If you did not receive the original email sent on 1/13/2025, or one of the reminder emails that will go out over the next week, with the link to sign up for Player Evaluations, please email [email protected].
All REGISTERED players League Age 7-12 (born 9/1/2012-8/31/2018) are expected to attend a Player Evaluation. League Age is the age your player will be on August 31, 2025.
The Player Evaluations are the first practice of the season. They allow managers an opportunity to evaluate players to ensure they are drafted in a division appropriate for their skill level.
All Farm, Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and Major teams are formed via draft. Players may be drafted into ANY age-qualifying division, which may differ from the division the player is registered in. Any player who does not attend a Player Evaluation will be "blind drafted" to a team (typically to the lowest division they qualify for, e.g., a 12 would go to Majors, an 11 to Triple-A, a 10 to Double-A, etc.).
A player on the "waitlist" DOES NOT need to attend a Player Evaluation, as the player is not fully registered. Only fully registered players (who have completed Document Review and paid registration fees in full) can participate in evaluations and be drafted onto a team. If you have any health/medical or extenuating circumstances (e.g., the player is currently injured) or questions about Player Evaluations that are not answered here, please email [email protected].
Be sure to arrive 30 minutes before your time slot to check in (receive the player number and confirm which dugout to report to) and have the player(s) warm-up, on their own or with another player, by doing some light dynamic stretching and playing catch. Once the player begins their evaluation, it will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. A player who is late for or misses their scheduled time slot may have to attend makeups on Saturday (1/25) if we cannot work them in by night's end.
The Player Evaluation dates, by League Age, are as follows:
- Tuesday, January 21st (5:30 PM - finished): for League Age 11s and 12s
- Thursday, January 23rd (5:30 PM - finished): for League Age 9s and 10s
- Saturday, January 25th (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM): for League Age 7s and 8s
- Saturday, January 25th (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM): Makeup time of any League Age 7-12 player that could not make the primary slot above.
What should players bring and do before evaluation?
- Arrive 30 minutes early to check-in and warm-up (e.g., jumping jacks, light jog, arm circles, windmills, reverse lunges, and some catch).
- Wear a baseball uniform or any athletic clothing you would wear to practice (e.g., baseball pants or sweatpants, t-shirt or jersey, maybe with a turtleneck or sweatshirt.)
- Wearing cleats is optional (no metal spikes); however, tennis shoes are required if not wearing cleats.
- Hats are encouraged.
- Water or Gatorade is always good to bring.
- Bring a glove.
- Bring a bat and helmet (if you have one). You do not need to buy a bat or helmet to attend Player Evaluations, as we will modify the hitting activity if necessary. If you purchase a new bat, please familiarize yourself with Bat Rules from Little League.
What will players do during the evaluation?
- Meet at the assigned dugout (1B or 3B) with your group (approximately 5-8 players) on Field 4 approximately 5-10 minutes before your assigned time (listen for groups to be called out)
- Put equipment in the appropriate dugout and follow instructions from volunteers or coaches.
- Players will jog, with their gloves, as a group out to Left Field to begin fielding evaluation.
- *** New for 2025 - Pitching Flat Ground: All players in the group will line up in pairs along the Left Field line to complete pitching flat ground at 46 feet. Players receiving (catching) the ball will give a good target but WILL NOT go into a catcher's squat. This will repeat back and forth for a couple of minutes. The player can choose to pitch from the stretch or full windup. Players without pitching experience should make their best attempt.***
- Each player in the group will then individually complete the fielding portion by trying to catch approximately three (3) fly balls and throwing them to second base (2B). After the last fly ball, the player will jog to shortstop (SS) position to field approximately three (3) ground balls and throw to first base (1B). After the last ground ball, the player will jog to their original dugout to prepare for the hitting evaluation while the rest of their group finishes the fielding evaluation.
- A brief break to drink water/Gatorade and prepare for the hitting evaluation while others in the group complete their fielding evaluation. Players should not leave the dugout between their fielding and hitting evaluation.
- To complete the hitting evaluation, each player will individually jog to home plate with their bat and helmet and receive 3-5 pitches from a coach pitch, or pitching machine, to attempt to hit. Any player without their own bat can borrow one from another player in their group. Players are encouraged to swing at anything. This is not the time to show pitch selection abilities, as coaches are only looking to see the mechanics of a player's swing. After the last pitch, a player will drop their bat and run to second base (2B) as if they hit a double, whether they hit the ball or not. Once the player gets to 2B, they will jog to collect their bat near home plate and return to the dugout. (Note: for any player without a helmet, the coach will underhand “soft toss” to the player.)
- The player evaluation is complete. Players can pack up their equipment and leave the dugout.
Ground Rules Update for Spring 2025 Regarding Participation in Player Evaluations and Eligibility for All-Star Selection Consideration
To maintain eligibility for All-Star selection consideration, a player League Age 7-12 registered in the Farm, Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A, or Major divisions must participate in Player Evaluations unless they are a property player of a team in the Major-division, a player where their parent/guardian is a Team Manager confirmed for the current Spring season, are added from the waitlist or register less than seven (7) days before makeup Player Evaluations (for Spring 2025 this would be after 1/17/2025 with makeup evaluations scheduled for 1/25/2025), or have a documented health/medical or extenuating circumstances exception with the Player Agent ([email protected]). A player requesting a Health/Medical Exception or Extenuating Circumstances Exception must do so in writing via email to the Player Agent and have signed up for an evaluation time slot before the end of Player Evaluations to maintain eligibility for All-Star selection consideration. OCLL expects any exceptions for extenuating circumstances to be rare and encourages players who would like to maintain eligibility for All-Star selection consideration to make every attempt to attend Player Evaluations.
Any player not participating in Player Evaluations will be "blind drafted" to a team in the lowest division they League Age qualify for unless the Player Agent, in consultation with President, determines a higher division is appropriate. Typically, a player League Age 12 will be blind drafted into Major-division, a player League Age 11 will be blind drafted into Triple-A, a player League Age 10 will be blind drafted into Double-A, a player League Age 9 will be blind drafted into Single-A division, and a player League Age 8 will be blind drafted into Single-A. The Player Agent, in consultation with President, has the discretion to determine if a player League Age 7 will be blind drafted into Farm or Single-A.
Except for players not required to participate in Player Evaluations (property players or players of Team managers), there are no exceptions to the blind draft policy. Any player who does not attend Player Evaluations will be blind drafted. We encourage players not medically cleared for sports, e.g., a broken bone and otherwise healthy, to attend Player Evaluations. In those cases, we will modify what the player does as part of their evaluation (e.g., have the player step on the field or stand behind home plate so they can be announced as having been cleared from participating in but having attended Player Evaluations and draft eligible). The Player Agent, in consultation with President, has the discretion to allow a player receiving a Health/Medical Exception or Extenuating Circumstances Exception from participation in Player Evaluations to be blind drafted into any division they League Age qualify for (e.g., this may be higher than the lowest division as outlined above) and maintain eligibility for All-Star selection consideration. The discretion for Extenuative Circumstances Exceptions may include allowing the Board to determine whether a player shall retain eligibility for All-Star selection consideration.