2020 Little League Thread of Dominance

[kmac30 416]

Going to throw this in because there isn’t a softball thread (or I missed it). Girls wrapped up the fall last night. We placed 3rd. Had some chances to take first but we have too many slow girls (it’s amazing how slow). I’m not the coach, but I pitch during games.

This was my daughter’s 2nd season of playing and her development has been awesome. She’s tiny, but has a great swing and hits some bombs. Hate to say it this way, but throws like a boy (better than just about all of my 8u boys team). She has really taken to the game (to my wife’s dismay). Walking off the field she looked pissed, so I told her she played great. She bust out crying and says they lost because she didn’t make a play. Broke my heart. She was playing 1st and two throws got by her. When she was pitcher she didn’t have any opportunities to make plays (maybe 1). I told her she did everything she could and she left it all on the field, and that there was nothing she could have done differently that would have changed the game. Then she said “but it’s our last game.” She didn’t want it to be over. Again, broke my heart but made me feel so proud that she was so bought in. She’s 8u another year and wants to start practicing pitching so she can be successful in 10u.

[Huckleberry 32,848]

The playoff tournament schedule and forecast might work together to screw us this week. First semifinal game is tonight (#2 vs. #3) seed, we are scheduled to play the #4/#5 winner tomorrow night. Final is Friday night.

There is heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow. If it happens and they don't move the championship game then we would have to play Thursday and Friday while the other finalist would play Tuesday then Friday. 2 days of rest for pitcher eligibility versus 0 days of rest.

I've already started politicking by email just in case. Ha.

[Huckleberry 32,848]

Well my politicking didn't work. We were rained out tonight and now play semifinal tomorrow night and final Friday night. So if we win then we face the #2 seed who has had 2 days of rest to reset their pitching while we have no days off. Our reward for winning the regular season is the worst possible playoff draw. Lovely.

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

Need a little help here. My younger son (11) plays catcher and has asked for a new catchers set that matches his team colors. He is tall for his age and I am wavering on moving from Youth set (9-12) to intermediate (12-16) size.

I cannot really measure him as it will give away the christmas present. Intermediate is basically only an inch longer on chest protector and knee/shin guard. He can always grow into his helmet and use old one push come to shove.

I think I am leaning towards intermediate I just wanted to gauge hive mind here and see if anyone else has made this transition before.

TIA

[torre 1,285]

23 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

Need a little help here. My younger son (11) plays catcher and has asked for a new catchers set that matches his team colors. He is tall for his age and I am wavering on moving from Youth set (9-12) to intermediate (12-16) size.

I cannot really measure him as it will give away the christmas present. Intermediate is basically only an inch longer on chest protector and knee/shin guard. He can always grow into his helmet and use old one push come to shove.

I think I am leaning towards intermediate I just wanted to gauge hive mind here and see if anyone else has made this transition before.

TIA

If he doesn't reply,  DM @F250    iirc,  he has been through this.   🙂

Edited November 12, 2020 by torre

[F250 28,764]

23 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

Need a little help here. My younger son (11) plays catcher and has asked for a new catchers set that matches his team colors. He is tall for his age and I am wavering on moving from Youth set (9-12) to intermediate (12-16) size.

I cannot really measure him as it will give away the christmas present. Intermediate is basically only an inch longer on chest protector and knee/shin guard. He can always grow into his helmet and use old one push come to shove.

I think I am leaning towards intermediate I just wanted to gauge hive mind here and see if anyone else has made this transition before.

TIA

I've been through that transition and it was right when my son had just turned 11. He had outgrown the youth size but the intermediate set was about an inch off on the knees and chest. He had bushy hair at the time so the helmet wasn't an issue.

The transition from youth to Intermediate with catching gear is pretty frustrating because the youth gear does get pretty small with the Intermediate gear being large enough for a medium size teenager. It's just an awkward transition.

He was playing 12U Majors at the time and just about every pitcher on his team was throwing heat. So, my focus was on finding gear that could take the impact when he had to block wild pitches. The issue was not all Intermediate sizes are the same. It came down to Mizuno Samurai vs Easton, I went with Easton because the gear was a better fit than Mizuno.

Still, the gear was a little big but as long as chest protector is cinched tight without any exposed areas then it's fine. The legs never really caused any issues other than looking a little big. 

I would say go with the Intermediate but you really need to measure, ideally the kid tries out the gear because it's a safety issue.

