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Baltimore Orioles: Minor League Baseball Rule Changes To Watch For

By Chuck Boemmel

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 29: Eutaw Street is seen empty as the Baltimore Orioles play the Chicago White Sox at an empty Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Due to unrest in relation to the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, the two teams played in a stadium closed to the public. Gray, 25, was arrested for possessing a switch blade knife April 12 outside the Gilmor Houses housing project on Baltimore's west side. According to his attorney, Gray died a week later in the hospital from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 29: Eutaw Street is seen empty as the Baltimore Orioles play the Chicago White Sox at an empty Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Due to unrest in relation to the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, the two teams played in a stadium closed to the public. Gray, 25, was arrested for possessing a switch blade knife April 12 outside the Gilmor Houses housing project on Baltimore's west side. According to his attorney, Gray died a week later in the hospital from a severe spinal cord injury he received while in police custody. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The 2019 minor league season begins on April 4th.  For you Baltimore Orioles fans who also follow the minor league affiliates, here are some rule changes that you need to watch for.

Today marks the start of the 2019 minor league season, with all four of the Baltimore Orioles full-season affiliates taking the field tonight.  The Norfolk Tides (AAA) will travel to Georgia to face the Gwinnett Stripers (Braves), the Bowie Baysox (AA) travel to Pennsylvania to face the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) and the Delmarva Shorebirds (A-Low) travel to Kentucky to face the Lexington Legends (Royals) while the Frederick Keys (A-Adv.) host the Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox).

Fans with subscriptions to MiLB TV will be able to watch the Tides, Baysox, and Shorebirds games.

This season’s minor league games will provide a glimpse into Major League Baseball’s proposed rule changes for the 2020 season.  MiLB announced changes to their pace-of-play rules, highlighted by the requirement that all pitchers face a minimum of three batters.

At both the Triple-A and the Double-A level, pitchers will be required to face three consecutive batters unless the inning ends or if the pitcher sustains an injury that, in the umpire’s judgment, prevents him from continuing in the game.

It will be fascinating to see this particular rule in action since its proposal at the MLB level has caused much consternation and debate.  Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, in an article in the Chicago Tribune, was quoted as saying, “strategy should be left alone” and also speculated that the rule could mean the demise of the lefty specialist.

Many experts have weighed in on this particular rule.  Fans will now get to see it in a game and can determine for themselves if it alters the game or not. I, for one, will withhold judgment until I see the rule play out in real time.  I am eager, however, to simply see it in action.

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Mound visits will also be limited in 2019 and the number of visits will be dependent on the level.  Triple-A will have five visits per game, Double-A gets seven and Single-A can use nine.  This change represents a decrease of one visit from what the rules were in 2018.  Teams will get one visit added during extra-inning games.  Short season and rookie league teams have no limits on mound visits during a game.

The final change will probably go unnoticed.  A change to the runner on second base to start extra innings rule dictates that if a pitcher makes the final out of an inning, he will not be required to start at second base the next inning; the player making the out prior to the pitcher will be placed on second base.

If memory serves me correctly, the Baysox were the first team in all of MiLB to play under the extra-inning rule in 2018 when they defeated the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) in 11 innings on April 9th of last season.

I would suggest fans check out a MiLB game or two to see the pitching rule that will be coming to the major leagues in 2020 unless there is a drastic change in the proposal.  This is just another interesting sidelight to the game at the minor league level.

dark. Next. Pleasant Surprises During Week One Of Orioles Baseball

Let us know what you think of the pitching rule once you see it.

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