Registration has closed, volunteers are being recruited and working through the background check process, and it is time for Little League® player evaluations and drafts in your local community. Also referred to as tryouts, the player evaluations, and the draft that follows, are annual activities for all local leagues. While it is important for all leagues to make sure the process for both is stress-free and prioritizes the children, not all are run the same.
To help share some best practices straight from the grassroots level, Little League sat down with volunteers from a handful of leagues across the nation for a Local League Spotlight – a series of content created each month to help other leagues learn straight from each other’s success stories – to showcase how they successfully run player evaluations and drafts.
Summerlin South Little League (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Overcommunication + Evaluation Sheets
After opening registration early – with the hopes of capturing families while they are still thinking about the fun and excitement of the previous season – the efforts around recruitment, followed by player evaluations and drafts, take on a very structured process for Summerlin South Little League.
“We push advertising through social media and mass emails to those who have played in our league in prior seasons, and push hard to recruit, specifically kids who played in our league in seasons past that we may not have seen in the last season. We also personally reach out to families to try and get the younger kids in who may have older players in our league,” said Jim Hopulch, League Player Agent. “From there, once registration closes, evaluations start shortly after, and we move quickly into the draft, so families aren’t left waiting and wondering where their kids have been selected.”
Overcommunication from the start helps Summerlin South LL tremendously throughout the process in getting families to register early. Assigned time slots for evaluations and clear expectations of the evaluation process in those communications help eliminate frustration and confusion for families with players participating, many perhaps for the first time. Once evaluations take place, the draft follows within a couple of days, and families know what teams their kids will be on within the week.
While communicating about the player evaluations, Summerlin South LL does not use the term “tryouts,” emphasizing the fact that no player is getting cut or will be denied the opportunity to participate in Little League.
“We emphasize to the kids that we are out there to have fun and show their skills at these player evaluations so that our coaches can try to pick fair teams and ensure that everyone can have an opportunity and go out there and try to win a championship,” said Chris Miltenberger, League Vice President of Baseball. “We just want to see where the kids are from a development level. We want to see how they grew from one season to the next. At evaluations, we haven’t seen some of these players since last spring, and many kids even improve dramatically from Fall Ball to the spring season.”
Not only is it important for Summerlin South LL to make sure their players are in the right mindset, but their managers, too.
“We don’t just throw new managers out there. We talk with them beforehand about what they’re going to see, what to look for, and how to evaluate players,” said TJ Fechser, League President. “We give managers an evaluation sheet with categories like hitting, fielding, and pop flies so they have guidance and structure during the process.”
Once the evaluations start, it’s all about keeping the environment positive for the players.
“We’re always talking with them. We’re direct to them. I know kids can read through you. Be direct. Be honest with them. Tell them to hustle,” said Fechser. “Or ‘hey, great play. Look what he just did.’ Celebrate those little moments.”
Goffstown (N.H.) Little League
Educating Managers and Coaches
Goffstown Little League’s player evaluations start with a breakdown of the players based on League Age at registration. Intending to have the evaluations done in one day, the players and coaches all arrive at the local middle school gymnasium, starting with the youngest division of play.
“Each player gets a number, and they rotate through different stations, whether it is running, throwing, fielding, hitting, or pitching. All the coaches evaluate on a one-to-five scale, and at the end of the evaluations, the player agent aggregates the scores, which will then be used for the draft,” said Ryan Fisher, League Baseball Vice President. “Last year, we shrunk every evaluation group down to three kids in the gym at a time because the previous five to seven in each group was just too many to properly watch and keep the kids engaged.”
Ensuring the process is fun for all involved, setting up the right environment starts in the hallway outside of the gymnasium. Managers and league officials speak with parents, letting them know what their players can expect, and then parents are asked to remain outside of the evaluations to keep the players from having an added layer of stress.
“They don’t have to worry about mom or dad staring at them or what the car ride home is going to be like,” said Fisher. “We emphasize to them that every kid is going to make a team. Nobody is getting cut, and that alone lets them relax, have fun, and removes pressure.”
To keep the process fair from start to finish, the managers and league leadership gather to align on what they are to be looking for in each player.
“Everyone is doing the same activities — same number of swings, throws, ground balls — so every kid is put through an equivalent evaluation,” said Luke Croteau, Major Division Director. “We huddle beforehand and align on what a one, three, or five actually looks like, so everyone is grading from the same baseline. We’re also looking at who’s a good teammate. That’s more important than surface-level talent.”
Once the evaluations are done, the managers and league leadership head to a local restaurant to eat, bond, and conduct the draft. It is important for all involved to know as quickly as possible who will be where in the following season.
“We don’t mess around or take a lot of time to let families know,” said Sean Hayes, League Safety Officer. “The kids get so excited and talk about it at school, so it creates such an incredible environment for our kids.”
Northwest Forsyth American Little League (Pfafftown, North Carolina)
“Back to Work” Clinics & Independent Evaluators
The week before player evaluations even begin, Northwest Forsyth American Little League first hosts a free “Back to Work” clinic. To reduce stress and get everyone excited, volunteer coaches and managers run drills with the players.
“It gives kids a chance to knock the rust off so the first time they throw, field, or hit isn’t at the evaluation,” said Sean Sigmon, League President. “We stagger evaluations throughout the day, so we always have extra coaches and assistants around. That helps make it a more individualized experience instead of just one coach hollering at everybody.”
