Our AAA Divison program is a competetive level designed to prepare 9, 10, and 11 year olds for the highest level of play experienced in the Major division without the intimidation of facing the best and fastest pitchers in the league. It also affords a competetive environment for inexperienced 12 year olds to enjoy the game at a level more appropriate for their skill set than at the highest levels of play found in Majors. In the AAA Divison, full baseball rules with live pitching begins from the first game. After a few practice games, scores and standings are kept for seeding in the Heartwell Cal Ripken post season tournament. This Heartwell Cal Ripken tournament determines which teams will advance to the post season tournament with the Simi Valley & Los Altos leagues.
It is important to note that many 9 year olds who sign up for AAA Divison will not end up in the AAA Divison, but instead will drop down to AA Division by virtue of the draft process under which teams in each division are formed following player evaluations. Usually 30% to 50% of the 9 year old registrants in the league will end up in Minor B, depending upon the numbers of registrants in other age groups. If you feel your 9 year old child is not quite ready for the caliber of play in AAA Divison, you should sign them up for AA Division instead, and note your concerns in the Special Reguest field of the registration form.
All 10 and 11 year olds are eligible to play in either the AAA Divison or the Major division. However, only a few of the highest skilled 10's may get drafted up into Majors, and a larger number of 11 year olds will as well, but some will not. If you want your 10 or 11 year old child to be eligible to be drafted into the Major division, you should register them for Majors instead of AAA Divison. However, be aware they may still end up in Minor A due to the draft process; there is no guarantee for anyone to play in Majors except 12 year olds who are not deemed a saftey risk at that level.
In rare situations where lack of experience or skills is a significant concern for the caliber of play in AAA Divison, 10 year olds whose safety might be endangered by the faster pitching and harder hit and thrown baseballs prevalent in this division may be considered to be held down in the Minor B division. If you feel your 10 year old child's safety is a concern playing in AAA Divison, register them instead for the AA Division division, and note your concerns in the Special Reguest field of the registration form. Approval of the league Safety Officer and Executive Board will be required for your 10 year old child to play in AA Division.
Baseball is a high-skill game requring a higher degree of athleticism than most youth sports programs. We realize that some children simply don't possess the physical coordination that others do, yet we believe they still deserve the opportunity to enjoy the wonders of the game of baseball just as much as more athletically gifted children. Furthermore, some children may not begin playing organized baseball until an older age than many kids. We wish to provide a program that can be fun for all players, no matter what their skill level and degree of athleticism, without putting anyone at risk of injury by playing in a division that is inappropriate for their skill level. Consequently, we allow a diverse range of ages in each division to accommodate such concerns. If you feel your older child has neither the experience nor the skill set to play with others their age, please make a point of signing them up in the lowest division for which they are eligible by age. They may still be selected for a higher division if their evaluation indicates they are appropriate at that level, but, in such a situation, your approval will be sought to move them up to a higher division than the one in which they are registered.
All boys and girls who are league ages 9 through 11 are eligible to register for the AAA Divison, regardless of where they live. Evaluations will be held for every registrant of this program and will be announced at a later date. All registered participants will receive a card the week before their scheduled evaluation date with the exact time the child will be scheduled to be evaluated. Proof of age (original birth certificate) must be brought to the evaluations (along with the registration fee if not yet fully paid) and presented at the sign-in table at the Snack Shack in order to certify each child for participation in the program and register him/her to be evaluated.
