Quote:
Originally Posted by kq76
I just discovered something big I had no idea about. And LGO, I know you already know this already you posted a zip of it. From 1910-1956, teams could start the season (and of course end the season) at the reserve limit roster size (usually 40). And by start the season I mean anywhere from opening day to sometime in May or even June 15! It wasn't until 1957 that they said the max they could start the season at was the active roster and even then they raised it to 28 for 1957-1967.
Now I knew the roster limits had varied over time, but I thought for most of baseball history it was 25 then 40. I had no idea that for a good chunk it was actually 40 then 25 then back to 40.
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Bookmark the following:
League Operating Rules.
It'll come in handy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kq76
I realize they probably made the change to save money, but I wonder if anyone was arguing in the decade or 2 after they made the change that they should go back to the old way starting the season with more players to maybe prevent injuries, or if that's only a relatively recent concern.
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If I recall correctly, part of the reason for switching to a 28-player active limit at the start of the season instead of the previous reserve limit (40, although teams typically carried closer to 32) was to help the minor leagues by reducing the number of players the major league clubs would take away from their minor league affiliates during that first month of the season. The minor league teams would thus be able to put a better team on the field, hopefully helping out the box office.