new pitch-count rules figure to have a big impact

New rule designed to protect arms will impact managing

There is a comprehensive change afoot for prep baseball for 2017, one that potentially could have an impact on dozens of teams and games.

Varsity pitchers for the first time will have a maximum pitch count of 120 in a given day, based on a new New Mexico Activities Association bylaw. This is part of an expanded set of guidelines for pitchers that seems certain to change the way the game is managed — especially in the state tournament.

Never before has New Mexico instituted required rest periods for pitchers, but that is now mandatory. Here is the breakdown:

■ A pitcher who throws 91+ pitches must sit out the next four calendar days. This has an impact on schools that might have a Tuesday/Saturday schedule, and which in previous years might have brought back a Tuesday starter into an important Saturday game. That can no longer happen if a pitcher throws 91+ on Tuesday.

■ For 61-90 pitches, a minimum of three calendar days must be taken off before that athlete can pitch again.

■ For 41-60 pitches, the player will have to sit out at least one calendar day.

■ For 40 pitches or fewer, the player can return to pitch the following day or even for the second game of a doubleheader.

If a pitcher exceeds 120 pitches on a given day, his team will forfeit that game. But the pitcher can complete an at-bat and exceed 120 if he reaches that number during that plate appearance, so long as he is removed when the at-bat is completed.

And that pitcher can be moved to another position.

Other count notes

■ Coaches are on the honor system to report pitch-count totals, from every player for every game, to MaxPreps.com within 24 hours of the end of a game. Failure to do so will result in penalties. Many coaches already have expressed concern in interviews with the Journal that some schools might manipulate those numbers, especially later in the season.

■ If a player pitches on consecutive days, the total pitch count from the two days combined will be used to determine how long he must rest. Example: If Pitcher A throws 27 pitches on Friday and 35 pitches on Saturday, which is 62 pitches cumulatively, the required rest after day two is three calendar days.

■ Intentional walks will count against a player’s pitch count, even though at the high school level no pitches are thrown.

■ The second week of the state tournament is likely to look vastly different. Often, teams use their No. 1 starter on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Many times, that same pitcher reappears Friday or, more frequently, on Saturday. But anyone who goes over 61 pitches in the quarters will be done as a pitcher for the rest of the week.

Consider that last May, Carlsbad’s Trevor Rogers, the state’s highest-profile pitcher, threw 144 pitches (according to the official scorer) in the quarterfinals against Eldorado. Two days later, he came back and pitched five additional innings in relief in a state championship win over Rio Rancho.