Hot MLB prospects and rules changes. Knights’ home opener should be different, fun.
The Charlotte Knights bring regular-season professional baseball back to uptown Charlotte Thursday night, opening their 2018 home season against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at BB&T BallPark.
To make it a little better, the Knights’ opponents, the RailRiders, are the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, generally regarded to have the best minor-league operation in baseball.
A capacity crowd is likely, although some tickets remain available, in sections down the left-field and right-field lines, as of Wednesday.
Here are a few things to know:
The game: First pitch for the Knights and RailRiders is 7:04 p.m. The weather should be great, with clear skies and temperatures around 70 degrees at game’s start. The teams also are scheduled to play at 7:04 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
The pitchers: Charlotte’s Chris Volstad (0-1, 9.64 ERA) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Josh Rogers (0-0, 3.60).
The teams: The Knights are 3-3 and have lost their last two. The RailRiders took a 4-1 record into Wednesday night’s game against Lehigh Valley.
Players to watch: Second baseman Juan Perez leads the Knights’ regulars, hitting .333. Outfielder Ryan McBroom of the RailRiders is hitting .421, sixth-best in the International League. But keep an eye on RailRiders’ infielder Gleyber Torres. He is ranked as the Yankees No. 1 prospect and is among the top prospects in all of baseball. Torres is batting .348 and went 4-for-5 in a game Sunday.
Rules changes: You’ll see a couple of new rules this year in the International League, all designed to speed play.
If a game goes into extra innings, teams begin the inning with a runner on second base. That’s designed to prevent 18-inning marathons.
Also, there’s the pitch clock. Pitchers have 15 seconds to pitch, or else a “ball” is awarded to the batter. And if hitters aren’t in the batters’ box with second seconds left in the pitch clock, a “strike” is called on them.
Finally, as is the case with Major League Baseball, managers are permitted only six trips to the mound per game (with an additional trip per inning in extra innings).
This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Hot MLB prospects and rules changes. Knights’ home opener should be different, fun.."