Major League Baseball is instituting a “down period” for teams scouting amateur players. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on the new provision on Thursday morning, which would ban organizations from collecting data on amateur prospects for a month during the winter.
High-ranking officials of all 30 MLB franchises received a seven-page document on the league’s new Amateur Recovery Period Policy, which covers high school junior and senior players from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15 and college players from Nov. 15 to Jan. 15. While the amateur down period is in effect, team personnel are not allowed to see players covered by this policy in a baseball setting.
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The goal of this new provision is to “alleviate the pressure on young players to forego rest and recovery, curb overuse and keep players healthier as they strive for a future in professional baseball,” the memo reportedly stated.
Teams won’t even be able to obtain third-party data or video on any player falling under this down period umbrella. If any team employee should be caught breaking this new rule, they could face fines, suspension or be placed on MLB’s ineligible list permanently.
“MLB encourages players to use this period for rest, recovery and training for next season, rather than for high-intensity, maximum-effort activities,” Passan includes from the league’s memo.
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MLB released a report last December on pitching injuries across all levels of baseball, which was prompted by a series of what MLB called “high-profile” arm injuries. The league spoke with over 200 people involved in the sport, and one recommendation from experts was for MLB to begin regulating the baseball calendar. Many amateurs play baseball year-round from an early age in an industry that has become filled with more offseason events.
Amateur baseball players won’t be prohibited from competing in offseason/winter events, but by restricting MLB team personnel from engaging with players, it could affect some of these events that occur out of season. Other than meeting players at home with their families, team officials will not be allowed any contact with amateurs outside of the season.
This new policy does not cover agents. If any MLB team receives video or data from players, unsolicited, the organization must notify the league office within 24 hours.