Maidu Little League Draft Procedures
(updated by the Board of Directors 1/03)

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Major/Minor Division Tryouts: 
Tryouts will be held for all players of league age 8 through 12 who are not previously on a Major division team in Maidu Little League.  During the tryouts, each player shall be given the opportunity to (1) bat;  (2) field fly balls;  (3) field ground balls; (4) throw; and (5) run the bases, as field conditions permit.   Each manager must be present at the tryout sessions, as well as any coaches that will assist with player evaluations.

All players must attend at least one tryout session in order to be eligible for the Major or Minor division draft.  All players age 10, 11, & 12 who try out will be available to be selected on a Major division team. Nine year olds must try out for the Minor division. NINE YEAR OLDS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO PLAY IN THE MAJOR DIVISION. 

Players are required to attend the scheduled tryout sessions.  Any player who is unable to attend even one of the scheduled tryout sessions will only be able to have a “special tryout” with board approval, and such permission will only be given rarely, in cases where strong conflicts made attendance at all tryout sessions impossible.  The special tryout will be a shortened version of the tryout session, as designed by the Player Agent. 

Junior/Senior Division Tryouts: 
Tryouts will be held for these divisions only if there are enough registered players to cause the need for more than one team in a division.  If a tryout is necessary, the format will be the same as for the Major/Minor division tryouts.  All players of league age 13 and 14 will be eligible for the Junior division, and all players of league age 15 and 16 will be eligible for the Senior division.

Major Division Draft:
Following the tryouts and on a date to be announced by the President, Majors managers (each team will be represented by only the managers during the draft) will gather with the Major Player Agent and other board members as needed to manage the draft for the purpose of selecting players.  Each team shall be comprised of 12 players.  Any player, once selected on a Major division team, will remain with that team for as long as the player plays continuously in Maidu Little League, and until the player reaches league age 13.  The number of draft picks each team will receive in the draft will be the number of players needed to add to the number of returning players to that team to add up to 12.

Teams will draft in reverse order of their final finish in the previous season’s standings.  The #1 TOC seed from the previous season will pick last, preceded by the #2 TOC seed from the previous season.  The remaining teams will be placed in order based upon their overall won-loss record from the previous season.  If there are two teams with the same record, head-to-head record will be the first tie-breaker.  If that is also even, then a coin toss will determine draft position for those two teams.  Each manager will have three minutes to make a selection when it is his/her turn to select a player.

Per Little League rules, no manager may select more than eight players in any one age group.

Managers will be encouraged to do whatever possible to give deference to older players over younger ones whenever possible.  The goal will be that, except where players’ safety will be at risk, that all 12 year old players will have the opportunity to play in the Major division. 

Secrecy: Managers are never to disclose the position in which a player was drafted. 

Options:  An option is an agreement between a manager and the Player Agent covering a special condition.  There are three possible options, as follows: 

  1. Sons/Daughters of Managers – A manager who has sons and/or daughters eligible for the draft who wishes to draft them, must state so in writing to the Player Agent 48 hours prior to the draft.  If so stated, the parent/manager is REQUIRED to exercise the option prior to the close of the specific draft round depending on the League Age of the player in question.  10 year olds must be taken by the 5th round, 11 year olds by the 4th round, and 12 years olds by the 3rd round.  If the player has not been selected by the round prior to the round in which the player must be selected, the Player Agent will indicate that player as the selection of that manager automatically as their next selection. 
  2. Brothers/Sisters of Players Currently on the Team – A manager shall submit an option, in writing to the Player Agent 48 hours prior to the draft, on a player who has a brother or sister on that manager’s team.  This option must be completed within the first three draft selections.  If the player has not been selected by the second round, the Player Agent will indicate that player as the selection of that manager automatically as their next selection.
  3. Brothers/Sisters in the Draft – Any manager may use an option on two or more brothers and/or sisters who are eligible draft candidates.  When the first brother or sister is selected, the manager exercising the option must declare his/her intent to use the option, and the manager automatically selects the brother or sister with his/her next draft selection. 

Bonus Picks:  Any manager requiring eight or more players prior to the draft to complete the roster will be allowed  one bonus pick at the completion of round four.  If more than one manager is allowed bonus picks under this section, the order of rotation will be the same as the order being followed in the draft.

Minor Division Draft:
Once the Major division rosters have been filled, and on a date to be announced by the President, Minors managers (each team will be represented by only the managers during the draft) will gather with the Minor Player Agent and other board members as needed to manage the draft for the purpose of selecting players.  Each team shall be comprised of a minimum of 12 players.  The roster sizes will be dependent on the number of players to be drafted, with all players who try out for Minors being drafted except for those who are determined by the Managers, working with the President and Minor Player Agent, to need experience at the Farm level.  Minor division teams do not carry over year to year, and each team will be drafted from scratch each year.

Managers’draft position will be determined by a random drawing of numbers.  Teams will select in order starting with number 1 in the first round, and then that order will be reversed for round two.  The draft will continue in a serpentine fashion until all rosters have been filled.  (If there are six Minor teams, they would draft 1 through 6 in the first round, then number 6 would take the first pick in the second round, with the draft continuing in reverse order back through number 1.  Number 1 would then start the third round, number 6 the fourth, etc.)   Each manager will have two minutes to make a selection when it is his/her turn to select a player.

Managers will be encouraged to do whatever possible to give deference to older players over younger ones whenever possible.  All 11 and 12 year old players who are not playing in the Major division must play in the Minor division unless there are special circumstances involving the safety of the child.

Managers will be allowed to protect their own child/children in the draft.  That player will be automatically slotted as their final selection.  If the manager has two children, the second will be automatically slotted in the next previous round, and so on. 

Managers are not allowed to protect players for coaches to assist them, but all managers are encouraged, where practical, to work with the Minor Player Agent and the other managers prior to the beginning of the draft to make necessary arrangements to allow managers to team up with an assistant coach of their choosing.

If there are enough players for more than one team in the Junior or Senior division, the draft will follow the same format as the Minor division draft.

There will be no draft for the Farm or Rookie division, and all effort should be made to balance teams in those divisions.