Roster Deadline Approaches

The Powerline Baseball League's twenty one player roster deadline is fast approaching leaving teams with key decisions to be made and a last opportunity to recruit new players. PBL teams have until the end of the day on Friday June 7 to announce their roster which will take them through the last half of the regular season and into the playoffs. 

The league's roster rule states;

Each team is to submit a roster containing a maximum of twenty-one players to the league website by the first Friday in June. Only players on the submitted roster will be allowed to play for that team in subsequent league games and playoff games. 

While most teams will have the majority of their roster locked in already, there are always a few spots on rosters that see teams having to remove a player due to either an injury or availability issues. If a team has a locked in roster of less than twenty one players, it is an opportunity for one last recruiting effort to find a free agent to add to the roster for a playoff push. Once the roster is submitted, it is locked in, meaning teams will not be able to add players up to the twenty one player limit if they are below that limit on deadline day. 

In the past, players were required to play a minimum number of games before the end of the season in order to qualify for playoffs. In 2009, the Tavaroli Rule was a groundbreaking league ruling that helped change the landscape of rosters in the PBL to the submitted roster rule the league has today. On one side of the coin the new rule allows for players who are unable to attend the minimum number of games due to work and family obligations or injury, to play with their team towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. The other side of the coin provides teams with the freedom to add players who may help them out come playoff time if the team has a specific need, even if they had not yet played with the team during the season. As long as they are on the roster by June 7 this season, they are approved to play.  

Fans will be able to check out the player rosters by visiting the roster section of the website as they become available.