 

 

 

 

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

1 minute ago, F250 said:

I've been through that transition and it was right when my son had just turned 11. He had outgrown the youth size but the intermediate set was about an inch off on the knees and chest. He had bushy hair at the time so the helmet wasn't an issue.

The transition from youth to Intermediate with catching gear is pretty frustrating because the youth gear does get pretty small with the Intermediate gear being large enough for a medium size teenager. It's just an awkward transition.

He was playing 12U Majors at the time and just about every pitcher on his team was throwing heat. So, my focus was on finding gear that could take the impact when he had to block wild pitches. The issue was not all Intermediate sizes are the same. It came down to Mizuno Samurai vs Easton, I went with Easton because the gear was a better fit than Mizuno.

Still, the gear was a little big but as long as chest protector is cinched tight without any exposed areas then it's fine. The legs never really caused any issues other than looking a little big. 

I would say go with the Intermediate but you really need to measure, ideally the kid tries out the gear because it's a safety issue.

 

 

 

 

Thanks man. I was leaning towards intermediate as he can always grow into them and wear old stuff until he does so. This was a great help.

[F250 28,764]

On 10/19/2020 at 1:17 PM, troph said:

Quite the 2nd place championship ring there!

2nd place are silver and 1st are gold. Each of my boys have two big jars for 1st and 2nd place rings. Over the years they have accumulated a lot of rings, to the point there are big pile of unknowns that sit in a box.

My youngest son recently sat his 2nd place jar next to his older brothers and said, "I don't know, that looks like a whole lot of 2nd place loser rings you have there in that jar." LOL

[F250 28,764]

Did anyone take the Little League survey that was emailed out a few days ago?

 

Dear Little League® Parent:

We hope this message finds you staying healthy and doing well. As we continue to navigate the uncertainty and constant change brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, we need your help more than ever as we prepare and plan for the 2021 Little League season.

Will you please consider providing us your thoughts and feedback on a number of items related to the upcoming season by completing our 2020 parent survey. This survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete and will provide us with important information as we prepare for a successful 2021 Little League Season.

 

[Jacob McCandles 202]

Well my politicking didn't work. We were rained out tonight and now play semifinal tomorrow night and final Friday night. So if we win then we face the #2 seed who has had 2 days of rest to reset their pitching while we have no days off. Our reward for winning the regular season is the worst possible playoff draw. Lovely.

Well?

[Huckleberry 32,848]

Yeah we blew it but that's baseball. Last place team actually won the tournament. 

We lost by a run and ended the game with the tying run on third and my son on deck. Kid that was up was the one who spent most of the season not swinging. Came up with two outs in the bottom of the last inning and the tying run on third. I called time and told him he had to make the decision to swing at strikes, that sure it was a pressure-packed situation but he was the lucky kid who had the chance to hit in that situation. 

He swung at every strike that at-bat. Fouled off 3 pitches against a good pitcher and stretched the count to 3-2 before swinging and missing. After the game I gave him a game ball and the rest of the team gave him a hearty round of applause without any prompting from me because they all knew he'd been fighting nerves at the plate most of the season. So we lost but you can almost always find something good in a baseball game. 

My son got two hits (single and triple) in the game but was upset because "my team needed a home run tonight" but I calmed him down. On to spring. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Huckleberry

[bschoolprof 6,252]

11 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

 Kid that was up was the one who spent most of the season not swinging. Came up with two outs in the bottom of the last inning and the tying run on third. I called time and told him he had to make the decision to swing at strikes, that sure it was a pressure-packed situation but he was the lucky kid who had the chance to hit in that situation. 

He swung at every strike that at-bat. Fouled off 3 pitches against a good pitcher and stretched the count to 3-2 before swinging and missing. After the game I gave him a game ball and the rest of the team gave him a hearty round of applause without any prompting from me because they all knew he'd been fighting nerves at the plate most of the season. So we lost but you can almost always find something good in a baseball game. 

Good job coach. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Edited November 15, 2020 by bschoolprof

[Mack Tripper 696]

I've been lurking this thread since before Covid. My son is turning 7 in December. He played t-ball as a 5 year year old with mostly 6 year olds. He wasn't the best player on the team, but was solidly the 3rd best. I was one of the assistant coaches, and we had a great time, except for the fact that his team was just abysmally terrible (and the other teams constantly violated the rules in place that were to ensure fair competition). He's always been hyper competitive, so being the Bad News Bears was very discouraging for him, so he wanted to take some time off from playing baseball again and then Covid happened. 

