MLB – North Platte Post Archive

MLB Starts Sending Warning Letters on Pace of Game

Posted on April 8, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has started sending written warnings to players who have violated the new pace of game rules.

MLB spokesman Michael Teeven said Wednesday about 10 letters had been sent since the start of the season last weekend.

Penalties for violating the new rules include fines, which start May 1. Hitters are required to keep one foot in the batter’s box, with exceptions such as after foul balls. Pitchers in most cases are required to start innings before 30 seconds remain on the countdown clocks.

MLB Launches ‘Franchise Four’ Promotion

Posted on April 8, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has launched a “Franchise Four” promotion for fans to vote for the players they think had the most impact on each of the 30 teams.

Eight players are listed for each team. Voting, conducted on MLB.com, also will be held for the greatest living players, greatest Negro Leagues players and baseball’s greatest pioneers.

Balloting began Wednesday and ends May 8. Winners will be announced before the All-Star Game in Cincinnati in July 14.

Joe DiMaggio was voted baseball’s greatest living player in 1969 and honored at the sport’s centennial dinner before that year’s All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. Fans voted for nominations then, and winners in several categories were selected by reporters and broadcasters.

Fans selected an All-Century team in 1999.

Players on the current ballot were picked by MLB official historian John Thorn and representatives from the Baseball Writers’ Association of American, the Elias Sports Bureau, MLB.com and the MLB Network.

MLB Sets Spring Training Attendance Record

Posted on April 7, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has set a spring training attendance record, breaking the 4 million mark this year and averaging nearly 8,400 fans a game.

The league said Tuesday that attendance was up 11.7 percent from last season’s total of 3,610,738, and the record average was a 3.8 percent increase from a year ago.

This time, the 481 dates drew 4,034,708 fans for an average of 8,388. That topped the previous record of 3,823,479 set in 2013, while the average attendance eclipsed the previous best of 8,078 in 2014.

The Chicago Cubs drew 222,415 fans to Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, the largest spring training attendance total for any team in history.

The Boston Red Sox sold out each of their 15 completed home games. They have sold out all 63 Grapefruit League games at JetBlue Park since its 2012 opening.

Record 115 Players Start Baseball Season on Disabled List

Posted on April 6, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — A record 115 major league players are starting the season on the disabled list.

The total was up from 101 last year and broke the previous opening-day mark of 110 in 2008.

The commissioner’s office has records dating to 1995, when 46 players started the year on the DL. Because of expansion to 30 teams in 1998, MLB says it is virtually certain the DL total was not higher in a season before its DL records began. Before 2008, the only season the opening DL total reached triple digits was 2001 with 104.

Among those on the DL are Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton, Texas pitcher Yu Darvish, Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters, Philadelphia pitcher Cliff Lee and Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.

Oakland and Texas started with eight players each on the DL. Minnesota was the only team with none.

MLB’s Manfred Announces 2018 All-Star Game will be in DC

Posted on April 6, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals Park will host baseball’s 2018 All-Star Game, the fourth consecutive year that event will be in an NL city.

New Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement Monday before attending the Washington Nationals’ opener against the New York Mets.

Speaking at a news conference at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008, Manfred called the awarding of the 2018 game an “opportunity to showcase this terrific facility.”

Cincinnati will hold the All-Star game this year, followed by San Diego in 2016, then Miami in 2017.

When Miami’s turn was announced in February, MLB said leagues will continue to alternate who bats last, no matter what city is host. So the AL will bat last in the 2016 game at San Diego and in the 2018 game at Washington.

MLB Ticket Price Average Up 3.3 Percent to $28.94

Posted on April 6, 2015

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average ticket price rose 3.3 percent this season to $28.94, the steepest increase in six years.

Team Marketing Report said in its annual survey Monday that the average is up 4.4 percent since 2013 after remaining flat in 2012.

World Series champion Boston had the highest average at $52.34 after leaving prices flat. The New York Yankees also left their average unchanged at $51.55 after missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

The Chicago Cubs, who renovated Wrigley Field and their roster, raised their average for the first time since 2010, a 1.5 percent increase to $44.81. The Cubs are coming off a last-place finish.

The Dodgers’ average rose 10.9 percent to $28.61 as Los Angeles hiked its opening-day payroll to a record $270 million.

MLB and Its Teams to Conduct Autism Awareness Campaign

Posted on April 2, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball and its teams will conduct an Autism Awareness campaign this season.

Each club selected a home game as part of the effort, which will be joined by the advocacy organization Austism Speaks.

Some teams will have designated “quiet zones,” the commissioner’s office said Thursday, designed to be a sensory-friendly environment. The campaign will include ceremonial first pitches, national anthems, “God Bless America” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

AP Newsbreak: AP Study Projects Average MLB Salary Tops $4M

Posted on March 31, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — An eye-popping baseball record will be set even before the first pitch of the 2015 season is thrown.

The average salary when opening-day rosters are finalized Sunday will break the $4 million barrier for the first time, according to a study of all major league contracts by The Associated Press. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tops players at $31 million and Los Angeles projects to open the season with a record payroll of about $270 million.

Fueled by the largest two-year growth in more than a decade, the average salary projects to be about $4.25 million, with the final figure depending on how many players are put on the disabled list. That is up from $3.95 million on the first day of last season and $3.65 million when 2013 began.

The average broke the $1 million mark in 1992, topped $2 million in 2001 and reached $3 million in 2008.

Manfred Says Too Early to Draw Conclusions on Pace Changes

Posted on March 9, 2015

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says it is too early to draw conclusions about baseball’s latest attempt to speed the pace of games.

Baseball is requiring batters to keep one foot in the batter’s box in many instances and installed clocks to count down the time between innings and during pitching changes. The penalties are warnings and fines, which will start May 1.

After speaking Monday with New York Mets players, Manfred said: “I think they understand what it is we’re trying to accomplish. I think they appreciate the fact we’ve taken kind of a measured approach to the problem to make sure we don’t unintentionally change the game in a way that may not be positive.”

Play Ball! Quickly! Baseball Tries to Speed Game This Spring

Posted on March 3, 2015

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Tick, tock, baseball is on the clock.

Major League Baseball’s new pace of play rules have begun with Tuesday’s exhibition games in Arizona and Florida.

The subtle changes are designed to speed a game long embraced for its leisurely pace. Hitters must now keep one foot in the batter’s box between pitches, and pitchers must complete warmup tosses between innings in a specific time.

Digital clocks, though some officials prefer to call them timers, have been installed in ballparks throughout the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues to keep the action moving.

By reducing the time of games, MLB hopes to make the sport more TV friendly and entice a younger audience while not compromising baseball’s integrity.