Q. Can a player be drafted by more than one team? Can more than one team offer an undrafted player a free-agent contract?
A. A player may only be drafted by one Major League team in each year that he is eligible to be drafted. He has no say about which team drafts him, but he can opt to not sign with that team, and in some circumstances he may return to the pool of Draft-eligible players for the next Draft. If more than one team offers a free agent player a contract, the player may choose which Major League organization he wants to sign with. MiLB.com is in no way involved with facilitating this process for unsigned players.
Q. Does the location of a tryout determine which team players who get signed will play for?
A. Regardless of where a tryout is held, the Minor League host team does not directly scout or sign players. Players are only signed by a Major League organization, which can then assign the player to any of its affiliates, not necessarily the same club that hosted the tryout.
Q. If a player is released by his organization, how does he go about getting signed again?
A. Players typically have agents facilitating the process of being scouted and signed. Agents can contact teams directly and free-agent players may be given non-roster invites to Spring Training or offered a private workout. Some players may be signed off teams playing in independent leagues that are not affiliated with Major League Baseball, but there is no formal schedule for scouting those teams. Players can also contact scouts or teams directly.
Game-related - Rules of the Game
Q. Do pitchers hit in the Minor Leagues?
A. The Designated Hitter rule shall be in effect for (i) games involving two American League affiliates, (ii) games involving National and American League affiliates, and (iii) High-A and Low-A games involving two National League affiliates unless the two opposing teams agree otherwise. The Designated Hitter rule shall not be in effect for Triple-A and Double-A games involving two National League affiliates, unless, at Double-A only, the two opposing teams agree otherwise. If in the preceding situation both teams agree, they must notify the home PDL Club’s Media Relations Director or General Manager, who must then notify the Official Scorer, no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled first pitch.
Q. Why are doubleheaders played for seven innings?
A. According to Rule 4.10 (a) in the Official Baseball Rules, Minor Leagues have the option to adopt a policy where all doubleheaders consist of two seven-inning games. It's done to complete the games in a timely manner while offering a good value for fans and accommodating the teams' travel plans.
Q. What are the differences in equipment between the Minor and Major Leagues?
A. The main difference is the larger Rawlings S100 helmets that Minor Leaguers began wearing in 2010. It is designed to offer enhanced high-impact protection. Catcher Francisco Cervelli was one of the first to wear the new helmet in the Majors, though David Wright briefly tried it in 2009. The game balls, also made by Rawlings, are slightly different in terms of seam threading. Minor League balls are assembled in China, while Major League balls are largely fabricated in Costa Rica.
Q. How many balls are used in a typical game? Who supplies those?
A. Balls are paid for and provided to Minor League clubs by their parent affiliates. Major League games tend to use 60-70 balls per game, on average, and that number is likely similar in the Minors (or perhaps a bit lower), but we don't have specific data. Some teams have reported using more than 100 per game.
Q. Would you please provide an official, up-to-date version of the rules and regulations surrounding the use in play of all equipment for Minor League Baseball?
A. These are the Official Baseball Rules. Section 1 deals with equipment; Rule 1.10 (page 6) specifies rules regarding bats.
Q. Is there an at-bats or games-played minimum that must be met in order to be considered for Offensive Player of the Week awards? What other criteria/restrictions apply?
A. League front offices typically select weekly player awards, and MiLB.com can't speak officially on behalf of the leagues regarding their criteria for selection. You could request this information from the league(s) you're interested in. Contact information can be found on each league's website, accessible from the Leagues menu in the MiLB.com masthead.
Player-Related - Non-player Careers: Umpiring
Q. What are the necessary steps to becoming a Minor League umpire? Which requirement is more stringent: physical conditioning or knowledge of baseball rules?
A. Neither being in top condition nor having deep knowledge of the game will by itself qualify someone to become an umpire -- though the combination would be a very good start. MiLB.com has nothing to do with selecting or evaluating umpires, but we have detailed information on how to become one.
Q. Are there any rules that preclude former players from becoming umpires? And out of curiosity, can an umpire become a player?
A. No, there are no rules prohibiting players from becoming umpires or -- though it's less likely to happen -- an umpire from being signed as a professional player.
Q. What are the ways a player can have a batting average of .000?
A. If a batter's average is .000, it means he has not recorded any hits so far. Once he gets a hit, his average will increase accordingly.
Statistics - Historical Numbers and Player Information
Q. How do I look up record holders?
A. MiLB.com (produced by MLB Advanced Media) has only been the official statistician for Minor League Baseball since 2005. Over the years, there has been no single source that compiled all records for Minor League Baseball. Individual leagues usually maintain their own records and publish them in Media Guides, but not necessarily on their websites. You could contact the leagues to see if they will send or sell you a Media Guide. While the set of affiliated leagues has also changed over the years, each league's record keeping may be complete across its different eras. You might also want to try an Internet search for specific record information you're seeking. Sites like Wikipedia and baseball-reference.com have valuable official and unofficial information.
Q. How can I find out the whereabouts of a former player?
A. Former players are not required to provide Minor League Baseball with their current contact information. There are several member-based organizations that maintain the contact information of former Minor and Major League Baseball players, including:
• the Minor League Baseball Alumni Association;
• the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America (714-935-9993);
• the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (719-477-1870).
The Minor League Baseball Alumni Association does not distribute the contact information of former players. The other organizations may, or may not, have similar privacy policies. In addition to statistics, individual leagues may also maintain other information about players, though each league will differ in the amount of historical information it maintains or can provide access to. The Texas League has a lengthy list of research materials available on its website. Other leagues may or may not have similar information available if you contact their offices.
Q. If a player is on the disabled list, how can I find out when his actual return is projected by his organization?
A. The Transactions lists in the Stats section do not include updates on player progress, only formal status. However, those pages include links to each player's team, and you can contact the team to see if it is willing to release that information.