Putting aside the reemerging Covid situation, he really wants to start playing again, and registration for spring coach pitch is around the corner. We're in Houston zoned to both Spring Branch -- Memorial Sports Association and Spring Branch Little League. Does anyone have experiences/opinions regarding the pros/cons between the two? Part of the difference appears to be a USSSA vs USA Baseball situation, which I know nearly nothing about other than the bat spec issue. 

[VolenteHawk 495]

On 11/12/2020 at 3:28 PM, BrazilHorn said:

Thanks man. I was leaning towards intermediate as he can always grow into them and wear old stuff until he does so. This was a great help.

My son just turned 12, isn’t particularly big, and the intermediate stuff works fine (Marucci). The inside of the leg guards are adjustable, and the chest protector is cinched up as tight as possible plus a zip tie, so he’s got room to grow in this set.

Edited November 15, 2020 by VolenteHawk

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

On 11/13/2020 at 8:36 PM, F250 said:

Did anyone take the Little League survey that was emailed out a few days ago?

 

 

I took it. Was a very shitty survey tool IMO and the questions themselves I thought were poorly written. We plan on playing in Spring (providing Austin has fields open) in addition to select. It’s nice now that my kids are older that 95% of the “flower pickers” that play in younger years are out. 

[Jacob McCandles 202]

I've been lurking this thread since before Covid. My son is turning 7 in December. He played t-ball as a 5 year year old with mostly 6 year olds. He wasn't the best player on the team, but was solidly the 3rd best. I was one of the assistant coaches, and we had a great time, except for the fact that his team was just abysmally terrible (and the other teams constantly violated the rules in place that were to ensure fair competition). He's always been hyper competitive, so being the Bad News Bears was very discouraging for him, so he wanted to take some time off from playing baseball again and then Covid happened. 
Putting aside the reemerging Covid situation, he really wants to start playing again, and registration for spring coach pitch is around the corner. We're in Houston zoned to both Spring Branch -- Memorial Sports Association and Spring Branch Little League. Does anyone have experiences/opinions regarding the pros/cons between the two? Part of the difference appears to be a USSSA vs USA Baseball situation, which I know nearly nothing about other than the bat spec issue. 

SBMSA and it is not even close. When my kids were involved in SBMSA, SBLL had about four teams in each age group. I'm surprised they are still around. POLL and MALL were the main LL draws back then.

[kmac30 416]

Son is 7, lefty. I need to find him a new glove. Any recs out there? Coach pitch, he’s playing pitcher, 2nd, 1st and outfield.

[jkates 316]

On 11/14/2020 at 11:35 PM, Mack Tripper said:

I've been lurking this thread since before Covid. My son is turning 7 in December. He played t-ball as a 5 year year old with mostly 6 year olds. He wasn't the best player on the team, but was solidly the 3rd best. I was one of the assistant coaches, and we had a great time, except for the fact that his team was just abysmally terrible (and the other teams constantly violated the rules in place that were to ensure fair competition). He's always been hyper competitive, so being the Bad News Bears was very discouraging for him, so he wanted to take some time off from playing baseball again and then Covid happened. 

Putting aside the reemerging Covid situation, he really wants to start playing again, and registration for spring coach pitch is around the corner. We're in Houston zoned to both Spring Branch -- Memorial Sports Association and Spring Branch Little League. Does anyone have experiences/opinions regarding the pros/cons between the two? Part of the difference appears to be a USSSA vs USA Baseball situation, which I know nearly nothing about other than the bat spec issue. 

Mack - I'm on the SBMSA Baseball Board. Come play with us. We'll have 450 kids at his level. SBALL will be lucky to have more than a few teams. If you have any questions, hit me up. I'm happy to discuss. One thing about SBMSA - sign up in the 1st week. It will fill up quickly.

[jkates 316]

40 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

Son is 7, lefty. I need to find him a new glove. Any recs out there? Coach pitch, he’s playing pitcher, 2nd, 1st and outfield.

My rec is to not spend more than $60. Wilson, Rawlings, whatever. He doesn't need a full on hard/heavy leather glove yet. Get him something he can handle and save your money for age 10+.

[Mack Tripper 696]

Mack - I'm on the SBMSA Baseball Board. Come play with us. We'll have 450 kids at his level. SBALL will be lucky to have more than a few teams. If you have any questions, hit me up. I'm happy to discuss. One thing about SBMSA - sign up in the 1st week. It will fill up quickly.

