Minors Divison Rules 2015
Oakland Minors Rules for 2015
The Oakland Recreation Minors Division will play under the following rules:
1. All managers and coaches must be Certified via Borough of Oakland requirements; and wear their Lanyard whenever they’re on the field in a coaching capacity.
2. Regular season results will be used for playoff seeding. Separate Playoff, World Series, and All Star game rules will be issued.
3. All games will be held on field #9. Some practices and make-up games may be on field # 1 or # 6.
4. Weeknight games will start promptly at 6:15pm. For both weeknight and weekend games, no new inning will commence after 2 hours from the start of the game, and all games should end by 2.5 hours after the scheduled start of the game. After 1:45 of play, the coaches and umpire should agree on which inning will be the last. Proper judgment should be used to enforce the curfew rules. Umpires reserve the right to call the game at any time when conditions warrant it. A game shall be no longer than six (6) innings regardless of the score.
5. Members of both teams shall arrive 40 minutes before the scheduled start of the game for warm-ups. The visiting team will get 20 minutes of infield practice and then the home team will get the infield until the umpire is ready to start the game.
6. The visiting team will use the 3rd base dugout; the home team uses the 1st base dugout.
7. No team may begin a game with less than seven (7) players. (There is a 5 minute maximum waiting time.) If a team begins a game with 7 players and one becomes injured during a game, that team may not continue to play with 6 players.
8. Managers will exchange batting orders at the start of the game. Each team will use a continuous batting order of all roster players. Any player arriving after the exchange of batting orders must be added to the end of the batting order.
9. Rest Rule: No player will sit for 2 consecutive innings, except for injury, nor will any player sit for a second time in the game until every other player has sat at least once. Coaches are encouraged to split the game time for each player for infield/outfield play unless there is a safety risk/concern.
10. It is strongly suggested that no player start 2 consecutive games on the bench.
11. There will be a free substitution rule for all players except pitchers. Pitchers, once removed from the game, cannot be reinserted as pitchers later in the game.
12. No head first slides are allowed except for a runner returning to previously occupied base. A player sliding head first will be ruled out.
13. All players will observe the "slide or avoid" rule to avoid contact whenever there is a play at a base or will be called out by the umpire. Any player out of the baseline will also be called out. Any player that, in the judgment of the umpire (coordinator or baseball commissioner), maliciously causes contact will be ejected from the game.
14. The catcher cannot block the plate or impede the base runner without the ball. Fielders cannot stand on the base or impede the runner without the ball.
15. No advancement on overthrows to a base. We want to encourage the players to try to make a play.
16. Pinch runners are allowed in 2 cases: injury to the original runner, or if, with 2 outs, the scheduled catcher reaches base. Either way, the pinch runner will be the player who made the last out.
17. No runner may steal until the ball crosses home plate. There will be no leading off a base. There will be two (2) steals per inning and no stealing of home plate. If a runner attempts to steal and the ball is overthrown on the play, he and any other runners may not advance an additional base. If the runner leaves the base early, in the judgment of the umpire, and is successful in the steal he must return to the base he started from. If he is thrown out on the play, it will be counted as an out.
18. Players should learn smart, aggressive base running. Coaches should manage base running as they would against a top-notch defense, but never take advantage of the low skill level of the fielder or baseman by waving a runner forward under those circumstances.
19. The Infield Fly Rule will be used with runners on 1st and 2nd or bases loaded and less than 2 outs. Batter is automatically out and the ball is DEAD. There will be no advancement of base runners in this situation.
20. The batter may not advance to first base on a dropped third strike.
21. No bunting allowed for safety purposes as well as encouraging ALL players of ALL skill level to swing the bat.
22. 'Big barrel' bats are not permitted. There is a 2 ¼" maximum on the diameter of the bat barrel of any bat.
