In an effort to speed up games, MLB says some bat boys/girls could lose their jobs
Mets manager Buck Showalter cracked up reporters last month when he talked about the importance of bat boys in Major League Baseball’s pace of play initiative.
“I was thinking today bat boys are going to be a big deal,” Showalter said, per SNY-TV. “You better have a good bat boy. A bad bat boy is going to make it tougher. I have a great bat boy at home, he might be making some road trips with us.”
That’s when reporters laughed.
“I’m just watching it,” Showalter continued. “If you don’t have someone who knows what to do and when to go and where to go and have the bats ready for the first two hitters, there’s a method there, you’re going to lose seconds.”
Showalter’s comments don’t seem quite so humorous in the wake of a memo MLB sent this week to teams.
ESPN and the Athletic reported Wednesday the memo was about changes to the sport’s new playing rules. The new pitch clock has received the most attention, as it has helped cut the length of spring-training games by 25 minutes, the Tampa Bay Times noted.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the key part of the memo was MLB “changing replay review rules on potential violations of the infield shift ban.”
But that memo also noted that MLB will be keeping a close eye on bat boys/girls.
This is from ESPN: “The league will evaluate the performances of bat boys and bat girls and could ask teams to replace them if their performance is considered substandard.”
One thing to note: If a change is needed, MLB won’t be asking teams to fire grade-school kids. The Royals employ people who are high school age or older for those jobs.
MLB seems particularly concerned about one responsibility for a bat boy/girl. They collect shin guards and other protective equipment from a player who has reached base. That and the return to the dugout could cause an unwanted delay.
The Athletic, quoting MLB’s memo, said a bat boy or girl may be asked to exit the field of play from an opponent’s dugout.
This is from the memo, via the Athletic: “If a bat boy/girl requires additional time to exit the playing field safely, the umpire will not assess a penalty of the Pace of Game Procedures, provided that the umpire does not find that a Club is attempting to circumvent the Pace of Game Procedures. If a bat boy/girl requires additional time, the umpire will waive off the Pitch Timer and reset the clock when play is ready to resume. To minimize situations that require a waive-off, bat boys/girls leaving the third base dugout to collect equipment from a hitter who has reached first base are encouraged to return to the first base dugout rather than attempting to cross the playing field.”
At Kauffman Stadium, a bat boy or girl would enter the Royals dugout, then exit toward the concourse and hustle back to the opponent’s dugout.
That’s going to mean a lot more running for a bat boy or girl. And MLB will be watching.