Thanks - I will send you a PM

[F250 28,764]

11 hours ago, kmac30 said:

Son is 7, lefty. I need to find him a new glove. Any recs out there? Coach pitch, he’s playing pitcher, 2nd, 1st and outfield.

I agree with Jkates, keep it simple. I wouldn't bother with position gloves for coach pitch. For whatever reason the manufacturers try and push position based gloves for kids but it is unnecessary. No one is frequently stretching out to snag balls in the air in the outfield in coach pitch nor are the middle infielders shaving off a fraction of a second with their ball transfer. I doubt there is anyone throwing enough heat to first base that would justify a first base mitt. Keep it simple.

Just stick with a utility glove (10.5) that fits him well. Wilson A500, it's inexpensive, light and flexible enough for the little hands.

[kmac30 416]

Thanks for the replies! Great advice

[Huckleberry 32,848]

Yeesh. Found out the little league we're in is doing Intermediate League (50/70) in the spring instead of Majors and Junior (46/60 and 60/90). That's fine, my kid will be 13. But it's 11-13 year olds and they're going to play on the Majors field (205 foot fence) again. I thought they were going to set up the Junior League field (300 foot fence) for it.

My son does USA swimming and plays baseball for fun, but it's going to be kind of annoying that any regular fly ball he hits goes out. 3 homers in 24 at-bats in the fall should double. But then again I should have expected it because the vast majority of players in Little League these days are not top-flight players. I confirmed that his 3 homers in the fall were the only ones in the league for the season. He's got some decent bat speed but if he were on a good select team he'd have a lot of work to do to earn playing time. Different world from when I played with and against multiple future college players and a few future pro players in Little League.

Oh well, I'm not raising a major leaguer. He's going to have a lot of fun this spring. Ha.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Huckleberry

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

On 12/9/2020 at 9:41 PM, Huckleberry said:

Yeesh. Found out the little league we're in is doing Intermediate League (50/70) in the spring instead of Majors and Junior (46/60 and 60/90). That's fine, my kid will be 13. But it's 11-13 year olds and they're going to play on the Majors field (205 foot fence) again. I thought they were going to set up the Junior League field (300 foot fence) for it.

My son does USA swimming and plays baseball for fun, but it's going to be kind of annoying that any regular fly ball he hits goes out. 3 homers in 24 at-bats in the fall should double. But then again I should have expected it because the vast majority of players in Little League these days are not top-flight players. I confirmed that his 3 homers in the fall were the only ones in the league for the season. He's got some decent bat speed but if he were on a good select team he'd have a lot of work to do to earn playing time. Different world from when I played with and against multiple future college players and a few future pro players in Little League.

Oh well, I'm not raising a major leaguer. He's going to have a lot of fun this spring. Ha.

We played select this fall and are doing both select and LL in spring. Fortunately my son’s not a pitcher so I’m not worried about burning out his arm across multiple games etc. I like LL from a social aspect as much as anything. It’s cool to play vs neighbors & friends. 
Without a doubt though there’s been a talent drain. 

[PassiveAggressiveCoach 118]

On 12/7/2019 at 10:42 PM, pepper brooks said:

Kid cracked his 15th tournament bat Thursday night at his lesson. Found a replacment at budget that would work. First pitch at the tournament today he hits one a mile into the lake out at the scrap yard.  Good day for him today.  

This normally means the drop you have is wrong. Need a heavier bat. Wasn't that long ago my son was in LL which led him to travel ball. Now he is doing his 1st PBR Showcase next month. Cherish this younger yrs when they think you're cool because when they hit HS it changes. Also, it gets much more serious. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by PassiveAggressiveCoach

[Spaulding Smails 1,552]

Just made the deposit for first year of club ball for my son.  13U.  He did a quasi-select team sponsored by the LL the last two years.  The team kind of fell apart after the fall season, so we're making the leap.  I had always been averse to true club teams for younger kids and he's typically been middle-of-the pack, so clubs team weren't really justified given his skill level either.  But at 13, it's probably time.  It'll be nice for him to get a new set of eyes and better coaching.  

[PassiveAggressiveCoach 118]

On 12/14/2020 at 4:11 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

Just made the deposit for first year of club ball for my son.  13U.  He did a quasi-select team sponsored by the LL the last two years.  The team kind of fell apart after the fall season, so we're making the leap.  I had always been averse to true club teams for younger kids and he's typically been middle-of-the pack, so clubs team weren't really justified given his skill level either.  But at 13, it's probably time.  It'll be nice for him to get a new set of eyes and better coaching.  

