Alex Rodriguez says Rob Manfred 'saved' baseball, 'belongs' in Hall of Fame

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has upset the baseball purists but the stats prove that his sweeping changes worked Ahead of the season MLB implemented a pitch timer enlarged bases and shift restrictions As the average length of games is down more than a half hour since its peak of in attendance has increased Attendance has increased in each of the last two years It was the first time since and that attendance grew in back-to-back seasons CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COM The World Series granted two huge markets between the Yankees and Dodgers had its most of viewers since But MLB on FOX viewership is up compared to last year Manfred has had his fair share of questionable moves largest part notably letting the Houston Astros slide on paper for stealing signs in and calling the World Series trophy a piece of metal He also undersaw the sport's first work stoppage since and another lockout is looming after next season At the end of the day though money talks and Manfred has raked it in for the league Because there are now more eyeballs on baseball Alex Rodriguez announced he is a big Rob Manfred fan MLBPA CHIEF SAYS FOREIGN PLAYERS EXPLAINED TO CARRY DOCUMENTATION TO 'KEEP THEIR JOB' I think he deserves a lot of credit Singlehandedly with the changes he s made the last two or three years to really save our encounter he apparently belongs in Cooperstown Rodriguez declared on The Herd Tuesday ahead of the All-Star Event It's quite a compliment from Rodriguez as Manfred played a key role in Rodriguez's suspension for the entire season due to performance-enhancing drugs Manfred led the inspection into the Biogenesis controversy Manfred has also implemented Negro League stats to count toward MLB numbers revamped the World Baseball Classic and reinstated Pete Rose Shoeless Joe Jackson and others Right now the attendance is on pace to be lower than last year's and the year prior but it should be noted that the rest of the summer demands to be played out and two teams are playing in minor league stadiums hurting their attendance numbers Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter