From the President
As the accompanying article indicates, Bambino Baseball will undergo some significant changes in the upcoming season. I am excited about them because I think they will help to address some problems which we have wrestled with in the 10-12 age group for some time.
By way of background, let me first explain what Bambino is and has been in Winchester. (It may be helpful for you to read the adjacent article first.)
Bambino, like Little League, is a brand name applied to baseball organizations for children 12 years old and under.
For over 15 years, Winchester has opted for Bambino which is a part of the Babe Ruth national organization. We enjoy the benefits of national affiliation and the annual tournament that it offers, as well as an attractive insurance policy and flexible rules which allow our kids to play in local summer leagues such as the Bay State league.
All youngsters 12 and under who play baseball under SYBS are actually part of Bambino. Again, this means they are all covered by the same insurance policy and overall playing rules.
Within our own organization, we have further broken down the age groups with descriptive terms like Clinic, Cap, Junior and Senior Minors, etc.
In the past, we have tended to use the term Bambino to refer specifically to our select league that is comprised of eight teams whose players are 10-12 year olds chosen on the basis of their performance at a tryout each fall. As such, the Bambino League as we have called it in the past has been the only select league in our entire spring baseball/softball program. Each other league in our program is composed of all players who register to play.
We continue to believe that it is appropriate to offer a "Major League" where players are selected based on their proficiency, especially for an age level with as many participants as we have. This allows each player to enjoy an appropriate level of competitiveness and to have coaching commensurate with his needs. In other words, more accomplished players will tend to play together, while those less skilled will have an opportunity to improve themselves in a lower pressure environment.
For the 1998 season, the Board of Directors has authorized two changes which we believe will cause some desirable results in the 10-12 year old age level.
The first is that we will rename many of our leagues to remove the perceived stigma of playing in a "minor league."
The second and more significant change will be that each Major League team must draft exactly two 10-year old players.
In the past, teams could draft as many as six 10-year olds, although 4-5 were more typical. This left little or no room for older players to be selected. Now, more 11s and 12s will be picked and the age
distribution in the Majors will be skewed toward the older kids. As a natural consequence, the AAA League will be more skewed to the younger players.
In the long run, we expect a better and more consistent quality of baseball at both the Major and AAA levels. In addition, since the average tenure in the Majors will be shorter, more kids will have an opportunity to experience the Major League. This in turn should lead to less anxiety over the entire tryout process.
Of course, any time one tries a new approach, there is a risk of unforeseen outcomes. We believe we have thought this one out pretty well and anticipate few problems. Nevertheless, we will be vigilant in picking
up on any that may arise.
As always we will be eager to get your feedback.
Bob
Annual Meeting Set, Volunteers Sought
The Sachem Youth Baseball/Softball Association will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday October 9, 1997 at 7:30 PM in the Winchester Town Hall (Waterfield Room). All members of the community are welcome to attend.
In addition to an opportunity for the community to make comments and ask questions, the primary agenda item will be the election of officers and directors.
Interested persons are requested to volunteer to serve on the Board. Your efforts will be rewarded by the hundreds of happy young faces you will help create for Winchester’s kids and the enjoyment they will experience not only from playing the game but also from improving at it each week.
You may refer to the list of Director positions on the back page of The Rundown to get an idea of the jobs we need to fill annually. For further information or to volunteer, please contact Ed Interess, the chairman of the nominating committee, at 729-7101.
Tryouts for Major League To Be Held Sept. 20-21
All Winchester baseball players who will be 10, 11 or 12 years old as of July 31, 1998, are invited to try out for the Major League teams at West Side Field on September 20 and 21.
The times will be as follows for the respective age groups:
- 12 year olds Sat 2:00-3:15 Sun 12:00-1:15
- 11 year olds Sat 3:15-4:30 Sun 1:15-2:30
- 10 year olds Sat 4:30-6:30 Sun 2:30-4:30
Anyone wishing to be considered for the draft must submit his/her registration form and attend at least one of the sessions, but preferably both.
If you are unable to attend, need to come at a time other than that specified for your age group, or have any other questions about the Bambino Majors, please call Commissioner Joe Annese at 729-5082.
The rain dates will be September 27-28.
As announced elsewhere in this newsletter, only two 10-year olds will be drafted by each of the eight teams. This will leave more spaces available for 11- and 12-year olds than in past years.
All players not drafted for 1998 will be assigned to a AAA team before the upcoming season and, if of proper age, will be eligible for future major league draft(s).
Returning players on Major League rosters must also submit their registration forms before September 20 to hold their roster spots, although it is not necessary for them to attend the tryout.
Registration for 1998
Registration for the 1998 baseball and softball season is officially underway. Parents are urged to register their kids by mail using the enclosed form as soon as possible. Please make a photocopy if necessary for multiple children or acquaintances. For those who prefer to register in person, the one opportunity to do so this year will be on Wednesday September 17 at the Town Hall (Winchester Room) from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. An Early Bird discount is offered to those who register before October 1, 1997.
All Bambino Major League returning players and candidates (i.e., those trying out on September 20-21) must register before the tryout.
