CBL: Major league rules with a minor-league twist

League rules promote rookies, limit teams’ number of veterans

The Central Baseball League’s rules are the same as you’d see in the major leagues.

Like American League teams, the CBL uses the designated hitter, so pitchers don’t have to bat.

One of the few differences is how the rosters are used. The CBL sets specific guidelines for how the 22-man rosters are to be built.

In an effort to keep teams from going after strictly big-name, over-the-hill players, the CBL mandates that each team must have a minimum of five first-year players and a maximum of four veterans (players with at least four years of professional service).

The Coastal Bend Aviators were able to fill two of their veteran spots with former big leaguers. Mel Hall, who is 42, spent 13 years in the major leagues, where he was most well-known as a flamboyant outfielder for the New York Yankees. Mike Smith is the Aviators’ ace pitcher, and he spent parts of two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.

One of the best stories on the Aviators is Rey Chapa, who is filling one of the team’s first-year player spots.

Chapa graduated from Calallen in 1997, and played two years at UT-Brownsville, but was out of baseball for several years since. In the meantime, he worked at Corpus Christi’s Army Depot until he heard about an open tryout for the Aviators.

After he made the team and pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his professional baseball debut against Fort Worth on May 8.