Orioles (AM)

Dear League Parents:

In the spring of 2008, Little League Williamsport rules require that all draft eligible** 12-year old players be moved to the Majors Division.  As a board, we took this rule change very serious and reviewed how it would affect baseball in Stoughton with the board’s focus on player skill development within all leagues. The Board of Directors voted to accept this rule change for the 2008 season and we have identified few additional changes which we feel will continue to make Stoughton one of the best Little League programs in the state.

There were quite a few challenges faced with this new rule change:

·        How would we manage within our charter of 10 major league teams?

·        How could we minimize the impact of different 12-year old class sizes each year and avoid constant contraction and expansion of the majors division?

·        How could we maximize player skill development and game time for all players?

·        How do we instill consistent skills development across all age levels?

The 2008 season will be a transitional year.

The Majors division will consist of 2 leagues – the American League [our current 8 teams] and the National League [an estimated 4 teams in 2008] .The majors will be predominantly 11 and 12-year old players.  There will be room for one player per American League team at the 10-year old level [total of 8] if a coach chooses to draft a 10 year old. By limiting the 10-year olds at the Major league level, this will enable us to ensure more roster spots for draft eligible** 12-year olds.  The expansion of the majors to include a National League will be made up of only 11’s and 12’s. These teams will be re-drafted yearly and will consist of the following teams – the Reds, the Phillies, the Braves and the Rockies.  We will be purchasing new uniforms for this league, which will be collected at the end of the season as is currently the case with current American League. 

** Draft Eligible means that if your child did not try out for Majors they are not eligible to be drafted on to an American League team and will be drafted on to a National League team.  If your child does not wish to play for the American League this should be indicated on the registration form and they will be drafted on to a National League team. 

We have moved 10-year olds into a league of their own; with the exception of one draft spot available to all American League managers, should they choose to draft a 10-year old. By creating a league of 10-year olds the goal of the Board is to continue to develop skills, create more playing time in skilled positions for all players at this age level and create more of an atmosphere of confidence for all 10’s. This will be the new AAA League.

AAA and National League play will present an opportunity for our league to build players in skilled positions [pitcher, catcher, shortstop, first, etc.].  Past experience has shown us that many 10, 11 and 12-year old players did not always have a chance to learn the position if they were drafted to majors. At the AAA and National league level, they will get more time to play these positions and learn the mechanics needed and build their confidence to move up to the American League in future years.

There are still many local level decisions for the board to make regarding schedule, practices, etc. but we wanted to share the information that gives you an overview of the rule and how it will impact the league.  The other divisions from the 5-year old Skills to the AA will remain the same.  A subcommittee from the board spent a great deal of time researching how this rule would impact our league and the board voted to remain a Little League organization and move forward. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a board member.

Thank you,