Minor League Baseball is a developmental system of clubs in cities across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, created to prepare players for careers at the major league level. Aside from stadium sizes and varying outfield fence distances, the playing field shares the same dimensions as that of Major League Baseball, including the standard 60 feet, six inches from the pitcher's mound to home plate.
Minor League History
The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, now known as Minor League Baseball, was organized when presidents of seven minor leagues met in Chicago on Sept. 5, 1901, and established rules of operation that have remained through history. In 1902, the league began play with 14 leagues and 96 teams and became a farm system for the majors. As of 2010, there were 240 teams, and according the Minor League Baseball's web site, the minors drew more fans, 41 million in 2009, than both the NFL and NBA.
Mound Distance
The current pitching distance was established in 1893, when the official rules of baseball required the pitcher deliver the ball with his back foot anchored on a rubber slab at a distance of 60 feet, six inches. The pitcher still threw from a flat surface, called a pitcher's box. The mound did not appear into the early 1900s.
Need for Consistency
The pitching distance must remain the same between the major and minor League level. While the minors remain mostly a developmental league for younger players, at times major leaguers are sent down to the minors, either to rehabilitate from an injury or to recover from a slump. The players need face live game situations, and adjusting to a different pitching distance would be impossible. Oftentimes a player can go back and forth from the minors to the majors several times in a season.
Youth Pitching
In Little League Baseball, the distance between the mound and home plate is 46 feet. On "Pony" fields, home plate is usually located about 54 feet away. The gradual adjustment exists to account for the physical growth and maturation of young players, eventually preparing them for the maximum distance of 60 feet, six inches in high school baseball and beyond.
References
- 19CBaseball: The Pitcher's Area
- Minor League Baseball: Baseball Timeline 1901-2001
- "Baseball: A History of America's Game", Benjamin G. Rader; 2008
- "Managing Little League (Little League Baseball Guides)", Ned McIntosh; 2008
- Major League Baseball: Bell Still Adjusting to Major League Level
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