In addition to the free clinic, the league also hosts a manager meeting to review safety, how the season will run, and clarify how the player evaluation and draft process will operate, plus the goals that the league leadership has for it. League officials also plug all the available resources for coaches, including the Little League Diamond Leader Training, to ensure the players’ mental and emotional well-being is also a focal point during the player evaluations.
Once the player evaluations begin, the different groups – based on division of play and last name – run through the five different stations, with managers not tied to that division of play leading the drills. Each group, which are limited in number to keep each player engaged, is evaluated by that division’s managers, plus an “independent evaluator.”
“One thing we did implement several years ago is what we call Independent Evaluators. Someone from the local league board who is not coaching in that division of play will come and give an independent evaluation,” said Sigmon. “This really helps even out the teams and makes sure everything is as fair as possible. It makes for a better experience when you have close games rather than one or two teams running away with things. There was a lot of good support from everyone in the league when we added the Independent Evaluators.”
Once the player evaluations are done, it’s a quick turnaround to the drafts.
“We typically do our drafts rather quickly after our evaluations, usually within a couple of days, just to make sure all the information is still fresh, and coaches remember the kids as we’re setting up the teams,” said Sigmon. “We’ve been lucky with our coaches. There’s competitiveness, but they really understand what they’re there for. They want good, fair games where kids enjoy the competition and learn.”
West Brownsville (Texas) Little League
Keeping Player Evaluations FUN
At West Brownsville Little League, player evaluations are all about one thing – FUN. Once the players arrive, they get to pick a partner and start warming up. Then, the coaches and local leadership in attendance do their best to keep the day as lighthearted as possible. It’s an opportunity for coaches to be mentors.
“Being able to be there for the kids is great. That’s just part of being a good mentor to kids,” said Dino Chavez, League President. “If it’s a brand-new kid out on the field, there might be some stress, but we always have local league officers in the dugouts cracking jokes and keeping things loose.”
With roughly 50-70% of players signing up in the final three days of registration, the turnaround for player evaluations is quick. Split into two days – one for baseball and one for softball, with one person typically in charge of each – communication is the key to success.
“We use our website and our Facebook page,” said Chavez. “We also recently learned we can email parents through Sports Connect, so that’s a new resource we’re committing to using this season, too.”
In the end, successful operations really come down to leveraging the league’s years of experience and ensuring everyone involved is prepared.
“Everything that we do at West Brownsville has come from a culmination of all of our experiences, plus the direction we get from Little League International and our District Administrator,” said Chavez. “We had a three-hour board meeting where we went back and forth on this exact topic.”
Grosse Pointe Farms-City (Mich.) Little League
Exit Evaluations + Pep Talks
Before registration even begins, Grosse Pointe Farms-City Little League is getting ready for player evaluations. Before the previous season is over, the league conducts “exit evaluations,” understanding that one day alone (e.g., Player Evaluation Day) does not define a player. Only seen by the local league officers and team managers, those exit evaluations help remind them where the individual players ended their season and allow them to consider those skill levels when the draft process begins.
Running a well-organized and stress-free evaluation is the key to a successful season at Grosse Pointe Farms-City Little League. Before player evaluations, coaches and managers huddle up players and have an easygoing pep talk to ensure that all players feel comfortable.
“The first thing we tell the kids, especially at every age group, is that everybody is making a team,” said Michael Dzubak, League Information Officer. “This isn’t a stressful situation. This isn’t something where one day defines who you are as a player. It’s just one tool for us to learn more about you.”
To keep the right mindset amongst not just the players, but the coaches too, Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL makes it a priority to educate the coaches ahead of time, so they understand the ins and outs of the player evaluation and draft process. The goal – make sure every team is ready for a competitive, well-balanced season.
“We also hold coaching clinics before each season, even for the younger, developmental divisions of play. We will bring in some longtime Little League coaches, or even high school coaches, to teach drills and techniques that newer coaches might not think about,” said Dzubak. “Being able to have hands-on training for our coaches will make all the difference leading up to the Little League season, especially when they are running drills during player evaluations. When coaches walk into evaluations, they have a better idea of what to look for. Everyone might see something different, but at least they’re prepared.”
Evaluations are held inside the high school gym and are conducted by league board members, with the assistance of former Grosse Pointe Farms-City Little Leaguers and current high school baseball players. During evaluations, players demonstrate fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, fielding ground balls, and batting. As players advance to higher league levels, the evaluation process expands to include pitching and catching opportunities.
“It is especially rewarding to see the former Little Leaguers give back by assisting and encouraging the next generation of players,” said Dzubak. “It is also inspirational for the players in the league to see what they can become through their baseball experience.
Once evaluations are completed, the draft process begins. There is no retention of players from previous seasons, and managers are not permitted to pre-select or pair with assistant coaches. Before the draft, with Little League’s approval, the league officers work with managers to slot each manager’s child into the appropriate draft round to ensure a balanced and equitable draft. At the draft, each manager draws a blind number and then selects their preferred position on the draft board. Once the order is set, managers proceed through the first round, reverse the order in the second round, and continue in a snake-style format throughout the draft to maintain fairness and competitive balance. The League Player Agent and President are present to oversee the process and ensure it remains free of conflicts.
Overall, keeping a positive environment where the players and coaches can thrive makes all the difference for Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL.
“Little League goes by quick,” said Dzubak. “You don’t get this experience anywhere else — kids being kids, just having fun. It’s truly, truly special.”