Umpire Protocols

The umpires of the Pioneer Valley Youth Baseball League should concentrate on several matters during the 2024 season.  Most importantly, umpires should focus upon professional conduct, positioning, several NFHS rules issues, and sporting conduct of game participants and spectators.  

An umpire should be attired properly.  His or her uniform should be clean and pressed. Shoes should be polished.  Moreover, an umpire should wear umpires trousers, not grey slacks.  Similarly, the plate umpire should wear plate shoes, rather than black sneakers or boots.

The umpires should seek to function effectively as a team.  Good teamwork requires good communication.  The crew should have a pre-game discussion about two or three issues as they enter the field.  During the game, the crew should signal regularly.  The plate umpire should initiate signals routinely and habitually.  The bases umpire should be ready always to mirror those signals.  Also, umpires should be prepared to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of their partners to ensure that all plays are covered and issues are addressed.

The Umpire-in-Chief should request and receive a copy of the batting order from each manager during the pre-game conference at home plate before the start of a game.  

Ideally, batting orders should be provided in duplicate, so the umpire in chief can provide lineup cards to the managers of the opposing teams, too.  

This procedure should be honored, for several reasons.  Of course, the conference affords the managers to introduce themselves to one another and the umpires.

Also, the umpire in chief assumes control of the game when he receives the batting order of the home team.  Until that time, the home team manager can determine the field to be unplayable or the weather to be too severe for play.  The umpire in chief assumes authority in such matters when he gets the home team’s lineup card.

Moreover, the batting order enables the umpire in chief to determine who is to play and may play.  Relatedly, the presentation of lineups cards to the UIC signals to all concerned that substitutes should be announced to both the opposing team and the UIC.  In turn, confusion and resentment about substitutions should be minimized and PVYBL games should be conducted in open and friendly fashion.

When there are men on base, the bases umpire shall be positioned usually on the extension of a line from the plate to the edge of the pitching area on his side of the field.  The bases umpire may be positioned “wide” of that line, too.  However, the bases umpire should be behind the mound only if the bases are loaded and the infield is drawn in for a play at the plate.  The bases umpire should otherwise never be stationed behind the mound for several good reasons.  First, he is in the batter’s peripheral vision.  Secondly, he will be in the general line of a throw to Second Base from the catcher or the pitcher. Thirdly, he will be in poor position to judge a pick-off play at First Base or Third Base.

All calls on the bases should be made from a stationary position.  The bases umpire may use either a “box” stance or a ‘scissors” stance when judging a play at a base or a catch in the field.  However, the calling umpire should be set so that his view of the play is clear.

Fly balls should be covered aggressively by the bases umpire.  When in Position A behind first base, the bases umpire should “go out” on all potentially "trouble" balls hit from straight away center field to the right field boundary line.  "When in doubt, go out" should be the operative response of the bases umpire to a fly ball, when he is in Position A.

Similarly, when located within the infield, the bases umpire should move to the inside edge of the infield dirt to view plays on trouble balls hit between the right and left fielders.  When the bases umpire covers a fly ball, incidentally, the plate umpire should cover all touches and tags.  Finally, if the ball remains in the infield with runners on first and third, the bases umpire should make all of the calls at first, second, and third bases.  The plate umpire should be prepared to help his partner with a pulled foot or sweep tag at first base.

The general idea underlying these responses to developments is to attend carefully to the first "play" because that event will happen and a subsequent play may not occur!

Umpires should attend carefully to pitching rules.  Among other good purposes, PVYBL activity helps young players transition from junior varisty to varsity play.  Varsity pitchers are expected to know and observe the pitching rules.  Similarly, all varsity players expect rightly that pitchers will observe those rules.  Consequently, all of the elements of NFHS Rule 6 should be enforced.

Significantly, Rules 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 cite the requirements of the wind-up and set positions of a pitcher.  The position of the pitcher is determined soley and simply by the relationship between his pivot foot and the pitching plate.  If the pivot foot is parallel to the plate, the pitcher is considered to be in the set position.  If the pitcher's pivot foot is placed at an angle to his plate, the pitcher is considered to be in the wind-up position.

Rule 6.1.3 states that, when he is taking signs from the set position, a pitcher shall have his pitching hand at his side or behind his back.

Notably, Rule 6.2.4.b, which concerns "step balks", should be observed.  The pitcher must step directing toward the base to which he is throwing with his free/non-pivot foot.  Often, for example, right handed pitchers spin off their free foot before throwing to first base.  Also, left handed pitchers stride toward the plate and, then, throw to first. These violations should be penalized.

Finally, umpires should attend carefully to the conduct of players. Historically, the PVYBL has enjoyed excellent sportsmanship and, in turn, offered a very pleasant baseball experience to all concerned with the league.  During the past scholastic season, taunting opposing players has occurred with notable frequency.  Such unsporting conduct has no place in a PVYBL game.  Please, respond to unsporting conduct in three sequential ways.  First, instruct the coach of the offending player to advise his player(s) to behave properly - they should cheeer for their teammates, but not denigrate an opposing player.  Secondly, instruct directly an offending player to cease unspiring remarks or conduct.  Finally, disqualify the offending player(s).