The All-Star Team Selection Process: Questions and Answers

The All-Star Team Selection Process: Questions and Answers:By Paul Acker (Former All-Star Coordinator) / Updated: Mike Ulvestad (2007)

Every year I'm inundated with questions like these before and after the All-Star Tournament teams are selected. A few years ago we went to a different selection format, so I thought it would be helpful to answer most of the essential questions about All-Stars that come up from year to year. Hopefully, this will be of help...

Redmond North Little League All-Stars Mission Statement:

Redmond North Little League takes the position that its All-Star teams be representative of the most talented and deserving players possible, who irrespective of their age and the level at which they play, possess the highest qualities of athleticism, good ‘baseball sense,’ good sportsmanship, and strong character. Redmond North Little League is committed to a selection process that will resultin the most balanced and competitive All-Star teams possible. The strongest consideration possible will be given to advancing the League's teams to their highest potential in All-Star tournament play, while at the same time embracing all the tenants of Little League and it's primary standard of good sportsmanship, teamwork, and fair play.
Question: When I read the All-Star selection document format laid out in the league rules it sounds confusing. Can you explain it in a more simplified and condensed way?
Answer: The All-Star teams are selected by secret ballot by the leagues managers after the regular season and tryout evaluations are complete. The managers of the Major's division select the Major's 11/12-year-old team, and the 10/11-year-old team. The Coast division managers select the 9/10-year-old team.

The managers and coaches of each division should be aware throughout the season of the abilities, skill, and performance level of the kids on their own team, as well as the players on other teams within their particular division. At the end of the season, the managers will compare notes, statistics, and observations about the players, and measure that against what they see in the player evaluation tryouts, and then vote for the players they feel would make the best team.
Basically, it follows this format:
* Players of the Coast and Majors divisions will have a chance to vote to establish a list of players who will receive a tryout.
*The Managers of each division will examine this list, and add to it any additional players selected for tryouts that they feel are worthy of All-Star consideration.
*Players chosen to participate in the tryouts will, along with a consenting parent or guardian, need to sign an All-Star commitment form and bring it to the tryouts if they wish to tryout and be considered for the team.
* The Players chosen by both the players and the managers will be given an evaluation tryout.
* After the player evaluation tryout period, the manager's of each division will, by secret ballot, vote for the kids they feel are most deserving and will contribute to making a successful team.
*Players who are selected are notified (traditionally early the next day) and then each team meets that evening to select an All-Star Manager for their own team.

* At the first team meeting (following the announcement of players selected for each team) the parents will vote for a team manager. The team manager then selects 2 coaches of his choice to assist him in coaching the team.

Tryouts

Question: How do players get a tryout?
Answer: They are either voted in by the players of their age and division as one of the top 8 players of their age group or division; are voted in as the top player of their respective team by their own teammates; or are selected by the manager's within the division in which they play.
Question: How will the tryouts work?
Answer: Participants will be given an equal chance to demonstrate their baseball skills, much like the pre-season tryouts, only in a little more comprehensive format. Players will demonstrate hitting, fielding, throwing, and running.
Question: Why have tryouts? That seems like a lot of pressure to put on young kids?
Answer: All-Stars is a different level of play. No matter how much you try to keep things in perspective, it is still a more pressurized environment. If a player is going to have a hard time executing his skills in a tryout, then it could be even more difficult for him playing at an All-Star level. Tryouts are a great assessment tool for the other managers in the league, who may have only seen a particular player from a different team only a couple of games. Remember, All-Stars are an option that one need not take should you (as parents), or your child, feel it is too stressful.
Question: What if my child can't make the tryouts? Can he/she still make the team?
Answer: In theory, yes. Remember, in the selection process, the player evaluation tryouts are just one part of the equation. However, missing the tryouts for any reason other than something of high priority could definitely jeopardize one's chances.

