MBA outlines guidelines for a return to play

Honorable Governor Walz, 

We have written you two letters and to this date have yet to receive a response. (The two letters are attached) This is disappointing to us, as we were hoping that amateur baseball would have been given the go ahead to start playing by now. 

The sports commission has asked us to point out the differences between us and youth baseball. Gary Schleper is one of the board members who govern amateur baseball, he is from Shakopee and coaches a youth 14-and-under team and an amateur team. The following are differences that differentiate the two entities. 

1.) Dugouts - Youth baseball has a narrow bench outside the field of play behind a fence. Benches in Shakopee are 16 ft. in length. Adult dugouts are a covered structure on the field of play, in Shakopee they are 43 ft. in length and 11 ft. in depth, over 2 ½ times longer and much deeper, with similar numbers of players in both groups. Many adult dugouts have two rows of seating and stools in the front allowing ample space for social distancing. Most teams have about 15 players and one coach at a typical game instead of 12 players and a 3-4 man coaching staff like youth teams have. 

 2.) Parks - Youth baseball may have a small bleacher that holds 20-30 people. Many fans bring their own chairs. Amateur parks have a large grandstand that seats 100-500 people, and the parks can easily hold a total of 250-1,000 fans, with additional seating or standing areas down the first and third base line. Many parks have other options such as decks and elevated bleachers. Shakopee’s park holds 1,000 people. While a majority of amateur games draw between 50-100 fans. This allows for proper social distancing outlined in your directive. 

Proposed guidelines recommended by the MBA to return to baseball

1.) Encourage social distancing by spectators inside the park. The size of our stadiums makes this easy to accomplish

2.) Social distancing of players in dugouts, bullpens and outside the dugout to the outfield side if needed.

3.) Hand sanitizer available in both dugouts and at concession stand.

4.) No handshakes, high fives or unneeded contact of any kind.

5.) Players should avoid sharing gear.

6.) Players will label and bring their own water or sports drink. No water fountains may be used under any circumstance.

7.) No spitting of any kind this includes sunflower seeds, chewing tobacco, etc.

8.) Facemasks and gloves may be worn by players, fans and umpires.

9.) Facemasks and gloves must be worn by all concession workers.

10.) Umpires can choose to stand behind the catcher or pitcher.

These guidelines will be posted in dugouts and read by the PA announcer before every game. 

Governor, we are a very organized group and our teams have respected your directives. All neighboring states have approved the opening of baseball. The announcement that churches can resume activities at 25 percent capacity is great news for amateur baseball. Our parks can easily handle all our fans and stay well below the 25 percent threshold. We request that you open amateur baseball on the same date as churches open. 

WE CAN AND WILL FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES AS WELL AS ANY OTHER ENTITY. WE ARE OUTSIDE, HAVE VERY FEW PEOPLE GATHERING IN A VERY LARGE SPACE AND ARE A REASONABLE AND LOGICAL BUSINESS TO OPEN IMMEDIATELY. OUR 275 TEAMS ACROSS THE GREAT STATE OF MINESOTA IMPLORE YOU. LET US PLAY OUR NATION’S PASTIME! 

Play Ball, 

Mike Nagel Secretary/Treasurer

Minnesota Baseball Association

2020 TEAM REGISTRATION

Every year a team must register their roster on ScoreMonster, which allows them to manage their player points. 

When you go into your 2020 registration, it will look blank, when you start to type in a player’s name, the whole name will appear, click on it to enter into your roster. In order not to miss a player, you may want to print off last year’s roster so you don’t miss a player. All players added to the 2020 registration will be active, so you should only submit the players you know are going to start the season with you. 

Once you click submit, that is your beginning roster for 2020. 

Adding a new player or a player you left off of your registration, must sign a new contract, which will need to be sent and approved by your league secretary. That will allows the MBA to keep track of your point total exactly. 

It is your responsibility to update player profiles. (Ex. A high school senior goes to college and now incurs points at college, if they play.) 

Closing date for registration will be June 1 at 5 p.m. 

FYI next year, registration will start March 15 and teams will need to submit their rosters before their first game. 

If you have questions contact support@mnbaseball.org or news@mnbaseball.org. Click here for FAQs and other registration info.

Send an email to support@mnbaseball.org and we'll post your request to the find games board here.

Have a news lead?

Please email your Minnesota baseball news leads to our staff writers at news@mnbaseball.org.