Evaluation / Draft Rules

EAST CHATHAM BASEBALL

PLAYER EVALUATION and DRAFT

(Printable Copy)


PURPOSE OF EVALUATIONS

                The purpose of player evaluations is to create the most parity within the league as possible.  We will use these evaluations to assist coaches in drafting their teams.  All players registered will be placed on teams.

AGE DIVISIONS

The age groups will be determined by the requirements of Little League which ECB is sanctioned under unless change is specified by the ECB Board.

Age Divisions will be

Tee-ball (6U) (4-5-6)

Minor Division  (8U) (7-8)

Major Division (10U) (9-10)

Intermediate (11-12-13)

 

All players, except for Tee-Ball Division players, must attend player evaluations prior to the start of the spring season.  Tee-Ball Division players will be placed on teams by ECB based on the school players attend and an equal distribution of age groups.  This is the only division that ECB will consider player, team, and coach requests. 

All registered players will be included in the draft regardless of whether they attended evaluations.  If players are unable to attend the player evaluations and are not able to be assigned an evaluation score by coaches and /or board members, they will be placed onto a team through a blind draw.

*Any parent wanting their child to play above or below their age limit must be approved by the ECB Board.  Please submit the request in writing to the ECB Board (must be emailed to league's email address: [email protected]).  The player must attend and participate in their age division evaluations as well as the age division evaluations in which they want to be considered.  At the completion of the evaluations, the Board will make a decision and contact the parents.


PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Players will be evaluated by the division coaches and ECB board members. Evaluation sessions will consist, at a minimum, of fielding and throwing. All coach’s evaluations will be immediately given to the ECB Board to be compiled, averaged and returned to all the respective division head coaches.  Previous All-Star players and current / previous Travel ball players will be identified to the best knowledge of the ECB board.


THE DRAFT

After the player evaluation sessions, coaches will meet and draft players for their teams based on their observations and the data provided by the ECB board. Only members of the Board, coaches and designated assistant coaches may attend the draft. The draft will consist of a Primary Draft, Secondary Draft and Blind Draft.

If a player does not attend a player evaluation session, the coaches will discuss and share their knowledge that they have on that player to assign an evaluation score. In the event that no coach has knowledge of that player, he/she will be assigned to a team through the blind draft. 

Coach’s or Assistant Coach’s players must attend evaluations.  Those who do not attend the evaluations and are not able to be assigned an evaluation score will be chosen in the 1st and 3rd draft rounds. 


ALLOCATION OF PLAYERS BY AGE
(unless the Board shall determine otherwise)

Not more than eight 8, 10 or 12 year old players shall be placed on any league team.

Not more than seven 7, 9 or 11 year old players shall be placed on any league team.

The maximum number of players on each team will be determined by the Board before the draft.


PRIMARY DRAFT

The order of pick will be determined by draw for the first round. After each round the order of pick will be reversed. The oldest players in the age division will be drafted first. Players will be drafted until there are not enough players to make a complete round. The remaining players will go into the blind draft.


SECONDARY DRAFT

The secondary draft is for the younger players in the age division.  Order of pick will be redrawn.  After each round the order of pick is reversed.  Players will be drafted until there are not enough players to make a complete round.  The remaining players go into the blind draft.


BLIND DRAFT

Players that did not attend player evaluation session and that are not able to be assigned an evaluation score by coaches and/or board members will be placed on teams by a blind draw.


SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES PLACEMENT PROCEDURES

Pre-assigned players are defined as players that must be paired to certain coaches or other players.  Each pre-assigned player shall, for purposes of the draft, be selected to his/her pre-assigned team as follows:

1. A parent/guardian is a head coach or an assistant coach.  All Head Coach’s and Assistant Coach’s children should attend the player evaluations for the divisions in which they are playing.  Coach’s kids will be evaluated in the same manner as other players.  The board will take the input from the player evaluations (if available) plus prior knowledge of the child’s performance from previous seasons (previous evaluations, all-star experience, travel player, etc.) and assign the Coach’s kid to the appropriate round for their age bracket.  The decision of the board will be final and will be made known by the beginning of each the draft. 

The intention of this rule is to make teams as even as possible and to place the coach’s kid where they would most likely go in the draft were they not automatically assigned to a team.  Coach’s kids must go in a normal draft round meaning they cannot go into the blind draft.  For example, if the board determines an Assistant Coach’s kid should be slotted as a fifth round pick but there are only enough evaluated players to make four rounds then the Assistant Coach’s child would go in the fourth round.

2. A player has a brother or sister in the same age division. During the draft, the sibling will be drafted as the following draft pick if he or she is in the same age group. If the sibling is in the younger age group (older age group is drafted first), then the sibling will be drafted as the same round draft pick for his age group.

3. Any hardship or unusual circumstance (e.g. two or more players living in the same household) must be presented to the Board for approval prior to the evaluation sessions. If approved, said player will drafted directly following the linked player.

4. If there are circumstances where a parent does not want a child to play for a particular coach, he/she must present the request in writing to a board member prior to the day of the draft (email is acceptable as well as noting same in the comment section of the online registration).

TRADES

All trades will be conducted at the conclusion of the draft. This must be discussed and agreed upon by all coaches and ECB board members prior to the conclusion of the draft session.

LATE REGISTRATION AND WAITING LIST

The goal of creating teams is to have enough players on each team to avoid forfeits while also maximizing playing time.  The board will meet prior to the player drafts to determine the number of teams per age group and decide if registrations will be left open after the draft.  If players are added to the wait list after evaluations but before player drafts then they will be added for the draft only if that age group needs additional players and will be added in the order in which they have been added to the wait list.

If additional players are needed after the draft, registration will be left open for a specified period of time or until enough players register to fill the teams.  Any players added after the draft will be placed on a team by a blind draft using the order determined during the draft.  In the case that a single player is needed then players can be added to the wait list for a specified time and then a single player will be picked via blind draft.

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