Rookies Overview• Breaking into 2 Divisions…Why?

– Safety• Players with Advanced skills can lead to potential injuries to kids that

have not played before• New/Inexperienced Players may become intimidated playing with more

advanced players…the National League gives them the room to grow and improve

• Advanced may not progress as far as they want playing with newer kids and limited coaching resources

– More Time for Coaches to develop individual players at intermediate and advanced levels

– Allow for Intermediate players to develop without fear of better players or competition

– Allow advanced players to learn skills that will be needed at the next level of play while still playing in a fun environment

ROOKIES OVERVIEW NATIONAL LEAGUE:

• The National League is an Intermediate League that will provide the opportunity for young and aspiring first time or previous Tee-Ball players to learn the basic rules of baseball and improve upon the fundamentals of the game. The National League is an ideal league for up and coming Tee-Ballers, 7 or 8 years olds new to the game of baseball or those looking to gain more experience in fielding at different positions and hitting a machine pitched baseball at a slower speed. Each player in the National League will learn multiple fielding positions throughout the season and will be rotated to a different positions each game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

• The American League is an Advanced League for more experienced 7-8 year old players that consistently display above average fundamentals in hitting, throwing, and fielding. The American League will mirror the competitive 8U Cal Ripken rules including the ability to take extra bases on over throws and will face a faster machine pitched baseball. Players in the American League will be positioned according to their skill level as determined by their Coaches and will play a minimum of two positions per game. A greater emphasis will be placed on learning the more advanced skills and techniques of baseball such as turning a double play, throwing to the proper cut off man, backing up other positions and playing Catcher.

• Parents wanting their child to play in the more advanced American League but my be unsure of their skill level will be allowed to participate in an assessment prior to the start of the season. Safety concerns outweigh all other factors.

Rookies Overview(cont)

• National League is primarily for 6 and 7 year olds– 8 Year olds can play in this league to sharpen their skills or to

assist with family requests…safety will still be a primary concern

– Tee-Ball players will use this as the introductory league to the next level of baseball

• American League is primarily 7 and 8 year olds that have played baseball for multiple years and at multiple levels– 6/7 year olds can play if they pass the assessment

– 9 year olds not ready for Minors can stay down one more year for additional instruction or to assist with family requests.

American League

• Advanced league– Rules will follow close to Travel Team Rules

• Will be 4 to 6 teams• Minimum of 9 regular season games • Will be more advanced rules

• Similar to Little League or Babe Ruth Minors and Travel Team

• Overruns, Faster Pitch setting, less rotation of positions

• More advanced practices and drills

• Double elimination Playoff (guarantees at least 11 games)

National League • Will be 8 to 10 teams

• Minimum of 9 regular season games

• Players will have more coaching time to focus on basic skills…such as:– Hitting, Catching, Fielding, Throwing

• Same Rookies rules as last year: – No over throws, half way rule,

• Single elimination Playoff (guarantees at least 10 games)

How to decide which league to be in:• Rookies from last season that were able to catch, throw and hit on a regular basis

and have been evaluated at a elevated level will have a guaranteed slot in the American league. (Commish will identify these players prior to assessment)

• New and/or Borderline players will be given the opportunity to tryout to play in the American league

– Safety trumps any expectation

• Players that are just coming up from Tee Ball or need additional coaching will be guaranteed slots in the National League based on parental request

• If you have two players and want to keep them together the National league is just the right place

• Both Leagues will strive for balanced teams so besides family requests and Coach/Player alignment there will be no other special requests

Summary• Rookies is the stepping stone to the next level of Baseball (Minors or American)

• Pioneer Rule Book on the web site will have all the detailed changes and differences to the rules

• We want to make sure that the Coaching time and effort is there for each child's needs and abilities

• If we can use this season to enhance players in American/National Leagues they will be more prepared for the next level of Minors or the American League

• The ability to play more and at higher level of play will enhance each child's baseball skills regardless of American/National

– More time for coaches to help with the “basics” in the National League

– More time for the coaches to work on advanced skills in the American League

– Coaches will be able to spend more time with each child

• An assessment will be held prior to the season to help parents evaluate their players skills is a key component to each families decision.