Team Formation – Minors and Majors (Evaluation & Draft)
Applies to: Minors Division and Majors Division.
Teams in these divisions are formed through a Player Evaluation and Draft process, rather than administrative placement.
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The GLL Board of Directors (GLLBOD) recognizes that team parity in Minors and Majors
significantly affects the experience of players, parents, coaches, spectators, and umpires.
A structured Evaluation and Draft process is used to help maintain that parity.
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By comparison, an
Administrative Placement
process is used to form teams in Tee Ball, Coach Pitch, and Modified Player Pitch.
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This Evaluation/Draft process applies only to the spring season.
During the fall season, Minors and Majors teams are formed using the
Administrative Placement
process because enrollment is typically much lower.
Evaluation Process
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Requirements / Conditions
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All properly registered players for the Minors or Majors Division are required to attend
and fully participate in an Evaluation Day assessment.
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Properly registered players who attend Evaluation Day are considered
Draft Eligible.
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Waitlisted players should plan to attend Evaluation Day unless notified otherwise.
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Waitlist registrations may be accepted or cancelled shortly before Evaluation Day.
Only players with accepted registration status may attend Evaluation Day.
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Unregistered players shall not and may not participate in an Evaluation Day assessment.
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Not a Tryout – Roster Guarantee
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Draft Eligible players of
League Age
10, 11, and 12 are guaranteed a roster spot in GLL on either a Majors or Minors team.
They are required to attend Evaluation Day and will be drafted into the appropriate division
based on their Evaluation Day scores and pre-draft ranking. These players are not cut
from GLL – all Draft Eligible 10s, 11s, and 12s will make a Majors or Minors team.
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Draft Eligible players of League Age 8 or 9 are guaranteed a roster spot in GLL on either
a Minors team or a Modified Player Pitch (MPP) team. Although they are not cut from GLL, the division level
(Minors vs. MPP) is not guaranteed.
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Most League Age 8 and 9 players will play in Modified Player Pitch. However, some may have the opportunity
to play up in Minors if their Evaluation Day scores are high enough and they are selected
in the Minors draft.
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League Age 8–9 players who (1) have successfully participated in at least one prior spring/summer season
of a player-pitch baseball division (or equivalent) and (2) desire increased competition may ask to be
considered for Minors.
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Evaluation Drills
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The GLLBOD and GLL volunteer coaches will conduct
typical baseball drills
to evaluate and score each player’s ability in core skills (running, throwing, fielding, hitting).
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Evaluation scores are collected and stored in a confidential manner.
See FAQs for additional information.
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Evaluation Schedule
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Draft Eligible Status
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A properly registered player of League Age 8 or older who has attended Evaluation Day
is considered Draft Eligible.
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Evaluation Confidentiality
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Evaluation scores will be kept confidential by GLL coaches and board members.
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Parents/guardians should not ask a coach to reveal evaluation scores. There will be plenty of time
during the season to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
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Player Non-Participation Scores [Revised 10/19/2024]
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For the purposes of the evaluation assessment, all reasons for non-participation are treated the same
(injuries, funerals, vacations, winter sport conflicts, etc.).
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A registered player who does not fully participate in Evaluation Day for any reason
will receive an evaluation score of 0% (zero).
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A registered Protected Player
who does not fully participate in Evaluation Day for any reason will receive an evaluation score of
100% (top score – guaranteed first-round pick).
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Also see the Pre-Draft Reconciliation section below.
Draft Process
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Draft Requirements
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The GLLBOD will ensure that Draft Eligible players are selected and distributed to teams within each
division based on team-parity principles and in accordance with Little League International rules,
regulations, and policies.
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Team Roster Size – Minors & Majors
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Number of players per team (total):
- Minimum required: 10
- Goal: 11
- Maximum allowed: 12
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Maximum allowable difference:
The number of players on any team roster in a given division shall not vary by more than
one (1) player, in accordance with Little League Regulation III.
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Draft Schedule
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General intent: the player draft should occur ideally within one week after
Evaluation Day so that players and families are not left waiting for results.
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Date / Time / Location:
see CALENDAR CHART(s).
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Draft Authority & Attendance
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Each team’s Assigned Head Coach is required to attend the draft and is authorized
to draft players.
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The Assigned Head Coach may delegate that authority only to an Assigned Assistant Coach.
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Draft authority may not be delegated to an unassigned assistant coach or to any other individual
not explicitly approved by the GLLBOD.
