2018 RULES
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2018 LEAGUE RULES – 8/28/2017
SUMMARY OF THE 10 MOST FREQUENTLY FORGOTTEN RULES:
NEW RULE for 2018:
During the semi-final and championship games, if the teams are tied after 7 complete innings, the 8th inning and beyond will be played using California Rules as described later in this document. See Page 12.
IMPORTANT DEADLINE DATES for 2018:
March 17: Team counts, team names, and managers per Rec Council must be submitted to the league via e-mail so we can begin the making up the schedules. At this point, the league may closed to additional teams if we have sufficient teams and players.
April 1 at 6PM: Absolute deadline for team registration including league fees and initial rosters from ALL teams. Incomplete team rosters and teams not in compliance by April 1 will not be placed on the game schedule and any fees paid will be refunded. Fee for 2018 is $150/team. Checks should be made out to FHRC and sent to 13-15 League Fee, 804 Lancaster Drive, Bel Air, MD 21014.
April 15th: Season begins.
May 1: All teams’ final rosters due. If no roster final roster is submitted, the initial roster will be used. No modifications to any rosters are allowed after May 1 except by special exception.
Late May/Early June: Regular season ends and the “Invitational” Playoffs begin for some or all teams. The league officials have the right and will to select the teams that are invited to play in the tournament. All players participating in the tournament must be on the final May 1 roster in order to play.
June 28: Last day for league play of any kind.
OFFICIAL RULES:
0. Team Composition Rules
No MABA, Club, BCML, or players who made and are official members of their High School Baseball team, except Freshmen JV players who conform to the age requirements. Freshmen who played spring JV baseball are an exception and are OK to play. Part-time Travel players are OK as long as their regular travel schedule consists of games scheduled for weekend days only. If a player plays on a team in another league whose teams have regularly scheduled games on evenings on any weekdays[s] from Monday through Friday as well as weekend games, he is considered a “full-time” travel player in that league and therefore is not eligible for the 13-15 rec league. Penalty is a forfeit of all games and possible expulsion of that team OR program from the tournament and/or league.
Team Formations rules: Baseball programs who register more players than they can accommodate on the number of teams they can form must use the “first-come / first-served” rule for determining who is in the league and who is not. It is strictly forbidden to use competitive tryouts to choose who will stay in the program and who will be cut or referred to another program.
Player evaluations are OK, but tryouts that result in player-cutsare not allowed! Evaluations can be used to determine a fair distribution of talent amongst multiple teams in the program, but cannot be used to select those who make the teams and those who don’t.
Because this is a Rec league and not a competitive travel league, assignments to potential teams in each program’s 13-15 age group must from a pool of players that registered on a first-come / first-served basis. Players must be assigned to each program’s 13-15 age group pool of players in the order in which they registered, not according to their talent levels. Players can never be recruited for an individual team. They must be placed in a pool and assigned to the next team that needs players so that the balance of talent in that Recreation Council’s program is maintained.
For example, most teams have 11 to 13 players on a team. A minimum of 22 registered players means that Rec Council can submit two teams into the league, provided they are fairly selected and their talent level is reasonably equivalent. Additional players that register AFTER the initial group must be placed on a waiting list until there are enough players to form a possible third (or fourth) team if they can get them, else they do not play. It doesn’t matter how hard they can throw or how far they hit. The fact is that they registered late and they are on a waiting list.
Under no circumstances are players to be recruited for or slatedto be on a specific team, whether they register before, during or after the draft. Players who register after the draft will be assigned to the teams that need additional players in order to maintain equivalent talent levels across the program. It is and always has been against our rules to directly assign players to teams without an unbiased analysis by the Rec Council program officers to determine the proper place for the new players to evenly spread the talent and to avoid creating a stacked team.
Another example: Johnny registers for 13-15 late, after the general draft. 2 teams in the program have 11 players and one team has 10. A non-biased decision must be made in order to place the player on the proper team to ensure even talent, fairness and parity across the teams. That team may not be the one with only 10 players. It depends on the talent level of the team and player.
A third example, Johnny and his best friend Pete are the first players to register for Rec Council X. Pete is an OK ball player, Johnny has never played before, but wants to play. By the end of registration, there are 16 total players registered, and the last two players that registered are lights-out pitchers. So what we have here is the amount of registered players (16) is too much for 1 team, and there are not enough players to form a second team. By the above rule, Johnny and Pete can play, but the two lights-out pitchers cannot be on the team because they registered too late.
The above guidance has been added to these rules to prevent programs from cutting the weaker players from their teams (and/or referring them to another program in the league) that registered BEFORE higher-talented players. This is not a travel league and we do not want to permit a loophole that allows a team to cheat and stack their team by cutting weak players and then referring them to other teams or other baseball programs’ teams they will face during the season. This 13-15 league places the highest priority on the fair division of talent on each team and programs that violate this trust will not be welcome to play in it.
In other words, tryouts for acceptance to a 13-15 team or to your 13-15 program are strictly forbidden. Talent levels are notcriteria for player-cuts. The number of teams in each program must be determined by the number of registered players in that program by the end of the registration dates, and players that register too late to form an additional team will be placed on a waiting list, regardless of talent.
No stacked teams, no A-teams and B-teams. No hand-picked teams, no left-over teams, no direct-assigning of players to a team. Teams registered from the same rec program must be evenly talented and drafted from the same pool of players at the same time to ensure evenly-distributed talent between the teams. Under no circumstances are players to be recruited to be on a specific team, whether they register before, during or after the draft. Our goal is to create a league with 100% parity where anyone can win or lose on any given day.
BBCOR Certified Bats only: 2 5/8 with a -3 weight drop must have the BBCOR stamp.
Runners must slide to avoid contact. Defense cannot block the base/basepath. Excessive illegal contact can result in ejection, suspension and/or expulsion from the league.
No tobacco products, alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs are permitted at any field, game or practice by any player, coach, parent or fan. The use of all tobacco products is illegal at all County parks and school grounds, and that includes the parking lots, woods, behind a building and your car.
1.ORGANIZATION
2018 Bel Air Baseball President – Jay Krieger, jkrieg1@gmail.com
2017 Bel Air AGD – Dave LaBella, lub23@verizon.net
2018 Forest Hill Baseball President - Chris Benjes, cbenjes@comcast.net
2017 Forest Hill AGD – Glenn Weaver, gwinfieldweaver@verizon.net
2018 HFG Baseball President – Chuck Marzen, hickorybaseball@comcast.net
2017 HFG AGD – Bill Weiman, hfg56baseball@aol.com, 410-420-1650
2018 Emmorton Baseball President – Dan Wildt, emmortonbaseball@gmail.com
2017 Emmorton AGD – Andy Maly-Cordell, apmalcor@verizon.net
2017 Game Scheduler – Dave LaBella, lub23@verizon.net
Harford County Umpire Association: Chris Coccagna, ccdiihoops@gmail.com, 443-655-5853
C.The purpose of this league is to provide wholesome, fairrecreation for the participating youth in a learning, sportsmanlike environment.
D.The league will operate with a 13-15 division.
E.League fees are $150/team to cover all-star, semi-final and final tournament umpire fees, trophies and field rentals for the all-star game. Payment must be made out to FHRC and sent to the league commissioner by April 1 – 804 Lancaster Drive, Bel Air, MD 21014.
2.SPECIFIC LEAGUE RULES
A. Unless otherwise stated in these League Rules, playing rules will be the current Official rules of Major League Baseball.
B.Final team rosters must be submitted to the league commissioner by May 1st of the current season. No additional players may be added to any team’s roster without the rare and explicit permission from the league.
D.Use of an ineligible player or players will result in the forfeiture of any and all games in which that player participated; including playoff and/or championship games, and the rec council may be subject to a suspension or life-time ejection from the league.
E.Regular game days are Sundays or Mondays and Wednesdays. Teams that play on Sunday will not play on Monday. Game time is 6:00 p.m. Forfeit time is 6:15 p.m. The team that causes the forfeit will be responsible for the entire umpire fee. Game days may be adjusted for make-ups or Opening Day celebrations, as agreed to by the managers.