I gotta ask. How much? My son has played in 1 that cost $500 and this new one at 15 since they legit travel a ton is $2400. Not cheap but other sports can be even more. 

[Spaulding Smails 1,552]

10 hours ago, PassiveAggressiveCoach said:

I gotta ask. How much? My son has played in 1 that cost $500 and this new one at 15 since they legit travel a ton is $2400. Not cheap but other sports can be even more. 

The previous one he had been on was sponsored by the little league, so it was very affordable.  $500 all in.  This one has paid coaches, etc.  $1800 for the spring.  But, I don't think that includes uniforms, so tack on a few hundred more.

[PappyVanVinceYoung 85]

Ours is $2200 in the Spring. Includes uniforms, bags, 2 practices per week with paid coaches, and 12 tournaments. 

[F250 28,764]

On 12/9/2020 at 9:41 PM, Huckleberry said:

Yeesh. Found out the little league we're in is doing Intermediate League (50/70) in the spring instead of Majors and Junior (46/60 and 60/90). That's fine, my kid will be 13. But it's 11-13 year olds and they're going to play on the Majors field (205 foot fence) again. I thought they were going to set up the Junior League field (300 foot fence) for it.

When LLI first started floating the idea of the Intermediate division I thought it was going to be great. Theoretically it's a great concept but it was horribly executed. The upper age limits are too high and the vast majority of the fields are LL Majors fields with 70/50 diamonds. Not enough support for it in All States either. Shame.

 

[Huckleberry 32,848]

38 minutes ago, F250 said:

When LLI first started floating the idea of the Intermediate division I thought it was going to be great. Theoretically it's a great concept but it was horribly executed. The upper age limits are too high and the vast majority of the fields are LL Majors fields with 70/50 diamonds. Not enough support for it in All States either. Shame.

 

I think the upper age limit is fine if the fences are right. Little League has always been and always will be 46/60 at the Majors/12-year-old level.

So 50/70 for 13-year-olds makes perfect sense if you're getting to 60/90 at 15 years old.

[F250 28,764]

4 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I think the upper age limit is fine if the fences are right. Little League has always been and always will be 46/60 at the Majors/12-year-old level.

So 50/70 for 13-year-olds makes perfect sense if you're getting to 60/90 at 15 years old.

It's way too old. If you are playing 50/70 at 13 you will more than likely not be playing at 15.

54/80 is ideal for 13 year olds on a 300+ field. I believe every other organization except Little League uses these dimensions for 13 year olds.

Little League Majors should cut out the 12 year olds and funnel them to Intermediate because 46/60 is ridiculous for 12 year olds. Once again, most of the other organizations are at 50/70 for 11 and 12 year olds.

They need to make Intermediate the new Majors division by demoting the Majors to younger players and making Intermediate the division for 11/12 year olds. This would put LL on par with Pony baseball.

 

 

[PassiveAggressiveCoach 118]

2 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

I think the upper age limit is fine if the fences are right. Little League has always been and always will be 46/60 at the Majors/12-year-old level.

So 50/70 for 13-year-olds makes perfect sense if you're getting to 60/90 at 15 years old.

60/90 starts at 14U and some upper level tournaments at 13U.

[Huckleberry 32,848]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:43 PM, F250 said:

It's way too old. If you are playing 50/70 at 13 you will more than likely not be playing at 15.

54/80 is ideal for 13 year olds on a 300+ field. I believe every other organization except Little League uses these dimensions for 13 year olds.

Little League Majors should cut out the 12 year olds and funnel them to Intermediate because 46/60 is ridiculous for 12 year olds. Once again, most of the other organizations are at 50/70 for 11 and 12 year olds.

They need to make Intermediate the new Majors division by demoting the Majors to younger players and making Intermediate the division for 11/12 year olds. This would put LL on par with Pony baseball.

 

 

 

On 12/18/2020 at 10:21 PM, PassiveAggressiveCoach said:

60/90 starts at 14U and some upper level tournaments at 13U.

Y'all are focusing on the upper level talent. There are a lot of 12-year-olds that want to play Little League baseball who can't get it over a 205 foot fence. And a lot of 13-year-olds who would be dwarfed by a 54/80 field with 300+ foot fences.

And some of those kids will grow to where they belong on a regulation field in high school.

