2020
Mariposa County Little
League (MCLL) Draft and
Team Formation Procedure
Team Formation/Draft Procedure Guidelines
This document defines the process for forming teams for the 2020 Spring Season and
applies to MCLL baseball.
I. Objectives:
The objectives of the team formation process is to:
1. Comply with Little League International rules
2. Create competitive parity among teams
3. Consider player school and residence
4. Consider player requests
5. Be fair to players, parents and coaches
6. Result in a memorable and fun playing environment for players
7. Provide transparency of the process
8. Be consistent in the application of procedures within divisions.
9. Provide a confidential draft process where all players and parents do not know
the order in which players were drafted.
II. Definitions:
“Draftee” - A player who is placed in a draft pool and eligible to be picked by a Coach
during the draft process.
“Player Evaluations” or “Evaluations” - The evaluation process in which players are
run through a series of drills to assess and evaluate the skills, athleticism, emotional
and physical maturity, and baseball/softball knowledge of draftees. See local rules for
more information.
III.Team Formation/
Draft Process
1. Player Evaluations will be held according to operating guidelines
2. Teams will be formed according to the process below and as consistent with the
operating guidelines.
3. Teams in the Minors and Majors Division will be formed by using a draft based
on the procedures below.
4. Teams in all other Divisions will be formed by the league based on the
procedures below.
5. Only Managers of the given division will be in the room with President, Player
Agent, and President’s designee. The Player Agent, in conjunction with the
league President, will run the draft process. If the manager cannot attend, he/she
will be allowed to pick a cleared volunteer to be there in their place. The BOD
must approve who the manager selects to take his/her place.
6. Draft will take place not less than 48 hours after player evaluations have
concluded, but no more than 10 days.
7. Any person in the room found to jeopardize the confidentiality of the draft
process, at any point in the season, will be sanctioned by the league.
IV. Tee-Ball Division Team
Formation Procedures:
1. The Tee-Ball Commissioner in consultation with the President and the Player
Agent will determine roster size.
2. President, Player Agent, Commissioner, and any other person or member of the
Board of Directors as appointed by the President will form the teams for the
Tee-Ball Division.
3. There are NO career players in the Tee-Ball divisions
4. Each year teams will be newly formed based on the evaluation process
5. Team placement criteria will include:
■ School player attends;
■ Player’s residence; and
■ Player’s requests.
6. MCLL will attempt to honor player placement requests, however no guarantee is
provided with the exception of:
■ Placing players and parents that volunteer to coach on the same team.
■ Siblings
7. There is no softball tee-ball division.
V. Coach Pitch Division Team
Formation Procedures:
1. The Coach Pitch Commissioner in consultation with the President and Player
Agent will determine roster size and whether the Division will be divided into
different levels by skill as laid out in the Operating Procedures.
2. President, Player Agent, Commissioner, and other person or member of the
Board of Directors as appointed by the President will form the teams for the
Coach Pitch Division.
3. There are NO career players in the Coach Pitch divisions.
4. Each year teams will be newly formed.
5. This process applies to all coach pitch divisions.
6. Team placement criteria will include:
1. School that player attends;
2. Player residence; and
3. Player’s requests,
7. MCLL will attempt to honor player requests however no guarantee is provided
with the exception of:
1. Placing players and parents that volunteer to coach on the same team.
2. Siblings
VI. Minors and Majors Division
Baseball Draft Procedures:
1. The President in consultation with the Player Agent will determine the number of
teams per Minors/Majors division and roster size.
2. A player becomes a Draftee and must enter a draft pool when:
■ Player is returning or new to Minors/Majors.
■ There is a limit of no more than eight 12-year olds per Majors team without
special justification.
■ Little League recommends that all 12 year-olds play in the Major Division.
The League will place all 12 year-olds on a Major and/or a 50/70 team. If
circumstances dictate that a 12 year-old player is not ready for play in the
Majors or 50/70 division in conjunction with the parents, the MCLL Player
Agent will process a waiver with the District 73 Administrator to place the
player on a Minor League team. This is something that is rarely granted
due to player safety issues with a 12 year-old playing against nine
year-olds.
