Skip to main content

Rule Updates for 2019 in Minor League Baseball

Per a press release from Minor League Baseball on Friday, new pace of play initiatives will be in place for the upcoming 2019 season. 

Double-A and Triple-A levels will now require starting pitchers or any substitute pitcher to face a minimum of three consecutive batters.

Mound visit limitations will also see some refinement as will the second base runner to start extra inning frames.

See complete details below.

PITCHERS TO FACE MINIMUM OF THREE BATTERS 
 
- At the Triple-A and Double-A levels, the starting pitcher or any substitute pitcher is required to pitch to a minimum of three consecutive
batters, including the batter then at bat (or any substitute batter), until such batters are put out or reach first base, or until the offensive team
is put out, unless the starting pitcher or substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief’s judgment, incapacitates him
from further play as a pitcher. 
 
EXTRA INNINGS RUNNER ON SECOND BASE REVISION 
 
- At all levels of Minor League Baseball, extra innings will begin with a runner on second base. If the last batter of the previous inning was the
pitcher, the player to occupy second base to start the following inning will be the player in the batting order before the pitcher’s spot in the
lineup. By way of example, if the pitcher bats in the eighth position and the number nine hitter in the batting order is due to lead off the 10
th
inning, the number seven player in the batting order (or a pinch-runner for such player) shall begin the inning on second base. Any runner or
batter removed from the game for a substitute shall be ineligible to return to the game, as is the case in all circumstances under the Official
Baseball Rules. 
 
PITCHER’S MOUND VISITS 
 
- Visits by coaches and position players will be limited based on the classification level. Triple-A teams will be allowed five (5) visits per team
(down from six), Double-A teams will be allowed seven (7) visits per team (down from eight), Single-A teams will be allowed nine (9) visits per
team (down from 10) and there will not be a limit on mound visits for Short Season and Rookie-level clubs.
- For any extra-innings played, each club shall be entitled to one additional non-pitching change mound visit per inning.
- Official Baseball Rule 5.10(l), which governs mound visits by a manager or coach, remains in effect (i.e., a pitcher must be removed on the
second visit by a manager/coach in an inning).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...