Rules Changes for 2010

Little League International Announces Changes, Adjustments to 2010 Playing Rules, Regulations

By Communications Division
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.
November 10, 2009

BULLETIN: Additional changes to those listed below, announced on Nov. 17, 2009, can be found at:

PitchingRegulationChanges_BB_11-13-09.pdf 
TournPitchingRuleChanges_BB_11-13-09.pdf

For decades, Little League International in South Williamsport, Pa., has strived to make Little League Baseball and Softball a safe and enjoyable experience for all of its players and volunteers.

Each year, the Little League International Rules and Charter Committees, and members of the Little League International Operations Division collect a wide assortment of opinions and input regarding the rules and regulations that govern its programs.

Below is a synopsis of the significant changes to the regular season playing rules and regulations for 2010 in the divisions noted. Also included are modifications to the 2010 Tournament Rules and Guidelines, as well as additions regarding safety and other points of note.

The exact wording of the Rules and Regulations noted will be provided in the coming weeks. It is expected that rule books will be available soon as well.

(Note: Unless noted otherwise, these changes apply to all divisions)

REGULATIONS:
Regulation I (c) 8 - Note 1: Added a sentence stating that if a league elects to operate a Tee Ball baseball program only, it must use the league age determination date that is noted in the regulation. (Baseball only.)

Regulation IV (a) - Junior League: Added language making it clear that when a 12-year-old player is found to be ineligible under this regulation, that player and/or his/her team are subject to removal from the International Tournament by action of the Tournament Committee.

Regulation VI - Note 4: Added language making it clear that a resumed game or contest decided by forfeit does not constitute a "game" for the purpose of this regulation, unless one completed inning was played before the game ended or the game was forfeited.

Regulation XIV (e): Added language making it clear that alcohol is prohibited at the game site.

PLAYING RULES:
Rule 1.10: Added language making it clear that any bat that has been altered must be removed from play.

Rule 1.11 (h): Added language making it acceptable for Junior, Senior and Big League players to wear metal spikes or cleats. (Added for softball only. This rule already applies to these divisions in baseball.)

Rule 1.11 (k): Added language making it clear that casts may not be worn by players and umpires during the game, and that persons wearing casts, including managers and coaches, must remain in the dugout during the game.

Rule 1.14: Standardized the limits on the size of fielders' gloves.

Rule 2.00 Definition of Pitch: Added language making it clear that a balk or illegal pitch, whether or not a pitch is actually delivered to a batter, counts as a pitch in determining the pitch count for that pitcher. (Baseball only.)

Rule 3.03 - No. 6: Added language making it clear defensive substitutions must be made while the team is on defense, and offensive substitutions must be made at the time the offensive player has her/his turn at bat or is on base. (Also added to Rule 3.03 for Big League.)

Rule 5.07, Minor League: Added language providing that the five-run rule may be suspended in the last half inning for either team, by option of the local league.

TOURNAMENT RULES AND GUIDELINES:
Responsibility and Chain of Command: Added language making it clear that the Tournament Committee may impose penalties it deems appropriate, or may take action to correct a situation, regardless of the source of information.

Conditions of Tournament Play - Protests - C. Use of an ineligible player: Added language making it clear that any violation of Regulations may result in a team having an ineligible player.

SAFETY:
Appendix A: Added Lightning Safety Guidelines.
Appendix D: Added Bat Modifications and Alterations Policy.

NOTES:
Various Regulations, Regular Season Rules, and Tournament Rules: The deadline for submitting forms that deal with Tournament Eligibility - i.e., regular season player roster forms, Regulation II (d) and Regulation IV (h) forms, waiver requests, chartering, fee payments, combined teams and interleague play forms, etc. - is June 8, 2010.

Adults and Minors in Positions of Authority: Changes were made to Rule 2.00, Rule 4.1, Rule 9.01, Rule 9.03, Rule 9.04, and the Tournament Rules and Guidelines, making it clear that Minors may serve as coach or umpire under specific and limited circumstances as noted in each rule. (Summary: A coach who is 16 or 17 may only serve as a coach if the adult manager and another adult coach are appointed. A person who is not an adult (no age limit) may serve in a game as an umpire, including as plate umpire, provided one or more other adults are also umpires for that game. However, that non-adult umpire cannot be designated as umpire-in-chief for that game. The umpire-in-chief is not required to be the plate umpire.)

 

New Bat Rules for 2009

Little League has implemented new rules for bats beginning with the 2009 season. Every parent and player should be aware of these new regulations so they can be in compliance for the upcoming Spring season.

The new rules fall into two categories: bat size for Junior League and older and bat standards for Major League and younger.

Junior League and older
Beginning with the 2009 season baseball bats with a diameter of 2-5/8" are now the standard for Junior League division and older. Baseball bats with a diameter of 2-3/4" are no longer permitted for use in the Junior League division or older. Important note: there is no BESR ("ball exit speed ratio", or "bat drop") requirement for Junior League. There is a bat drop requirement of "minus-3" for Senior League and older, however this regulation is NOT in effect for Junior League.

Major League and younger
Beginning with the 2009 season all non-wood baseball bats (aluminum, composites and others) used in Major League and below shall be printed with a BPF ("bat performance factor") of 1.15 or less. Bats with a BPF higher that 1.15, or without a BPF printed (or not legible) on the bat, are not permitted for use in these divisions. The maximum diameter for bats used in Major League and younger remains the same - 2-1/4".

Background on the new rules
Little League is a member of USA Baseball, the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States. USA Baseball is developing bat standards that include the changes indicated above and others that will be fully implemented in a year or two. As a first step to prepare for the new standards Little League has decided to implement these two new rules for 2009.

The main purpose of this rule is standardization. Previously, Little League's Junior division had no maximum bat diameter rule in place and many players were using the larger 2-3/4" bats. Senior and Big League were restricted by rule a a 2-5/8" bat, which is the maximum allowed in high school baseball, and now that rule is in place for Junior League as well. Eventually only bats with a 2-5/8" diameter will be manufactured to meet the new standard.

For Major League and younger, Bat Performance Factor ("BPF") is the standard for bat safety. BPF is a measure of a non-wood bat's performance relative to wood bats. Most non-wood bats manufactured over the past few years for these age groups have been permanently imprinted with the BPF. To comply with the new regulation, bats used in Major League and younger must display a BPF of 1.15 or less.

There is no BESR, or "bat drop", requirement in place for Major League and younger.

Little League pitch counts and rest requirements

Some questions have come up regarding Little League's pitch count and rest requirements for the Spring '08 regular season, so we'll take this opportunity to offer some explanations and answer questions.

Two years ago Little League offered a pilot pitch count program to certain leagues around the country designed to protect the arm health of pitchers by limiting their participation in the game at the pitcher position, and involved moving from an "innings thrown" to a "pitches thrown" system.

Little League has expanded the rules for the Spring '08 season, and because they are more detailed they require some explaining. By the way, these particular rules apply to regular season games only; tournament pitching rules are different.

The rules fall into two categories: pitch counts and rest.

Pitch counts
The rules state that pitchers cannot exceed a certain amount of pitches thrown per game. (The rule actually uses the phrase "pitches per day", but because we don't play doubleheaders, for us a day equals a game. For clarity we'll refer to it as "per game"). How many they can throw is based on their league age, and the older the player the more pitches he/she can throw. Here's the chart:

Rest requirements
The rest rules are intended to complement the pitch counts and serve to control how often a pitcher can throw. However, not every pitcher will throw the maximum amount of pitches allowed in a game, therefore there is a sliding scale of rest rules based on the amount of pitches thrown. This chart applies to all players league age 16 and younger:

As you see, the more a pitcher throws, the more he/she is required to rest before pitching again. What's new for this season is the game's rest requirement for 41 pitches and over. Previously that was something only found in tournament pitching rules, but has found its way into the regular season rules.

Another new addition to the pitching rules is that if a pitcher delivers one or more pitches in a game, he/she cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that game.

These rules have one primary purpose, and that is to protect the arm health of the players. There are too many instances where overuse of players' arms have led to injury, and in some cases permanent damage. Who's responsible for this? The blame can only be placed on managers anxious to have a competitive advantage, and parents willing to let the manager get away with it. Because of this disregard for the child's health, rules have now been put in place, and in LCB's opinion, not a moment too soon.

Definitions
BPF - "Bat Performance Factor". A measure of a non-wood bat's performance relative to wood bats. A BPF of 1.15 means that bat will perform at a rate of 115% to a similar-sized wood bat.
BESR - "Ball Exit Speed Ratio", also known as "bat drop". A measure of a bat's performance as indicated by relationship of its weight to its length. For example, a 30 ounce, 33 inch bat has a bat drop of -3. Larger bat drops help increase swing speed. Smaller drops create more power. A white paper by the NCAA Baseball Research Panel defines it this way: "BESR is a measure of the "liveliness" of the ball-bat collision and it includes any "trampoline" effect...which is the barrel being temporarily deformed by the ball during the collision." (click here to read the complete study. Warning - very scientific in nature. Google "BESR" for other explanations or search baseball bat in wikipedia.org.)