3. Based on the number of 12 year-old draftees, Player Agent will determine the
minimum number of 12 year-olds that must be drafted by each team. Each team
must draft their designated number of 12 year-olds during the draft.
4. MCLL will provide a list of draftee players available for the given division to the
Managers at the start of the draft. Major managers will be notified at the
beginning of the draft of which 12 year old players that have enrolled in 50/70
division as well.
5. If a Minors division player declines to be drafted to the Majors division, he/she
shall not be promoted to the Majors at a later time if a vacancy becomes
available.
6. The Serpentine Draft Plan will be followed, which is Plan A in the Baseball
Rulebook Pg. 253-254. Managers draw numbers to determine who will select the
first player. In a new four team league, the Manager who draws number 1 makes
the following selections: 1st choice, 8th, 9th,16th,17th, 24th, 25th, etc. The
manager who draws number two makes the 2nd choice, 7th, 10th,18th, 23rd, etc.
The manager who draws number three, 3rd choice, 6th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 22nd;
The manager who draws number four, 4th choice, 5th, 12th, 13th, 20th, 21st etc.,
until selections are complete.
7. The draft will begin on the Player Agents command and each Manager will have
3 minutes to name their draft pick.
8. The selection process is then repeated until each team has completed their
roster.
9. Brothers/Sisters in the draft - when there are two or more siblings in the draft,
and the first brother or sister is drafted by a Manager, the Manager is
automatically given the option to draft the other sibling on the next turn. MCLL
will attempt to honor parent requests to play together. Each manager’s pick
thereafter will be evaluated to conform with this.
10.Sons/daughters of managers- If a manager has sons and/or daughters eligible
under Regulation II for the draft, and wishes to draft them, he/she must submit
the option in writing. If so stated, the parent/manager is required to exercise the
option at or before the close of the specific draft round, depending on the League
Age of sons and/or daughters. Parent/manager option takes priority over any
other option. NOTE: These provisions also apply for managers having other
eligible sons or daughters in the draft. MCLL will afford a grandparent manager
the same rights as a parent, however, only to one grandchild with sibling option
as stated on page 256 in the 2020 Baseball Rulebook.
11.Managers will have 24 hours after the draft meeting to trade players. All trades
must be reviewed and approved by MCLL Player Agent.
12.Subsequent trades can be made up to 2 weeks after the draft, subject to
approval from the Player Agent.
13.Teams will be declared official 48 Hours after the draft meeting and rosters will
be published online and Managers may contact their players. At no time may a
Manager share the details of the draft until teams are published.
14.Any draftee who is not selected onto a Major League team will be placed on a
Minor League team in a manner consistent with the minor team formation
procedures outlined in this document.
VII. Intermediate Baseball
Division League Draft
Procedures:
1. The President in consultation with the Player Agent will determine roster size.
2. President, Player Agent, approved manager, or any other person or member of
the Board of Directors as appointed by the President will form a single team in
this division. If multiple teams are built the same draft method as Minors/Majors
will take place.
3. There are NO career players in the Intermediate division
4. Each year teams will be newly formed based on the following placement criteria:
■ Skill level based on past experience in the league including history of
pitching and catching in MCLL;
■ School player attends;
■ Player’s residence; and
■ Player’s requests.
5. MCLL will attempt to honor parent requests to have a player placed with a
specific coach or other player, however no guarantee is provided with the
exception of:
■ Placing players with their parent if the parent is a team volunteer (i.e.,
coach, assistant coach, team parent)
■ Siblings
VIII. Juniors/Seniors Baseball
Division League Team
Formation Procedures:
1. The President in consultation with the Vice President, and Player Agent, will
determine roster size.
2. President, Player Agent, approved manager, or any other person or member of
the Board of Directors as appointed by the President will form the teams in this
division.
3. There are NO career players in the Intermediate division
4. Each year teams will be newly formed based on the following placement criteria:
■ Skill level based on past experience in the league including history of
pitching and catching in MCLL;
■ School player attends;
■ Player’s residence; and
■ Player’s requests.
5. MCLL will attempt to honor parent requests to have a player placed with a
specific coach or other player, however no guarantee is provided with the
exception of:
■ Placing players with their parent if the parent is a team volunteer (i.e.,
coach, assistant coach, team parent)
■ Siblings