Description of Playing Levels
- Description of Playing Levels
- Skill Evaluations
- Player Commitment
- Parent Commitment
- Parents' Obligations
- Communicating With Your Child's Coach
- Coach Evaluation Checklist
- Dealing With Unsatisfactory Coaching
- Helping Your Child's Coach
- Preseason Practice and Season Play
- Field Decorum – Official Regulations XIV
- Uniforms and Equipment
- Safety
- Injury and Insurance Coverage
- Complaint Procedure
Instructional Levels (5 – 10 years old)
The Tee-Ball League is for beginning players 5 and 6 years old and is played upon a scaled-down diamond with 50-foot base paths. The instructional emphasis of this league addresses basic development skills: throwing, catching, running. A hitting "tee" is employed rather than pitching to put the ball in play. Only league-issued “safety” baseballs may be used for play at this level. Consistent with the introductory nature of the Tee-Ball League, win/loss standings are not kept and league trophies are not issued.
Parents should recognize that Tee-ball play is open to young players who may not be ready for a structured team sport with multiple games and practices every week for several months. While assessing the capability of any particular child is obviously an individual matter, parents are strongly advised to err on the side of caution and be absolutely sure that their child is indeed ready, physically and emotionally, for the “big step” of joining their first Little League team.
The Coach Pitch League is for players 7 and 8 years old and is played upon a 60-foot diamond. Game play involves a coach pitching underhanded to his own players from a distance of about 15 feet. The level of play is intended to be more competitive than Tee-Ball. 6-year-olds are allowed to play in the Coach Pitch league if they have participated in T-Ball the prior season and are currently in first grade. If your 6-year-old player is eligible to play at the Coach Pitch level, it is important for the parent to consider the readiness of the player to participate with older, more competitive players.
The parents of a 7-year-old player may request that the player play at the Tee-Ball level if the player is not physically or emotionally ready for Coach Pitch. For example, an extremely small 7-year-old could be at risk in Coach Pitch simply because there will be significantly larger, older players in the league and collisions can occur. Fielding skills also come into play. We recommend that you don't place your child in Coach Pitch unless you are comfortable with the thought of a physically imposing 8-year-old throwing a baseball as hard as he can at your child's face with the expectation that your child will catch it. We're not trying to scare anyone; we’d just prefer that your child be slightly bored rather than risk injury. The basis for having graduated instructional levels is to constrain the range of ages and skills within each level, improving the experience for all participants and reducing the risk of injuries.
The Pitching Machine League is for players 9 and 10 years old progressing to additional basic instructional training and is played upon a 60-foot diamond. Advanced 8-year-olds who have attended a special preseason skill evaluation session are also eligible for placement into the Pitching Machine League. The Pitching Machine League employs a mechanical pitching machine operated by an adult to deliver pitches to batters during game play.
For each of these introductory leagues, special rules outlined in the Managers’ Handbook/Local Rulebook are used to maximize instruction and player participation.
Advanced Skill Levels (9 – 12 years old)
Teams in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) are made up of youngsters from ages 9 through 11 whose baseball skills are less developed than expected at the Major League level. Players of Little League age 9 or 10 become eligible to play in the PCL only if they have attended the PCL skill evaluation session and will be placed on a PCL team roster subject to the discretion of the PCL Player Agent.
Applicants of league age 11 and 12 who opt to play in PCL and 11-year-olds who attend Majors skill evaluation sessions and are not drafted to a Majors team are requested to attend a PCL spring training session for an informal evaluation by the PCL Player Agent prior to placement on a team. Players of Little League age 12 must waive participation in Majors to play in PCL and are prohibited from pitching in PCL by Official Regulation VI, section (a).
Major League teams are made up of youngsters from ages 9 through 12. Desirable candidates already possess or have been assessed to have the potential to achieve a more advanced level of baseball skill. Applicants of Little League age 9 through 12 become eligible to play in the Majors only if they have attended at least the minimum number of required skill evaluation sessions. Players are drafted by individual team managers rather than being assigned to a team by the league Player Agent, and retain their roster slot with the same Majors team for the duration of their Little League playing career.
Beginning in 2008, 12-year-olds that have a desire to play at the Majors level and have attended the required number of skill evaluation sessions are guaranteed placement on a Majors team.
Programs for Older Players (13 – 16 years old)
Junior League is an extension of the parent Little League program that is designed for youth of ages 13 and 14. The program was inaugurated by Little League in 1980 as a transition program into the Senior League, and features a full range of tournament play including a Junior League Baseball World Series. The PALL Junior League program is intended to operate in close coordination with the pre-existing Palo Alto Babe Ruth Baseball program in recognition of the overlap in age groups served by the two organizations. Note that while Babe Ruth, because of the added presence of 15-year olds, is unable to commence playing games until the conclusion of local high school baseball seasons, the Junior League season is expected to begin at approximately the same time as the PALL Little League Majors. Junior League games are played upon a 90-foot diamond.
Skill evaluations for the Junior League are conducted in early February in coordination with the Palo Alto Babe Ruth League try-outs. Registrants may declare themselves as “Juniors only” to preclude being considered for the Babe Ruth draft. Alternatively, players remaining undrafted at the conclusion of the Babe Ruth draft will become eligible for assignment to a Juniors team. Juniors team practices are anticipated to commence in March, with the regular season beginning shortly thereafter and concluding by the end of the PAUSD school year.
Senior League is also an extension of the parent Little League program that pre-dates Junior League, having been inaugurated in 1961 to continue providing baseball activity within the framework of the local league. Senior League is designed for youth 14 – 16 years old, and utilizes a conventional 90-foot diamond. It also features a full range of tournament play including a Senior League World Series. The PALL Senior League team will play a schedule of games with other teams spanning all of District 52 (covering the Peninsula from Palo Alto to Pacifica) with play starting after the completion of the high school baseball season and extending into the summer.
Special Program
Little League's fastest growing division, the Challenger League provides boys and girls with disabilities the opportunity to experience the emotional development and the fun of playing Little League Baseball. This groundbreaking program extends to every child an opportunity to participate in a structured athletic program regardless of their ability. Inaugurated in 1988 for the mentally and physically disabled and designed to give all children between 5 -18 years old a chance to play, regardless of limitations, the Challenger League also helps to establish strong bonds of friendship and understanding between Little Leaguers from other programs and Challenger children in an atmosphere of sharing and caring. In Challenger games, "buddies" help their challenged partners by acting as guides for blind children or pushing wheelchair-bound children around the base paths. This interaction has proven to be a positive experience for all the children involved as Challenger players enjoy the thrill of participation and their "buddies" experience first-hand, the challenges these children face in their daily lives.
The Challenger League is Little League's way of providing new opportunities for children with disabilities so that everyone can get into the game. The PALL Challenger League team will play a limited schedule of games on weekends only during the regular Little League season involving similar teams from other leagues within District 52.
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