As a chartered member of Little League of America, Danvers American Little League is required to follow the age determination criteria set forth by Little League Baseball (LLB). LLB categorizes players by LITTLE LEAGUE AGE and NOT by school grade. The following is a brief description of the general division age requirements and style of play:
All players will be placed in their appropriate Little League Age division. The number of participants each season to be eligible to be assigned to, and/or drafted into a higher division, will depend on the number of participants in the current season. Fluctuations in players and the ages of players will change the number of teams per division and opportunity will change from year to year per discretion of the player agent and board of directors.
If a player wishes to be considered to be eligible for placement/drafting into a higher division than their age group, they will need to attend the annual evaluations. There is no guarantee the player will be placed up.
If a player wishes to be placed in the LOWER Division, the player’s parent or guardian will need to submit a written request to the league as soon as possible.
Additionally, depending on the number of registrations within each age group, some divisions may be combined or eliminated if determined as necessary by the board of directors.
Recent seasons have consisted of the following divisions:
- Majors
- AAA
- AA
- A
- Farm
- Tee-ball
Little League Baseball or the Majors Division is considered the highest level of competition in the program for player aged 10-12 years old. Managers draft teams of 12 players based on skill, athleticism, and baseball acumen, as determined by annual evaluation ratings. The number of Majors teams is determined annually based on the overall number of 12 year old players in the league program. The Majors Division is generally 11's and 12's with some 10's. Standings and scores are recorded to the website. There are typically 2-3 games and 2-3 practices per week.
The Minor AAA division is developmental yet competitive. Coaches focus on developing individual and team skills to field a team with advanced baseball ability and prepare them for the Major Division or the next competitive level. All teams in the AAA Division will make a single elimination playoff at the end of the regular season. The winner and runner up for the playoffs are awarded trophies. The division is typically 9-11 year olds with standings and scores recorded to the website. There are typically 2-3 games and 2-3 practices per week.
Minor AA Division is a player pitch developmental division with an increased level of competitive play compared to the Minor A. Player age range is between 8-10 years old. Managers draft teams of 10-12 players based on skill, athleticism, and baseball acumen, as determined by annual evaluation ratings. An effort is placed on balancing talent and skill levels equally across all teams within the division. This is the first level where umpires are introduced to the players and end of the season playoff tournament occurs. Standings and scores are recorded to the website. There are typically 1-2 games and 2 practices per week.
Minor A is a machine- pitch, non-competitive division typically for Little League Age 8 players. There are no official scores or standings and umpires are not used at this level. The emphasis will be on developing basic skills, teamwork, and having fun. Rosters will be ideally kept at 10 players or less which will provide equal opportunity for game play without substitutes. There are typically 1 game and 1-2 practices per week.
Farm is a developmental division for players age 6. This is a machine pitch division yet the Tee will still be used when necessary. There are no official scores or standings and umpires are not used at this level. The emphasis will be on developing basic skills, teamwork, and having fun. Rosters will be ideally kept at 8 players or less which will provide equal opportunity for game play without substitutes. In previous years, this was called our minor B and C divisions. There is typically 1 game and practice per week.
Our Tee Ball Division is the normally the first introduction for baseball as a whole for players as young as 4, to as old as 6 years old. The focus is on developing basic baseball skills while introducing the concepts of sportsmanship and teamwork, while most importantly HAVING FUN! Rosters will be ideally kept at 7-8 players or less which will provide equal opportunity for game play without substitutes. Tee ball meets one day a week on Saturday mornings for a combined practice and game.