Making those kids play on a field they don't belong on when they're 12 and 13 doesn't do anyone any good. Nobody hits the ball to the outfield ever in that scenario, etc. You have outfielders playing barely off the infield dirt against the bottom half of the lineup. It's not even really baseball.

I played on a regulation field at 13 and was fine. But there are a lot of kids who aren't fine and still deserve somewhere to play organized baseball. As of right now the Little League organization has given kids in that age range where there is a wild disparity in size a choice. If you're 11 or 12 you can play 46/60 or you can play 50/70. If you're 13 you can play 50/70 or 60/90. Seems pretty spot on to me.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Huckleberry

[bschoolprof 6,252]

My oldest played 14U 60/90 select this fall, but of course he and most of the kids on the team are still 13, so the field was too big for them.  The outfielders do play laughably close to the infield dirt.  One thing I do like is all the bullshit games that are played on the basepaths on the smaller infields are over.  

[F250 28,764]

37 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

 

Y'all are focusing on the upper level talent. There are a lot of 12-year-olds that want to play Little League baseball who can't get it over a 205 foot fence. And a lot of 13-year-olds who would be dwarfed by a 54/80 field with 300+ foot fences.

And some of those kids will grow to where they belong on a regulation field in high school.

Making those kids play on a field they don't belong on when they're 12 and 13 doesn't do anyone any good. Nobody hits the ball to the outfield ever in that scenario, etc. You have outfielders playing barely off the infield dirt against the bottom half of the lineup. It's not even really baseball.

I played on a regulation field at 13 and was fine. But there are a lot of kids who aren't fine and still deserve somewhere to play organized baseball. As of right now the Little League organization has given kids in that age range where there is a wild disparity in size a choice. If you're 11 or 12 you can play 46/60 or you can play 50/70. If you're 13 you can play 50/70 or 60/90. Seems pretty spot on to me.

I do agree that there should be available baseball for anyone that wants to play beyond 12 years old and I know that Little League has already been offering that with the Juniors and Seniors division. Little League Juniors is slow as dirt and shouldn't be too competitive for most 13 year olds.

I do think 13 is too old for the Intermediate division and 12 is too old for the Majors. I think Little League should adjust their divisions to match all of the other recreational leagues like Pony, Dixie, Cal Ripken, etc... I didn't mean to imply Little League should be like select just that they adjust to be like the other recreational baseball leagues.

 

[PassiveAggressiveCoach 118]

2 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

 

Y'all are focusing on the upper level talent. There are a lot of 12-year-olds that want to play Little League baseball who can't get it over a 205 foot fence. And a lot of 13-year-olds who would be dwarfed by a 54/80 field with 300+ foot fences.

And some of those kids will grow to where they belong on a regulation field in high school.

Making those kids play on a field they don't belong on when they're 12 and 13 doesn't do anyone any good. Nobody hits the ball to the outfield ever in that scenario, etc. You have outfielders playing barely off the infield dirt against the bottom half of the lineup. It's not even really baseball.

I played on a regulation field at 13 and was fine. But there are a lot of kids who aren't fine and still deserve somewhere to play organized baseball. As of right now the Little League organization has given kids in that age range where there is a wild disparity in size a choice. If you're 11 or 12 you can play 46/60 or you can play 50/70. If you're 13 you can play 50/70 or 60/90. Seems pretty spot on to me.

There should be all levels of baseball. There aren't many boy sports that are like that. Football sure the heck isn't. It's 1 level. Basketball can be similar to baseball but less options but pretty close. Soccer I have no clue as my kids haven't played it. I was talking about travel ball and not little league. 

[pepper brooks 580]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:43 PM, F250 said:

It's way too old. If you are playing 50/70 at 13 you will more than likely not be playing at 15.

54/80 is ideal for 13 year olds on a 300+ field. I believe every other organization except Little League uses these dimensions for 13 year olds.

Little League Majors should cut out the 12 year olds and funnel them to Intermediate because 46/60 is ridiculous for 12 year olds. Once again, most of the other organizations are at 50/70 for 11 and 12 year olds.

They need to make Intermediate the new Majors division by demoting the Majors to younger players and making Intermediate the division for 11/12 year olds. This would put LL on par with Pony baseball.

