MLB Orders Winter Scouting Moratorium For Draft-Eligible Players

Major League Baseball has ordered a new policy, the Amateur Recovery Period Policy, which adds some new rules applying to the scouting of amateur players over the winter. Reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN and J.J. Cooper of Baseball America provide the details.

There are plenty of complicated nuances involved, but the gist of the new policy is that no team employee is to scout amateur players, either with their own eyes or video/data-tracking equipment, for a period of the winter. This is to encourage players to rest, rather than staying in top game shape for showcases. This applies only to domestic, draft-eligible players. It doesn’t apply to international players or undrafted free agents.

The moratorium covers a period from October 15th to January 15th for high school players. There is a slightly narrower window for college players, going from November 15th to January 15th. During those windows, MLB team personnel are not allowed to see any draft-eligible player in a baseball setting. That includes games, showcases, training sessions “and any other activities related to throwing, hitting, catching or fielding.” They are also not allowed to procure video or data-tracking info on players. If any player submits unsolicited video to a team, the club must notify MLB within 24 hours. Cooper notes that the NCAA also has a quiet period for off-campus recruiting of baseball players from October 13th to February 28th, which also gives players less incentive to stay in game shape during the winter.

All baseball fans are surely aware that arm injuries have become increasingly common in the modern era. Major elbow and shoulder surgeries that require absences of more than a year — particularly for pitchers — are a regular occurrence nowadays. The amateur ranks have not been spared this trend, as the frequency of injuries has also impacted high school and college players.

Both articles cited above mention a December 2024 study from MLB which looked into this problem. Cooper cites an American Sports Institute study which found that pitchers were five times more likely to require surgery if they did not have an offseason rest period. Under these new rules, players can still work out if they choose to, but the hope is that the lack of scouting opportunities will encourage them to take a break and create a “dead period” of scouting.

There are some exceptions. Employees are allowed to watch players in a non-baseball setting, which includes playing other sports such as basketball. Cooper notes that there are four fall ball games scheduled on November 15th, which are grandfathered in. Additionally, scheduled regular-season games played before January 15th are eligible to be scouted. Team personnel can also watch their own children play baseball but only in a non-professional setting, meaning no data can be collected for a team’s database. Scouts can also visit players at their homes as long as no baseball activity is involved.

As mentioned, this policy does not apply internationally. Only players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are eligible for the MLB draft. Players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico and other countries are part of the international signing bonus system. The policy also does not cover agents, who are regulated by the MLB Players Association and not the league.

Any employee who violates the rules could face individual punishment, such as fines or suspensions. Their team could potentially face penalties in terms of sanctions in the draft or in the amateur signing system.

MLB’s memo, sent to all 30 teams, states that the hope is to “reduce the incentive for amateur players to perform at maximum effort year-round by designating a period in the calendar, during which time clubs are prohibited from evaluating amateur players, to ensure appropriate rest, recovery and development for players.” Cooper notes that all 30 amateur scouting directors were consulted, along with coaches and medical experts. The policy also has the support of the MLB Owners Competition Committee.

Photo courtesy of Greg Derr, Imagn Images