What Is MVR In Baseball?

In this post, I will walk you through the terminology ” MVR ” in Baseball. MVR is one of the play rules that has been in existence since the 2018 Major League Baseball season. And ever since it went into effect, players and coaches have got enough time to plan and re-plan against an opponent in each inning.

As a baseball fan, it’s important to understand some terms used in the game as they see an essential part of the game officiating.

However, MVR is an important metric, and if you are the kind of fan that keeps to the column on the scoreboard, you would have come across MVR.

With that being said; In this post, you will learn what the terms, MVR stand for in baseball which will include;

• What is MVR in baseball
• How many MVRs in baseball
• What does MVR mean on the baseball scoreboard8
• MLB MVR rule

Let’s get started.

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What Is MVR In Baseball?

In baseball, MVR stands for mound visits remaining, and it is a metric on the scoreboard that presents data for the number of times a coach, or coaching staff meets a pitcher in each regulation innings, 9. This metric has been an important metric that has proven to be a game changer.

Mound visits remaining ( MVR ) allow coaches to meet their pitchers and strategize in each inning on how to approach the game for glory. That means every team now has a chance to re-plan their approach even If they are down in an inning.

After each inning, the umpire will notify the scoreboard management to adjust the number of mound visits. Furthermore, once an inning ends, the umpire will start his time immediately after the call, and it is only for 30 seconds.

However, the coach and his staff have got only 30 seconds to visit a pitcher’s mound for a quick discussion. This play rule, mound visits remaining ( MVR ) has proven to be a game-changer in some games.

How Many MVRs Are In Baseball?

According to the MVR play rule, each team will have five ( 5 ) mound visits per nine ( 9 ) innings and in some cases like when the umpire adds an extra time, then each team is expected to have an extra mound visit.

A manager or coach is considered to have concluded his visit to the mound when he leaves the 18-foot circle surrounding the pitcher’s rubber.

However, a manager or coach trip to the mound to meet with the pitcher shall constitute a visit. A player leaving his position to confer with the pitcher, including a pitcher leaving the mound to confer with another player, shall also constitute a visit, regardless of where the visit occurs or the length of the visit. 

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In addition, visits by a manager, coach, or player to join a mound visit already in progress shall not constitute an independent visit.

MLB MVR Rule

According to the official MVR baseball rule, the following rule shall be applied in Major League games. 

Also, minor League games may adopt a rule providing for a different limitation on the number of mound visits permitted in a game or no limitation on the number of mound visits.

• Mound visits without a pitching change shall be limited to five per team, per nine innings. For any extra-innings played, each team shall be entitled to one additional non-pitching change mound visit per inning.
• Cross Up in Signs: In the event, a team has exhausted its allotment of mound visits in a game (or extra inning) and the home plate umpire determines that the catcher and pitcher did not have a shared understanding of the location or type of pitch that had been signaled by the catcher (otherwise referred to as a “cross up”), the home plate umpire may, upon request of the catcher, allow the catcher to make a brief mound visit. 

However, any mound visit resulting from a “cross-up” before a team exhausts its allotted number of visits shall count against a team’s total number of allotted mound visits.

• Enforcement of Mound Visit Limits: a manager or coach who crosses the foul line on his way to the mound after his team has exhausted its mound visits must make a pitching change, unless the pitcher has not pitched to a minimum of three consecutive batters by Rule 5.10(g), in which case the pitcher shall continue to pitch only to complete pitching to his first three consecutive batters (or the end of the inning, whichever comes first) by Rule 5.10(g).

If a manager or coach believes an exception to the mound visit rule applies, he must confer with the umpire before crossing the foul line. 

In circumstances in which a team is forced to make an unintended pitching change by operation of this Rule, and no relief pitcher is warming up in the bullpen, the manager or coach who violated the Rule by exceeding his team’s allotted number of mound visits shall be subject to ejection from the game. 

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The umpire may allow the substitute pitcher additional time to prepare to enter the game. 

If a position player visits after his team has exhausted its allotted number of mound visits he may be subject to ejection for failing to return to his position when instructed by the umpire; however, an impermissible visit by a position player shall not require the removal of the pitcher.

Furthermore, the below mound visit remaining ( MVR ) won’t be considered a visit.

• Discussions between pitchers and position player(s) that occur between batters in the normal course of play and do not require either the position player(s) or the pitcher to relocate;
• Visits by position players to the mound solely to clean spikes provided the player does not confer with the pitcher;
• Visits to the mound due to an injury or potential injury of the pitcher;
• Visits by position players to the mound after the announcement of an offensive substitution but before a subsequent pitch or play;
• Visits to the mound by position players that occur during a suspension of play under an umpire’s call of “Time” (e.g., following an injury to an umpire or player; the presence of a spectator, object, or member of the grounds crew on the field; a manager’s initiation of Replay Review, etc.), provided that the mound visit does not otherwise delay a return to game action;
• Visits to the mound by position players after a home run provided that the player returns to his position before the runner crosses home plate; and
• Visits to the mound by position players during an inning break or pitching change provided that the mound visit does not prevent the pitcher from complying with any applicable inning break or pitching change time limits.

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Final Thoughts

Yeah, there you have it. Mound visits remaining ( MVR ) have proven to be a great metric in the game, and part of the purpose of this playing rule is to lower the tempo of the game.

With this play rule guide, each team has 5 MVRs and each time a manager or a coach visits a pitcher only last for 30 seconds. However, the way managers, coaches, or coaching staff utilize the MVR play rule is quite different from each other.

Most times coaches use their visit to strategize the game while coaching staffs use it to check if the pitcher is absolutely in good form to continue the game.

In addition, I have listed theme limitations to the mound visit remaining play rule that guides the use of the rule which you need to understand.