 

 

yep.  we played 54-80 all fall for tournament ball and it was fun.  At least it was on the fields with proper fences.  When we played on fields that are geared to be 60-90, but had alternative mounds for 54/80 it wasn't as good since the fences were way too big for 13 year olds.  Now we will be playing Intermediate for LL  and going back to 50-70.  I cannot imagine the poor bastards who have to face pepper junior from 50 feet.  

[F250 28,764]

2 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

yep.  we played 54-80 all fall for tournament ball and it was fun.  At least it was on the fields with proper fences.  When we played on fields that are geared to be 60-90, but had alternative mounds for 54/80 it wasn't as good since the fences were way too big for 13 year olds.  Now we will be playing Intermediate for LL  and going back to 50-70.  I cannot imagine the poor bastards who have to face pepper junior from 50 feet.  

Be careful if you are playing a mix of 54/80 and 50/70 in the same season. The game changes a lot with those field dimensions and causes issues when a player switches between the two.

My son dropped down to 12U from 13u a couple of times as a ringer for a couple of big tournaments when he was 12. This was after his 13U team had already played a lot of 60/90.

The first game was a struggle at the plate. The timing from a 50 ft mound threw him off. He also made some baserunning mistakes because you run the bases much differently on bigger diamonds. The 50/70 are just track meets with little thought put into when it's a good time to run. A secondary lead is really different. If you are a middle infielder you may not expect runners to behave a certain way when they have less distance to run.

 

[PassiveAggressiveCoach 118]

Looking for insight.  My son is a freshman and is about to do his 1st PBR.  Tips/advice from anyone who has had a son go through it?  Things to focus on or look for, etc?

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

WHLL in Austin is doing no tryouts due to CV19 this year. Fortunately my son is playing in Majors and at that age group (5th/6th graders) you have mostly weeded out the flower pickers, but I think there are going to be some teams where the coaches don't know the kids well that are going to not have that strong a outfit.

I am really curious to see how teams are composed and very glad my youngest is not in machine pitch or just starting kid pitch.

 

[torre 1,285]

On 1/25/2021 at 11:57 AM, PassiveAggressiveCoach said:

Looking for insight.  My son is a freshman and is about to do his 1st PBR.  Tips/advice from anyone who has had a son go through it?  Things to focus on or look for, etc?

Not sure,  but @F250 may have advice.  May want to DM.

[closetojumping 62,552]

Never noticed this thread for some reason. I've coached a 3 years and 5 straight seasons but took this spring off. My oldest boy is playing as an 11 year old and tried out for the majors, where his friends are. He's a very different little guy mentally and coordination-wise as a result but he has worked hard to be competent on sports fields. This Saturday he had a terrible tryout and I was preparing myself to have the talk with him about being positive playing in the minors again. Then we found out on Tuesday that he got drafted. It's pathetic, but we were so pumped and so was he. I talked to a coach in the draft that I've coached with in prior seasons and he confirmed he was the last kid picked. By the skin of his teeth! I'm happy for him.

My just-turned 7 year old, alternatively, was first kid drafted last night in the 7-8 age group, allegedly, so we're bookending, I guess. Got a 5 year old who is a giant but the youngest age possible with a birthday at the end of August. I've offered to help any team that drafts that little psycho, just so I can try to ensure he stays in position and faces the right way before each pitch. Should be fun.

Good luck to everyone, especially the coaches. Until I got involved 3 years ago, I didn't realize how real and arduous the volunteer work really was. I had 12 of our 14 fall games starting at 5:30, which meant a 4:30 arrival. I had to leave my office twice a week for 3 months at 3:45. That and one shitty, shitty fall parent burned me out for the spring. Respect to those doing it.

[Huckleberry 32,848]

My LL 50/70 draft is tonight. I prepared for 10 minutes other than at the evaluations so I should dominate. 

We're pretty much on the same page, @F250, aside from 12 year olds. There are a lot of kids that age who are still fine on a 46/60/205 type field. You're right that the upper half of players that age shouldn't be on anything that small but there is just too much of a range in sizes. Some kids are 6 feet, some are barely over 4 feet.

Congrats to your son, @closetojumping. My mom tried to hide her tears when we got the call from Sammie Joseph that I'd been drafted to the majors at WHLL but obviously didn't do a great job. My parents were antisocial beyond belief, especially with the West Austin and Westlake crowd. I'd had a good 10 year old season in AAA but they told me years later they overheard other parents taking about how political WHLL was at the tryouts so just assumed I'd be back in AAA. No shame in being extremely excited for your kid. 

