At this level, players attend a required evaluation in February or early March. Fundamental fielding, catching, throwing, and hitting are the key skills being evaluated. Players are placed onto teams using a player draft, with the primary goal being more balanced teams. Teams usually practice 2-to-3 times per week, and play two games per week. About 15-to-20 games for the season. Score is kept and all players must play at least six defensive outs, and bat at least once. Free substitutions are allowed for defense positions, except for pitcher and there is a 4-run-per-inning run limit. The goal of the coaches should still be to move the players around to various positions, but by the end of the season those players showing an aptitude for specific positions will be spending more time in those spots. Development of pitchers and catchers is a coaching focus.
Post Season Teams: All Stars
Triple A is the first year in which players can participate in post season tournaments.
All Star teams are created by selecting the best players at a particular age group within the league. These teams are designed to be as competitive as possible as the intent of these teams is to win against other Little League All Star teams. All Stars are played by different rules than the regular season. Free substitution and roster batting are not used in tournament play. Other rules restrict substitutions, pitching availability, and player utilization. The result of these rules is that some players will play very little and players, as well as parents, must learn to cooperate with the manager who makes the playing time decisions.
Post Season Commitment
The most influential people in All Stars are the players' parents. By their attitude, effort, cooperation, and contributions, the team is able to succeed. There is a significant commitment required to participate in post-season play as teams usually practice 3-to-5 days per week, starting around June 15th, until their tournament begins in order to prepare for the level of play that will be seen in the tournaments. Families that want to be considered for post-season play should try to schedule summer vacations accordingly.