LITTLE LEAGUE® GRADS COMPETING IN THE 2016 MLB POSTSEASON

(L-R) Jonathan Schoop (2004), Michael Conforto (2004), Devon Travis (2003), and Jurickson Profar (2004)

Nearly every child who has stepped onto a Little League® field has dreamed of one-day playing Major League Baseball. For countless Little League grads, that dream has come true – from Allen “Sonny” Yearick, who played on one of the very first Little League teams in 1939 and went on to play professionally in the Boston Braves organization, to last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Kris Bryant, who is on his way to his second-straight MLB postseason.

From Hall of Famers to Home Run Derby champions, Little League grads have had great success in the Major Leagues and many have even had the chance to play in the Little League Baseball World Series growing up.

RELATED: Little League® MLB Postseason Bingo

With the MLB Postseason now upon us, it’s time to take a look at the confirmed Little League graduates who will be taking the field in the playoffs this October.NOTE: If you know of a player that we have missed, please e-mail the information, including name, current Major League team and the name of the city or town where they played Little League, to media@LittleLeague.org.

Baltimore Orioles

Pedro Alvarez
Michael Baum
Jonathan Schoop (Pabao LL; Willemstad, Curacao. Played in the 2004 Little League Baseball World Series)
Matt Wieters

Boston Red Sox

Xander Bogaerts (Aruba South LL; Savaneta, Fla. Played in the 2009 Senior League Baseball World Series)
Dustin Pedroia (Woodland LL; Woodland, Calif.)
Special Assistant to the GM, Jason Varitek (Almonte Springs National LL; Almonte Springs, Fla. Played in the 1984 Little League Baseball World Series)

Chicago Cubs

Jake Arrieta (Plano Baseball Association; Plano, Texas)
Kris Bryant (Peccole LL; Las Vegas, Nev.)
Manager, Joe Maddon (West Hazleton LL; Hazleton, Pa.)
Anthony Rizzo (Parkland LL; Parkland, Fla.)

Cleveland Indians

Rajai Davis (Willimantic LL; Willimantic, Conn.)
Giovanny Urshela
Guillermo Quiroz (Coquivacoa LL; Maracaibo, Venezuela. Played in the 1994 Little League Baseball World Series)

Los Angeles Dodgers

Austin Barnes (Magnolia Center LL; Riverside, Calif.)
Andre Ethier (Clarendon LL; Phoenix, Ariz.)
Adrian Gonzalez (Otay LL; Tijuana, Mexico and San Ysidro LL; Bonita, Calif.)
Kenley Jansen (Pabao LL; Willemstead, Curacao. Played in the 2003 Senior League Baseball World Series)
Howie Kendrick (Callahan LL; Callahan, Fla.)
Assistant to President and CEO, Vance Lovelace (Belmont Heights LL; Tampa, Fla. Played in the 1975 Little League Baseball World Series)
Former MLB player and one of the current LAD color commentator, Rick Monday
Joc Pederson (Palo Alto LL; Palo Alto, Calif.)
Chase Utley

New York Mets

Jay Bruce
Gavin Cecchini (South Lake Charles LL; Lake Charles, La. Played in the 2006 Little League Baseball World Series)
Manager, Terry Collins (Fraternal Northwest LL; Midland, Mich.)
Michael Conforto (Redmond North LL; Redmond, Wash. Played in the 2004 Little League Baseball World Series) Curtis Granderson
Matt Harvey (Mystic LL; Mystic, Conn.)
David Wright (Green Run LL; Chesapeake, Va.)

San Francisco Giants

Brandon Crawford (Pleasanton LL; Pleasanton, Calif.) Chris Heston
Angel Pagan
Ramiro Pena
Ruben Tejada (Activo 20-30 LL; Santiago, Panama. Played in the 2001 Little League Baseball World Series; 2005 Senior League Baseball World Series)

Texas Rangers

Carlos Beltran (Jose Maria Rodriguez LL; Manati, Puerto Rico)
Prince Fielder (Grosse Pointe Woods Shores LL; Grosse Pointe, Mich.)
Rougned Odor (Luz Maracaibo LL; Maracaibo, Venezuela)
Jurickson Profar (Pabao LL; Willemstead, Curacao. Played in the 2004 Little League Baseball World Series)

Toronto Blue Jays

Edwin Encarnacion
Jeff Francis (Little Mountain LL; Vancouver, Canada)
Aaron Sanchez (West Barstow LL)
Michael Saunders (Gordon Head LL; Victoria, British Columbia. Played in the 1999 Little League Baseball World Series)
Justin Smoak
Devon Travis (East Boyton Beach LL; Boyton Beach, Fla. Played in the 2003 Little League Baseball World Series)
Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale LL; Santa Clara, Calif. Played in 1997 Little League Baseball West Regional Tournament)

Washington Nationals

Mark Melancon
Yusmiero Petit (Coquivacoa LL; Maracaibo, Venezuela. Played in the 1994 Little League Baseball World Series)
Jhonatan Solano
Ryan Zimmerman (Virginia Beach LL; Washington, N.C.)

