🦿Have Kickers Gotten Too Good?

In partnership with

You know what the most thankless job is? As a youth sports official, I just saw it firsthand.

At the end of January, I traveled to London, Ontario, to follow a youth hockey ref named Brandon as he officiated 6 games in a day, and let me tell you, it was nothing like what I expected.

You can watch my full experience here.

In today’s newsletter:

🗞 The Big Story: Have Kickers Gotten Too Good?

📉 Biggest Loser: Why is Every Baseball Stadium a Different Size?

🏆 Winner’s Circle: How the Phillies Signed an 11-Year-Old Shortstop for $1.8M

Feel Better, Without Overthinking It

Most of us don’t need a complicated routine. We just want to feel good, stay energized, and not think too hard about it.

AG1 Next Gen is a clinically studied daily health drink that supports gut health, helps fill common nutrient gaps, and supports steady energy. One scoop in cold water replaces a multivitamin, probiotics, and more, so your routine stays simple.

Start your mornings with AG1 and get 3 FREE AG1 Travel Packs, 3 FREE AGZ Travel Packs, and FREE Vitamin D3+K2 in your Welcome Kit with your first subscription.

Get started today

🗞 The Big Story

Have kickers gotten too good?

The short answer is yes, but the solution to this problem isn’t actually as simple as you might think; let me explain.

Background: While we’ve become accustomed to seeing kickers regularly make 60-plus-yard field goals every week, most people forget that, as recently as 2014, there were NFL seasons when we didn’t see a single 60-yard field goal made.

In fact, during the entire 20th century, there were just four 60-plus-yard field goals ever made:

• 1970: Tom Dempsey (NOR), 63 yards

• 1984: Steve Cox (CLE), 60 yards

• 1991: Morten Andersen (NOR), 60 yards

• 1996: Jason Elam (DEN), 63 yards

Whereas today, you have kickers like Brandon Aubrey, Jake Bates, and Harrison Mevis going from the UFL to the NFL because of their ability to consistently make these very same kicks.

Testing Ground: Now, some experts might argue that, given drastic improvements in kicking distance and accuracy, leagues should make it harder for kickers by implementing new restrictions, such as narrowing the goalposts.

But I don’t actually think that’s the best solution.

Instead, the United Football League, the same league that first introduced:

• The dynamic kick-off

• Virtual first-down measurement system

Is implementing a new rule that’s going to completely change the math of these long field goals.

Risk/Reward: Even though NFL kickers made a record-breaking twelve 60-plus-yard field goals last year, teams still only attempted 22 of them in total.

Now, you might assume this is because of an overall skill issue, but in reality, according to the analytics most coaches use, it’s not worth the risk to kick a long field goal that’s only worth three points.

That’s why, this season, the UFL is implementing a 4-point field goal for any kicks made from at least 60 yards. The idea here is: instead of punishing kickers by shrinking the goalposts, what if coaches were incentivized to take more risks by rewarding teams with an extra point?

Plus, it makes games more competitive by giving teams down by 4 points late in the game a chance to tie without needing a touchdown. Honestly, between players and fans, it seems like a win-win.

📉 Biggest Loser

Why is every baseball stadium a different size?

I mean, just think about it:

• Hockey nets are always 178 feet apart

• Football fields are always 100 yards long

• Basketball hoops are always 10 feet tall

But for some reason, no two MLB stadiums have the same dimensions; however, the reason why is actually a lot more complicated than you might think.

Standards: There are obviously some standardized dimensions for baseball fields. For example, every pitcher's mound must be 60 feet 6 inches from home plate, and every base must be exactly 90 feet apart. In fact, there are even rules on the books dictating the required dimensions of the outfield fences, too.

So, why does nobody follow them?

History: Well, the truth is, when baseball first became popular in the early 1900s, most games were played in open fields without an outfield fence. Just look at the 1903 World Series below, where fans simply gathered around a rope strung in the grass.

However, as the sport began to professionalize, teams started building stadiums where most of their fans lived (which, at the time, were densely populated cities).

But this presented ball clubs with an interesting problem: city blocks typically aren’t big enough for MLB stadiums, which is how we originally got unique dimensions like Fenway’s 310-foot left-field line, designed to fit inside Lansdowne Street on the other side of the Green Monster.

