Los Gatos LL All-Star Information
(Updated April 3, 2024)
These guidelines are not intended to serve as absolute rules and the League and its board of directors will always be able to make decisions and adjustments in the best interest of the players and league.
The Little League® International Tournament is a unique time of the season, a fresh beginning in some respect, with new teams forming and the opportunity to create even more memories. While Tournament rules often mirror those in the regular season, there are some key differences parents need to be aware of. Here’s a look at some Little League Tournament Play rules and regulations:
The Basics
The Little League International Tournament is the most widely known youth sports tournament in the world. There are six levels of tournament play in Little League Baseball® and five within Little League Softball®, with opportunities for players ages 8 to 16. The tournaments start at the District level, and teams must win their way to advance through the International Tournament. The 8- to 10-Year-Old and 9- to 11-Year-Old Tournaments culminate at the State Level, while the Little League, Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, Junior League, and Senior League divisions all conclude at a World Series Tournament. Leagues pay a one-time fee to enter each team into the Little League International Tournament, with 100 percent of that fee returning to local Little League teams that advance through the International Tournament to help offset costs.
Player Eligibility
Players are eligible for Tournament Play provided they meet the criteria established by Little League’s “Residency and School Attendance Player Eligibility Requirement.” In all divisions (except Senior Division), any eligible player who has participated in eight (8) regular season games by the start of Tournament Play in their respective district is eligible to play. There is no “regular-season games-played” requirement for Senior Division-eligible players to participate in the Little League International Baseball or Softball Senior Division Tournaments. In the other teenage divisions, local leagues have the flexibility to structure their regular season teams to ensure the best experience for their players, while still forming tournament teams in the same or different divisions, as long those teams are comprised of players who meet all residency/school, age, and participation eligibility requirements.
Due to illness or injury, the local league Board of Directors may waive the minimum participation requirement for players to participate in the Little League regular season.
Selecting a Tournament Team
The method of selecting a Tournament Team is to be determined by the local league Board of Directors. While methods vary, Little League recommends multiple groups within a local league participate in a fair selection. These groups may include players, league officers, team managers, team coaches, and volunteer umpires. Little League believes players should have a say in who makes a Tournament Team. It is the organization’s experience that players are often objective in the selection process, have an intuitive respect for fellow players, and appreciate the opportunity for their opinions to be heard.
Number of Players and Coaches on a Team
For most divisions, Tournament teams include a maximum of fourteen (14) players, one manager, and two coaches. For the Senior League division, teams include a maximum of sixteen (16) players, one manager, and two coaches.
For even more information on the Little League International Tournament, visit LittleLeague.org/Tournament. This is a resource for local league administrators, but has vast amounts of information to help all parents and volunteers during the Tournament Season.
LGLL’s Approach to All-Stars
Based on Little League International’s guidelines, our All-Star selection process (of Managers, Coaches, and Players) focuses on feedback from our baseball community. Selection to the All-Star tournament team is an honor and privilege for those selected and each member of the coaching staff and team should represent the values of Los Gatos Little League and Little League overall.
What parents should know
If you’re new to little league or are participating in your first year of all-star eligibility there are some helpful things to know at the beginning of the season:
The tournament season begins in June and can run through August for some divisions.
Your player is expected to attend all practices and games.
Some parents decide this is too much of a commitment and do not enter their child for consideration.
Selection to the team is based on the on field performance and sportsmanship throughout the current season. Little League international dictates when the rosters can be announced. Any announcement before that date will make the entire league ineligible for Tournament play.
Towards the middle of the season parents and players may submit their application to be a member of the tournament team. Only players who submit an application will be considered and placed on ballots.
Submissions are collected by the league’s Player Agent and aggregated into ballots.
Prior to voting, all players and managers are made aware of who has submitted so that those players can be observed further throughout the remaining games.
Who can vote?
Players - All rostered players will vote for All-Stars within their same age group (eg. Little League age 9 will only vote for little league age 9s, 10s for 10s, etc) They may NOT vote for members of their team or themselves.
Managers - Managers will be notified of the players who have applied to be All Stars in April to give time to evaluate on field performance further. Managers will then meet in person with other managers within their division to answer questions about their team and make a pitch for players they are familiar with. Managers will then vote for their top 12 players in each age group.
The top 6 kids as voted by the players will receive a roster spot unless there are sportsmanship, scheduling conflicts, or other issues as determined by the manager, coaches, umpire in chief, or selection committee (Player Agent, Coaching Director, VP Ops, President).
Sample Order of Events (Subject to change; based on previous seasons)
February - all drafted teams begin regular season.
Beginning of April - Player agent sends forms out to all eligible players in specific age cohorts (based on LLI age groups).
Following week - Submission deadline
Following week - player agent posts all submissions to all teams in age group.
Mid May - Player voting
Late May / Early June - Manager roundtable; manager voting
Mid June - Rosters announced
2024 Tournament Schedule for Reference (Subject to Change)
How Players are Evaluated
Typically the first 4 to 6 players are completely consistent between player votes and manager votes. We believe the fairest way to select the full team is with manager interviews and round tables. The managers within the division will discuss what they’ve seen on the field from their team and also weigh in on the players they faced.
What we don’t consider: