The St. Marys National Little League Board of Directors plans to restructure the age requirements for participation in its Minor League and Little League programs beginning with the year 2002 season.
Currently, players ages 10, 11 and 12 are eligible to try out for Little League. Beginning in 2002, 10-year-olds will no longer be eligible to try out for Little League; all 9- and 10-year-old players will play Minor League baseball.
Effects of this change include:
- No player will be cut in the transition from Minor League to Little League - all 11-year-olds (and 12-year-olds in 2002) in the system who come to tryouts will advance to Little League. This will encourage players to stay in the program and develop their baseball skills. The best players at age 10 are not always the best players at age 12 and above.
- The quality of play in Minor League will improve. Keeping all the 10-year-olds will provide the league with better player pitching, for instance, and will allow the Board to consider modifying the Minor League ground rules to make games more like "real baseball."
- Ten-year-old players will get more game experience in Minor League than they would have in Little League.
- Players will more closely stay with their own age groups as they progress through the system. There will be no more 12-year-olds on the same team with 9-year-olds.
- The 2-year steps (2 years each of play in Lob/Tee Ball, Minor League, Little League and Pony League) will provide greater stability to the entire program in terms of player & parent expectations, and manager/coach recruiting.
- Team roster sizes in all leagues will vary from year to year (Little League rosters were traditionally set at 14 players).
Minor League and Lob/Tee Ball will continue to be instructional leagues. Every eligible player who registers for these two leagues will be assigned to a team regardless of skill or experience level.
Due to the higher levels of competition in Little League and especially Pony League, players trying out for those two leagues will be required to have played the previous year in the St. Marys National Little League program to be guaranteed no cut. Any player new to the area or not having played the previous year for whatever reason will have to register and try out, without any guarantee of making a team.
Versions of this proposal have been debated by the Board of Directors for three years. It is a major change. The decision to commit to implement it in 2002 was made by unanimous consent at the Board's February 25, 2001 meeting. Notices will be distributed to all Little League and Minor League managers, coaches and players' parents prior to the 2001 season. The Board is soliciting comments and will continue to review the proposal.