Question: How can my child have a great tryout and still not make the team?
Answer: Tryouts are just one evaluation method. The player¹s performance during the regular season, in combination with the opinion formed by the player's regular season manager, will carry the majority of weight in the minds of the other manager's within the league, in regards to final selection decisions. Plus, remember the player's manager has just one vote. A player must impress the other managers within the league. Tryouts are a great assessment tool for the other managers in the league, who may have only seen a particular player from a different team only a couple of games. The total assessment of a player's performance level for consideration for All-Star selection should involve the opinion of his coaches and managers in regards to his play on the field, attitude, attendance for practice and games, coachability, parental participation and/or interference, as well as his baseball skills as demonstrated in a physical tryout before the leagues managers. And it is important to note that during the draft the focus is on putting together the best overall team so balance and position coverage are critical in filling out the roster. 12 great 1st basemen with no pitchers won’t get the job done.
Question: How come some teams have 5 players trying out while others only have 1?
Answer: Quite frankly, it goes back to the draft. Each manager goes into the draft with different ideas in mind. Some go for the very best players. Many try to choose friends and helpers. Some are better than others at evaluating talent and others just turn out to be lucky. Additionally, win/loss records aren¹t always an indicator of All-Star talent on a particular team. Team schedules, team chemistry, some good or bad luck, and parental help often go along with coaching to produce a win/loss record, but don¹t always show the individual All-Star talent on a particular team. Just look at Major League Baseball.The bottom line is that no two teams are going to have equal representation. There is a provision in place that allows at least one player of each age group on each team to have a representative to the tryouts, so as to avoid the chance of a good player being hidden.
Question: What if the tryouts are rained out?
Answer: The tryouts will be cancelled, and the managers will pick the teams. Because of the urgency in regards to team selection, tournament schedules, and the difficulty in acquiring fields without conflicts, there will be no makeup date for tryouts.

Practice, Games, and Time Commitments

Question: How much do the teams practice?
Answer: It really depends on the style of the manager. You should prepare for at least 2 to 2 1/2 hrs each day. At the majors level there have been coaches in the past that did 2 practices a day. One practice in the morning for fielding and anotherpractice in the evening for hitting. The main thing to understand is it is very large commitment. Prepare for more rather than less...
Question: What if we have to leave for a few days and will miss practice and/or games?
Answer: Again, it really depends on the manager. The All-Star commitment form that players and their families must sign before the team selection process takes place, states “unexcused absences can result in termination from the team." The bottom line is, players and families must take seriously the commitment involved, and there is little tolerance for behavior that isn't team oriented.
Question: How long does All-Stars last?
Answer: The official Little League tournaments vary depending upon age. This year's schedule will be posted up on the website. Generally, the Majors tournament can last all the way into late August should the team advance to a national level. The 9-10 yr. old tournament, should they advance to the state level,usually goes until late July / early August. The 10-11 yr. old tournament, should they advance to the state level, usually also finishes up late July / early August.
Question: I've heard that no matter what, All-Star teams, at all levels, play games and tournaments all summer?
Answer: Again that depends on the Manager. The tradition in the past has been that once the team has been eliminated from the officially sanctioned Little League tournament, the Manager will sign the team up for some other tournaments at various (not officially sanctioned by Little League) places around the state. When entering these tournaments, the Manager doesn't have to use his identical team that was chosen by league rules for the officially sanctioned tournament, but generally courtesy dictates that he does. It is up to the manager to select the various tournaments of choice and obviously, up to the player's family to decide the participation level. In the past when I managed teams, I always tried to end no later than the 1st week of August so there was still ample time for families to have some family vacation time. You can't necessarily count on this happening though. Again, it depends on the Manager of the team.
Question: Is it true that some kids who make the team don't even play in the games?
Answer: That used to be the case a number of years ago. The current rules read that every team member must bat at least once a game, AND play at least 3 defensive outs (one inning). Players and families must be prepared for the possibility though, that a particular player may play the minimum in any given game or even sometimes throughout the whole tournament. That means it is really possible that a player may have attended weeks of 2 hr. practices and then only bats twice and plays 2 innings in the field if the team was to play the minimum of two games (both losses) in the tournament.