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Before the Draft – Pre-Draft Ranking List [Revised 01/18/2024]
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Creation:
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The GLL Player Agent (Registration Director) will create a Pre-Draft Ranking List
of all registered players and share it with coaches prior to the draft.
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The list may include data such as total assessment score and parent-provided input.
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Players are ranked from highest to lowest score.
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Players who received a 0% score (non-participants) are placed at the bottom of the list.
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Protected Players who received a 100% score (non-participants) are placed at the top.
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Reconciliation:
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Before the draft begins, the GLL Player Agent may solicit coach comments about player positions
on the Pre-Draft Ranking List and may adjust (or not adjust) the list at their sole discretion.
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For players who did not participate in Evaluation Day (0% score), a coach may
suggest adjustments to an individual player’s ranking based solely on direct, firsthand knowledge
of that player’s abilities.
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For players who did participate in Evaluation Day (non-zero score), coaches may
not suggest adjustments to that player’s ranking.
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During the Draft [Revised 12/06/2024]
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Draft Order Method:
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A serpentine draft order is used per
Little League Regulations
.
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Example:
- Round 1: Coach A, B, C, D, ...
- Round 2: Coach D, C, B, A, ...
- Round 3: Coach A, B, C, D, ...
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Draft Order by Division:
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First Draft – Majors Division
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Head Coaches draw for initial draft order, then select players until team roster size
requirements are met.
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Players of League Age 12 and 12T may not play in Minors and therefore
must be selected by a Majors coach before the end of the Majors draft.
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Protected Players associated with Majors must also be drafted before the end of the Majors draft.
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Players of League Age 11 and younger who are not drafted in Majors
will be available for selection in the Minors draft.
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Second Draft – Minors Division
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Head Coaches draw for initial draft order, then select players until roster size
requirements are met.
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All Draft Eligible players must be selected by the conclusion of the Minors draft.
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Active Pick Zone Requirement (per division)
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The Active Pick Zone is a draft constraint designed to help ensure parity among teams.
It preserves the integrity of Evaluation Day scores and the Pre-Draft Ranking List while
still allowing coaches some autonomy.
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The Active Pick Zone is the group of players any individual coach may choose from in a given round.
Its size equals the number of teams in that division.
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For example, if there are 6 teams in Majors, the Active Pick Zone contains 6 players.
A Majors coach may choose from those 6 players during that round. If there are 7 teams in Minors,
the Minors Active Pick Zone contains 7 players.
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A coach is required to select a player from the Active Pick Zone in each round,
unless a special condition applies (see below).
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As players are drafted and removed from the Pre-Draft Ranking List, the Active Pick Zone
“slides” down to always include the next group of undrafted players.
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Protected Player Status (per division)
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A Protected Player is defined as:
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Class 1 Status: any one child of an
Assigned Coach.
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Each team may have up to three Class 1 children (one per Assigned Coach).
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If a team has fewer than three Assigned Coaches, it has fewer Class 1 slots.
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If an Assigned Coach does not have a child in that division, that potential Class 1 slot
is forfeited.
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A Class 1 child must be from the same immediate family (step-children are acceptable;
nephews/nieces are not).
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Class 2 Status: any sibling of a previously drafted player recognized as a
Same Division Sibling.
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Siblings must be identified and requested by the parent/guardian during registration.
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There is no fixed limit on the number of Class 2 siblings per team.
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A Class 2 sibling must be from the same immediate family (step-siblings acceptable;
cousins not acceptable).
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If a Protected Player is inside the Active Pick Zone, the coach is required to draft that player.
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If a coach has multiple Protected Players in the Active Pick Zone, that coach must select them
one at a time in successive rounds until all of those Protected Players have been drafted.
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A coach may not draft a player from outside the Active Pick Zone unless:
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The end of the division’s draft is near and Draft Eligible players of League Age 12 or 12T
have not yet been chosen, or
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The end of the division’s draft is near and a Protected Player is located outside
the Active Pick Zone.
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After the Draft
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Player Trades:
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The GLLBOD prohibits player trades between teams and/or coaches. This prohibition applies
before, during, and after the draft.
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Draft positions and coach discussions will be kept confidential and are not shared
with players or parents.
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Player Cancellations:
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If an unforeseen player cancellation occurs before the first game of the season, the GLLBOD
may move or add players between teams as necessary to maintain team roster size requirements.
