LL All-Star Team Roster - Max Players?

[RetoolingDad]

Can anyone tell me what is the maximum amount of players allowed on a LL World Series tournament All-Star team roster? I've tried to search through various LL websites for the official rules, but was unable to find anything.
Whatever the rule is.....is it the same for 10 - 11yr olds as well?

[dolphindan1]

Our All-Star teams 9-10 and 11-12 have to have 12 players no more no less. I dont know if that holds true when you get to the World Series but thats what it is at our local level....hope that helps

[TG Coach]

I'm not involved in LL anymore. The rules might have changed. A team must have at least eleven players. However, it can't have three coaches unless there are at least thirteeen. I believe the max is fifteen players.

The problem is, with guaranteed playing time the more players there are, 1) the harder it is to please every parent and 2) keep the best players on the field longer.

[shake-n-bake]

My son went to All-Stars tryouts this afternoon and the manager explained it like this: If they have a coaching staff of 3, they can have 13 players. If there is just a manager and one coach, then they can have 12 players. The reason? - Don't know.

[azmatsfan]

My son went to All-Stars tryouts this afternoon and the manager explained it like this: If they have a coaching staff of 3, they can have 13 players. If there is just a manager and one coach, then they can have 12 players. The reason? - Don't know.

That's a national LL rule. You can't add the third coach until you have at least 13 on the team. I think it's there way to encourage teams to carry more players.

[dolphindan1]

My son went to All-Stars tryouts this afternoon and the manager explained it like this: If they have a coaching staff of 3, they can have 13 players. If there is just a manager and one coach, then they can have 12 players. The reason? - Don't know.

Not sure what league they are playing but my son is playing Dixie youth and the teams must have 12 players and 1 head coach and 2 Assistants. This rule was in effect before last seasons All-stars...3 years ago it was different I think it was an 11 team roster then...We live in a small area and we play against teams that have 2 divisions to pick all-stars from and we are luckt to have 3 teams...so its a bit harder to compete. I like the smaller roster cause usually after 7 or 8 its a big drop off in talent for us...I kinda wish they would classify rec departments...1A, 2A, 3A etc...mainly for the 1st round. Our league knows we are going to lose but are happy to make the team.

[shake-n-bake]

We have Little League Baseball. I found out that my boy made the first round of cuts yesterday, so we get to do it again tonight. There's 6, maybe 7 spots (depending on the 12 or 13 players thing) available on the team. Six are automatically in by virtue of being drafted into Majors at the beginning of the year. I don't have a problem with that because my personal assessment yesterday was that they were all within the top 13 out there.

The sore subject with me is that these kids were not the best 6 players though. It was really obvious that a couple or three kids trying out for the 6 or 7 open spots played in a miserably non-competitive division during the season and absolutely should've made Majors ahead of most of the 10 year olds that did.

According to the coaches, they were going to ask no more than 10 kids competing for the open spots back tonight. His chances are good both in terms of ability and the numbers, but this league has taught us to keep our optimism in check.

[shake-n-bake]

Well my boy made the All-Star team. I thanked him for bringing his "A" game to tryouts and leaving no doubt in anyone's mind. My wife answered the phone call from the coach. She was very happy and proud of him. She asked why he didn't seem overjoyed (like us)? He matter of factly told her, "Hey mom, this isn't the finish line. It is only the starting line."

[TG Coach]

Why do some LL's have all-star tryouts? The season is a tryout. I wouldn't be swayed by anything I saw over a few days after watching a season.

[Shappy]

We are in the Babe Ruth League here, and the rule is 12 players are required but as many as 15 can be on the roster. As for the choosing of all star teams, I think that tryouts are a very bad idea. However, in the league we are in, fairness is sometimes a problem, or perhaps I should say, lack of. At the end of the season, all coaches turn over their score books to the all star coaches, who then go through them to select the best players, with advice from the season coaches taken into consideration. (well, this is how it is SUPPOSED to happen anyway)

I just discovered that a player from one team who was hands down the best player on that particular team was not chosen for all stars. This kid never struck out during the season, not even once. He was the only child on his team to hit a homerun and he hit 4 of them during season play, and he had more doubles and triples that most of the other players combined. All around, he carried this team through most of their wins. Why was he not chosen? Apparently the all star coach relied heavily upon the team coaches suggestions and paid little attention to the books. One player from this kids team made the all star team - the coaches kid - who was at best, the #4 or #5 player on the team.

My point I guess, is that while I don't think tryouts are the way to go, as you don't really get a good idea of how these kids will play long-term, I also think that all star coaches should pay more attention to the kids season records and less attention to the season coaches who just want their own kids on the rosters.

