The MLB announces big changes for the Toronto Blue Jays and the rest of the league
Photo credit: Alexis Brudnicki/MLB.com
The MLB decided to order a shutdown for one month to theToronto Blue Jays and the rest of the league from scouting amateur players, for two months during the offseason in hopes of avoiding injuries for the future generation.
The ban will be in place from November 15th to January 15th every year moving forward.
Toronto Blue Jays and the MLB banned from scouting amateurs during the winter
Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news of the ban. The aim is to give amateur players a two-month break, to avoid injury, and allow them to rest.
"In a seven-page document distributed to high-ranking personnel with all 30 MLB teams, the league said it hoped its Amateur Recovery Period Policy -- which covers high school juniors and seniors from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15 and college players from Nov. 15 to Jan. 15 -- will "alleviate the pressure on young players to forego rest and recovery, curb overuse, and keep players healthier as they strive for a future in professional baseball."-Passan
This ban includes, not being able to go watch any amateur competition during this time period, and not allowing any collection of data on amateur players.
"Should employees run afoul of the policy, the memo said, they could be fined, suspended or placed permanently on the game's ineligible list while their teams could face sanctions in the draft or international amateur signings. The policy forbids team employees from seeing games, showcases, training sessions "and any other activities related to throwing, hitting, catching or fielding."
The policy does exclude agents however, as they tend to scout players as young as 13 years old.
Agents do not put pressure on kids to play the game 12 months out of the year, which is why they are exempt.
The aim of this policy is to take pressure off younger players from playing max effort games all year round, instead they can focus on lower intensity training and minimizing injury risk.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 20|460 ANSWERS The MLB announces big changes for the Toronto Blue Jays and the rest of the league Do you agree with the MLB's decision to shutdown scouting over the winter months? | ||
| Yes | 181 | 39.3 % |
| No | 279 | 60.7 % |
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