First time little league manager- need tips (1 Viewer)

[shadyridr]

Do you have to protect your own son? If the other coaches are assuming that he won't be available, then they probably didn't bother to rate him (and he won't be on their big board). So you might be able to get away with leaving him unprotected and then grabbing him in the 2nd round or later.

Lol yes you have to protect your own kid

 

[Bob Loblaw]

My league is LL.  For our draft we protected mgr's kid and assistant coach's kid.  They were also assigned a round that they'd be "drafted" in based on consensus of all managers.  I think it's a pretty fair way to go.  So, if one team's protected players are both first rd material, that team doesn't draft until the 3rd round. 

 

[belljr]

Should do a blind draft imo

 

[shadyridr]

Technically they do.  We went through lots of iterations because our league was really screwed up when we took over the board.  We worked really close with the district supervisor to figure out what LL allows and doesn't allow.

If you are doing a redraft every year then you only have a manger kid option (there are no coaches kid options allowed) and you must take the manager's kid in a specific round based on age.  It is spelled out in the rule book.  If I were you I would start looking at the draft rules in the LL handbook/rulebook because they are very specific.  Now, your board may not follow the rules set forth in the LL handbook/rulebook but that could be problematic to your district if they found out.  That was part of the problem with our league.  The board starting doing things on their own against the LL rules to benefit them and their kids and we called them out on it and got them removed and took over.  It took us a couple years to get the bylaws and structure in accordance with LL.  If you are keeping players on existing teams there is a whole other set of rules that pertain.

I went through this a couple years ago so if LL changed their rules in 2017 or 2018 I may be wrong but either way it will be outlined in their rulebook.  You should be able to find out for sure by looking in the 2018 rulebook/handbook.  It has a draft section.  There is a green rules book (mainly for game play) that may have draft structure outlined but I think it is in the red handbook instead.  I do know it was very specific of what you could and could not do.

I tried to fight for coaches options because you really need a coach you get along with to run a proper practice and I was denied.  The rules specifically stated no coaches options. 

If your player agent doesn't care about the rules set forth by little league then there may be agreements in place allowing a coaches kid exemption and not assigning a round per manager/coach kid.  If nobody complains or knows any better it will function that way especially if you have a controlling player agent.  Technically those types of allowance are not allowed but if nobody complains then I am sure they happen.

Good Luck.

I can only find majors draft rules. My son is in junior minors (8-9 year olds). Maybe that's why?

 

[Cowboysfan8]

I can only find majors draft rules. My son is in junior minors (8-9 year olds). Maybe that's why?

Oh wow. Definitely a blind draft at that age imo

 

[Gally]

I can only find majors draft rules. My son is in junior minors (8-9 year olds). Maybe that's why?

I had thought for some reason you were talking about the Majors division.  Typically the Minors division is considered non-competitive so the draft does not follow as strictly kind of leaving some of the discussions to the coaches to make things right.  The one year my kid played minors I was not on the board and did not know how things were supposed to go as I was new to the process.  If I remember correctly the coaches discussed each coaches kid and assigned them a draft round based on ability and then the draft went from there.  If your kid had a 1st round grade you took him in the 1st round.  If my kid had a 3rd round grade I had to take him the 3rd round.  The player agent at the time (the person that runs the draft) wasn't so critical at the MInors level so the coaches were able to work together to get a balanced league without a lot of interference.  The Majors was a whole different experience.

The other main difference for us was that we only had a "Majors" and a "Minors".  We did not have enough kids to have a "Junior Minors" or AAA Minors etc.  So the way our overall draft took place was that the Majors teams drafted from all the kids that tried out and could take anyone from ages 9-12.  Once the Majors draft was over then the Minors coaches drafted based on what was left.  If a kid was not drafted in either draft then they were put in our CAPS Division (Coach Assisted Pitching).  Because we didn't have a lot of kids there were only two drafts.  It sounds like you may have more divisions but I would think the process should be the same across all divisions. 

I am not sure if there are Minors specific draft rules set forth in the LL handbook/rulebook.  It may be differentiated or just use the same age/round requirements as the Majors draft. 

 

[shadyridr]

Won our first LL championship last night. Best feeling in the world!

