Tuckahoe Little League

At Tuckahoe Little League, our 10/11/12 yr old baseball program is broken into a two levels of play; Majors and Minors. The Majors level is typically where the older and often more skilled players in this age group play. The younger players and players in need of a little more development typically play in the Minors system.

Our Majors program consists of 20 teams each with a fixed roster of 12 to13 players. Ten teams are in the National League and ten teams are in the American League. That means that a total of up to 260 players will play in the Majors in a given season.

Once a child plays on a Majors team at TLL he/she will remain on that same team until they move up to the Junior League at league age 13. So, if your child is a rising league age 12 or 11 yr old who played in the Majors last Spring, they will return to the same Majors team they played on last season. Their roster spot is guaranteed on the same team provided they are registered before draft day. If they have not registered before draft day then it is assumed that they will not be returning to our program and their roster spot will be forfeited.

National Little League rules mandate that all registered twelve year olds must play at the Majors level. Therefore, all rising registered league age 12 year olds will automatically receive one of the 260 Majors roster spots.

Tuckahoe Little League is a thriving organization. We have more than 400 children league aged 10 through 12 registering with us each Spring. No more than 260 will play in the Majors. This means that the remaining players will be playing in our Minor League program. Each year the Minor League Director, with the assistance of other League Officials, determines the number of teams that will be rostered in the Minors. The number of Minors teams is driven by the number of remaining league age 10/11 players after the formation of the Majors rosters.

Determining where your child will play

League Officials, Managers and Coaches begin the selection process by conducting a Skills Assessment Clinic early in February each year (see the calendar for exact date and time). This clinic has been historically referred to as "Tryouts". In fact, these are not tryouts at all. At the scheduled date & time, all Majors managers, many of the Minors Managers and necessary League Officials, such as the Major and Minor League Directors and the League's Player Agent will be in attendance as your child's ability to run, throw, catch, field, and swing a bat are evaluated.

Each year we have between 400 and 500 kids to assess. They are divided into their respective age groups and asked to perform the following routine, on a regulation infield, in front of everyone assembled:

Each child goes to Home Plate, picks up a bat and swings it as if he/she is hitting a ball. NO BALL IS PITCHED, this is just a simulated hit to get the process started. The player then runs, without stopping, from Home Plate to First Base, then to Second Base and finally to his/her Baseball Glove pre-positioned between Second and Third Base. The player puts on his/her Baseball Glove and prepares to field. An adult stationed in the Home Plate area throws a grounder to the player for them to field. The child then throws that fielded ball to a player stationed at First Base. After that the adult at Home Plate throws a "Pop Fly" for the candidate to field. He/She fields the pop up and throws it to First. That is the end of the assessment and the child leaves the field and is free to go home, or stay and watch the others trying out. This whole process takes very little time, usually under a minute. But it gives each of the Managers a level playing field on which to judge each child.

This "tryout" is only done on one day each year. There are NO MAKE UP SESSIONS. If you want your child to be fairly assessed and to be given the opportunity to be selected for a Majors team, they MUST attend this session.

Since we have so many children to assess the process is very quick. It is very similar to what each of your children has gone through previously at the start of their 8 yr old and 9 yr old seasons. For those that have played previously at TLL this is nothing new to them.

If your child has played on a MAJOR LEAGUE team in the previous Spring Season, they do not have to attend this skills assessment clinic. They will be automatically rostered on the team on which they played last season.

After these evaluations take place, usually the next day, the Major League Managers conduct a Player Draft. Every registered 10, 11, and 12 year old will be selected onto one of the 20 Majors. Any player who was unable to attend the tryout, for any reason, may not be drafted (chosen) but will be selected onto a team by having their names drawn out of a hat at the end of the day.

Once the draft has been concluded each manager will contact the parents of every player on their roster and inform them of their first practice date, time and location. These calls are usually made within 2 days of the "Tryouts." If you have not heard from anyone by Tuesday after the Tryouts, please contact the player agent via email [Email the Player Agent].

For the next two weeks, the managers will literally hold tryouts for their teams. They will conduct no less than 3 practices (weather permitting) that will enable them to evaluate all the children they chose on draft day. The intent is to select however many players they need to bring their rosters back to capacity at 12 to 13 players.

Remember once a child makes a Majors roster they will stay on that team until they age out of the Majors. This means that all of last season's 12 yr olds are gone. Returning on each team is some number of rising 12 yr olds and some number of rising 11 yr olds. Typically each manager starts with a roster of approx 7-8 returning players from last season. This means that only 4 - 5 new players will be added to the roster for this season. These new players come from the pool of players who attended the skills assessment clinic.

