Most local Little Leagues have “Tryouts” this weekend (I love that almost all leagues have changed the name to “Evaluations”) and here’s some advice for parents and coaches to make the day fun, instead of stressful.
For Players:
- HAVE FUN!
- Even if everybody is watching you (more on that in a minute), you’re still getting to play baseball with your friends. Remember that the baseball field is always supposed to be FUN! Keep that in the back of your mind and you’ll breeze through the evaluations with a smile on your face!
- Nobody gets “cut.”
- No matter what, you get to play baseball this season. Some day you will go to an evaluation or tryout where your performance determines whether or not you get to continue playing the sport. That day is NOT Saturday. So just enjoy the evaluation and start getting excited for practices starting!
- Showcase your attitude and hustle.
- Playing with confident body language, outstanding effort, and a positive attitude are essential habits to start learning at young ages, and understanding that coaches do care about “intangibles” is important. Hustle to each station, give high-fives to other players in your group, and keep your head up if you make a mistake! These are all traits that great athletes exhibit every time they step on the field so let’s set the tone for an awesome 2026 season starting this weekend.
- RELAX!
- I know that it can be intimidating to have an adult loudly call out your name so that 30 other adults with clipboards can judge you. Take deep breaths, remember that you’re having fun, and try your hardest; that’s all you can or should expect from yourself!
For Parents:
- Understand the “Why” of Evaluations
- The primary goal of Evaluations is so that leagues can do their best to make balanced teams during the draft so that everyone has a fun season. It is not to hand out NIL deals to the most talented players 🙂
- For ~98% of players in Little League, which division they will play in is 100% determined by their age, and their performance during evaluations literally doesn’t matter AT ALL. Performance on the field at Evaluations only matters for a very small handful of players who fall “in between” divisions based on age and ability. If your child falls into that “bubble” category and then gets drafted into the higher of the 2 divisions, then great! Hopefully they will enjoy the challenge. If your child does not get drafted into the higher of the 2 divisions they are eligible for, don’t fret; those types of kids almost always have a better experience in the lower of the 2 divisions, and here’s why:
- Let’s say you have a “bubble” 10-year old who ends up not getting drafted into Intermediates. Most bubble kids that do get drafted into Intermediates go in the later rounds and therefore will be unlikely to play primary positions like SS, Pitcher, or Catcher or hit at the top of the line-up over older 11 year olds (some of whom might have been “bubble” Major players themselves). Of course this isn’t set in stone, but in all my years around Little League, I can’t think of any 10th round picks in any division that start at SS and bat lead-off on Opening Day. On the other hand, if your son just missed out on getting drafted into Intermediates, that means they will likely be one of the better players in Minors where they are likely to play primary positions and bat near the top of the lineup. If we set aside our own parental expectations, I think we can admit that a better experience for that child is probably being “the man” at the lower division rather than the last batter at the higher division.
- Your child’s performance isn’t a reflection on you!
- If your child swings and misses at every pitch this weekend…who cares? That doesn’t say anything about your value as a parent. But if you scream at them for swinging and missing, that definitely does say something about you as a parent. My advice for parents at Evals is no different than my advice for parents watching their kids play sports at all times; just relax and enjoy the ride!
- Don’t coach from the stands!
- If your child lets a groundball go through their legs, don’t call out instructions from the side. If they swing and miss at a pitch, don’t try to fix their mechanics before the next pitch. Hollering from the stands will only distract them and make them feel more pressure and more nervous. Just let them go through the experience on their own. And then if you notice a particular skill they struggled with this weekend, you know what you can start working on with them in the backyard! Opening Day isn’t for another 6 weeks, there’s plenty of time to get ready.
- Be kind to the volunteers!
- Running a Little League requires A TON of volunteer time from lots of different members of the community; I know this personally as my wife and I, in addition to being full-time coaches ourselves, serve on multiple local youth league Boards. Please be kind to the folks running the evals, working in the snack shack, and managing the drafts. If your eval group is running late, take a deep breath and be kind. If the line at the snack shack isn’t moving as fast as you’d hope, take a deep breath and be kind. Everyone is doing their best to make things run smoothly for hundreds of kids. And if your child doesn’t end up in the division they want or on the team they want, don’t take it out on the people running the league. Nobody is out to get you! Inevitably, some players and families will be disappointed with their 2026 placement but the volunteers at the leagues have put in literally thousands of hours to give the kids as rewarding an experience as possible. Just like with umpires or refs, if you’re going to say anything, say, THANK YOU!” 🙂
PLAY HARD, HAVE FUN!