ARTICLE XIV – SPRING TEAM SELECTION
Section 1. Registration and Division Breakdown
Players, Managers, and Coaches will be registered via the PNLL website
Divisions will be broken down in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Little League Rulebook (General: Divisions of play and Regulations: Regulation I - The League).
Section 2. Player Assessment
All players above T-ball will be assessed for safety and capability
Players who have been signed up for Machine or Coach pitch will be assessed to determine which of the two divisions is best suited for the player. The player may also be recommended to be moved to the Minor League Player Pitch division.
Players who have been signed up for Player Pitch (Minor League or Major) will be assessed to ensure they player is not a safety risk and are capable of playing at the level requested. Players may be asked to move between the divisions depending on their assessment and number of players in the divisions.
Assessors: Players will be assessed by independent evaluators (minimum of 3, ideally 5 or more) that will include the PNLL Player Agent(s) and volunteers, (adults who are not in consideration for a manager or coach within the division may volunteer). Players will also be assessed by potential managers and coaches.
The independent evaluation will consist of quantifiable criteria so that the results of the assessment can be used to numerically rank the pool of players prior to the draft
Both evaluation groups will determine if which division each player is capable of participating and can do so safely
Determining if a player is capable and safe to participate may adjust from year to year as the player pool changes
Post Assessment: Immediately following the assessment for a division, all evaluators will meet to discuss safety concerns. A safety concern can be a player that may not be ready for a division targeted for older players or a player that should be playing in a higher division. Any player that is recommended for a division change may not be moved until the Player Agent(s) and parents have approved the division change.
Section 3. Managers and Coaches
Only Major and Minor League Player Pitch Divisions have the Manager and Coach process described below.
Managers and Coaches should register prior to assessments so that the Board of Directors can evaluate for approval, not selection, as soon as possible. This will also allow an early identification of potential volunteer needs as player numbers are analyzed.
Managers are not selected until after the assessment is complete and it is determined how many teams will be fielded for that season.
Potential Managers should identify their 2 Coach selections as soon as possible. This is to help ensure that the managers and coaches are approved by the Board of Directors prior to the assessment and draft.
Volunteers who have signed up as an Assistant Coach (Coach), but are not on a Managers staff, will be evaluated for approval by the Board of Directors
If a selected Manager does not have 2 Board approved Coaches by the day of the draft, they will need to select from the list of coach volunteers that have been approved by the Board
Section 4. Team Draft
Only Major and Minor League Player Pitch Divisions have the Player Draft as described below.
PNLL uses a modified “Plan B - Redraft” with the “Alternate Method for Plan B” from Little League Baseball Rulebook, Policies: “Local League Draft Methods”, and Policies: “Options on Sons, Daughters, and Siblings”. The items of importance and modifications are documented below:
Modification: Managers and Coaches will be determined prior to the Draft
One coach may participate in the draft with the Manager
The draft rotation is a “snake draft” (i.e., Draft Order = Draft Position 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, etc.)
Managers should not draft more than 8 players from any one age group, unless unavoidable
Modification: Manager and Coaches kids will have their draft position pre-determined based on the independent evaluation ranking (breakdown to follow)
Modification: Siblings will be on the same team unless requested by parents to separate (breakdown to follow)
If the number of capable and safe to play 11 and 12 year olds has not been drafted by the time that the same number of drafts remain, those players will be the only players available to draft
Pre-Draft Player Ranking: The Pre-Draft Player Ranking is determined by the input from all independent evaluators during assessments. Each player's ranking from each evaluator is combined/averaged to determine the overall ranking for that player within the player pool. This rank will be used to represent each player's potential draft position.
Player ranking from the independent evaluation will not be viewed by any coach unless it is necessary. A Manager will not be allowed to view the ranking until after their coaches have been selected and approved and it is necessary for them to view it.
Draft Setup: All Managers and Coaches must be identified and approved prior to the commencement of the draft.
Managers names will be put into a hat, or similar containment device, and names will be drawn to determine draft order. Using numbers instead of names is also sufficient.
A. Determining Evaluated Draft Round: Some players will be automatically selected based on familial ties (i.e., sons, daughters, and siblings). To determine what round a player will be automatically selected in, is based on the overall ranking from the independent evaluation.
A player's overall ranking in the independent evaluation will equal their Evaluated Draft Position in the division draft
Depending on how many teams are being drafted, the players evaluated draft position will determine the players Evaluated Draft Round
B. Manager and Coaches Kids Draft Position: Manager and Coaches children will be automatically selected based on their Evaluated Draft Round.
Due to the 10 player team minimum requirement, there will be no loss of a round pick when the Evaluated Draft Round deconfliction occurs in round 5 or later. Any lost picks will be moved to round 9 and 10 as bonus/additional picks.
Drafting Siblings: Siblings will be on the same team unless requested by parents to be separated. When a sibling is selected, the second sibling will automatically be selected in their evaluated draft round. If that evaluated draft round has already passed, they will be selected in the next available round.
Section 5. Post-Draft Trades – Trades
Section 6. Parental Objection
(A) If parents do not wish their player to play for a specific manager/coach or with a specific player, the parent may contact the Player Agent, Vice President, and/or President. This request shouldn’t be made known, if ever, unless the player is attempted to be drafted by the manager or to the team with the player and/or coach, in which case the Player Agent or Vice President will announce, “pass”. This may not be questioned. The drafting manager is to select another player and the draft will move on.
(B) Should there be multiple requests, the BOD Officers will need to approve as to avoid draft manipulations.
(C) Objections must be “reasonable” and should not ultimately lead to their player being drafted by a specific manager.