Official Professional Baseball Rules Book
The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book govern all aspects of the game of Major League Baseball beyond what happens in the field of play.[1] There are a number of sources for these rules but they all ultimately are sanctioned by the Commissioner's Office of Major League Baseball. Examples of these rules are the Rule 5 draft and the disabled list. Other examples include:
- the 5/10 Rule whereby players who have been with a club for 5 consecutive years and have been a major league player for 10 years cannot be traded without their consent.
- the roster list rules (25 and 40 man lists) which also determines who is eligible to play for a team in the playoffs and World Series
- tie-breaking rules for deciding which teams go to the playoffs
- implementing/enforcing the expanded playing rules issued to umpires which goes into much greater detail than the official Baseball rules. These rules are described in the Umpire's Manual.
Rules Book
The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book is organized into the following sections:
- Major League Constitution
- Major League Rules
- Professional Baseball Agreement
- Basic Agreement
Major League Rules
The Major League Rules begin with a note stating that whenever a provision of any of its rules conflicts with a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiated with the Major League Baseball Players Association, the provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement supersedes the Major League Rules.
The following are the topics covered by current Major League Rules:
- Circuits
- Player Limits and Reserve Lists
- Eligibility to Sign Contracts, Contract Terms and Contract Tenders
- First Year Player Draft
- Annual Selection of Players (known as the Rule 5 draft)
- Selected Players
- Termination of Player-Club Relation
- Major League Unconditional Release
- Assignment of Player Contracts
- 9A-Temporary Assignment
- Major League Waivers
- Optional Agreements
- Transfer Agreements
- Suspended Players
- Retired Players
- Restricted, Disqualified and Ineligible Lists
- Reinstatement of Players
- Player Salaries (governed by the Basic Agreement)
- Playing Otherwise than for a Club
- Umpires and Official Scorers (Hiring and Firing Rules)
- Conflicting Interests
- Misconduct
- a) Misconduct in Playing Baseball (throwing games)
- b) Gift for Defeating Competing Club
- c) Gifts to Umpires
- d) Betting on Ball Games
- Betting on Other Baseball Teams (1 year ineligible)
- Betting on Own Team (permanently ineligible)
- e) Violence or Misconduct (judgement of commissioner)
- f) Other Misconduct
- g) Rule to be kept posted (in English and Spanish in every clubhouse)
- Claim Presentation
- Holidays
- Suspended Personnel
- Uniform Playing Rules
- a) Official Baseball Rules
- b) Playing Rules Committee
- c) Duties of Playing Rules Committee
- d) Official Scoring Rules Committee
- e) Duties of Official Scoring Rules Committee
- f) Copyright and Publication
- Gate Receipts
- reserved
- Voting
- Major League Disaster Plan (previously this rule was reserved)
- Finances
- Bulletins
- Schedules (to be issued by commissioner)
- Qualification for Post-Season Series
- a) Division Champions
- b) Wild Card
- c) Tie-Breaking Procedures
- Post-Season Series
- a) Division Series
- b) League Championship Series
- c) World Series
- Post-Season Supervision by the Commissioner
- Pennant and Memento
- Post-Season Schedule (this is where the all-star game winner rule applies)
- Post-Season Series Termination
- Post-Season Playing Rules (use the home team's rules)
- Players Eligible for Post-Season (must be active, disabled, suspended or military on Aug. 31)
- only 25 eligible players on a team
- reserved
- Post-Season Expenses
- Post-Season Playing Grounds
- Post-Season Admissions
- Division of Post-Season Receipts
- Bonus Forbidden
- Exhibition Games
- Obligations of Participants
- reserved
- Enforcement of Major League Rules
- Classification of Minor Leagues
- Major and Minor League Territorial Rights
- Minor League Expansion, Contraction,Relocation and Reclassification
- Regulation of Minor League Franchises
- Minor League Free Agency
- Standard Player Development Contract
- Travel Standards for Minor League Clubs
- Standards for Minor League Playing Facilities
- Lien on Territory
- Definitions
- a) Major League
- b) Major League Club
- c) Major League Player
- d) Minor League Association
- e) Minor League
- f) Minor League Club
- g) Club
- h) Minor League Player
- i) First Year Player
- j) Commissioner
- k) President of a Minor League Association
- l) Major League Reserve List
- m) Minor League Reserve List
- n) Major League Active List
- o) Minor League Active List
- p) Championship Season
- q) Player Development Contract (PDC)
- r) Independent Minor League Club
- s) Inactive Lists
- t) Winter League
This is followed by the Acceptance of all the Clubs. Then there are the Attachments to the Rules (numbers refer back to Rule # above):
- 3—Minor League Uniform Player Contract
- 4a—Player's acknowledgement of Receipt of Contract Tender
- 4b—Declaration of Club Official
- 12—Notice to Player of Release or Transfer
- 52—Major and Minor League Territories
- 54—Standard Minor League Financial Disclosure
- 56—Standard Form Letter Establishing Player Development Contract
- 58—Minor League Facility Standards and Compliance Inspection Procedures
See also
Notes
- ↑ The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book, Office of the Commissioner, New York 2003. Available at the Baseball Hall of Fame library in Cooperstown, NY
External links
- Home Resources Documents from the website of the SABR Business of Baseball Committee
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