Team Formation
We form Madison LL teams differently depending on the age of players in each division. If you still have questions about team formation after reading this page, please contact us.
Tee-Ball and Farm Divisions
At the youngest levels of Madison LL competitive game play is of secondary importance to the primary goals of skill development and having fun. Because of this emphasis on skill development and “getting comfortable” with baseball, players in the Tee Ball and Farm divisions are directly assigned to teams with consideration (but no guarantees) given to which school the player attends and to friend requests made at the time of registration.
AA, AAA, Majors and Juniors
Beginning in the AA division, play against other teams becomes a bigger focus, and with this progression we strive to have balanced skill levels across the teams within a division to promote a challenging and fun game experience. With this greater need to balance skill levels across teams, players in the AA division and above are selected to teams based on a draft. The formation of teams based on an equal distribution of skill level rather than on existing peer or school groups also helps promote another benefit of playing Little League: the opportunity to make new friends.
How Players are Placed into Divisional Draft Pools
Divisional draft pools are formed according to three main factors: (1) the player’s League Age; (2) the divisions the player is eligible for; and (3) whether the player attended any required player assessment.
League Age
Little League separates players into divisions by age, not by school grade. The League Age chart specifies a player's League Age based on birthdate, using a cutoff of Aug 31 between League Ages. (Note that a player’s League Age and actual chronological age may differ.) The League Age chart also clearly shows which division(s) a player may play in based on League Age.
Divisional Choices
In some cases, there is divisional overlap and players of a certain League Age are eligible to play in more than one division. In other cases, the division a player will play in is determined by Madison LL. Our Divisions page clearly shows which division(s) a player may play in based on League Age.
Required Assessments
Player assessments, when required, are offered on a few dates in January or February and players only need to attend one session. Assessments are required for League Age 11 and 12 players who did not play Majors previously, League Age 10 players who want to declare for the Majors draft, and League Age 8 or older players who did not play Madison LL in the immediately prior season. Assessments allow us to collect performance data for the player draft, helping to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of talent across all teams in a division.
How the Draft Works
The player draft is conducted by the Madison LL Player Agent in accordance with Little League International regulations. Before drafts can begin, player registration and any required assessments must be complete and managers for every team in each division must be nominated and approved by the Madison LL Board. Drafts for each division take one to two hours and are typically conducted in February.
Who Attends the Draft
In addition to the Player Agent, the manager of each team in the division must attend the draft in order to select players for his/her team. Often, the Divisional Commissioner will also attend the draft.
The Draft Pool
The draft pool for a division is comprised of the players who are eligible to play in that division, as described above. On draft day, managers are provided with player data sheets that include information about each player taken from any assessments that were required for that season plus the evaluation forms completed by the players’ coaches from the prior year. Together, these provide a reliable set of measures of various baseball-specific skills.
Player data sheets are never distributed prior to draft day and managers are not permitted to take data sheets with them after the draft is complete. Managers are also given strict instructions not to discuss the order in which players were picked in the draft. The draft is meant to equally distribute skill levels across teams in a division. No team manager has the authority to pre-select or promise to select a particular player to a particular team.
The Draft Process
Once managers are given the player data sheets, they are allowed sufficient time to review them and plan their draft strategy. The order of the draft is determined by random draw, and proceeds in a serpentine fashion, where the draft order reverses each round so as not to give an undue advantage to the team picking first.
Cascading Drafts
Some divisional drafts cascade into the draft for the next-lower division, determining the order in which these drafts must take place. For example, any League Age 11 or 10 player who is not drafted onto a Majors team will be placed into the AAA draft. Similarly, any League Age 9 player who is not drafted onto a AAA team will be placed into the AA draft.
Depending on the distribution of League Ages in a given season, we may implement cascading drafts between any or all divisions to ensure an appropriate distribution of ages and skill levels throughout the league.
After the Draft is Completed
Once drafts are completed, players are assigned to rosters in TeamSnap and the team assignment will be visible to players and parents. Coaches will then make contact with teams to begin organizing practices and other pre-season activities.
Generally speaking, the results of all team drafts are final. Players who register late may be added to rosters (in the same order as the draft rounds) if space permits. Once drafts are completed, there are very few circumstances that would prompt the Board to consider a change to rosters, and matters related to preference or convenience are not among them. Any requested changes require the review and approval of the Player Agent and the MLL Board.