred reportedly got a unanimous 30-0 vote in the final balloting after several failed attempts to name a commissioner in the process that reportedly last for around five hours on Thursday.
Manfred, the league's chief operating officer, edged Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and league executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan, who reportedly dropped out of the race before the first balloting.
"We've had quite an interesting day, a lengthy day," Selig told MLB.com. "We had a significant number of votes, but in the end the vote was unanimous, 30-0. The process is complete."
Manfred, who was Selig's personal choice to take his post, said that he was honored by the trust the 30 league owners gave him, but he knows that he will have a tough job starting Jan. 25 next year because he will have a big shoes to fill.
Under Selig's tenure, the league enjoyed significant increase in revenue and attendance along with the establishment of new ball parks, while also achieving labor peace. The league's drug-testing program and competitive balance also improved since Selig took over in 1992.
"I'm tremendously honored by the confidence the owners showed in me," Manfred said. "I have a 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."
Werner, who initially got 10 votes in the first balloting, accepted the owner's decision to elect Manfred as the next commissioner, while also expressing confidence that the incoming commissioner will implement improvements in the near future.
"I think Rob will make a great Commissioner," Werner said of Manfred. "I'm going to support him and I think that some of the ideas we talked about to speed up the play of the game to capture a generation of young fans, I think we need, and to make the game more popular internationally, I think all those ideas got a warm reception."
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