ALL-STAR SELECTION PROCESS
In the interest of fairness and selecting the highest quality tournament teams, Rutland Little League has modeled its all-star selection process after Little League International’s recommendations for a democratic process to avoid accusations of favoritism or dishonesty that often come when such a selection is left to the sole devices of the Board of Directors and/or team managers .
Our philosophy is that we believe that we should be providing the best opportunity for our all-star players to improve their play while engaging in the most competitive baseball games available.
To that end, Rutland Little League will adhere to the following all-star-selection process, which was duly reviewed and voted in by the Board of Directors for the 2024 season:
1. It is the intention of Rutland Little League to enter 3 teams into District-level play:
· 10, 11, and 12-year-old team
· 9, 10, and 11- year-old team
· 8, 9, and 10- year-old team
2. Players and Managers will be asked to select players who excel in a variety of areas based on the following criteria:
a) Fundamental skills (hitting, pitching, fielding, base running, stealing, sliding, etc.)
b) Consistency and precision in overall performance (Did the player consistently make contact when at bat and get on base? Is the the players head in the game? Does he/she often make smart decisions, good plays, and few errors/mistakes both defensively and offensively?)
c) Adaptability, versatility, and flexibility (Often players who make an all-star team don’t get to play the position that they played all season. Can the player quickly adapt to a different position and are they willing to do so? Can they take on an outfield position, just as well as an infield position?)
d) Sportsmanship - Little League - Positive attitude, leadership, respect for players, coaches, and umpires both on and off the field
3. After being informed of the all-star selection criteria and process by a league officer at a special team meeting, all players and team managers in each division (AAA and Little League) are given a ballot that lists each player in that division. Managers at the Little League level will receive 2 ballots (a 10- and 11-year-old ballot and a 12-year-old ballot). Managers at the AAA level will receive 1 ballot.
AAA voting process
For player voting of the 8,9,10-year-old team, each:
1. Player at the AAA level may select up 12 players with a minimum of 9 players across all teams in his/her division, who he/she feels is worthy of all-star honors after considering the criteria
2. Manager at the AAA level will select 15 players they believe should make up the all-star team. The votes of the manager shall count as two votes. Managers are encouraged (but not required) to seek input from their assistant coaches when making their selections.
Little League voting process
For player voting of the 9,10,11-year-old team and the 10,11,12-year-old team, each:
1. Player at the Little league level may select up to 18 players with a minimum of 12 players across all teams in his/her division, who he/she feels is worthy of all-star honors after considering the criteria
2. Manager at the Little League level will select 15 players from the 10,11-year-old ballot* that they believe should make up the all-star teams. The votes of the manager shall count as two votes. Managers are encouraged (but not required) to seek input from their assistant coaches when making their selections
3. Manager at the Little League level will select 15 players from the 12-year-old ballot that they believe should make up the all-star team. The votes of the manager shall count as two votes. Managers are encouraged (but not required) to seek input from their assistant coaches when making their selections
*Players selected in the 10–11-year-old ballot are eligible to be a part of the 9,10,11-year-old team or the 10,11,12-year-old team.
4. Once all the ballots have been collected, several members of the Board of Directors who DO NOT have a child being considered in said division, are appointed to count the votes together. The top-24 vote-getters become the ALL-STAR SELECTION POOL. After the pool has been determined, the Board of Directors has the right to expand the ALL-STAR SELECTION POOL as necessary to ensure that there are enough players in the pool to complete each team. If the board decides to take such action, no player voted into the top-24 by managers and peers will be removed from the pool to make room. If a player received a coaches vote, they will automatically be placed in the pool if not already in the pool and the player added will not cause another player to be removed from the pool.
It should be noted that selection to the ALL-STAR SELECTION POOL does not guarantee a player a spot on an All-Star team. There are also criteria for selection that Little League International says we must adhere to: eligibility, availability, and ability.
Eligibility refers to:
A. Age
B. Participation in 60% of the player's regular season (not including as a pool player as of the date the Tournament Teams are announced) in that division.