Also this is a perfect opportunity for parents to volunteer to help our organization by checking off one or more boxes on the registration form. A description of the duties of each volunteer position is shown on the reverse side of the form along with a description of the available leagues.
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Bambino Format to be Modified
Our baseball leagues for children 12 and under will have the following names:
- Age League
- 7 Clinic
- 8 A
- 9 AA
- 10-12 AAA
- 10-12 Majors
We anticipate having the same number of teams in each age group as in the past. The benefits of the changes are: (1) to be unambiguous about the fact that all of these age groups are affiliated with Bambino, (2) to indicate and foster the transitional nature of the Bambino program as children grow from league to league, and (3) to move away from the perceptions of differentiation that were associated with Bambino in the past.
Another major change will arise from the new rules pertaining to the drafting of 10 year old players into the Major League. Only two 10 year olds can be drafted onto any Major League team in one year. This means that by next year’s draft, we will be drafting two to three times as many 11 and 12 year olds as in the past. The benefits of this change will be: (1) many more kids will be able to participate at the Major League level by the time they reach age 12, (2) less will experience the anxiety over not making the Majors on their first or second try, and (3) the level of competition in the two 10-12 year old leagues will be
stronger and more internally consistent.
Baseball 101 (Part 3)
Statistics abound in baseball, probably more so than in any other sport. This article highlights some of the more familiar sounding ones that fans understand in general terms, but may not know exactly how they are figured. For those interested in a more in-depth treatment of this subject, it can be found in Section 10 of the Official Baseball Rules covering the Official Scorer. A future Baseball 101 will cover some of the main aspects of official scoring.
Batting Statistics
Batting Average - Batting average is the measure of how frequently a particular batter hits safely. It is the number of hits divided by the number of at bats (appearances at the plate, not including walks, hit by pitch, interference calls which caused him to reach base, and sacrifice bunts and flies). It is expressed as a three digit decimal, e.g., .315 and is sometimes referred to as batting percentage, although in a mathematical sense it is not a percentage at all.
On-Base Percentage - An offshoot of the batting average, this is a measure of how frequently a batter reaches base by mean s of hits, walks, and hit by pitch. It is computed as the sum of these divided by the total at bats plus walks, hit by pitch, and sacrifice flies. So a batter who walks a lot will have an on-base percentage significantly higher than his batting average. A leadoff batter is usually considered effective if his on-base percentage is good, even if his batting average is mediocre.
Slugging percentage - This is the total bases a hitter achieves with his safe hits divided by his total at bats. Thus a home run is worth four total bases, a triple three, a double two and a single one. The higher one’s slugging percentage is relative to his batting average the longer are his hits on average. Like batting average and on-base percentage, slugging percentage is expressed as a three digit decimal.
Runs Batted In (RBI) - As the term implies, these are the runs which scored as a direct result of the batter hitting the baseball. So for example if a batter singles with runners on second and third and they both score, credit the batter with two RBIs. Or if a runner moves from third to home on a ground ball or sacrifice fly, credit the batter with an RBI. There are three exceptions to this principle: (1) if the batter walks or is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, an RBI is credited to the batter even though he didn’t actually hit the ball; (2) if the batter grounds into a force double play, any run which scores is not credited as an RBI; and (3) if the batter reaches on an error with two outs and a run scores as a result, there is
no RBI on the play, since the run would not have scored if the ball had been handled cleanly.
Pitching Statistics
Wins, Losses - Generally, the pitcher who was in the game at the time his team takes the lead for good is the winning pitcher and the pitcher who was responsible for that tie-breaking run (i.e., allowed the runner who eventually scored to reach base) is the loser. However, in order to earn a victory, a starting pitcher must pitch a minimum of five full innings. Otherwise, the official scorer decides who of the other
pitchers should be credited with the win, based on his contribution tothe winning effort.
Saves - In order to earn a save, a relief pitcher must enter the game in a save situation, which is any of the following: (1) At least one inning remaining in the game and a lead of no more than three runs; (2) Regardless of inning, his team’s lead is no more than two greater than the number of men on base; and (3) Three innings remain and he pitches effectively (in the opinion of the official scorer).
In addition to entering the game in a save situation, the reliever must finish the game that his team wins and not qualify as the winning pitcher.
When a pitcher enters a game in a save situation but relinquishes the lead, he is said to have "blown the save."
Saves have only been awarded since 1973, reflecting the strategy now employed universally in the major leagues to have a relief specialist known as a closer whose job it is to save the game in the late innings.
Earned Run Average (ERA) - A pitcher’s earned run average is a measure of how many runs the opposition has scored against him per game without benefit of errors or passed balls. Since pitchers do not always pitch complete games - and in the case of relievers, they never do) - a game is standardized to nine innings (in the major leagues). The formula for ERA is:
Earned Runs X 9 divided by innings pitched.
For example, 14 earned runs in 55 1/3 innings gives an ERA of 14 X 9 / 55.33 = 2.28 runs per 9 innings.
In amateur leagues where games are less than nine innings, the 9 in the numerator would be substituted with either 6 or 7 as appropriate based on the league’s standard length of game.
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