Team Selection

Question: Why is it that every year it always seems to be the same kids that are picked?
Answer: It's true, that there usually is a core of kids that move through the system from year to year, but it isn't always the case. Of the 14 kids on my older son's original 9-10 yr. old All-Star team, there were only 6 kids that played on the team all 3 yrs as 10, 11, and 12 yr. olds. It will change some from year to year. Kids will develop at different rates, and hopefully the leagues manager's will discover it to be so.
Question: Why does it seem that the kids whose dads are managers always get picked?
Answer: This question was posed to me after the 2000 team's were selected, so I went back and did some research, and found that in 2000 there were 20 teams at the Majors and Coast levels. Of the 20 managers only 5 manager's sons were chosen for the 3 All-Star teams that comprised 36 kids. Looks hardly like a conspiracy to me... or at least a poorly organized one. Remember, each manager gets one vote and cannot at anytime vote for his own child.
Question: Who counts the managers votes when the team is selected?
Answer: The League’s Player Agent and President.
Question: How can an 11yr. old player make the 12yr. old team, over my son/daughter who is a good player, and is 12yrs. old?
Answer: The rules at the national level label the Majors All-Star team as the Majors 11/12 yr. old All-Star team, similar to the 10/11 and 9/10 yr. old All-Star tournament teams. If an 11, 10, or 9yr. old player is better suited, and in the minds of the Managers better able to help a team achieve success, then they will make their decision accordingly. The managers are committed to putting together the best "team" possible. The best team may not involve a child who is the 3rd best home run hitter in the league, yet is only good at playing 1st base, when there are already in the eyes of a manager, others with more balanced skills for other positions that any given team may need in any particular year. "Teams" in sports need a balance of skills. Some kid who is small, fast, a good fielder, but maybe a weak hitter, will sometimes get picked over a better hitter for a team that already has plenty of good big hitters who lack the ability to play well defensively at the middle infield positions. Some players hit the ball well, but are maybe weak fielders and slower at running, while others are good contact hitters and fielders at many positions. It's all about trying to find balance. There is an old adage in Baseball that says, "Pitching and defense wins games". Obviously, when the skills are fairly equal in trying to match the needs of the team, position wise, an older player (12 instead of 11, 11 instead of 10, or 10 instead of 9) shouldalways be given precedent.
Question: Isn't it all just about politics anyway?
Answer: There is no foolproof system for making sure that the absolute most deserving kids make the team. Every year, even at the professional level, people will argue about those that should have, and those that didn't... In Little League All-Stars there are 12 – 14 players chosen per team. Usually, about 8 to 10 most wouldn't argue against. It's always those last 4- 5 kids chosen where it could have easily been 4 - 5 other kids maybe just as deserving. We¹ve built the selection process with as much fairness as possible by doing things like asking Managers throughout the season to keep an eye on the other teams. We have asked that both players and Managers select members to the try-out. Finally, by adding the tryouts and then having every Manager in the division vote on the best team of players, we feel that the process is as fair and as objective as it can be. It is just that there isn¹t room for all of the deserving kids.
Unfortunately, when it comes to our kids¹ disappointment, life doesn¹t always seem fair, and it is easy to be hurt. I believe, (though difficult as it may be), parents need to think hard about how they are going to treat the injustices "they feel" they've been dealt, and the lessons they are going to teach their kids when it doesn't turn out like they expected it should have. Is it always somebody else¹s fault - rather than what are the circumstances and what can be done differently next time? Then, what are we teaching our children? Whether it's the next job, the next teacher, the umpiring call at 2nd base, or the lack of an All-Star selection, we all need to glean what we can from the experiences we can't always control, good or bad, and move on positively. That's the one thing we can all control.

Question: Why does the league allow 10 year olds to participate on the 11 year old team and 11 year olds to participate on the Majors 11/12 team? Wouldn’t it be better to have the best ten and eleven year olds play on the 9/10 and 10/11 year old team respectively? Doesn’t the absence of these top players impact their age specific team’s ability to compete?

The league’s role is to field the strongest team at its highest levels at all times. To this end, if a younger player presents superior talent or fills a specific need the league will support that player’s interest if they wish to “play up.” This may negatively impact the competitiveness of our other teams. The ultimate goal of the All-Star program is to achieve the highest success possible at the 11/12 All-Star level where the ultimate destination is the Little League World Series.