Skip to main content

Rule 8.01(f) – Ambidextrous Pitchers - Little League Rule Change


Ambidextrous Pitcher Rule for Little League

The following rule has been added governing ambidextrous pitchers: 

8.01(f) A pitcher must indicate visually to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he/she intends to pitch, which may be done by wearing his/her glove on the other hand while touching the pitcher’s plate. 

The pitcher is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, the batter becomes a runner, the inning ends, the batter is substituted for by a pinch-hitter or the pitcher incurs an injury. 

In the event a pitcher switches pitching hands during an at-bat because he/she has suffered an injury, the pitcher may not, for the remainder of the game, pitch with the hand from which he/she has switched. 

The pitcher shall not be given the opportunity to throw any preparatory pitches after switching pitching hands. Any change of pitching hands must be indicated clearly to the umpire-in-chief. 
....

Previously, there was no restriction on when or how a pitcher might switch from right-handed to left-handed or vice versa. 

 Source: www.llumpires.com/2013-little-league-rule-changes/

....................

Comment regarding preparatory pitches

Prior to this new rule, some umpires would let the switch pitcher have a few warmup pitches the first time they changed pitching arms. The throws allowed the pitcher to calibrate their pitches and it usually took less than a minute. Essentially, the umpires wanted the player to throw strikes and they treated the ambidextrous pitcher like a reliever (which is a good idea). The warmup throws also gave the batter an opportunity to watch the pitcher before their turn at bat.

Talk to the umpires before the game starts

During the coaches & umpires meeting before the game, I would let the umpires know that an ambidextrous pitcher might throw from both sides during the game. The head umpire would let me know if the switch pitcher was allowed warmup throws after changing hands. They usually thought it was a good idea for a pitcher to have warmup throws (for arm health) and be ready on the mound to throw strikes.

Warmup both arms in the bullpen 

The switch pitcher would warmup both arms in the bullpen prior to taking the mound. During warmup on the mound, they would split their warmup pitches between arms - four throws each.
....................

Game strategies for an experienced ambidextrous pitcher

Typically, an experienced switch pitcher will use the platoon advantage – pitching lefty to left-handed batters, and righty to right-handed batters. 



Early in the season, it works well to pitch only from one side in an inning. Start out pitching with the non-dominant arm, then change to the dominant arm when needed. This helps the pitcher to maintain rhythm and command pitches.

Some switch pitchers throw lefty in one game, then throw righty later in the week. 



..

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pitchers Glove Rules - Size and Color

What are the rules on a pitchers glove? According to the official baseball rules, a pitchers glove can be up to 12 inches in size , of any weight , and any color except white or gray as long as it is not distracting.  The Akadema ABX-00 glove, pictured above, is 12 inches,  solid black and is not distracting according to local umpires. Little League Rules Gray glove is not allowed for pitching  White glove is not allowed for pitching Little League Rule 1.14: Each fielder, other than the first baseman and the catcher may wear a glove not more than 12 inches long nor more than 7 3/4 inches wide, measured from the base of the thumb crotch to the outer edge of the glove. The glove may be of any weight. Little League Rule  1.15 (a) : The pitcher's glove may not, exclusive of the piping, be white or light gray, nor, in the judgment of an umpire, distracting in any manner. (source: Little League Baseball Rules Regarding Bats and Gloves ...

Fastball Velocity - How fast do kids throw?

How fast does a Little League pitcher throw? The average fastball is between 50-60 mph for a  pitcher in the Majors division of Little League (11-13 yo). Pitchers in the Little League World Series throw fastballs 60-70+ mph. Only a few pitchers touched 70+ mph in 2015 and 2016. One man-child hit 81 mph on the radar. This velocity is almost unhittable from 46 feet  and extremely rare for a 13 year old. #18 RHP Carlos Gonzalez - Panama 79-81 mph fastball  105 mph MLB equivalent reaction time #18 RHP Jaekyeong Kim - South Korea 75-76 mph fastball #19 RHP Ryan Harlost - Mid-Atlantic, Endwell, NY 71-74 mph fastball Threw a complete game to win the 2016 Little League World Series Loreto Siniscalchi , a 6'1" pitcher from Canada, threw in the mid 70s and completely dominated the hitters from Japan.  He led Team Canada to its first victory over Japan in 18 years. Big right-hander Isaiah Head from Kentucky threw 70-73 mph fastballs. His recor...

Baseball Glove Options for Switch Pitchers

Custom made  Mizuno ambidextrous glove Looking for a glove for a switch pitcher? Before spending hundreds of dollars on a custom glove, please think about age of the player and how much time they will spend pitching. Here are glove options for ambidextrous pitchers, based on age: Age 3-5 Kids don't pitch at this age. They should be learning the proper way to throw. Young kids should try catching the ball with two hands. Use tennis balls or foam balls for throwing. Forget about the low quality plastic glove - it's in the landfill within a year. Gloves are awkward for young kids. If they learn two hand catch when they are young and continue with the skill, they will do well fielding balls when they are older. Learning to throw with both arms is easy at this stage. If a child can throw with either hand when they are three-years-old, it doesn't mean that they are talented or ambidextrous - it just means that they are a typical kid. Gloves:  Buy a smal...