23. Wood and Alloy barrel bats are permitted. Composite barrel bats are allowed if LL approved.
A. THE PURPOSE OF THESE RULES IS TO PROTECT THE PLAYERS.
24. A coach may stand on the mound with his pitcher during warm-ups without being counted as a trip to the mound.
25. The balk rule will not be in effect, however, violations should be brought to the attention of the pitcher and manager for instructional purposes. The hidden ball trick is not permitted.
26. There will be no intentional walks. No manager or coach will instruct a pitcher to intentionally walk a batter and he/she will instruct the pitcher to try to throw strikes if it is determined that the pitcher is intentionally throwing balls.
27. After the 4th consecutive walk, a coach is encouraged to make a pitching change and give another player an opportunity to pitch.
28. After the 3rd HBP in the game, the pitcher must be removed.
29. Scoring rules are as follows:
A. Maximum of three (3) runs scored per inning in all but the last inning.
B. In the last, or sixth (6) inning, a team may score as many runs as they can before being retired on outs.
C. If a game is approaching curfew limits, both managers and the umpire must agree that the next inning will be the last prior to the start of the inning. If the 1:45 minute warning is given after the start of an inning, a six (6) run limit will apply.
D. If at any point after four (4) full innings have been played, a team is losing by at least 10 runs after completing their at bat, the 'mercy' rule will apply and the game will be declared officially over.
30. Make-up games will be scheduled upon agreement with managers and the league coordinator.
31. At the conclusion of the game, managers are responsible to call or email the coordinator with the final score and a list of pitchers used and how many pitches each player pitched. It is imperative that managers contact the coordinator as soon as possible after the game to report this information. The coordinator keeps track of the number of pitches each pitcher pitches, as well as the standings. If it is determined that a team violated the pitching rules regarding a player’s number of pitches pitched within the five day period, that game will be forfeited.
32. Every child in the league paid the same sign-up fee and has a right to play the same number of innings. It is up to us to ensure that right. It is our job to teach the children not only how to play baseball, but to instill in them a feeling of equality, camaraderie; and a sense of fair play. If a child is stuck in right field for the entire season he will probably not return next year. It is our goal to see that every child has fun, learns the game, and loves it so much he returns next season.
33. Mistakes and errors on the field are teaching opportunities and should be approached in that way by the managers.
34. The coordinator will provide a rating chart to the managers who will evaluate each player at the end of the season, and submit these evaluations to the coordinator for use in next season’s draft.
35. Managers will make every effort to secure and keep playing equipment in good shape and good working condition.
36. There will be a no "chirping" or related comments of dissatisfaction / disagreement within earshot of umpires. There will be a ZERO TOLERANCE rule on arguing balls and strikes or other calls with umpires. If it is determined that a team (especially the Manager) showed any type of poor sportsmanship towards an umpire, that team may be given a forfeit for that game at the discretion of the league coordinator or baseball commissioner. This is recreation baseball and although everyone likes to win, we do not need to behave poorly. Just let the kids play baseball.
37. Any rule NOT covered here will be governed by Little League Rules.
38. Pitching rules are as follows:
Pitch Counts – Game limit – 50 pitches / Weekly limit – 75 pitches
Recovery Times
- 20 pitches or less – can pitch the next day
- 21 – 35 pitches needs 1 day of rest
- 36 – 50 pitches needs 2 days of rest
Pitcher Designations from Travel Manager
Tagged as Primary
- Can use Monday – Thursday and limit to 35 total pitches (or)
- Can use Friday with a pitch limit of 20
- Cannot use on Saturday
- You can use on multiple days with required rest days but total pitch count for week can’t exceed 35.
Tagged as Secondary
- Can use Monday – Thursday with a pitch limit of 50 total pitches
- Can use Saturday with a pitch limit of 20
- You can use on multiple days with required rest days but total pitch count for week can’t exceed 50.
Tagged as Available
- Free to use on Monday – Saturday based on standard pitch count rules
The limit for warm-up pitches in a pitchers first appearance in a game shall be eight (8) pitches. In all subsequent innings thelimit will be five (5) pitches.