[F250 28,764]

On 1/25/2021 at 11:57 AM, PassiveAggressiveCoach said:

Looking for insight.  My son is a freshman and is about to do his 1st PBR.  Tips/advice from anyone who has had a son go through it?  Things to focus on or look for, etc?

A lot of that depends on your son's skillset and what he will be displaying at a showcase event. If he is a pitcher, the worst could be his top speed is low and it gets logged. It's really position dependent. My first son was a middle infielder and contact hitter. It was his arm strength, fielding, and speed that was a focus. His brother was a catcher and power hitter but his pop time and hitting power was the most important aspect for him, same with my youngest.

Really you should figure out your sons position measurables and compare his stats to his age group ahead of time. Obviously all of the 5 tools will be evaluated but depending on position some will matter more than others.

[F250 28,764]

Little League draft night is serious business. The post-draft horse trading is where the rubber meets the road. Seriously, I really loved draft night.

[Huckleberry 32,848]

24 minutes ago, F250 said:

Little League draft night is serious business. The post-draft horse trading is where the rubber meets the road. Seriously, I really loved draft night.

Yep, it also offers the one advantage I have as the relative outsider to the league. Every other manager in the league except one brought an intended assistant coach to the evaluations. I made a note of which assistant's kids go with each manager. Managers can reserve their kids to their team, of course, but not assistants' kids. Coaches aren't allowed to be officially selected until after the draft is over and rosters are final.

So if a manager takes a kid I really really want then I know I can draft that assistant's kid with my next pick and force a deal. Evil, yes. But I also learned that every other manager in the division knew about my kid with a terrible attitude last fall and that's why I got him. I was drafting blind with no knowledge of stuff like that. I'm not above a little revenge. Hopefully don't need to do it and honestly would be more likely to use it only in case one of them drafts my son's best friend who is playing.

[F250 28,764]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Yep, it also offers the one advantage I have as the relative outsider to the league. Every other manager in the league except one brought an intended assistant coach to the evaluations. I made a note of which assistant's kids go with each manager. Managers can reserve their kids to their team, of course, but not assistants' kids. Coaches aren't allowed to be officially selected until after the draft is over and rosters are final.

So if a manager takes a kid I really really want then I know I can draft that assistant's kid with my next pick and force a deal. Evil, yes. But I also learned that every other manager in the division knew about my kid with a terrible attitude last fall and that's why I got him. I was drafting blind with no knowledge of stuff like that. I'm not above a little revenge. Hopefully don't need to do it and honestly would be more likely to use it only in case one of them drafts my son's best friend who is playing.

Yes, forcing those deals by drafting the assistant coaches kid is a big part of gaining leverage for trades. Occasionally some people will say we have an unwritten agreement or something but rules are rules.

I did that with one guy who was going to be an assistant coach for another manager. He had twins and both were equally talented, the dad played college and minor league so his boys were well trained. Breaking up siblings took it to another level. I got to  trade two low picks for two high picks by giving up the twin. We took out that team in the Tournament of Champions semifinals. The twins pitching carried them to a regular season 1st place and the semifinals but they were maxed out by the time we met in the semifinals. Their pitching depth was too thin for tournament play.

 

[BrazilHorn 6,586]

The BS at WHLL this spring will be off the charts. There are no tryouts this year due to CV19 so folks are drafting teams "blind". My 11 year old will be in Majors and I am sure based on where how has played in the past be in the "National" league or however they structure top tier kids as he is a fairly known 5th grader. There are a lot of other 5th graders that will want to play that wouldn't have played effectively since 2019 spring due to covid canceling season after 1 game spring 2020.

So if you haven't been around and if you don't know these kids you may get dorked. I don't coach (I like the separation of church/state for my kid's athletics) but man do I see this year being one that if you are coming in as a new coach you will get served. No idea how they are going to grade kids unless they use last year's tryout scores etc

I am waiting to see how some teams get stacked vs others. Will be some fireworks for sure.

[pepper brooks 580]

Pepper Jr is playing Intermediate Little League (50/70) and school ball 54/80.  So far no issues.  LL thus far he is 2/2 at the plate with 2 walks, 1 double and 1 HR.  He actually hit 3 out of the park last night, but two went foul down the LF line.  The other was in the LC alley.  He's 1/2 for his school team with a single and a K.  the K was pretty rough at the 2 strike pitch was above his letters.  He shouldn't have swung at it since it wasn't close.  He's pitched from both distances at given up nothing so far.  Off to a good start.