What exactly is evaluated in Evaluations?

Players will be evaluated in each of the following 5 areas:

* Batting
* Fielding Ground Balls
* Fielding Fly Balls
* Throwing / Pitching
* Running

Teams are usually formed within a couple weeks of evaluations. This process is subject to the league having enough Managers who have volunteered to coach that season. They can’t really form teams without Managers to coach those teams, so that is usually the biggest reason for a delay in forming teams.

It is generally up to the coach to contact the players once he/she has a final roster in hand. The Manager will let you know when and where practices will be, and will quite possibly have a team meeting to start out the season and get you all the information you need.

One final note: The game schedule typically isn’t released until VERY CLOSE to the beginning of the season. As frustrating as this is, it is what it is. The leagues are working with a fairly small window of time between the close of registration, then evaluations, and then coming up with a game schedule for the entire league. So be patient.

What is the evaluation process?

Check-In
You will most likely stand in line to check your child in. Your child will receive a number to attach to the front and/or back of his/her shirt.

Wait
Depending on the set-up of the event, kids can start warming up and playing catch with each other while they wait. You might want to consider bringing a glove for yourself to be able to play catch with your child while you wait.

Gather in your assigned group
Most tryouts will have a few different groups of kids, and each group will rotate through the different stations (batting, fielding, throwing, and running)

Rotate through the evaluation stations
This is where the kids need to pay attention to their group and where they are rotating. Depending on how evaluations are set up, parents may want to keep an eye on their kids to ensure they are where they are supposed to be.

Go Home
After your child is finished at the last station, they are usually free to leave. You will receive an email with information on when MNLL will be hosting a Hat Day event that will include all of the team details however, depending on weather this may be postponed to a later date. 

What If my child cannot make it to the evaluations?
Every player is placed OR drafted on a team. All players league age 8 are required to attend the player evaluations to determine the division the player will be drafted in. Failure to attend the player evaluation session will result in the player being a "Hat Pick" at the draft or possibly placed in a lower division. So we would suggest in the best interest of your player to attend the Evaluations which will help determine their placement based on their skill level.

I would like to request for my child to be evaluated (or moved) to an upper level division.  What should I do?Players League age 8 and above will go through a draft process. Players are drafted to the highest appropriate division based on their individual skill set as assessed during evaluations. If you have concerns regarding your child's placement please contact us at [email protected]

Who can I talk to if I have questions about my registration?
If you have any questions regarding the registration process, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have

Why does a 7 or 8 -year-old need to “evaluate?”
Don’t be intimidated by the word evaluate / tryouts. Everyone makes the team in Little League. Evaluations are simply for the league to be able to spread the level of talent around. Most leagues don’t have assessments for Tee Ball, but all other levels (about age 8 and up) do.

What do I need to bring to evaluations?

* Bat
* Water
* Helmet 
* Fielding Glove
* Batting Gloves – only if you have them

What do participants wear?

* Hat
* Cleats
* T Shirt
* Athletic cup
* Shorts / Athletic Pants /Baseball Pants