F.Eight (8) players are required to start a game. At no time will a team play with less than (8) players.
G.Team counts, names, and managers per Rec Council will be finalized on/by March 17. Team registration, league fees and preliminary rosters must be sent to the league by April 1. The season will start on April 15th. June 28th will be the final date that games may be played.
H.The only acceptable reasons to reschedule a game are inclement weather and unsafe playing conditions. School events causing conflicts must be identified and those games rescheduled within 1 week of the initial distribution of the leagues schedule. If need be, 12 year-olds Rec players may be pulled from the Rec program to act as temporary fill-in players.
I.The age determination date is April 30 (of the current year). Players must be 13, 14 or 15 on April 30, 2018. That means no 12 year-old play-ups are allowed on the permanent roster or in tournament games. It is permissible to call up 12 year-olds from your rec league to fill in during the regular season when teams need players. Verifying the age or eligibility of a player on an opposing team is done by:
(1)The head coach requesting verification must do so through his program
chair person, providing the name, team, and recreation council of the player in question, as well as any suspected affiliation with other teams or leagues.
(2)Verification will be done between council chairpersons by providing a copy of a birth certificate, score books,rosters, or other positive means.
(3)Positive proof of eligibility shall be communicated within 7 days of the request.
J. Team Composition:
Teams that are formed using tactics that intentionally “stack” one of the teams in their program, or teams that use tryouts to determine “cuts” of lesser-talented players will forfeit all regular season and will be disqualified from all end-of-season tournament games. In addition, that Rec Council and its coaches will be subject to a 2 year suspension or up to a life-time ban from the league. It is blatantly obvious when a Rec Council’s team beats up on all of their opponents while the other team from that Rec Council can’t even win a game. If we see this happening by the end of the regular season, sanctions listed above will immediately occur against that obvious “stacked” team and the offending Rec Council.
(1) When a Recreation Council enters its teams in a given age group, all teams will be selected to have approximate equal ability. Teams must be evenly drafted based on talent and skill levels, not pre-picked, and thereby distributing the talent equally among all teams within the Rec Council program. In other words, no “A” and “B” teams allowed.
This is a rec league. Weak players must not be cut from teams or the draft pool because of their lack of talent in order to make room for a talented player on the roster who registered later. No competitive tryouts to determine who plays and who gets cut.
(2) Rec Council Programs must finalize the number of teams they will enter in the league by March 25 to allow the league to create the game schedule.
(3) Initial rosters are due to the league on April 1 from all teams. Teams with rosters that do not have at least 10 players on April 1 will not be allowed to register in the league and will not be included in the schedule.
(3) This is a recreational league played on an 80’ diamond with 54’ pitching. This league is for rec-type players who want to continue to play baseball without the pressures of Club/Tournament/MABA Baseball. Player eligibility is as follows:
K.1. The umpire fees paid on the field will be split equally by both teams – cash on the field prior to the start of the game. A forfeit may be called against a team that fails to pay the umpire at the pre-game meeting.
Umpire fees for the all-star game and championship game will be paid by the league.
L.No tobacco products, alcohol or illegal drugs are permitted at any field by any player, coach, parent or fan. Use of all tobacco products is illegal in all County Parks and school grounds, including the parking lots.
3.EQUIPMENT and PLAYING RULES
A.Bats must be BBCOR certified as described below.
B.Metal cleats may not be worn.
C.Each team is required to provide its own equipment. A minimum of five (5) batting helmets are required, batter’s facemasks are not required.
D.The home team is responsible for providing two (2) new game balls. Regulation size and weight baseballs that are certified for use in high school baseball must be used(NHFS).
E.Bat Rules are as follows:
All bats must conform to the -3 weight to length ratio, regardless of barrel diameter or material.
All 2 5/8” diameter barrel bats must be BBCOR certified with a current BBCOR certification stamp imprinted by the manufacturer labeled clearly on the bat.
Wooden bats are allowed and must conform to BBCOR standards.
No 2 ¾” bats of any material.
A batter that steps into the batter’s box holding a non-compliant bat is automatically out if successfully challenged by the defense, even if no pitch is thrown to him during that at-bat.