[sdime98]

its kinda sad how it is a case of who you are, and now how you are, when it comes to situations like these, where the coaches kid, gets picked over the players who are simply put, better.

our local league has a system set up, where with 2 or 3 games left in the regular season, each headcoach writes in nominees from their team, which they feel, should be up for consideration, all the names go on a ballot, and all the coaches are able to vote in who they feel should make up the team, votes are tallied, and the top 12 vote-getters make up the team, i feel like it is a good system, although its almost a given that the coaches kids are always nominated, although personally, in most cases here, those players are some of the more elite, on their teams, although there have been some kids left out, in the past few years of our all star teams, which i felt were more than deserving.

[TG Coach]

We are in the Babe Ruth League here, and the rule is 12 players are required but as many as 15 can be on the roster. As for the choosing of all star teams, I think that tryouts are a very bad idea. However, in the league we are in, fairness is sometimes a problem, or perhaps I should say, lack of. At the end of the season, all coaches turn over their score books to the all star coaches, who then go through them to select the best players, with advice from the season coaches taken into consideration. (well, this is how it is SUPPOSED to happen anyway)

I just discovered that a player from one team who was hands down the best player on that particular team was not chosen for all stars. This kid never struck out during the season, not even once. He was the only child on his team to hit a homerun and he hit 4 of them during season play, and he had more doubles and triples that most of the other players combined. All around, he carried this team through most of their wins. Why was he not chosen? Apparently the all star coach relied heavily upon the team coaches suggestions and paid little attention to the books. One player from this kids team made the all star team - the coaches kid - who was at best, the #4 or #5 player on the team.

My point I guess, is that while I don't think tryouts are the way to go, as you don't really get a good idea of how these kids will play long-term, I also think that all star coaches should pay more attention to the kids season records and less attention to the season coaches who just want their own kids on the rosters.

Stats in small numbers can be very misleading. With fifty at-bats each hit is worth 20 points. What happens to the kid who only hit .300 but hit six blasts right at fielders? The book doesn't tell the truth on this kid.

The kid on the last place team may have hit .400 without ever facing a quality pitcher. Then he gets to all-stars facing nothing but quality pitching and can't get his bat on the ball.

All the coaches should sit down and choose the team. The all-star coaches should choose the last two or three to have a roster that fits their coaching style.

[dolphindan1]

Why do some LL's have all-star tryouts? The season is a tryout. I wouldn't be swayed by anything I saw over a few days after watching a season.

the issue I think is that in our rec league its not always the best player that makes the team....usually the coaches son or the one with the best connections. I am sure a tryout doesnt totally eliminate that but it would stop some of it I think....Just my opinion

I see it alot...

[dolphindan1]

I prefer to see tryouts....You have to tryout to make the travel teams, the JV and Varsity teams....usually 1 or 2 day tryouts...How can those coaches determine who would fit best in that situation. Its the same scenario. You can actually tell alot about a player if you put on a good tryout...again just my opinion...I also think the head coach should be able to pick his all-star team not players nominated for him. each coach is different and likes different type players. However I do believe the players trying out should be nominated by the head coaches...

[Shappy]

The pitching machine is calibrated before every game and checked several times during the course of the game by the Umps, so pitchers have nothing to do with it. Each kid out there has the same opportunities. As for where the balls are hit to, like I said, this kid has hit more doubles and triples than most of the other kids combined, that pretty much eliminates F/C's. Also, the scorebooks are kept in great detail of every play, if a ball does get blasted to a fielder, it is noted in the books not only where the ball was hit to (via a broken line) but also which player made the catch, if applicable. I thought this was standard in score keeping? Usually, any kid on base when he came up to bat, scored. I have no idea what any of the score books say about those kids - I coached SB this year. however, I do know what I have seen. This kid ended up on the same team as one of my nephews this year, and fortunately I got the opportunity to watch them quite often.

All said, I wouldn't hesitate to put this particular kid up against much older players, I had the privilege of coaching him several years ago and he is a natural baseball player, the rare kind of kid every coach hopes to get the chance to work with, and I really feel sad for him that he got bypassed this year just so yet another coaches kid could make the all star roster. In this division, there were 9 teams and from what I can tell, the all star roster consists mostly of coaches kids and (covers head) kids from a particular church, the church of the All Star coach/Commissioner.

As DolphinDan1 said, it is about the unfairness of it all, the better kids being pushed aside to make room for certain kids just because of who their parents are or who they know.

My apologies to the OP for venting on his thread. :sorry: