In the sequel to yesterday’s article, I am taking a deeper (and much more lighthearted) dive into the issues surrounding baseball and how the MLB can reinvigorate the sport and get viewers back. Not only television viewers, but get some asses in seats at ballparks.

We’ve all seen the TikTok sensations, the Savannah Bananas. With their quirky dances, wild introductions, and fan engagement, they took the world by storm. Baseball fans everywhere were watching clips of some great baseball players having fun playing the game. The Savannah Bananas not only have a massive social media following, but it’s tough to get a ticket, because they sell out all of their games.

So, what can we learn from our friends in Savannah? Turns out, a lot. You can find the Banana Ball (yes, that’s what they call it) rules here.

The Banana Ball rules call for a strict time limit on the game itself. Now, I may seem like a hypocrite here after I ranted about the need for time and strategy, BUT this doesn’t change how long pitchers have to plan, have duels with runners on the bases, or how long they have to throw the pitch. In fact, some pitchers have time to do a coordinated dance before throwing the pitch. One could argue that this takes more thinking and planning than a standard MLB game. If you think that MLB needs to be on a strict time limit, it doesn’t get easier than that!

Along with the time limit, Banana Ball doesn’t allow for a game to get out of reach for the team behind. For every inning, except the final inning, the team with the most runs in the inning gets a point. In the final inning, every run is a point. So, bringing in runs is the trick. One or two long balls won’t win you the game in most instances, you need to get hits, get on base, and score frequently. What did I say yesterday, fans like to see hits. They don’t all need to be out of the park!

Now, where Banana Ball takes the cake is the rules during an at bat. You want more stolen bases? Well, at any time during an at bat, the batter can steal first base. So, pitch accuracy and long standoffs with runners could be a detriment. You want to pickoff the runner at second, better not throw it away, or the hitter will end up on first. MLB wants more action on the basepaths, here ya go!

Banana Ball does not allow bunting, though. I appreciate a good bunt, but apparently, they have done the research and conclude that “Bunting sucks.” So, I guess I will just admit that I am in the minority here. If a player bunts in a Banana Ball game, they are immediately ejected. It’s harsh, but it’s actually pretty funny, so I’ll take it.

There are no walks in Banana Ball, there are sprints! Once the fourth ball is thrown, the hitter can sprint around the bases. The defense needs to have every player touch the ball before it becomes live. Who doesn’t love an outbreak of pandemonium on what is routinely the most boring play in baseball?

There are two key rules in Banana Ball that allow the game to move quickly. First, there are no mound visits. No one knows what they say during those timeouts anyway, so get rid of it. You think telling the pitcher to “throw strikes” while you all cover your mouths is a big secret? Well, just yell it from the dugouts now. Hitting a baseball is hard anyway, nothing in these mound visits is going to change that. I don’t care if the pitcher is rattled and needs a time out, have him do a dance to get rid of the nerves. The second rule is that once the batter is in the box, they cannot leave or they get a strike. About damn time someone did it! I don’t need to watch a hitter adjust his batting gloves, his shin protector, his arm protector, his 8 arm bands, and his necklaces between each pitch. Get in the box and hit.

If you want more fan engagement and people paying attention to the games, make them part of the game. In a Banana Ball game, if a foul ball is caught by the fans, it is an out. Now, I love a good 12-13 pitch at bat that keeps us on the edge of our seats. What I also love is a dad holding his baby in one arm, a beer in the other, and making some wild catch in his beer cup and chugging it. Now, imagine that catch and chug counting as an out for his team. The dad goes from “really cool clip on social media” to “local hero saves team on the brink of defeat!” I can go for that.

In contrast to the MLB adding a runner on second base in extra innings, in order to speed up the game, Banana Ball takes overtime to a whole different level. They have the “Showdown Tiebreaker.” This is played until a team wins the game by scoring more runs. In the first round of the tiebreaker, there is a batter, a pitcher, a catcher, and one fielder. The catch? The hitter must score. You want to talk about the importance of being a good hitter? Here we go. If the teams are still tied, eliminate the one fielder. Now, it’s pitcher and catcher against the hitter. If that doesn’t work, how about we load the bases and every run is a point. That gets the people going. You like walkoff home runs? Well, if a player in the tiebreaker hits one out, game over!

Now, that would be fun to watch on TV, and the fan interactions would be sure to fill some seats in the stadium. But wait, there’s more. Every Savannah Bananas game has open seating with all-you-can-eat concessions for $25. One of the biggest problems with baseball is the cost to go to a game. Sure, you can get a ticket to a game for the same price, but a night at the ballpark quickly eclipses a steak dinner. Make the games accessible and affordable. Nothing is better than spending an afternoon at the ballpark. The weather is usually great, you’re watching the game, and enjoying a few beers. Why make that so unaffordable that half the seats are empty?

Just some food for thought. I know we won’t get Banana Ball or anything like it. My last article showed that for MLB, I like some tradition. But, if we are going to change the game to make it more exciting, more watchable, and speed it up, we could just go full-send and take it to the next level. Maybe MLB could take some minor league teams and try it? They have decided to eliminate a lot of low-level teams, so rather than destroy the team, why not try to make it an experience for the community, keep the fans engaged, and see what happens?

With how bad the MLB’s ratings are, I guess it couldn’t hurt to try anything.

-Drew Pappert

*Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times*