Changes made on 01/04/2023!!

Minors A & B & Majors

Saturday, January 7 2023

Northmont Elementary

Makeup try outs still!!- Wednesday, January 21, 2023
starting at 4:30pm for ALL ages at Northmont

Hello families of Fletcher Hills Little League!!

The weather has hit us hard this past week and we are having to do the seems every year change to the original tryout dates and schedule. Please see below for important changes made and announced today!!

Majors tryouts will now be Saturday, January 7th @ Northmont
– Start time will be 11am @ Northmont
– We will start with the younger Divisions @ 11am and end with Majors
– You will receive an email with your tryout time. This notification will be sent within the next 48 hours. (please show up at your allotted time)
– Tryout time slots will be by league age/last name

Tryouts are subject to change based on the weather in the next 48 hours.  Please continue to check your email for updates.  Updates could be sent as late as Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Tryouts are for Majors, Minor A, and Minor B players only.
All Majors, Minor A, and Minor B players are required to attend a mandatory tryout to be eligible to be drafted to a team.

We apologize for all of the last minute changes but we are doing everything we can to get the fields ready for our players.

Minors (A & B) and Majors Divisions tryouts will be held at Northmont Elementary School (9405 Gregory St, La Mesa, CA 91942) on the Minors A and B fields.

Now here is a little helpful info and communication about tryouts if this is your first time or if you need a refresher!!

Step 1 — Arrive 15-20 mins prior to your tryout time. If you don’t have a tryout time make sure you register first.

When you arrive you will approach the table in front of the snack bar. There you will check in and receive a bib with your tryout number. You will then be directed to the field to tryout. Your tryout will begin promptly at the designated time. 10 players have been assigned the same time as you. We have thirty minutes to get all 10 through two Pop-flys, two ground balls, three pitches, 5 swings, and a lap around the bases. If you arrive after your scheduled time, you will be added to the next group with less than 10 players. Arriving early will give you time to check-in and warm-up.

Step 2 — Don’t blow it . . . (I’m talking to parents)

“You signed your kid up to play the biggest self-esteem-destroying-sport in the world.” — Steve Springer

The pressure is not on your kid, it’s on you — be the biggest positive-influence on and off the field. If they didn’t tryout well and they ask you what you thought — tell them the truth — “I love watching you play.”

“But I whiffed on every pitch.”

“We can always get better . . . my joy comes from watching you do your best.”

As guardian of your child’s galaxy this is a moment to celebrate. Tryouts is like the flu-shot — no body likes it, everyone needs it. Ease the pain with a Slurpee and have a cool chat about the experience.

Final thought — the next level . . . for the Rookie parents who are afraid of Minor B (Caps), Caps parents who are afraid of Minors, Minors of Majors, etc.   We need to help our kids have confidence. That being said the best thing for them is not always staying down a year so they can crush the competition — or the best thing might be to stay down a year. We understand this as Coaches and Board Members. Last year I convinced a couple families to not stay down. One family made All-stars. If they would have stayed down they would have been ineligible for All-stars. If we see it in them, then there is more growth at the next level than you will ever see staying down. It is amazing to watch. A healthy dose of opposition goes a long way. We tryout by age group, we play with our skill level. We are on your side and are looking forward to providing the best season of baseball for your Little Leaguer.

I love this last bit from the LL website,

“A solid piece of parental advice is to remember that your player will not be in mid-season form. When quietly watching your son or daughter, have realistic expectations and remind them to do the same. Reserve any judgments and do not criticize their performance. Remember, it is a long season, so start it off right with a high-five, pat on the back, and “good job” regardless of how your child performs at tryouts.”

Confidence is believing you can do something you just failed at. Nothing teaches confidence like baseball.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I prepare?

You’re child will be fielding three ground balls, and three pop-ups. They will throw three pitches from the mound to the plate and then take five swings from a coach pitching. On the final hit/swing they will run to second base. Check out your equipment this week of to make sure it still fits. Loosen up the glove with some glove oil if it’s stiff. Get there early enough to warm up their arm and maybe take a few grounders in the grass. It also helps to watch the round before yours so they can anticipate what they are going to be asked to do. Most importantly be positive.

Why does my son have a tryout when we requested Rookies?

Technically this is a tryout for Caps and Rookies. There are not enough teams in the caps division for all the players trying out. Some will have to go up to minors and some will need to play in Rookies. Caps is a division for 7 and 8 year-olds with an occasional 9 year-old and a rare 10 year-old, Rookies is a league for 5 and 6 year-olds with some 7 and 8 year-olds. We are requesting that all tryout according to their League Age. After the tryout we will confirm the parents request for a certain division or else contact them about placement at the appropriate level. To have someone 3 years older playing baseball in the same division is a liability for the younger players. The leagues obligation is to determine with integrity that they witnessed the 8-year-old’s skill sets and it’s safe for him to play at the Rookie level. Or, they witnessed the skill sets and determined that he is a liability at the lower level and should be pulled up.

What if we don’t tryout?

I have seen this every year. If your child doesn’t tryout then they will be placed in a division according to their age — not their skill sets. Minor B (Old-CAPS) is a 7-10 year-old division. Eight-year-olds will be drafted into Caps unless the coaches see that they need more development in Rookies. This can only be accomplished in a tryout. Here is another other worst case scenario: there is a cap placed on the number of players allowed on the team. Let’s say at the end of the draft the teams are full and your child is not drafted. Managers didn’t know your child because they were not at tryouts and drafted someone they had seen instead. Now your child is placed on a waiting list until a spot on the team opens up. This is a worst case scenario, but it wouldn’t be the first time. Please do your best to come or alert me or someone on the board when you sincerely cannot make either tryout day – we will accommodate you.

Why is the number of players per team capped?

In Baseball there are nine defensive players on the field at a time (ten in T-Ball/Rookies/Caps). In T-Ball, Rookies, Caps, and Minors they bat through the line-up (everyone on the team bats before rotating back to the first batter). Kids come to play baseball, not sit on the bench. Waiting for your turn to bat when there are 13-14 people in front of you limits the number of at-bats you get in a game. Bigger teams also increases the number of players on the bench when their team is on defense. We cap the number of players so that your child plays more baseball. We do this by having smaller teams. We can keep teams smaller in two ways: 1) capping the number of players 2) having more teams – so fill out a volunteer application and take a team.

My son/daughter wants to play with people their age?

In Pop-warner football teams are determined by weight. Soccer, date of birth. Baseball, skill. As fun as it is to be with friends, it is more fun to have success. We want your child to be successful and build confidence. We want a confident child more than we want children playing with their age. This may mean moving them up a division, sometimes it means moving them down. In the Caps, Minors and Majors division baseball becomes a sport where you play against your friends, not with them. Parents relinquish their control over placement to the skill sets and birthdate of their child. This system is in place to develop players. If you have a special need please reach out so we can work together on the issue.