Legal pitch? Carter Capps

He's gaining (by more than a foot) an advantage not intended by the rules.  Don't know why the umps aren't calling that an illegal pitch.  If that hop is OK then where do they draw the line...a foot, 2 feet, 3 feet.  Will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

A number of years ago, a HS pitcher with more than average skills, was using a delivery that in many opinions was like a crow hop..and was being balked regularly...I believe they took it all the way to NFHS.....

The delivery was a sort of leap from the rubber with a release of the ball several feet in front of the rubber...NFHS ruled it illegal....NCAA ruled it illegal.....and the pitcher went on to college using a successful standard delivery.....

Expect a ruling from MLB soon......

I would have it as illegal, but MLB often allows "unusual deliveries that might technically be illegal but it's not really an advantage and we don't want to upset the player's union"

Is this a new delivery for him? He's been in the MLB since 2012, so why is this just now an issue?

No. he'd apparently used it for 87 MiLB appearances before an ump balked him. My thoughts are that this could only be considered a balk if you think he basically reposts the pivot foot after he leaves the mound. re-establishing the pivot foot for a second push would be a start/stop balk. Once you start your delivery you must finish it. However, I only see the foot being dragged along and he completes one, single fluid motion. In fact, I'm not even sure he gets any further off the rubber by ball release than Lincecum does.

To me it's not even a close call: he absolutely re establishes his plant foot.  He's creating a second push-off and leverage point with the pivot foot.  I didn't see it live but can't believe it wasn't called.

MLB responded to this 'issue' and ruled it legal based on the understanding that the foot is dragged and not picked up.

I don't see much of a 2nd push off (if any) in his delivery.  He's in the same realm as every other pitcher in baseball, just pushes off a little further than others.

A Little?

Pilsner, I don't believe he is getting a 2nd push off with that pivot foot.  Do you?

From the video I saw, I'm seeing a second push....so I'm in the "balk it every time" camp..

Bracing myself for the flood next week of HS pitchers developing bigleagueitis and crowhopping because they saw a MLB pitcher do it.....

It looks to me like he is re-establishing his pivot foot.  I would not go so far as to say he is getting a second "push", but it appears that he does come down on the pivot foot, placing body weight on that foot and using it move of a fulcrum to continue toward the plate.  MLB says he is dragging which would imply only residual weight (from the trailing leg) AND no mechanical advantage is being created, rather simply uses for balance.  I don't buy that - how can you drag your foot and have the bottom of your foot then contact the ground.  It is certainly not as simple as a toe dragging in the dirt.

I'm no umpire, but son having pitched, this would be balked everywhere he ever played.  just saying.

OK, I went back to the video and reviewed the super slow-mo version of it.  No doubt about it; just prior to the planting of the non-pivot foot and release of the ball, Capps digs in the inside edge of his right foot for what I would call a second push.  In real time it's not perceptible but the inside of his right foot by this time is easily 18 inches from the rubber.

Now, that being said, I'm in the boat with PIAA.  I don't care what MLB is doing,  As the Rules Interpreter for my chapter I'm instructing our umpires to call that, if they see it, an illegal pitch/balk with the explanation that the pitcher is gaining an advantage not intended by the rules.  And under NFHS Rule 10-2-3g the Umpire-in-Chief can "make final decisions on points not covered by the rules."

I'm in the it's a balk camp.  So MLB says because he's dragging his foot it's not a balk but is it a balk if his foot does come off the ground?  How far does it have to come off the ground and who's going to pay attention to it?

I think he's also getting a second push which is not fair under the rules.  I don't think he's getting a huge second push but it's there.  That's not how the rules are written which is why it's wrong.  My real problem with this is he's now releasing the ball closer to the plate than what his body is going to allow naturally under the given rules.  That's not fair IMO.  Yes Randy Johnson would be closer to the plate than 90% of MLB pitchers but that's due to his body style just like a shorter pitcher is farther away due to body style.  Those are things you can't control - you can control this and it's against the rules.

If that is a legal pitch I'm going to teach my son to do a crow hop off of the pitchers mound and gain at least 24" closer to the plate.  His effective velocity should be 10 mph greater.  

I have a very strong opinion that this is wrong and bad for the game. whats to keep a pitcher from making a move similar to this 2-3 times before chucking the ball under the guise of "as long as his foot is still dragging on the ground..." I think we need to discern dragging the toe from dragging the foot. This guy drags the foot, replants the foot, and bounces/pushes off a second time. it may be subtle, it may not make much of a difference. but its wrong and not the way the game is meant to be played or taught. if he was dragging just the toe, there would be no question about a replanting of the foot, it would be simply dragging the toe. 

Learn Ballet , then he can weight bear on his toes and it will look like he is dragging it. 

In my view, that is absolutely illegal.  The ball is in his hand behind his back when his back foot re-contacts the ground.  He uses it for a second push, albeit a small one.  MLB makes all sorts of business decisions when it comes to interpreting the rules with pitchers with a eye toward allowing unusual deliveries.  That should not be used as a guide to rules interpretation at other levels.

MLB has come out with a memo and video examples of legal and illegal moves similar to this.

Good - glad to hear they are not allowing it.  Here's the next question - what does this do to his career?  Guy seems to have decent stuff but did he get there because of his stuff or because this funky delivery allows his stuff to be better?  Do the Marlins allow him to stay up and work on legal mechanics or send him down to learn legal mechanics?  The biggest question - WHY IN THE WORLD DID PEOPLE BACK IN THE DAY ALLOW THIS TO BE TAUGHT TO HIM?????