[Updated and approved at 4/25/22 Board Meeting]

ADMINISTRATION: 

Each Divisional Coordinator or their designee shall oversee and administer his/her Division's Pool Player policy.  This policy is in effect for all league games held during the regular season as well as all games played during play-offs.

AUTHORIZED USE OF POOL PLAYERS DURING THE REGULAR SEASON: 

Pool Players may be requested when a Team has fewer than 12 regular roster players available.  The Manager may request as many eligible Pool Players as necessary to bring their team up to 12 available players.  Exceptions:

• Managers may believe circumstances warrant requesting 13 available players.  The list of situations is not limited to these, but unusually hot and/or humid forecasted weather, insufficient number of outfielders to allow available outfielders an opportunity to rest for an inning, shortage of available courtesy runners, etc. are potential reasons a manager might request 13 available players.  However, Coordinators reserve the right to approve or deny such requests. 
• A team without a viable pitcher may request a Pool Player to pitch, regardless of the number of players available.  If, in the judgment of the Coordinator, the request is justified, the Coordinator will provide a Pool Player.

Pool Players must be assigned prior to the first game of the day.  If injuries occur during the games and a team finds itself with fewer than 12 players, they are prohibited from adding EMASS members attending as spectators to their game roster and, if their numbers are reduced to fewer than 11, they should simply request a non-defensive catcher from their opponent’s team.

AUTHORIZED USE OF POOL PLAYERS DURING THE PLAY-OFFS:

Pool Players are prohibited during play-offs.  However, in all divisions a team without a viable pitcher may request a Pool Player to pitch.   If, in the judgement of the Coordinator, the request is justified, the Coordinator will provide a pitcher.  Exception:

• Metro Division:  A team with only one viable pitcher may request a second Pool Pitcher, but the second pitcher is required to bat in any game they are not pitching.  Playing in the field defensively at any position other than pitcher is prohibited.   

PLAYERS ELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS POOL PLAYERS: 

Any registered EMASS Player is eligible to serve as a Pool Player in any Division, provided they meet the Division’s age requirements. 

PROCESS OF OBTAINING POOL PLAYERS: 

A Manager that requires one or more Pool Players shall be responsible for contacting their Division Coordinator or Designee BY EMAIL on or before the established deadline for their division.  IT IS THE MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT HE/SHE KNOWS WHO WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PLAY IN THE UPCOMING GAMES by the Request Deadline.  The Manager must inform their Coordinator of the names of ALL regular roster players who will not be available for the upcoming game.  Failure to request Pool Players by the applicable Request Deadline could result in no Pool Players being made available.  However, in the event of a verifiable player emergency or illness after the Request Deadline, the Manager may request an Emergency Pool Player. 

• Thursday Atlantic Deadline: No deadline.  Contact Division Coordinator by email and/or phone as soon as you know you require Pool Player(s).
• Monday Minuteman Deadline: No deadline.  Contact Division Coordinator by email and/or phone as soon as you know you require Pool Player(s).
• Colonial Division Request Deadline:  7:00 PM on the Wednesday BEFORE scheduled Saturday games.
• Metro Division Request Deadlines:  5:00 PM on the Monday BEFORE scheduled Wednesday games.
• National Division Request Deadline:  No deadline.  Contact Division Coordinator by email and/or phone as soon as you know you require Pool Player(s).
• Pacific Division Request Deadline:  Noon on the Saturday BEFORE scheduled Tuesday games.

All Divisions – In determining who is eligible to serve as a Pool Player on any given game day, the Division Coordinator or their designee shall do his/her best to ensure that the Team requesting Pool Players is neither significantly improved nor weakened by the Pool Player(s).  However, during the regular season the goal will be to ensure that each Team has at least 11 players.  

The Division Coordinator or their designee will review the ratings of the missing players and the potential Pool Players, as well as defensive positional necessities, and then at his/her discretion, assign Pool Players and notify the teams.

Even though the Coordinator is expected to notify both teams about assigned Pool Players, on the day of the game, a Manager using (an) approved Pool Player(s) MUST NOTIFY the opposing Manager PRIOR to the first game during the pre-game conference with the umpire. 

If a team manager has requested pool players who are at the field ready to play and a regular roster player who was/were on the original list provided to the Division Coordinator as being unable to play also appears at the field ready to play, the Pool Player(s) shall play AND the regular roster player(s) may play provided BOTH managers agree to allow this.

A violation of these Regulations may result in the violating team forfeiting any game in which an ineligible Pool Player has been used.