The Minors Division is an instructional division intended for 9 to 11 year old players. There are standings, and a playoff at the end of the season to determine the Minor Division Champions. There are a number of key differences between Minors and Farm, as well as differences between Majors and Minors.
Minors teams play 12-15 competitive games during the season usually at 530pm and 730pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights.
All Games are at the Tempe Sports Complex (TSC).
Practices are generally held at TSC on the same days as games and at similar times, however, the head coaches have discretion to move the practices to other locations, days and times.
Key Differences FROM Farm
- Kids Pitch!
- Score is kept, which means:
- Three Strikes and you’re out
- Three outs and an inning is over
- As the saying goes, you win some, and you lose some.
- Players may not request teams to be on. They are drafted by the Managers.
- Players must show case and be drafted onto a team.
The three biggest changes from Farm for Minors is how the teams are selected, and the fact that kids pitch to kid batters. Also, while we keeps score in Farm AAA based on outs, this time the League actually tracks scores and reports standings. Minors also represents the first age group (9’s & 10’s) which are permitted to participate in Little League All Stars.
Rule Synopsis
Note that these are local rules, and this description is intended to give you a flavor of the play. It is not intended to be an official set of rules. Every year Little League publishes “The Green Book” which is handed out to Coaches and Managers. That book, and its addenda constitute the official rules. These are the “local” rules for Tempe South.
- Bases are at 60 Feet.
- Players pitch to player catchers.
- Pitching distance is 46 feet. (as measured from the back tip of home plate to the front of the pitching rubber)
- During the regular season, Teenage Umpires work the plate and the field in a two man team.
- During playoffs a mix of Teenage and Adult Umpires call the game from behind the plate.
- Runners May steal second and third (but not home). There are no lead offs.
- There are no balks.
- By Local Rule, the play is dead when the ball is intentionally returned to the pitcher (regardless of whether or not the catcher actually catches the ball thrown to him).
- By local rule, the half inning is over when a team scores 5 runs. (known as the “5-run limit”)
- Games have a time limit. No new inning will be started after 1:40 minutes of play. It is not uncommon to see games that last only 4 or 5 innings.
- During the regular season, games may end in a tie. During the playoffs a winner must be decided.
Emphasis
The Emphasis for Minors is to start to teach more than fundamental baseball skills. At this level the players are being introduced to baseball as a form of competition. However in Tempe South we believe strongly in having as many players playing as much baseball as possible, so the rules have been adjusted to allow for the best experience for the majority of the players. This is one of the reasons for the 5-run limit, and ending the play with a throw back to the pitcher. The goal is to keep the players playing something that looks and feels like baseball.
At this level players will need to learn:
- How to pitch (with an umpire calling balls and strikes)
- How to hit a ball (with an umpire calling balls and strikes)
- Proper base running techniques
- How to tag out runners on the bases
In the Minors Division, players begin to learn that they have to work as a team to achieve success. Player development is still the top priority for the League, however now it occurs in the context of a coordinated team effort against balanced opposition. The draft ensures that no one team is “loaded”, and all the groups play a balanced schedule to permit as level a playing field as possible for each squad.
Playoffs
Tempe South Minors is one of the most fun divisions to participate in because of the playoffs, which year in and year out provide tremendous excitement and drama as teams advance. There is always a Cinderella in the mix, and truly anyone can win the Championship. But more than winning, are the memories that are formed as the kids play with, and against their school friends, and they learn not only how to catch or throw a ball, but why they need to do it.
All Stars
Finally, the older players are often beginning to find that baseball is their sport and want to compete at it in earnest. For those players with the passion and the talent to compete at a high level (and families able to make the commitment), every year Tempe South selects a team of best players to participate in the District Wide All Star Tournament. The winners of this tournament advance to play in the State Championship. This group of players will receive advanced baseball training and conditioning to prepare for some very advanced tournament play.