 

[shadyridr]

So next season my boy is moving up to Senior Minors which is 10-12 year olds (he turns 10 in June so he will be very young for the division). However, I am losing all my coaches because their children are a year younger. So I have already talked to some parents of some good 10 year olds to see if they would want to coach with me and I can protect them. But am I setting myself up for failure protecting 4 good 10 year olds in a league of 10-12 year olds? Keep in mind this isnt the majors yet.

 

[dino259]

So next season my boy is moving up to Senior Minors which is 10-12 year olds (he turns 10 in June so he will be very young for the division). However, I am losing all my coaches because their children are a year younger. So I have already talked to some parents of some good 10 year olds to see if they would want to coach with me and I can protect them. But am I setting myself up for failure protecting 4 good 10 year olds in a league of 10-12 year olds? Keep in mind this isnt the majors yet.

First year will probably be hard.  Biggest thing would be pitching and if there is full on stealing.  Work on holding runners on and pick off moves.  In the end it is just baseball but more times than not a single just means a triple as it is hard to throw runners out.

 

[Bull Dozier]

Won our first LL championship last night. Best feeling in the world!

Thread title clearly needs an update. Congrats. 

 

[Peak]

So next season my boy is moving up to Senior Minors which is 10-12 year olds (he turns 10 in June so he will be very young for the division). However, I am losing all my coaches because their children are a year younger. So I have already talked to some parents of some good 10 year olds to see if they would want to coach with me and I can protect them. But am I setting myself up for failure protecting 4 good 10 year olds in a league of 10-12 year olds? Keep in mind this isnt the majors yet.

I don't think creating a team of 10yr olds a bad thing at all.  Your first year will be rough, but the group of 10yr olds will grow together over time, each year getting a little better.  The team chemistry will grow as well.  To me, that is the cool thing about baseball.  My son joined a team when he was 7 (going on 8 ) and they have had the same core group of boys carry over each year (going to 13U next spring).  These boys have made lifelong friendships, and their ball playing has gotten better.  They want to get together and practice over the winter, and they all push each other due to the natural tendency boys have at that age.  They can't let one of the others beat them at something.  A natural competitive edge that they feed off of year round in whatever they do.  Just this fall 5 of them ran XC for opposing Middle schools, and I think they ran their hardest/fastest knowing their buddy was on the course with them.  After the race they would take jabs at each other and talk about what will happen next race.

 

[Gally]

So next season my boy is moving up to Senior Minors which is 10-12 year olds (he turns 10 in June so he will be very young for the division). However, I am losing all my coaches because their children are a year younger. So I have already talked to some parents of some good 10 year olds to see if they would want to coach with me and I can protect them. But am I setting myself up for failure protecting 4 good 10 year olds in a league of 10-12 year olds? Keep in mind this isnt the majors yet.

If you are in Little League you cannot protect anyone but the manager's kid.  At least that is what is in the LL rule book.  There are many leagues that circumvent that and allow it to happen but it is against the LL rules.

Will this team of players remain on this team for as long as they are in this division or do you re-draft every year?  If you remain on the same team, then drafting young so you can cultivate your team is definitely worth doing.  However, I would target parents over kids.  Don't just approach all the good player's parents to see if they want to coach together.  That is a recipe for disaster.  Parents make or break your enjoyment.  If you are allowed coaches options then I would try and get parents you get along with that also have the same goal/mentality as you.  If your coaching staff are on different pages it makes for a terrible year even if the players are good. 

 

[shadyridr]

If you are in Little League you cannot protect anyone but the manager's kid.  At least that is what is in the LL rule book.  There are many leagues that circumvent that and allow it to happen but it is against the LL rules.

Will this team of players remain on this team for as long as they are in this division or do you re-draft every year?  If you remain on the same team, then drafting young so you can cultivate your team is definitely worth doing.  However, I would target parents over kids.  Don't just approach all the good player's parents to see if they want to coach together.  That is a recipe for disaster.  Parents make or break your enjoyment.  If you are allowed coaches options then I would try and get parents you get along with that also have the same goal/mentality as you.  If your coaching staff are on different pages it makes for a terrible year even if the players are good. 

We are allowed to protect 2 coaches kids and sponsor's kid