The batter is out and all runners must return to their original bases if a successfully challenged non-compliant bat was used to advance them, provided the challenge occurs before the next pitch.
The second use of a non-compliant bat in the game by the same team will result in a forfeit.
Umpires are not responsible for policing this rule. Time must be called and the rule must be challenged by the defensive team before the next batter takes a pitch.
Pitching will be 54'.
Basepath distances will be: 80’ (75’ is acceptable if diamond restrictions do not allow 80’).
G.Pitching General Rules:
1.Any player on the team roster may pitch.
2.Pitching Limitations:
4 innings maximum per game.
8 innings maximum per week, where the week runs from Sunday to Saturday.
3.Delivery of a single pitch shall constitute having pitched an inning.
4.A player removed as pitcher shall not be eligible to pitch again in that game.
5.There will be no limitation to the number of pitchers used per game.
Pitchers will be given 1 warning per pitcher for a Balkby the umpire. Runners may not advance on the warning.
8. A Pitcher MUST be removed if:
a. He hits (two) 2 batters in a single (1) inning
b. He hits (three) 3 batters in 1 game
I.General Rules
1.Courtesy Runner
2. Sliding
3. All age groups will have a five (5) run per inning limit except for the last inning, (normally the 7th inning) when each team will be entitled to 3 outs.
Both Coaches May Agree to terminate a game if the winning team is ahead by 18 runs after 4 innings of play. (The idea here is to play baseball, not 10-run an opponent. If you are ahead by 10 runs, try out some new pitchers or stop stealing home.)
4.Batters will appear in a fixed order and ALL will bat. Switch hitting during an at-bat is allowed except when the pitcher is in his wind-up and/or the pitch is being delivered.
5. Free substitution for all defensive positions except pitcher. Once a pitcher is pulled from the mound and replaced by another pitcher (1 pitch=replacement), he cannot return to the mound in that game.
J.Curfew Rule:
1.A new inning shall not begin after 8:00 p.m. prior to May 18, after which the deadline shall be 8:30 p.m.
2.In the event of a tie score at the conclusion of a regulation game, extra innings may be played if time and darkness allows.
3. No intentional delay in the game shall be made to benefit either team. The umpire shall rule on this and shall warn the team in violation. If play does not resume, or if stalling continues, the umpire may give advantage to the team that is prepared to play.
Example: If the batter is ready and the pitcher continually does not deliver a pitch within a reasonable amount of time, the batter may be awarded first base, etc.
Delays in the game will not be tolerated.
K.Third Strike Rule:
L.Playing Time
Players are required to play a minimum of 4 innings in the field when a full 7-inning game is played.
M.Game Length
7-innings will constitute a full game. 5-innings will constitute a complete game if called due to darkness, time or weather.
N.Late Arrivals, Injured Players or Players Leaving the Game Early
O.Rescheduling of Games
Incomplete games and games that are rained out or postponed will be rescheduled by mutual agreement by both managers. An effort should be made by both managers to play the game if at all possible.
a. The Host team is responsible for cancelling the game by 4:30 p.m.
b. The Host team must call the umpire and then the Head Coaches.
c. The umpire must be contacted 1 hour before game time to avoid show-up fees.
P.Protest Procedure
1.The protesting manager shall, before any succeeding play begins, notify the umpire and opposing manager that he is playing under protest. Following this notice the umpire will consult with both managers in an effort to resolve the protest. If this cannot be done, he shall note the game score, names and positions of base runner(s), the count, the number of outs, inning, etc., in the official score book and announce that the game is being played under protest (notation must be made in ink and be signed by both coaches and the umpire).
2.Any protest must be submitted by the protesting manager in writing to the league commissioner within two (2) working days. The league commissioner shall appoint a committee or person to hear the protest and reach a decision. Protest Fee: $100.00 payable at the time of protest to the umpire.
3.All protests must be resolved within two (2) weeks.
Q.Parental Concerns
R.Ejections
1.Any player/coach participating in unnecessary/aggressive physical contact will be immediately ejected from the game and suspended from further play until a hearing is completed by the league officials.
