Spring Ejection S-3 - Nick Mahrley (Matt Adams)

HP Umpire Nick Mahrley ejected Cardinals 1B Matt Adams for arguing a strike three call in the bottom of the 5th inning of the Mets-Cardinals game. With none out and none on, Adams took a 1-2 pitch from Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located around the inner edge of home plate and belt high, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Mets were leading, 3-1. The Mets ultimately won the contest, 5-4.


This is Nick Mahrley (-)'s first ejection of Spring Training, the 2017 MLB preseason.
Nick Mahrley now has 0 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Previous + 0 Spring Training = 0).
Crew Chief Greg Gibson now has 0 points in Crew Division (0 Previous + 0 Spring Training = 0).

This is the third ejection report of Spring Training 2017.
This is the 3rd player ejection of 2017. Prior to ejection, Adams was 0-1 (SO) in the contest.
This is STL's 1st ejection of Spring Training, T-1st in the Grapefruit League (HOU, STL 1; Others 0).
This is Matt Adam's first career MLB ejection.
This is Nick Mahrley's first career MLB ejection.

Wrap: New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Grapefruit), 7/18/17 | Video via "Read More"

2017 UEFL Appeals Board Election, Candidate Statements

Cast your vote for the 2017 UEFL Appeals Board. Pursuant to UEFL Rule 6-4-a, the UEFL Appeals Board was established to adjudicate appeals of Quality of Correctness and Umpire Classification (Rule 6-1), to determine Check Swing QOCs (6-2-b-5-c) and disputed Reasons for Ejection (6-2-b-5-b), and to review Replay Review decisions (4-7-c and 6-2-b-8) and member appeals for disciplinary reinstatement (8-1-h). Comprised of a roster of nine voting members, including the Commissioners and seven at-large volunteers, a pre-season nomination and election process has been established to complete this year's Board.

Listed in order of their submission, the following three UEFL'ers have been nominated for and are seeking election to the 2017 UEFL Appeals Board (two vacancies). They are:

Joshua (MLB umpire observer)
"I am nominating myself as an attempt to give back to the UEFL. I have been a everyday follower of the UEFL since 2015 and many of you may have gotten to know me through my comments on a number of topics on the site. I have I have multiple years of experience umpiring baseball at the High School level and multiple years of officiating basketball at the High School level. I have never participated as a drafting member of the UEFL and will not this year. I am confident if elected I will represent all members of the UEFL on the board. Thank you for your consideration."

Steven (CohenS3)
"I have over 3 years' Student Government experience.  My final assignment was to Chair our most complex standing committee, Constitution and Bylaws.  This assignment required the preparation and posting of public meeting agendas, as well as the preparation and posting of briefing papers, which differentiated between existing and proposed new laws.  Regardless of my personal agreement with a particular statute, I always upheld them to the best of my ability, weighing all possible outcomes before reaching an ultimate conclusion."

James (jvick2017)
"I am a certified FHSAA Umpire for all High School levels as well as an avid reader of OPR and constant watcher of Major League Baseball. I will bring an unwavering commitment to getting the call right and making sure everyone has a fair experience in the UEFL."

VOTE HERE FOR YOUR 2017 UEFL APPEALS BOARD (SELECT TWO CANDIDATES):

2017 UEFL Appeals Board Election

Voting will remain open through March 24, 2017 (Friday).

WBC Ejection - Will Little (2; Andrew McCutchen)

World Baseball Classic HP Umpire Will Little ejected USA RF Andrew McCutchen for arguing a strike three call in the top of the 6th inning of the USA-Puerto Rico game. With none out and none on, McCutchen took a 1-2 pitch from Puerto Rico pitcher Seth Lugo for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located around the outer edge of home plate and near the hollow of the knee, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, Puerto Rico was leading, 4-2. Puerto Rico ultimately won the contest, 6-5.

This is Will Little (93)'s second ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, 1st since 3/14.
This is the 7th ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
This is the 4th player ejection of the 2017 WBC.

Wrap: United States of America vs. Puerto Rico (WBC), 3/17/17 | Video via "Read More"

Jen Pawol Promoted to Single-A New York-Penn League

Jen Pawol's quest to become the first female MLB umpire took another step in the right direction this offseason as Pawol received a promotion from 2016's Gulf Coast League (Rookie) to 2017's New York-Penn League (Short-A).

The New York-Penn League is one of two Minor League Baseball's short-season Class-A leagues, the other being the Northwest League. Pawol is at the beginning of a minor league career that will require further progression through Class-A, A-Advanced, Double-A, Triple-A, MLB Call-Up/Fill-In status, and, finally, promotion to the Major Leagues.

Last season, Pawol became the first female umpire to work affiliated baseball in ten years, when Ria Cortesio's career concluded at the Double-A level.

Pam Postema (1977-89) was the last to reach Triple-A.

Pawol's GCL crewmate in 2016 was Scott Molloy, who himself, along with most minor league umpires, is trying to climb the development ladder to reach the big leagues. Molloy was promoted to Short-A's New York-Penn League in August 2016, where he officiated with umpire Matt Cowan, taking the place of Reed Basner, who himself was promoted to Class-A...

As one might surmise, there are a lot of moving parts and quite a few (hundred) umpires vying for a coveted shot at the show. Pawol's is but one of many journeys to be had along the road, most of which will end with release or retirement prior to the highest level.

Spring Ejection S-2 - Tom Woodring (S1; Yasiel Puig)

HP Umpire Tom Woodring ejected Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig for arguing strike two and three calls in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Cubs-Dodgers game. With one out and none on, Puig took a 3-2 pitch from Cubs pitcher Jim Henderson for a called third strike, having taken an earlier pitch for a called strike. Replays indicate the terminal pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and near the height of Puig's hollow of the knee (pick f/x unavailable) while the previous pitch was located over the heart of home plate and around the hollow of the knee (no replay angle from the height of the playing field was produced), the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Cubs were leading, 1-0. The Cubs ultimately won the contest, 4-0.

This is Tom Woodring (75)'s first ejection of Spring Training, the 2017 MLB preseason.
Tom Woodring now has 0 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Previous + 0 Spring Training = 0).
Crew Chief Lance Barrett now has 0 points in Crew Division (0 Previous + 0 Spring Training = 0).

This is the second ejection report of Spring Training 2017.
This is the 2nd player ejection of 2017. Prior to ejection, Puig was 0-3 (2 SO) in the contest.
This is LA-NL's 1st ejection of Spring Training, 1st in the Cactus League (LAD 1; Others 0).
This is Yasiel Puig's first ejection since August 23, 2015 (James Hoye; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Tom Woodring's first ejection since July 29, 2015 (Terry Francona; QOC = U [Non-Ejection]).

Wrap: Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Cactus), 3/16/17 | Video via "Read More"

2017 UEFL Draft Prospectus - Historical Summary

It's here: The 2017 UEFL Draft Prospectus is a historical review of umpires eligible for selection via the annual draft. This year's prospectus features updated information from the 2016 season.

Click here to draft your umpires for the 2017 UEFL season.

Prior to drafting—or if upon review of the following information, you'd like to revise your selections—feel free to consult the following Draft Prospectus, which includes information collected from the UEFL Portal's Historical Data page and workbook. Additional information concerning each umpire on the roster, and the season's crews may be found on the UEFL Umpire Roster and Profiles page.

Historical Information and Draft Prospectus - 2017 UEFL Season
2016 Leaderboard
Ejections: 8 (Dale Scott & Todd Tichenor), 7 (Pat Hoberg), 6 (Mike Everitt & Joe West).
Replay Points: 9 (Ted Barrett & Quinn Wolcott), 8 (Tom Hallion & Alan Porter), 7 (DJ Reyburn).
[Most Replays Experienced]: 31 (Dan Iassogna), 30 (Tim Timmons), 27 (Mark Carlson).
Review Accuracy-RAP: 80.0% (Wolcott), 75.0% (David Rackley), 72.2% (Hallion), 71.4% (T Barrett).
Total Pts: 29 (Pat Hoberg), 24 (Will Little), 23 (Porter & West), 21 (Sam Holbrook & Adam Hamari).
Crew Chief Pts: 15 (Everitt), 14 (Jeff Kellogg & Mike Winters), 13 (Gorman, Vanover & West).

2015 Leaders
Ejections: 8 (West & Holbrook), 7 (John Hirschbeck), 6 (Greg Gibson & Dan Bellino).
Replay Points: 24 (John Tumpane & Brian O'Nora), 23 (Hirschbeck, Kulpa, Gonzalez & Baker).
Total Pts: 23 (Carlson), 22 (Holbrook), 21 (Tumpane), 20 (G Gibson, Tripp Gibson & Bellino).
Crew Chief Pts: 19 (Hirschbeck), 17 (T Welke), 16 (Brian Gorman), 14 (Gary Cederstrom & Hallion).

2014 Leaders
Ejections: 7 (Bellino, Vic Carapazza, Jeff Nelson), 6 (Bill Miller, Mark Ripperger, Timmons, Toby Basner).
Replay Points: 24 (Reyburn), 23 (Doug Eddings), 22 (T Barrett, Adrian Johnson).
Total Pts: 36 (Carapazza), 30 (Bellino), 26 (T Barrett, Nelson), 25 (Little, Chris Guccione).
Crew Chief Pts: 32 (Miller), 23 (West), 20 (Fieldin Culbreth), 18 (Hallion), 16 (Kellogg).

2013 Leaders
Ejections: 8 (Chad Fairchild, Clint Fagan), 6 (Hallion, Holbrook).
Total Pts: 30 (Fagan), 23 (Fairchild), 17 (Iassogna, Hirschbeck), 16 (Bellino, Hunter Wendelstedt).
Crew Chief Points: 14 (Dana DeMuth, Gorman), 13 (Jerry Layne), 9 (Winters, Kellogg).

2012 Leaders
Ejections: 8 (Gary Darling), 7 (Angel Campos), 6 (Nelson, Bob Davidson, Brian Knight).
Total Points: 24 (Darling), 21 (Campos), 18 (Holbrook), 15 (Alfonso Marquez, Gerry Davis).

2011 Leaders
Ejections: 9 (Rob Drake), 8 (Davidson, Wendelstedt), 7 (West).
Total Pts: 30 (Drake, Mike Muchlinski, Mike Estabrook), 23 (Marty Foster, Marquez), 22 (Nelson).

Most Ejections Since 2005: 67 (Joe West), 60 (Marty Foster), 57 (Davidson), 52 (Tim Timmons).
A name in italics indicates that specific umpire has retired or is otherwise not eligible for selection.

The 2017 UEFL Draft Deadlines are as follows. Visit Registration to draft your umpires:
Friday, March 24, 2017: Last Day to register for the 2017 UEFL (registration closed).
Monday, March 27, 2017: Last Day to submit unrestricted Primary & Secondary Umpires.
Friday, March 31, 2017: Last Day to submit unrestricted Crew Chief selections.

WBC Ejection - Will Little (Tony Pena Sr)

World Baseball Classic HP Umpire Will Little ejected Dominican Republic Manager Tony Pena Sr for arguing a strike one call in the top of the 8th inning of the Dominican Republic-Puerto Rico game. With one out and none on, Dominican Republic batter Carlos Santana took a 0-0 fastball from Puerto Rico pitcher Joseph Colon for a called first strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the heart of home plate and near the hollow of the knee (pitch f/x unavailable), the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, Puerto Rico was leading, 3-1. Puerto Rico ultimately won the contest, 3-1.

This is Will Little (93)'s first ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
This is the 6th ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
This is the 2nd Manager ejection of the 2017 WBC.

Wrap/Log: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico (WBC), 3/14/17 | Video via "Read More"

Injury Scout - Jeff Nelson Exits, Wolf Collides with Player

Jim Wolf collided with a player while plate umpire Jeff Nelson exited Tuesday's Spring Training action for an undisclosed reason.

D-Backs 2B Leyba calls obstruction on Wolf

During the Rangers-Diamondbacks game at Talking Stick's Salt River Fields, base umpire Jim Wolf collided with Rangers baserunner Cesar Puello as he rounded second base, causing Puello to fall down and, ultimately, be retired. With none out and one on (R1 Puello) in the top of the 6th inning, Rangers batter Jose Trevino hit a fly ball to Diamondbacks left fielder Kristopher Negron, that Negron lost in the sun/sky. After Puello and Wolf collided past second base, the D-Backs fielders recovered to retire Puello in an ensuing rundown.

As we know and Arizona broadcaster Steve Berthiaume remarked, "the umpire is in play." Rule 6.01(f) concerns umpire interference and states that such an event occurs only "(1) when a plate umpire hinders, impedes or prevents a catcher’s throw attempting to prevent a stolen base or retire a runner on a pick-off play; or (2) when a fair ball touches an umpire on fair territory before passing a fielder. Umpire interference may also occur when an umpire interferes with a catcher returning the ball to the pitcher." Accordingly, a player making incidental or inadvertent contact with an umpire (other than a catcher attempting to throw out a baserunner) does not constitute umpire interference. Alan Porter ejected Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle in 2016 during an argument concerning such an umpire-fielder entanglement.

For more on umpire interference, including video examples, see the UEFL topic, "Umpire Interference."

Both Wolf and Puello remained in the ballgame following their fender bender and video of this play is available at the conclusion of this post, via "Read more."

Meanwhile, HP Umpire Jeff Nelson left Tuesday's White Sox-Mariners game in the middle of the 4th inning for an undisclosed reason; he officiated the entire top of the 4th before leaving the field following the frame's third out.

This is Nelson's first departure from a game since leaving the May 23, 2016 Rockies-Pirates game after dirt lodged his eyes.

Nelson was replaced behind home plate by 3B Umpire Mike Cascioppo, while base umpires Adrian Johnson (1B) and Stu Scheurwater (2B => 3B) took care of field duties for the rest of the contest.

Last Game: March 14, 2017 | Return to Play: March 17, 2017 | Total Time Absent: 2 Days

2017 International League Umpire Roster

The 2017 International League roster features the following umpires. The IL is the eastern Triple-A equivalent of the west's Pacific Coast League; The 2017 PCL roster is available at this link.

The 2017 International League features eight Triple-A rookies, and zero transfers from the Pacific Coast League.

International League Umpire Roster - Start of the 2017 Season

IL Umpire Name	2016 League and Years in Triple-A
Additon, Ryan*	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Bacon, John*	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Barber, Sean* (MLB #29)	International - 6th Year in Triple-A
Basner, Toby* (MLB #99)	International - 8th Year in Triple-A
Beck, Adam^	Southern (Double-A) | Rookie
Carnahan, Jeffrey^	Southern (Double-A) | Rookie
Clark, Ryan	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Costello, Scott^	Texas (Double-A) | Rookie
Gillam, Eric	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Lentz, Nic* (MLB #59)	International - 4th Year in Triple-A
Livensparger, Shane*	International - 3rd Year in Triple-A
Merzel, Dan*	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Miller, Brennan^	Southern (Double-A) | Rookie
Moreno, Robert	International - 3rd Year in Triple-A
Ortiz, Roberto* (MLB #40)	International - 4th Year in Triple-A
Peterson, Brian^	Eastern (Double-A) | Rookie
Rackley, James	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Ramos, Charlie^	Eastern (Double-A) | Rookie
Rehak, Jeremie*	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Riggs, Jeremy	International | 2nd Year in Triple-A
Segal, Chris* (MLB #96)	International - 7th Year in Triple-A
Tosi, Alex*	International - 2nd Year in Triple-A
Visconti, Jansen	International - 3rd Year in Triple-A
Whitson, Chad* (MLB #62)	International - 7th Year in Triple-A
Wills, Ryan^	Eastern (Double-A) | Rookie
Wiseman, Michael^	Eastern (Double-A) | Rookie

*Indicates umpire is also officiating MLB Spring Training | ^ Indicates promotion to AAA.

Bold text indicates umpire is on the Major League call-up list.

WBC Ejection - Quinn Wolcott (Edgar Gonzalez)

World Baseball Classic HP Umpire Quinn Wolcott ejected Mexico Manager Edgar González for arguing a ball four call in the bottom of the 9th inning of the Mexico-Venezuela game. With one out and one on (R1), Venezuela batter Ender Inciarte took a 3-2 pitch from Mexico pitcher Roberto Osuna for a called fourth ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located off the inner edge and knee-high while pitch f/x was unavailable, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, Mexico was leading, 11-9. Mexico ultimately won the contest, 11-9.

This is Quinn Wolcott (81)'s first ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
This is the 5th ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
This is the 1st Manager ejection of the 2017 WBC.

Wrap/Log: Mexico vs. Venezuela (World Baseball Classic), 3/12/17 | Video via "Read More"

WBC Ejections - Tripp Gibson (Team Columbia x3)

World Baseball Classic HP Umpire Tripp Gibson ejected Team Columbia 1B Reynaldo Rodriguez, CF Tito Polo, and Bench Coach Edgar Renteria for arguing an out call/HP Collision violation no-call in the bottom of the 9th inning of the Dominican Republic-Colombia game. With one out and two on (R1 and R3), Columbia batter Rodriguez hit a 1-2 fastball from Dominican Republic pitcher Hansel Robles on a line drive to left field, where it was caught by outfielder Jose Bautista, who threw to catcher Welington Castillo as Colombia baserunner R3 Oscar Mercado slid headfirst towards home plate. Replays indicate Castillo tagged Mercado before Mercado touched home plate and that catcher Castillo was legally positioned during this play (e.g., Castillo did not obstruct the runner or illegally block access to home plate, as in Rule 6.01(i)(2)), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 3-3. Team Dominican Republic ultimately won the contest, 10-3, in 11 innings.

This is Tripp Gibson (73)'s first, second, third ejection of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
These are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ejections of the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
These are the 2nd and 3rd player ejections of the 2017 WBC.
*OBR 6.01(i)(2) states, in part, "Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score...It shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) [Rule 7.13(2)] if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field the throw."

Wrap/Log: Dominican Republic vs. Colombia (WBC), 3/12/17 | Video via "Read More"