MLB orders down period for teams' monitoring of amateur players - ESPN

Major League Baseball is banning team officials from watching amateur players or collecting data on them for a monthslong period over the winter, warning executives that «the amateur baseball calendar is putting young players at dramatic risk of future injury,» according to a memo obtained by ESPN.

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.»

During the down period, team employees will be barred from seeing any player covered by the policy in a baseball setting or from trying to procure video or third-party data on players, according to the memo. 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.» Video as well as ball-tracking, bat-tracking and biomechanical data are likewise outlawed during what the league deemed a «recovery period.»

«MLB encourages players to use this period for rest, recovery and training for next season, rather than for high-intensity, maximum-effort activities,» the memo said.

The policy grew out of MLB's December report on pitching injuries across all levels of the sport. A series of