Each year in September, Parkway Little League holds tryouts to evaluate rising 10-12 year olds who wish to participate in the Majors Division during the upcoming Spring season.
Why are tryouts held in the Fall?
Tryouts are held in the Fall instead of the Spring for several reasons. First, players are more baseball ready in the Fall than in the Spring. Even if they haven't played since June, two months of rust is better than eight months. Second, the fields are in great shape, and the beautiful New England fall weather allows us to hold the tryouts on Praught and Bunker rather than take our chances with March or April weather, possibly ending up indoors. Third, many Majors teams like to start practicing in the Winter and early Spring months, and this is a valuable time to build team chemistry and hit the ground running on the first decent days of the Spring.
Who needs to try out?
Rising 10: If you wish to be eligible for Majors, you need to try out
Rising 11: If you wish to be eligible for Majors, and not already on a Majors team, you need to try out
Rising 12: If you wish to play in Majors, and are not already on a Majors team, you need to try out
Once a player is drafted onto a Majors team, that player remains on that team for the remainder of their Little League career and does not need to try out again each subsequent year.
Where and when are tryouts?
Keep an eye out for announcements over email, on the website, and other social media in late August or early September each year announcing the tryout dates. In order to avoid as many conflicts as possible, the league typically offers two tryout dates, one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday in mid-September. The league strongly encourages participation at both dates to provide the most opportunity for coaches to see each player, but attendance at only one of the dates is required.
Registration is required prior to trying out. Players should register on the website for the division that they are trying out for. Those who register for Majors but who are not drafted will have their registrations transferred to the Minors division.
All try outs are held at the Parkway Little League complex.
What are you evaluating at the tryouts?
- Baseball Skills: catching, throwing, fielding, hitting, baserunning, and general baseball knowledge
- Coachability: attitude, effort, ability to take direction, focus & attention
What happens after tryouts? What is the draft?
Shortly after tryouts (usually within a week of the last tryout), all Majors coaches gather for the Majors draft. This draft enables Managers to select new players from the list of those who tried out to fill vacant roster spots due to players who aged out from the previous season. All Majors teams must draft players until they have a full roster of 12 players. Per Little League regulations, any 12 year-old who attends at least one tryout is required to be selected in the draft. Any additional remaining spots are filled from among the 11 and 10 year old players who have tried out. Teams select players in reverse order of finish from the prior season, based on regular season record.
How do I know if my child was chosen?
After the draft, Majors coaches will notify those players that they have selected and welcome them into the team.
Any player not selected will receive an email from the league Player Agent notifying them of this. These players will be given the option of joining the "player agent list", which is a list of eligible players who may be called up to Majors to fill a vacant roster spot that emerges after the draft. Reasons for this include players who move away, become injured, choose to stop playing baseball, etc. Only those players who tried out are eligible for this player agent list. Requests by parents for re-consideration cannot be accommodated as all Major teams are at full capacity at the conclusion of the draft. Should my son or daughter try out?Per Little League Regulations, all players must try out to join a Majors team and all players league age 12 must be drafted onto a Majors team if they attend at least one tryout. For this reason, parents and their children should closely consider whether Majors is right for them. Majors Division is the highest level of baseball and the most rigorous coaching that Parkway Little League has to offer. Majors is a significant commitment with teams playing 3-4 games per week from mid-April until mid-June, and many teams holding practices 2-3 times in the remaining days. Most teams start practicing by mid-March, with many starting indoors in January or February. Minimum playing time required is 1 at-bat and 2 innings in the field for each player each game, which may result in less playing time in Majors than a player would expect in the Minors Division. Any players who feel they are unable to make the requisite commitment should consider this prior to trying out.
What if we change our mind after trying out?
If for any reason there is an issue that prevents your child from potentially joining any of our Major Division teams, please notify us immediately so that we can work to resolve any concerns you may have. It is highly preferable to make this decision before the draft, in fairness to the Major Division managers and the player's teammates, as doing so after the draft is more likely to adversely affect the performance of their team.
I'd like to join a specific Majors team, is that possible?
Little League regulations do not allow for parents to choose their team Manager or team at the Major Division. There are strict rules relative to an open draft process that allows for balanced rosters. Should you, for any reason, not want your child to play for the team that drafted them it would require your child to play in the Minors Division for the entire season and re-enter the draft process next season. There are no exceptions to this regulation.