Little League Key: the Draft

Team selection via live draft can be daunting for new or prospective coaches in little league baseball. There will always be debate as to how exactly to run a draft, or whether to use a draft at all for team selection. But with the right attitude, preparation, and commitment a live draft can be a fantastic way to build your team, get to know your fellow coaches, and recruit your assistant coaching staff (parents of dedicated players often make great assistant coaches).

This Little League Key focuses on the live draft process at the little league rec level.


If you are about to coach a rec league team in a league that runs a live draft to do player selection, you are spot-on to be wondering what you’re in for. As part of the prep, you’ll probably be offered hours of player tryout footage, notes from prior years’ coaches for kids who have played in the league before, inputs from your assistant coach (if you’re lucky enough to already have one), and of course a long list of rules that you will need to follow during the selection process.

There are certainly other ways to do player assignments, and the draft process has its drawbacks. But in the end, if your league runs the draft fairly, and if you spend the time to prepare well, I think you’ll find that the draft experience to be a blast. Just as importantly, if you take even some of the steps I lay out here, I guarantee that you will enter the season with a solid jumpstart on getting to know your kids, and probably some of their parents as well.

Step 1 - start preparing early. There is going to be a lot to do between taking the plunge and draft day (or night) itself. Don’t try to cram it all into a short time span. The more time you can give yourself, the more time you’ll have to do it right.

Step 2 - introduce yourself to your fellow coaches. Yes, mechanics are important, tryout footage, prior year notes. . .all of those are important and we’ll get to them all. But right out the gate take a step to understand who are your colleagues in this journey. The introduction here will likely take care of itself, in form of a Zoom call or a series of emails. Whatever form or forms it takes, lean into this phase. Establish yourself as a member of this cadre, and be yourself.

Step 3 - learn the draft mechanics. Each league will have its own approach to the specifics, things like how many 8-year olds, 9-year-olds, 10-years-olds, etc you’ll need to select, what order you’ll draft in, where the coaches’ and assistant coaches’ kids will be slotted, etc. The list of specifics is long, but do not be overwhelmed here. Better to spend your time studying whatever tools you have in front of you regarding the kids you’re going to be drawing from.

Step 4 - study your tryout footage. This phase of the preparation is by far the most time-consuming. Do not try to knock this all out in one sitting. It will take several sessions to get through all the footage, so be ready to spread this step out over multiple days. Right up front, establish what you’re looking for, and establish a scoring and notes system. When I first started, I tried to use a 1-3 scale, but I quickly found that to be inadequate. I ended up using about 6 levels of granularity, with space for my own comments. What I look for at the 2A level is of course different from the 3A or majors level, and completely different from a travel league. Bottom line is be clear with yourself on what will be your criteria, and then do your best to apply that same filter to all the players. When I’m building a team at the 2A/3A developmental levels, I’m looking first and foremost for the players most excited to be playing the sport. Then I’m looking at fundamentals, on batting, throwing, fielding. Time spent here will pay off in helping you achieve a reasonable balance of talent and excitement about the game. Leagues that take the process seriously, with coaches who take their time to prepare, reap the benefits of a well-balanced league with competitive parity.

Step 5 - study prior year coaches’ notes. If you have access to this type of reference material, use it. The benefits here apply to both the players and the parents. For the kids, these notes can help you understand how a kid performs in practice and games, and help you better round out your overall team composition. But remember - you are building a team from players and parents. If you can pick up a kid who has an unusually supportive dad or mom, maybe a parent with great technique as an assistant or willing to run Game Changer, that can be a great asset.

Step 6 - execute the draft with all your preparation. On draft day (or night), bring your laptop, your notes (and if possible your assistant). You have now done all the preparation work, you’ve racked and stacked the kids based on many factors, you’ve studied footage, you’ve read notes, and you’ve put thought into the kind of team dynamic you want to build. As the draft unfolds, take each selection calmly, and enjoy the experience of constructing a team that you will lead in the next season of their baseball development.


A season of little league baseball is a brief experience in youth athletic development, but the experience can have lasting impact on the kids. If your league leverages a live draft for team player selection, embrace this process as a unique opportunity as a coach to create and eventually shape your team to maximize the opportunities for all of your kids throughout your season.

Previous
Previous

Little League Key: Coaching Your Pitcher in a Game

Next
Next

Little League Key: Pitching