New clarification going to be required for hybrid pitching stances

[Gfoley4]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18796323/david-price-rule-help-mlb-umpires-distinguish-pitchers-full-windup-vs-set-position

[maven]

I'm glad I don't have to poll F1 every time we have R3. What a PITA.

[kstrunk]

This is a new twist on officiating, isn't it. Tell me what you're doing so I know how to enforce it??? Does the umpire then have to announce it to the runners and managers? Talk about 'pace of play issues'!!!

[Gfoley4]

1 hour ago, maven said:

I'm glad I don't have to poll F1 every time we have R3. What a PITA.

I mean, how many times do you have a pitcher in a hybrid stance wanting to use the windup with R3? That seems to be the only case where they need to say I'm going to be out of the windup.

[Jimurray]

I can't find video of Price's stance in either set or windup but I haven't seen a sideways pitcher yet that you couldn't tell what he was going to do. But the OBR pitching rule would allow a pitcher in the sideways stance to put his hands together without  changing foot position which could be coming set or hands together prewindup. Thus he could break hands and pitch or  step back and windup and pitch.

[Umpire in Chief]

If an umpire cant tell which stance he's in, it should then become umpire judgement.

While I like Price, the PU should judge whether he's in the wind-up or set then rule from there. If he gets balked and complains, then honestly he (and others who have the same delivery) needs to adjust to the rules, not the other way around. 

The way things use to be, before the hybrid, was so much easier for everybody involved. How much time at all levels have we spent the last 5-6 years tweaking the definition of the pitching positions, how many times have we had new rules POE's or approved rulings???

[maven]

30 minutes ago, Umpire in Chief said:

If he gets balked and complains, then honestly he (and others who have the same delivery) needs to adjust to the rules, not the other way around.

LOL! C'mon, Warren, you're not that naïve!

[kstrunk]

58 minutes ago, Umpire in Chief said:

If an umpire cant tell which stance he's in, it should then become umpire judgement.

While I like Price, the PU should judge whether he's in the wind-up or set then rule from there. If he gets balked and complains, then honestly he (and others who have the same delivery) needs to adjust to the rules, not the other way around. 

The way things use to be, before the hybrid, was so much easier for everybody involved. How much time at all levels have we spent the last 5-6 years tweaking the definition of the pitching positions, how many times have we had new rules POE's or approved rulings???

I couldn't agree more. To continue to allow the rules/mechanics to be manipulated by the individuality of players will eventually be counterproductive to everything the powers are supposedly trying to accomplish in terms of participation, pace of play, greater market share, etc... UNLESS they're hoping for a dramatic effect that will result from the chaos! 

[Jimurray]

This has gotten people all wrapped around the axle. After viewing the current NCAA video they have guys calling the HS rule erroneously and no calling their arrow interp. Maybe we need a table like basketball with a card that says WU or set. NCAA had a good rule using foot position. It was ignored in some regions, notably for one pitcher in a CWS a few years ago. So those then current NCAA powers changed the NCAA rule to mimic OBR. That made other people who could not discern what a pitcher was going to do unhappy although most of us could discern it and if you couldn't it wouldn't matter to you or ther runner.  Now in NCAA we have to drive an arrow into the pitchers chest and kill him. Thankfully, in OBR, we only have to ask Price what he is going to do. As an aside, when Price says he is in the WU for the benefit of R3, is he allowed decline the rule permission which allows a step back and foward and just heave to HP ala Strop.