Keep in mind that National Little League rules mandate that the roster must first be filled in with new rising 12 yr olds. After filling the 4 - 5 roster vacancies with rising 12 yr olds the manager may only have 1 or 2 open roster spots. This is where the manager may then select who they thinks is best qualified to play at the Majors level from the remaining children evaluated during this 2 week period. It is entirely up to the manager who is selected - ENTIRELY. The remaining roster spots can be filled with 11 yr olds or with up to two 10 Year Olds and the rest 11 Year Olds. There is an upper limit on the number of 10 Year Olds that can play on a Major League Team. This limit is mandated by Tuckahoe Little League rules. The maximum is two. There is no minimum. Therefore, a manager may chose, at his/her own discretion to keep 0, 1 or 2 Ten Year Olds on the roster, but no more.

Once the evaluation period has ended and the manager has decided which 12 to 13 players will play for his/her Major League team in the Spring Season, the players and their parents will be informed of the decision. Managers have different ways of doing this. Some feel more comfortable sharing this decision face to face with the players and their parents. Others prefer to make phone calls, some prefer emails, and some prefer simply to post their rosters at the TLL concession stand.

At this point in the process (after all Major League Teams have been finalized), if a 12 Year Old player registers late, they will automatically be placed on a Minor League Team. And, in accordance with National Little League rules, that 12 Year Old child will not be allowed to pitch at all the entire season.

The managers that are chosen by the TLL Board to manager Major League teams are all veterans of the system. Many of them have had children playing Little League Baseball for years. Many of the managers literally have decades of experience coaching Little Leaguers. It is most important to note that the evaluation and selection process is subjective and based on each Manager's own experience. The team roster decision is made by the team manager and it is final. Neither the League President, nor VPs of Baseball, Softball, or Administration, nor any League Director, nor the Player Agent are a part of the evaluation process. The manager's decision is based principally upon where he/she sees your child having the best opportunity for growth, success, and enjoyment during the season.

If your child should be selected to go to the Minors their name will be sent to the Player Agent who will then recompile a Minor League draft roster and the draft process will be repeated with the Minor League managers. After the Minors draft is concluded you will receive a call from your child's manager informing you of their first practice date, time and location. This is the team your child will play on during the current Spring Season. Next Spring, your child will be expected to participate in the Tryout and Drafting Process again. You should expect this call within 24 hours following the Minor League player draft. Check the calendar for the date of the Minor League Player Draft. Click Here to view the calendar.

If after having read all this and understanding the process you decide that you would prefer for your child to play in the Minor Leagues this season and not be considered for playing on a Majors team, please notify the Player Agent [Email the Player Agent] as soon as possible so the managers who will be conducting player evaluations can be made aware

Questions & Answers

Q:   What is the difference between the Major League and the Minor League?
A:   The Minor League serves the same purpose here at TLL as it does in Professional baseball. It provides a venue for the players that are still refining their baseball playing skills and may not quite be ready for the next level of play.

Q:   Why is my child drafted by a Major league team even though I know he/she is not ready to play in the Majors?
A:   All players are required to attend the player skills assessment clinic that is held in February. This allows the managers to assess your child's skills and how they believe your child would fit on a team. After this clinic there is a draft of all kids. After the draft each team gathers and practices together. The manager further evaluates each child. At the end of the practice period the manager will then determine what kids he/she wants to keep on the team and what kids need further skills development in the Minor leagues. The Major league manager will send along a player assessment sheet for each child that does not make the Major league team. The Minor league managers will use these assessment sheets to draft kids on to their team. There is no additional player assessment clinic for the Minors other than what was held for the Majors. Even if you know that you want your child to play in the Minors, TLL still wants the child to attend the practice sessions with the Major league team that drafted them. We ask this for two reasons. One, this is the only time your child will have his/her skills assessed and documented, which will be needed in order for the Minor league manager to gain some knowledge of their skills and two, it lets your child see what a Major team is like, especially the skills of the twelve year old kids. It is just a good experience to let your child get a glimpse of the Majors before playing in the Minors.

Q: If I have already decided that I don't want my child to be considered for play in the Majors this season can I declare in advance that they only be considered for Minors?
A: YES! Please notify the league player agent in advance by email (email address is on the TLL website) and inform the league of your decision to have your child not be considered for Majors play this season. Your child will still be drafted by a Majors team but this is only to afford them the opportunity to practice with the kids that age and prepare for play this Spring with their Minors teams when they are formed. We strongly encourage, but do not require, your Minors bound child to participate in practices with the Majors team that drafts him/her.

Q: Where and when do the Minors play their games?
A: The Minor League plays their games on the exact same fields as the Major League does, the Boots Guedri Memorial National League Field #6 and American League Field #7. The Minors play the early games and the Majors league plays the late games. This is true on weeknights as well as on Saturdays and Sundays.