And since owners didn’t want to build their own ballparks to match Fenway's exact dimensions, MLB allowed every stadium to use whatever dimensions worked for the city.

However, that all changed in 1958.

The Anomaly: This was the year that the Brooklyn Dodgers moved across the country to Los Angeles, but since their new stadium wouldn’t be done until 1962, the team had to play for four years at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Now, the Colosseum has hosted a lot of sporting events since it opened in 1923, but baseball was never one of them, resulting in a left-field fence that was a laughably short 250 feet from home plate.

And even though the Dodgers erected a 40-foot net known as the “Screen Monster” to help limit home runs, MLB finally put its foot down and instituted a rule later that year stating that any stadium constructed after June 1, 1958, must be at least 325 feet down the lines and 400 feet to center.

But if that’s true, then why are there 7 ballparks that have built since that date that actively break those rules?

• Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox): 310 ft to left, 302 ft to right.

• Oracle Park (San Francisco Giants): ~309 ft to right.

• Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays): 315 ft to left, 322 ft to right.

• New Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees): 318 ft to left, 314 ft to right.

• Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros): 315 ft to left.

• Petco Park (San Diego Padres): 322 ft to right.

• PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates): 320 ft to right.

Character Concerns: The truth is, MLB wisely cares more about character and tradition in its stadiums than it does about arbitrary rules. That’s why teams can apply for special exemptions from the league, which they have only ever denied once, to build stadiums that fall short of the required outfield distances.

Allowing fans today to continue enjoying iconic ballparks ranging from Oracle Park to Yankee Stadium.

🏆 Winner’s Circle

Who is this 11-year-old that the Phillies just signed to a $1.8 million contract?

Well, he actually just exposed one of the craziest loopholes in all of sports that no one seems to know anything about; let me explain.

International Free Agency: While fans probably know how a draft works, what you probably don’t realize is that in Major League Baseball, the draft process only applies to American and Canadian players. Meanwhile, for any athlete born outside of these two countries, they’re allowed to skip the draft process altogether and simply pick their team through free agency once the International Free Agency period opens on January 15 of every year.

And even though this sounds like a free-for-all, there are some rules here.

For example, there’s actually a salary cap for signing international players, determined by a franchise’s revenue and market size.

2026 International Bonus Pool

• $8,034,900: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Orioles, Pirates, Rockies, Royals

• $7,357,100: Athletics, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins

• $6,679,200: Angels, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Nationals, Phillies, Rangers, White Sox

• $5,940,000: Blue Jays, Padres, Red Sox

• $5,440,000: Astros, Giants, Mets, Yankees

I won’t bore you with all the details, but teams can gain or lose international cap space depending on other free-agent signings or trades. The important thing to know is that these numbers are hard caps, which means teams aren’t allowed to spend more than they’re allotted.

Still, that’s not the loophole being exploited here.

The Next Generation: That’s because the second rule that exists when signing international free agents is that they must be at least 16 years old the year a team signs them, but if that’s true, then how did the Phillies just sign an 11-year-old?

Well, he actually signed what’s called a “pre-agreement,” which is a verbal, non-binding handshake agreement that’s made with an international prospect before they're eligible to sign. Think of it like a college commitment that can basically be flipped at any time.

Still, that didn’t stop the Phillies from committing $1.8 million from their 2031 international salary cap to this Venezuelan shortstop at just 11-years old, officially making him the youngest player in MLB history to secure a deal with a team.

Even though it’s possible for him to agree to terms with another team sometime in the next 6 years, my guess is that the Phillies are betting that they can earn his loyalty by paying him first.

⏱️ In Other News

• Your new favorite newsletter (besides this one) is back!

• Craziest goal of all time?

• Gotta have this one, blue.

🎁 Share the Bottom of the Ninth

When you refer new readers to the Bottom of the Ninth, you win exclusive prizes.

➡️ Here is your unique link to share: https://bottomoftheninth.co/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

You’re currently at 0. That’s only 1 away from receiving a Bottom of the Ninth Sticker!

*Please do not use fake email addresses — they will not qualify as referrals. Thank you!

👋🏻 Happy Friday!

I’m thinking about buying a billboard to promote this newsletter. Does anyone know a guy?

Oh, you can also just type in bottomoftheninth.co to read this newsletter from now on. $40 well spent.