Third base coach yelling pitch

I don't like it and in some areas an ump might put a stop to it. Its Bush league.
A coach, usually the 1st base coach can signal the batter if the catcher doesn't hide his signals. Remember, thats part of the game too. Any advantage you can gain will help your team and teach them to look for things in the game.
We would use different verbal signals for a FB and another for anything breaking or off speed. But definitely not while the pitcher is winding, usually right after picking the signal.

If a base coach was doing this on every pitch during the pitcher's wind up I wouldn't allow it to continue. It's an attempt by the base coach to get into the pitcher's head (and maybe cause him to balk) and clearly unsportsmanlike.
If a coach wants to let his batter know what the pitch will be he needs to find a more subtle way of doing it.

Under MLB rules I think this action would fall under rule 4.06 (a) No manager, player, substitute, coach, trainer or batboy shall at any time, whether from the bench, the coach's box or on the playing field, or elsewhere_ ...(3) Call "Time," or employ any other word or phrase or commit any act while the ball is alive and in play for the obvious purpose of trying to make the pitcher commit a balk.

Unfortunately I never see that rule enforced at the youth level. Is there a similar rule for HS?

Not that I totally agree with applying it here, but yes, NFHS has the similar rule.

NFHS 3-3-1o

A coach, player, substitute or other bench personel shall not,

O-Call time or use any command or commit any act for purpose of causing a balk.

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Under MLB rules I think this action would fall under rule 4.06 (a) No manager, player, substitute, coach, trainer or batboy shall at any time, whether from the bench, the coach's box or on the playing field, or elsewhere_ ...(3) Call "Time," or employ any other word or phrase or commit any act while the ball is alive and in play for the obvious purpose of trying to make the pitcher commit a balk.

Unfortunately I never see that rule enforced at the youth level. Is there a similar rule for HS?

Playing the devils advocate here. How would you handle it if the coach knowing what this pitch is, yells to his batter when he saw the sign or pitch location "lay off the curve" or "shorten your swing", and this was being done before the pitcher started his wind up?

Pitchers and catchers can deal with this when it happens. They only have to change the signs and cross up one or two hitters and nobody will want to know what the signs are after that. Our catchers generally deal with it themselves when we hear someone calling out or signaling pitches. A subtle suggestion to most hitters will cure that problem much of the time.

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and this was being done before the pitcher started his wind up

What 06 said. The original post mentioned a base coach yelling loudly as the pitcher went into his windup - THAT sounds like a cheap attempt to make the pitcher balk.

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Our catchers generally deal with it themselves when we hear someone calling out or signaling pitches. A subtle suggestion to most hitters will cure that problem much of the time.

you mean something like "hey buddy, if your coach shouts out another pitch, it'll be in your ear."

yesterday at our game we could see the cathers sign from our bench becasue he was holding it to low so if we chanted the players first name it was a fastball and last name was off speed.

yup, alot of young catchers give their signals too low. when we were in travel and i coached first, I used to yell "come on Bobby" when it was a fastball, and "come on Smith" when it was off-speed. to be honest, I'm not sure it helped. our players were so focused on me and what I was going to say, they lost concentration..

We had a similar discussion here, which is the rule piaa_ump refers to in a slightly different situation:

http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4996003481/m/3791009551

good recall there Dad10.....

remember that applying this rule is a judgment call on the intent of the person doing the act....but thats what you get paid for....

If a coach is calling out the sign to inform his batter...then its bush at best...and in higher baseball likely to get his batter plunked....although I once saw this happen in a colt game...with a runner on 3rd ....a coach was tipping the calls...the catcher (who had a rifle) fired the ball down to 3rd and plunked the coach in the back.......that stopped the tiping (at least audibly)....


If he is calling out at the start of the pitchers motion you can apply the rule...

your call.....

I was watching a Midget game where the players were doing the name/number thing (Name/Fastball, Number/Off-speed). The other team went balistic. Is that considered bush?

I guess they picked up on your signs....well, stealing signs is as old as baseball and in youth ball I'm not sure many of the batters benefit from knowing what pitch is coming anyway......

I've seen it done subtly as well...call out the batter's number or name depending on the pitch. Just don't get caught or your next batter gets on in the ribs.

True Story: East Cobb Astros in 2003, catcher now 2nd rounder to the Red Sox, signs wide open not only to me but 3rd base as well. I start yelling the pitch before its thrown infron tof ECB's bench. Baldwin goes ballistic and calls me Bush League. I simply tell him a premier program like ECB should be ashamed for allowing such shabby fundamentals. He hollers for his catcher to cover his signs. Catcher later comes over to thank me for reminding him about that because a scout had warned him about poor fundamentals behind the plate only a game earlier.

BTW, most players hate for coaches to do that, i know I did.