Rob Manfred to succeed Bud Selig as MLB commissioner

According to multiple reports, Major League Baseball chief operating officer Rob Manfred will succeed retiring MLB Commissioner Bud Selig as the next head of the world’s biggest professional baseball league.

Manfred, 55, will be the tenth commissioner in the league’s history, replacing Selig, who has been at the helm of Major League Baseball for over two decades.

"The 55-year-old Manfred, currently MLB’s chief operating officer, was elected in a vote by representatives of the 30 clubs on Thursday, the final day of the quarterly Owners Meetings. He was a finalist along with Red Sox chairman Tom Werner. MLB’s executive vice president of business Tim Brosnan reportedly withdrew before the first vote. (MLB.com)"

According to the New York Times, Manfred failed to receive the needed 23 votes in an initial vote earlier Thursday in Baltimore, but hours later, he got it after missing by just one tally earlier. He was widely believed to be the frontrunner for the position, which was obviously confirmed by Thursday’s vote.

"Mr. Manfred was set up to be Selig’s handpicked successor, the faithful deputy who had played important behind-the-scenes roles since he began working for baseball on a full-time basis full time in 1998. For 15 of those years, he was an executive vice president, in charge of both labor relations that were devoid of any work stoppages and the sport’s increasing efforts to crack down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. (NYT)"

Manfred will begin his tenure at the end of Jan. 2015, when Selig is set to retire.