1. The RLLB Board of Directors may waive the requirement for registered to participate in 60 percet of their teams regular season games for illness or injury. However, for such a waiver to be granted, a physician’s note must be obtained that documents the timeframe from which the player was prohibited from participation in games/practice, and the note must also state that the player has been released for full participation as a player.
C. Residence, as defined in the Operating Manual and Rulebooks (or a letter from Regional Headquarters specifically noting the eligibility of that player for that division in that league and in that year)
Availability refers to whether the candidate will be able to practice and play with the team. Will the player be away on vacation during some or all practices/games? If so, the league may wish to disqualify the player from consideration.
Ability is solely in the opinion of those making the selections.
5. After the player pool has been created, the managers at each division are given additional ballots (2 in Little League, 1 in AAA). These ballots will have the names of all player pool players eligible for each District level team. Each coach will be asked to vote for the top 10 players on each ballot. Once the ballots have been collected, a Board Committee will tally votes. The top 8 players, as ranked by vote counts, shall be guaranteed a spot on the designated team. In the event of a tie for the 8tht spot, only the players who rank higher than the tie that exceeds 8 will be guaranteed spots. For example, in the case of a 2-way (or more) tie for 8thth place, then only the top 7 shall be guaranteed spots. If there is a three-way tie for 7th, then only the top 6 shall be guaranteed spots. This is done to ensure that the all-star Manager has the most flexibility in determining the team.
NOTE: Any player who receives a unanimous vote from the coaches at their division shall automatically be placed on the all-star team, regardless if that puts more than 8 players on the team.
To round out each all-star team once the top eight (+/-) are selected, a selection committee shall meet to complete the roster of each team. That selection committee shall be comprised of all the managers at a given level plus the All-Star team Manager, the President of the League, and the Player Agent. If the President or Player Agent are a manager or All-Star Manager, the VP of Baseball shall fill that seat. In the event of a tie, the All-star manager shall have the final voice . The minimum roster size will consist of 12 players. The selection committee will decide if they would like to increase the size of the roster to a maximum of 15 players
NOTE: The board reserves the right to add coaches to the committee and/or seek input from coaches who represent another division as necessary.
Players chosen to represent an All Star team do not have the ability to stipulate which team to play for. For example, if a player is chosen for the 10, 11 and 12 year old team, they cannot decline that slot to instead play for one of the other all-star teams that they may be eligible for.
And finally, players selected to an all-star team must be 100 percent committed to making all scheduled games and practices. In response to the increased costs associated with tournament play, there is a $125 fee for each player to play on an All-Star team.
ALL STAR MANAGERS
The selection of the manager for the all-star tournament teams is up to the Board of Directors. A tournament team manager or coach must have been an eligible manager or coach in that division of the league during the regular season.
All interested candidates are invited to email the President and Secretary of the league regarding their interest in Managing a team. At the May or June Board Meeting, interested Managers must come before the Board of Directors, citing their coaching philosophies, experience, and any other criteria that they would like the Board to consider before making the all-star manager selection.
Manager selection will take place by ballot voting. To be eligible to vote, Board members must have attended at least 60% of that year’s board meetings. To be selected as a manager, you must receive at least 50% of the vote. In the event of a tie, the Board will revote. If again a tie is reached, the selection of the Manager will be decided by the League President. If the league president is one of the interested candidates, the vote will fall to the Vice President. If the next to vote is also a candidate, we will move through the following order of the remaining committee members (Player agent, Treasurer, Secretary)
If we have 3 or more interested candidates, the selected Manager must obtain at least 50% of the votes. The candidate with the lowest number of votes will be removed from the ballot and the Board will re-vote. If there are tie votes in this process, the tie breaker rules listed above will be used.
As a condition of eligibility for selection as a tournament team manager/coach, the regular season manager/coach must have also completed the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program (LittleLeague.org/DiamondLeader). This program must be completed prior to the individual being named a tournament team manager/coach and before participating in any practices or games. Tournament Team managers/coaches who have completed the program should be prepared to produce the Little League Diamond Leader completion certificate if requested by the District Administrator/Tournament Director.
Managers for each team are selected by the Board from all eligible coaches, regardless of where the child for that coach falls in the balloting. It is the goal of the League to place the best available person as the managers of the all-star teams.