If Bud Selig is, in fact, going to retire at the end of the year as he says he will, then Major League Baseball has some work to do to figure out who’s on deck to become the next commissioner.
The ninth person to take on the job in MLB‘s long and storied history, Selig has handled the role since 1992 and will turn 80 years old in July. If this is his last year, Selig—who’s been known to change his mind about retirement in the past—will have served for 23 seasons in the same capacity, which is the second-longest tenure ever, behind only Kenesaw Mountain Landis‘ term from 1921 to 1944.
“This is definitely it,” Selig told Jayson Stark of ESPN in January. “I’m more comfortable today than I was when I [announced] it in October, if that’s possible. Jan. 24, 2015, is it. And I’m very comfortable with that. I’m done.”
While Selig has had his share of ups (i.e. record attendance figures) and downs (read: the steroid era), he’ll be remembered for his progressive approach toward growing the sport into a multi-billion dollar industry that has never been more popular than it is today.
As Selig enjoys the 2014 Opening Day—potentially his final one in office—here are some candidates who could step to the plate starting in 2015.