Maryvale Brewers - New Extra Innings Experiment for 2017

[Mass Haas]

Read about what MLB has planned for the Maryvale Brewers this year.

 

MLB plans to test new extra-innings rules in rookie ball, with Joe Torre's approval

Jeff Passan, Yahoo

[jerichoholicninja]

I hope to God this never reaches the bigs but I like it for the lower minors and I wouldn't even mind it up through both A levels. Pitchers there are on strict inning and pitch limits and the players often times have long travel ahead of them so anything to prevent 14 or more inning games from happening is fine in my book. Also, wins and losses at those levels are pretty much meaningless so just get the players their AB's and innings and move on. Of course there will be interesting pitching lines where a pitcher doesn't give up a baserunner but still gets an ER and a loss.

[dacbrewers]

I don't mind some changes to baseball but this isn't one of them. If a game goes extra innings in the lower levels...teams already have solutions...phantom DL and active another player...simple. This clearly gives an advantage to a team with the fastest baserunner...unless its last batter out. Let a team earn the win.

[Mass Haas]

Ironically, with active rosters of 35 players and no travel issues, the two rookie complex-based leagues (Florida and Arizona) have none of the concerns expressed by Joe Torre and others in the MLB article. It appears this notion is already getting bounceback from MLB players, and hopefully doesn't see the light of day beyond the complex leagues.

 

We want Chris Mehring calling all 19 Timber Rattler innings!

[stalton]

I can understand the possible need in the minors, but for the Major League side of things I have 3 words. Grilled. Cheese. Sandwich.

[gregmag]

A few questions:

 

Is the runner placed at 2b the next guy up in the lineup? If so, maybe it's your number 6 hitter with power, so he doesn't get a chance to hit a home run while your light-hitting 7-9 guys try to small-ball him in. Or does the team get to put a bench player in as the 2b runner?

 

How do you account for the runner at 2b in the box score and stats? I assume it's nothing -- no PA, no result. But then if he scores, he scored without officially reaching base. You could treat him like a pinch-runner for nobody, but that doesn't work if (see above) he's in the lineup.

 

I like the point above about the pitchers' stats. What makes more sense in the scenario where a new pitcher comes in to start the inning with the 2b runner: to "credit" the 2b runner to the new pitcher, thus putting a weird kind of pressure on him; or to "credit" the 2b runner to the pitcher who ended the previous inning, on the theory that -- well, he didn't do anything wrong, but at least he was in the game when his team failed to win it?

[jerichoholicninja]

A few questions:

 

Is the runner placed at 2b the next guy up in the lineup? If so, maybe it's your number 6 hitter with power, so he doesn't get a chance to hit a home run while your light-hitting 7-9 guys try to small-ball him in. Or does the team get to put a bench player in as the 2b runner?

 

In every place where this rule exists it's the batter before the batter who's leading off the inning. Meaning if you're #5 batter leads off then the #4 batter is the runner.

[Mass Haas]

More on the extra-inning situation from Baseball America.

 

I seem to remember a Maryvale extra-inning extravaganza (17 - 19 innings) within the past 2-3 seasons, but there's not a quick find within MiLB.com or Baseball Reference.

[Mass Haas]

WBC, AFFILIATED LEAGUES TO ADOPT CAN-AM LEAGUE EXTRA-INNING RULE

Can-Am League to enter fourth season with tiebreaker format in 2017

 

Major League Baseball recently announced the implementation of the 11th-inning tiebreaker rule in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, as well as during the 2017 Rookie-level Gulf Coast and Arizona League seasons. The rule states that all innings beyond the tenth begin with a runner on second base.

 

The rule has been used in the independent Can-Am League since the 2014 season, and as part of international tournament competition for several years prior.

 

"With the Can-Am League's increasing international flavor, including regular-season games against teams from Cuba and Japan, the 11th-inning rule has brought our league in line with other international competitions over the past three seasons. We're looking forward to seeing the rule in place at the WBC, one of the game's largest showcases, as well as in affiliated minor leagues this year," league Commissioner Miles Wolff commented.

 

Specifically, beginning in the 11th inning, the player in the batting order immediately preceding that inning’s leadoff hitter is placed on second base. The inning otherwise proceeds as usual, with each team getting a turn at bat. In the WBC, which begins March 7, an additional runner will also be placed on first base to begin the inning.

 

Should the player(s) starting the inning on base eventually score, it counts in statistics as a run for the player and an RBI for the batter who drove him in (if applicable), but does not count towards the pitcher’s earned-run average.

 

In the Can-Am League, the rule has been effective in both limiting wear and tear on pitching staffs and reducing the length of extra-inning games. Since 2014, 87% of the league's extra-inning games have not extended beyond the 11th inning.

[Mass Haas]

Looks like the plan for the Arizona (and Gulf Coast Leagues) may be to begin a new format in the 10th inning.

 

The 11th inning plan seems right, give the game a chance to end in a traditional way.