PLAYER EVALUATIONS
Player evaluations are conducted each year for AAA and Majors Little League Recreational teams in February, and for Supplemental and Select teams in December. Evaluations provide players the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and be placed on an appropriate team.
Little League Rec. evaluations are primarily conducted to ensure skill parity across teams and foster a level playing field within the AAA and Majors divisions. Every player that registers in these divisions will be placed on a team.
Supplemental and Select evaluations are more competitive. Trying out for one of these teams does not guarantee placement.
AAA and Majors Teams
Registered AAA and Majors players are strongly encouraged to participate in evaluations to determine their placement on a team while achieving team parity. Evaluations are held over two days in February prior to the beginning of the spring season.
Players need only attend one of these days, during which the following skill areas are observed:
- Throwing
- Catching
- Running
- Hitting
- Pitching
Coaches assess abilities on a five-point scale and use the results in a subsequent "draft" to place players on one of the available AAA or Majors teams in an effort to ensure an even distribution of skill levels. Players that do not attend evaluations will still be placed on a team. Once evaluation results are initially used to form teams, coaches may decide to "trade" players as long as skill parity is maintained and both team coaches agree on a trade. This draft process is typically undertaken during the week following evaluations. Soon after, players are notified about what team they will play on.
During AAA and Majors evaluations, players are asked to arrive with the following:
- Birth Certificate
- Glove
- Baseball Bat
- Batting Helmet
- Baseball Cap
- Sneakers or Cleats
Players are asked to arrive 15 minutes early to scheduled evaluations to ensure they are properly checked-in.
Supplemental and Select Teams
Both Supplemental and Select players must participate in evaluations to be considered for a team. Evaluations are typically held over two days in December prior to the beginning of the season. Players may participate in one or more scheduled evaluation dates, with each evaluation period lasting three hours.
Each player is evaluated on five skills by the Lincoln High School Baseball coaching staff:
- Offense - Bat-to-bat skills and gap-to-gap ability
- Defense - Infield/outfield and arm strength/command
- Pitching - Velocity, pitchability, and command
- Speed - Home-to-1st time, 5-10-5 shuttle drill
- Catching - Receiving, blocking, throwing
Please note that evaluations are for competitive level, Supplemental/Select teams only and are not for regular season, recreation teams. Trying out for a team does not guarantee a player will make a team. Players are notified of their team status by mid-December. If a player is chosen to participate on a Supplemental team, they can still register and play on a Little League community-based team.
There is no cost to try out for a Supplemental or Select team. However, if a player is chosen for a team, registration costs are approximately $850 (for Supplemental) to $1200 (for Select), depending on the total number of games, number of tournaments, etc. Each family is also responsible for purchasing their player's uniform. The uniform package will be ordered separately and completed online.