2.Any player/coach/spectator that is ejected by the umpire will be suspended for the next scheduled game that is played. This penalty may carry over from one season to another.
3.Any player/coach/spectator that is ejected from a game for the second time will be banned from participating/attending league games until an official hearing is convened, at which time they could be banned from the field for the rest of the season.
4.All ejections will be reported by both coaches to the age group commissioner. The age group director[s] will report the ejection in writing/via e-mail to the league commissioner. Coaches, spectators, and players that have been ejected may be suspended from further play (i.e. 1 or more games).
For the pool play, semi-finals and championship, games called due to darkness or weather will be considered “official” after 5 innings (4 ½ if home team is ahead). Once started, incomplete, unofficial games must be continued from the point of stoppage at a later date suitable to both teams and the league schedule and officials.
Individual tournament games cancelled or suspended for unplayable field conditions or weather will be made up or continued by agreement around the other scheduled tournament games. Please take note that all pitching restrictions on number of innings per week will be in effect.
Games tied after 7 innings will continue into extra innings as daylight and the umpire allow. If still tied when the umpire calls darkness, then it is considered a tie.
If an “official” game is called for darkness or weather, the score reverts back to last completed inning if the home team cannot finish their bottom half of the inning (3 outs).
The 4 teams with the best records in pool play move to the semi-finals: #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3.
Semi-final and the Championship game must be played to completion. In the event of weather or darkness, the game will be considered “official” after 5 innings (4 ½ if home team is ahead).
In the event of a tie after 7 complete innings during the semi-final or championship, the game will proceed using California rules:
Tie Breakers for pool play:
Win/Loss points earned – 2 points for each win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for a loss.
Head to head (if only 2 teams are tied)
Runs allowed
Coin flip
(“Runs scored” will not come into play to make it meaningless for teams to run up the scores.)
Championship game at FHRC 1.
The tournament may be extended through June 28 if there are multiple weather-related cancellations. June 28 is the very last day of play regardless. If no champion is decided by June 28, there will be no champion for 2018.
T. Malicious Contact
1. The rules committee is concerned that some coaches have not explained to their players that malicious contact is illegal. Players risk serious injury anytime a runner purposely tries to run over another player. A majority of intentional collisions occur at home plate where the catcher is blocking the plate. Runners should be instructed to slide or attempt to avoid making contact with any defensive player. A player who maliciously runs into another player is automatically ejected, and is declared out, unless he scored prior to committing the infraction.
2. The catcher or other fielder should not be in a position to “block” access to home plate or any base if no play is able to be made. Coaches need to instruct catchers and fielders on how to safely play this everyday baseball situation.
3. So that focus can be given to the parameters surrounding malicious contact, the following is offered: Contact or a collision is considered to be malicious if (1) the contact is the result of intentional excessive force, and/or (2) there is intent to injure, and/or (3), the player shows indifference for the well-being of another player in the attempt to make the play. It should not be misconstrued that the absence of these conditions would automatically preclude the presence of something malicious, but they certainly offer a starting point. Malicious contact is penalized whether committed by an offensive or defensive player.
U. Sportsmanship
1. All coaches and players must keep in mind that this league is a Rec league designed to be fun and challenging for teenagers who want to continue to play baseball with players of similar talents beyond the 11-12 age group, but may not have the desire or ability to compete on a 90’ diamond. As a result, our collective goal as a league is to make it fun for all players, to make them want to come to games and practices, and to make them want to sign up next year because they had fun.
That being said, there is no room for unsportsmanlike conduct. There is no reason to run up scores, humiliate your opponents and play aggressively against teams that struggle just to throw and catch and hit. There is no room for managers or coaches that promote or encourage foul play, slaughters, or taking advantage of weak teams when the score is very lopsided. Managers and coaches that exhibit this type of behavior will not be welcomed back into the league in future seasons.
On the other hand, it is a duty as coaches to teach the proper fundamental methods of baseball that make a team competitive. Skills like pick-off attempts, bunting, stealing, covering bases when there are runners should be taught and practiced. Practices should not be simply batting practice. Defense wins games.
“The only purpose for adults in this game is to be role models for the children. If you cease to be a role model, your presence will no longer be required!”