The Rule that could allow Giants cheater Melky Cabrera to win the NL Batting Title

San Francisco Giants cheater Melky Cabrera is suspended for 50 games for testosterone use -- the rest of the season and then some -- while he sits in second place behind Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen in the 'race' for the National League batting title. Melky's average is cemented at .346 while McCutchen's is a precarious .358 (he's batted .185 over the past week and only .269 in August). Cabrera just might win the award despite the testosterone fueled sit down thanks to a quirk added to Major League Baseball's Rule 10.22 in 1967.

A player must have 3.1 plate appearances per team game in order to be eligible to lead a measured category. That works out to 502 over a 162 game season. Melky has 501. However, he's allowed to take an 0-fer in order to reach the required number. It would lower his BA from .34641 to .34565 (The Reds' Joey Votto is batting .342 but has vowed he won't return until his knee is 100 percent -- figure his 0-fers out if you'd like).

10.22 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

To assure uniformity in establishing the batting, pitching and fielding championships of professional leagues, such champions shall meet the following minimum performance standards:

Rule 10.22

(a) The individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion shall be the player with the highest batting average, slugging percentage or on-base percentage, as the case may be, provided the player is credited with as many or more total appearances at the plate in league championship games as the number of games scheduled for each club in his club’s league that season, multiplied by 3.1 in the case of a Major League player and by 2.7 in the case of a National Association player. Total appearances at the plate shall include official times at bat, plus bases on balls, times hit by pitcher, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies and times awarded first base because of interference or obstruction. Notwithstanding the foregoing requirement of minimum appearances at the plate, any player with fewer than the required number of plate appearances whose average would be the highest, if he were charged with the required number of plate appearances shall be awarded the batting, slugging or onbase percentage championship, as the case may be.

Got that?

We've got the 'Merriman Rule' in the NFL regarding Pro Bowls but Bud Selig wasn't bright enough to enact a rule preventing this happening in the sport that led the drug scene in the 90s.

Melky Rule. *Update, as of 9/6 -- Melky is now your leader.

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