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Baseball Structure Change

The Change Explained

Starting with the 2010 Spring season, SLL will implement a true tryout for the Major league baseball division and incorporate inter-league play with other leagues in our district.

The number of Major league teams will be reduced to two or three teams, 10-12 players per team, depending on the number of kids registered. All kids league age 12 and those that played in the Majors last year will automatically be placed on a Major league team, and the remaining kids age 10 or 11 are eligible for being placed on a Major league team provided they show up for a tryout. All 9 year olds (no exceptions), plus the kids 10-11 not selected to play on a Major league team shall play in the Minor league. Under certain circumstances, a child league age 12 may be placed on a Minor league team, on a case-by-case basis.

What You Need To Know / Do

Major and Minor baseball teams will be built via a draft, whereby each team manager takes turns choosing a player until each team is filled. It is imperative that your child attends the scheduled tryout so that team managers can evaluate their current level of baseball ability. The first drafts occur for building the Major league teams. To ensure your child is placed in the proper division, please plan to attend the tryout. Kids 10-11 years old not chosen for a Major league team will be drafted onto a Minor league team. Although 9 year olds will only play Minor league, evaluations of their current abilities is also desired for helping managers draft more closely matched teams.

We recognize that there will be some disagreement when a child is placed on a Minor league team instead of a Major league team. We have seen a number of kids moved up and do well and an equal number moved up early and not do well, thereby being better served staying down another year. If your child is clearly ready and able to have success on a Major league team, don't worry, they will be drafted. Sometimes there are a group of kids that are closely matched in ability where some make a Major team and some go into the Minors. It's not always easy to determine the final draft picks and sometimes factors other than ability play into the decision, such as a coach's perception of potential, attitude, and effort of the child. Keep in mind, a borderline ability could mean limited play time on a Major league team versus a lot of playing time on a Minor league team. Kids advance at different rates and they will learn more, have more fun, and see more success playing at their current ability level. The division they are in this year will have no bearing on their success at the high school level and beyond, so relax, have fun, and enjoy the experience.

As much as we try to accurately rate ability levels during a limited tryout session, it is possible that a mistake will be made. If a child is placed in the Minor leagues and proves to be "dominant" at that level, we will correct the mistake and give them an opportunity to be placed on a Major league team.

Reason For The Change

Strasburg Little League has several goals in mind with this change, but the single most important goal is to better align the skill levels of our players to maximize their enjoyment and help them get better. A child that strikes out 90% of the time because he/she is at a level they are not ready for doesn't make them better, doesn't build confidence, and doesn't produce much fun. Likewise, a child that pitches and strikes out most batters isn't getting any better either. By accepting a smaller group of kids into the Major division and playing other leagues, we ensure a more competitive level of play for those that are ready. Meanwhile, by increasing the Minor league, we increase the level of play in that division and provide a more level playing field for developing players.

All other leagues in our district do a similar draft process and proper placement of abilities is encouraged by Little League. Although every league experiences initial controversy and opposition, their communities quickly see positive results throughout their league as a result of the change. Strasburg Little League understands the concerns some will have and are open to discussing them in the proper settings with the proper information. While some feel such a change is about making better all-stars, the underlying goal of SLL is to improve the level of play at all divisions, which ultimately will feed up to having more competitve all-stars.

How To Properly Disagree

The Strasburg Little League Board votes to enact such changes by a 2/3 majority vote, but it is the voting membership of the league that appoints the board members. Becoming a volunteer of the league and participating in its activities makes you a voting member in good standing who in turn can help drive the direction of the league. When discussing changes, please be sure to speak in person with both those opposed and in favor in order to gain a balanced understanding.