GAME OVERVIEW:

Majors baseball is recreational and meant to be fun for the kids while learning how to play their final years of youth level baseball before advancing to the large diamond.  Scores and standings will be kept throughout the season.  A successful coach is positive, develops their players, and continues helping them fall in love with the sport of baseball.  The ultimate compliment a coach can receive, and one of the best indicators of a good coach, is their full roster registering to play baseball again the following season.

All teams are encouraged to hold at least one practice per week when the schedule permits.

The season will consist of regular season in-town games plus the KP Cup Tournament, and a Norfolk Town playoff at the end of the season.  A variation of these rules will be reviewed with Plainville and Wrentham to settle on an agreed upon version for the KP Cup as each town may have possible variations within their own spring systems.

The goal is to advance fielding, hitting, and base running fundamentals in conjunction with sportsmanship, teamwork and above all, developing a love for the sport of baseball.  Players at this level should be taught the concepts of:

• Advanced fielding: where to go with the baseball in different scenarios related to score and baserunners
• How to cover bases with runners on and prevent stealing
• As baserunners, how to take a proper lead, when to jump, and how to safely return to the bag in pick off situations
• Advanced pitching techniques: learning about balks, pitching from the stretch with baserunners, and how to throw out runners taking leads
• Proper catching technique: proper focus, dealing with the dropped third strike, and how to throw out runners

RULES:

Majors play is governed by the official Cal Ripken Baseball Rules.  The following covers highlights and specific rule variants for the Norfolk Baseball Association:

• Bats must be “USA” stamped.
• Six inning games
• Game duration: 2 hrs. max. If a game needs to run past 2 hours in order to finish the current inning, it’s acceptable as long as the coaches and umpires are in communication and everyone is agreeable to extending slight past time in order to finish.
• No new inning can start after 2 hours.
• 6 run maximum per inning; 6th inning is unlimited.  Due to time limitations, if only 5 or less innings can be played, coaches confer with umpires and the unlimited run inning can be 5th or earlier if necessary.
• Game duration: 2 hour max. If a game needs to run past 2 hours in order to finish the current inning, it’s acceptable as long as the coaches and umpires are in communication and everyone is agreeable to extending slight past time in order to finish.
• No new inning can start after 2 hours.
• 12 run slaughter rule after 3 1/2 or 4 innings.  If home team scores the 12th run in the bottom of the 4th, game is over unless both coaches agree to continue play.
• A team may play with as few as eight players.
• Continuous batting order: All rostered players in attendance must bat: if 12 players show, 12 players must bat.  Players arriving late will be inserted into the end of the batting order.
• All players must play at least 4 innings in the field with a minimum of 1 inning in the infield and 1 inning in the outfield.  If a player arrives late, they may not be able to comply with the 4 inning minimum rule, but they must still must comply with the IF/OF rule.  If a player leaves early, they also must comply with this rule (i.e. a player cannot pitch 2 innings and then exit the game).
• Once a player exists a game they cannot return.
• Pitcher counts as an infield position and Catcher counts as an infield and outfield position.
• Slash bunting is illegal, and the batter will be immediately being called out if attempted. Slash bunting is showing a bunt (drawing the infield in) and then attempting a regular full swing. The batter is out whether he makes contact or not.
• Infield fly rule is in effect

BASE RUNNING:

• The ball is live at all times; leading and stealing are allowed with no limits.
• No sliding headfirst (you can dive headfirst back into base)
• Batters may attempt to advance to 1st base on a dropped 3rd strike
• Collision rule in effect: SLIDE OR AVOID AT HOME PLATE. Any closer plays, players must slide.  If they do not, it's up to the umpires discretion as to whether or not the player is to be called out for not sliding.
• All batters and runners are required to wear an appropriate helmet, including the on-deck batter

PITCHING:

• Pitching mound will be set at 50'
• USA Baseball Pitch Smart Guidelines are in effect and rigorously enforced
• A pitcher can finish pitching to a batter even if they began facing the batter under the daily limit. For example, if a 12-year-old starts pitching to a batter at 80 pitches, the pitcher does not have to be pulled if he is still pitching to that same batter and is at 86.
• No breaking/curve balls are allowed; if the umpire determines a pitcher is breaking the wrist, a warning will be issued followed by removal.  Coaches will be disciplined for this behavior.
• If 3 batters are hit in a game, the pitcher must be removed.
• Intentional walks are prohibited
• Once removed, a pitcher cannot come back in that game as a pitcher, but may play other positions.  If possible, avoid pitchers incurring heavy work loads and also playing the catcher position in the same game.
• Coaches must count pitches for both teams. Between innings coaches should exchange total pitch counts.
• Catchers must wear a cup.

