Sierra Valley Little League Division & Team Placement Policy

At Sierra Valley Little League, our goal is to place players in divisions and on teams in a way that is fair, safe, developmentally appropriate, and in the best interest of all players and the league as a whole.

This page explains how division eligibility is determined and how teams are formed each season.

1. Authority Over Team Placement

Per the Sierra Valley Little League Bylaws:

The Sierra Valley Little League Board of Directors has total control over all player division and team placements.

All placement decisions are made using Little League International rules, player evaluations, safety considerations, and overall league needs.

2. League Age & Division Eligibility

All league age brackets are determined by Little League International rules.

• A player’s official “league age” is based on Little League’s age chart, not school grade.

Divisions at Sierra Valley Little League:

Tee Ball: League ages 4–6
Farm: League ages 6–8 (6 year olds must have played at least one year of Tee Ball)
Minors: League ages 7–11
Majors: League ages 9–12
Juniors: League ages 13–15

Note: Division placement is based on age, skill level, safety, and total registration numbers.

3. Siblings & Friend Requests

We do our best to keep siblings together when league age and division rules allow.

• We cannot honor friend requests.

We believe one of the most valuable parts of baseball is giving players the opportunity to make new friends, learn teamwork, and grow outside their usual social circles.

4. Tee Ball Placement

All Tee Ball players are placed back into the assessment pool each year.

• Tee Ball teams are formed at random.

Teams are assigned by:

League President
Vice President
Coaching Coordinator

5. How Teams Are Formed (Farm, Minors, Majors, Juniors)

For Farm, Minors, Majors, and Juniors, teams are formed using a snake draft system.

The draft is conducted by:
Head coaches of each team
League President
Vice President
Player Agent

Important draft rules:

Coaches are not allowed to trade players.

• The Board may consider adjustments only under special circumstances.

6. Player Evaluations & Placement Adjustments

The Board has the authority to:

• Evaluate players
• Adjust placements based on:
  Team numbers
  • Skill level
  • Safety concerns
  • Overall league balance
• 
  

Evaluation Committee

The Evaluation Committee consists of:

League President
Both Player Agents
Vice President
One additional current Board member (selected at random)

This committee:

• Reviews evaluations
• Determines division eligibility
• Finalizes which players are eligible for each division before the draft

7. Majors Draft Procedure

• All 12-year-olds are placed in the Majors Division.
• Next, eligible 11-year-olds are selected.
• Then eligible 10-year-olds are selected.
• Drafting continues until a minimum of 12 players are rostered per team.

8. Minors Draft Procedure

The Minors draft follows the same structure:

• Oldest eligible players are selected first.
• Drafting proceeds by age, following the same procedure used for the Majors draft.

9. Final Notes

• Team and division placements are final once rosters are completed.
• Placement decisions are made with fairness, safety, development, and league balance in mind.
• Refusal to play on an assigned team may result in removal from the league for that season per league policy.