PLAYOFFS:

All previous rules apply with the following exceptions:

• Single or Double Elimination tournament based on number of teams and day/field availability
• All teams qualify for the playoffs
• No Time Limit
• Suspended games carry over to the next day
• Seeding tiebreaker shall be:
  • Winning percentage
  • Head-to-head matchups
  • Runs for

COACHING/TEAM EXPECTATIONS:

• All teams will have one head coach and ideally at least one assistant coach for official roster purposes. Coaches are encouraged to engage parents for help on the bench and with other activities needing supervision by an adult.  Parents who are not official coaches are not to be left alone with children as they are not officially CORI checked.  Check with league officials if you are not sure if a parent has been CORI checked.
• Coaches are not allowed to yell “swing” when he thinks a player should swing and cannot assist the player in hitting the ball in any way.
• Coaches must enter pitch counts into the league pitch tracking tool at the conclusion of each game.  Player arm safety is paramount and as a result, the league will not tolerate violations.
• Home team reports the final score into the league platform for tracking of standings; statistics are available to be tracked at the coaches discretion.
• While on offense, the offensive team is responsible for having a combination of adult coaches or players for base coaching duties.
• The home team is responsible for delivering game balls (League Director will provide), field lining, and base placement each game.
• Majors games are umpired with two junior umpires (home plate and base) OR one patched umpire and one junior umpire.
• A meeting shall take place between the umpires and two managers before the game to review ground rules and strike zone.
• The home team is responsible for returning all above items to storage and locking up all doors, as appropriate.
• Home team has rights to scoreboard management.  They can choose to defer to the other team if they wish.
• Both teams are responsible for trash removal and dug-out cleaning for respective sides.
• Both teams are responsible for field maintenance (i.e.: dragging the field, field repair, mound and plate maintenance, etc.)
• Tarps should be placed if the forecast calls for rain.  If not in use, tarps should be hung on the outfield fence and kept off the ground during the regular season and stored in the shed when the season is over.
• In the event of a conflict over the interpretation of a rule, the coaches should meet at the plate and discuss the situation respectfully with the umpire.  If a decision cannot be reached, then the game shall be placed officially "under protest".  Play should then resume amicably.  Following the game, the coaches can discuss the situation with the league director, who can make a ruling based on conversations with the Board.
• Grievances with schedule, rules, etc. are to be directed to the league director, and ultimately the Board by the official coaching staff only.

CALL UPS

Depending on the number of teams at the Majors level, a commiserate number of 5th graders may be designated as call ups.  Their responsibility is to their AAA team FIRST.  A callup assignment should be secondary to team activities.

Call ups should only be made to fill a vacancy.  A call up must play according to the aforementioned rules that apply to all standard rostered players, even if absent players end up attending the game.  Call ups may not pitch or play the catcher position and must be inserted into the bottom of the batting order.

Call ups must adhere to the standards set by the league.  If players are being utilized as call ups who are not authorized, the team in violation will forfeit that game.

Call ups should be rotated through to ensure all players on the list have a chance to come up and play.

SPORTSMANSHIP & DEVELOPMENT:

All Norfolk Baseball Code of Conduct policies apply.  Additionally, all coaches should strive for:

• All positivity, all the time. Set an early example and quickly correct behavior that involves players bringing other players down for bad plays or less developed skill sets.
• Teaching by example with all players and umpires.
• Having all players run on or off field, there should be NO walking back to the dugout or to the field.
• Rotating players to different positions consistently. The only time players should definitely not play a position is if there is a legitimate safety issue: i.e. a player who is afraid to catch the ball being placed at 1^st base.  This, however, should not be used as an excuse to consistently place less talented kids consistently in the outfield.
• Rotating batting lineups so that there is equity throughout the season in the number of at-bat opportunities for every player rostered.
• Ensuring no player is spending more time on the bench than another throughout the season.
• Coaches should play more competitive lineups during the KP Cup tournament and town playoff, but should still be respectful of not marginalizing less skilled players.