Credit: http://www.littleleague.org/media/llnewsarchive/2016/September-December/Little-League-Grads-Competing-in-the-2016-MLB-Postseason.htm?utm_source=Little%20Leaguer%20October&utm_campaign=Little%20Leaguer%20October&utm_medium=MLB%20grads%20story

Fielding Drills

The following fielding drills are demonstrated:

Fielding Drills


Infield Drills

• 4 Corners
• Basic Fielding
• Circling
• Paddle Drill
• Partner Fielding

Outfield  Drills

• 500
• Batted Fly Balls
• Coach Toss Outfield Drill
• Football Drill
• Outfield Ground Balls
• Over Shoulder

4 Corners

• With a group of 4, make a square.
• Work on fielding ground balls between the 4 players.
• Go clockwise, counter clockwise, and diagonally.

          View video


Basic Fielding

• Ready.  Creep step.  Approach. 
• Right-left-down. 
• Throwing hand on top. 
• Shovel hands with ball back and up. 
• Right-left-throw (align shoulders, set feet). 
• If lateral movement required then pivot/crossover.

          View video


Circling

• Shortstops circle balls hit to the right side and in.

          View video


Paddle Drill

• Ready.  Creep step.  Approach. 
• Right-left-down. 
• Throwing hand on top. 
• When ball hits hand, shovel hands back and up. 
• Right-left-throw (align shoulders, set feet). 
• If lateral movement required then pivot/crossover.

          View video

Partner Fielding

• Partner up players.
• Roll ball on ground between partners.
• Work on good footwork and transferring ball from glove to throwing hand.

          View Video


500

• Group players out in outfield,
• Coach throws a fly ball towards group, calling out a point value, 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500.
• Players catch ball and earns points.
• When a player reaches 500 the game begins again.

          View video


Batted Fly Balls

• Ready position.  Creep step. 
• Get behind/underneath ball. 
• “W” with thumbs. 
• Set up, crow hop and throw.

          View video


Coach Toss

• Coach underhand tosses the ball up in the air for player to catch.

          View video


Football Drill

• Coach plays quarterback.
• One player is receiver.
• One is the safety.
• Receiver runs route trying to get open, safety tries to defend receiver.

          View video

Outfield Ground Ball

• Safe vs. speed pickup. 
• Approach, field, for speed pickup slow down on approach.
• Field ball to glove side, crow hop/throw

          View video

Over Shoulder

• Player faces coach
• Coach points in one direction, directing the player to run.
• Coach throws a fly ball in front of player.
• Player should get under ball, use two hands, be ready to throw ball into infield.

          View video

Courtesy of Eden Prairie Baseball Association 

http://epbaseball.com/Page.asp?n=57146

The Different Worlds of Youth Baseball

The Montopolis Scrappers of the South Austin Little League lived up to their name in a recent game at Weber Field near Zilker Park, coming back from an early 4-0 deficit to claim a 10-4 victory over their rival, the South Austin Strikerz. But the telling moment came on the losing side when Strikerz’ coaches awarded a game ball to one of their players.

That sportsmanlike nod, usually reserved for a winning MVP, will come as no surprise to Little League buffs who for years have valued what they see as the organization’s traditional emphasis on community building and a more relaxed attitude toward competition.

Since 1950, young Austinites have played on generations of teams like the Scrappers and the Strikerz. The South Austin Little League, Texas’s oldest organization of its kind, boasts some 240 players, ages 3 to 12, who play on 20 teams, while promising a place to young persons who wants to play.

Yet in recent years South Austin organizers, like others around the country, have faced declining enrollment numbers. That’s due in part to the growing popularity of other sports, like basketball and football, and to the limited free time both parents and children today have at their disposal, according to Chris Downs, the director of constituent communications at Little League International in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

But that’s only part of the story. Little League participants say the decline also stems from the development of so-called travel or select teams that typically hold tryouts to “select” players with talent and whose parents’ can pay the higher costs involved. In some cases, a month of select play costs the same as an entire season of recreational ball.

Unlike Little League, select teams typically aren’t part of an all-encompassing umbrella organization, but instead participate in tournaments that local organizers set up. And while both types of play center around baseball, the attitudes brought to the game can differ sharply.

In Little League, its organizers say, it’s more about enjoying the game and forming a community, not so much on winning. In select, or travel ball, as its sometimes called, kids play more games in a more intense atmosphere. And it can cost them dramatically more money.

According to Kent Kostka, treasurer of the South Austin Little League, parents’ financial resources do not determine whether a child plays in his organization.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before someone can’t play baseball [in the league] because of money,” he said.

If the parents can’t afford the $275 fee for the 10 to 12-year-old bracket, for example, the league will reduce the price in exchange for parents’ volunteering to cover some of the cost.

Kostka, whose son, Dashiell, 12, plays on both a select and a traditional Little League team, has noticed stark differences in attitudes and goals.

“It’s not as much about winning, it’s more about having fun” in the South Austin league, he said. “Baseball is a game that teaches you to fail… and Little League is a good place to learn that.”

Kostka, a lawyer for the University of Texas System, said that on the team of 9- and 10-year-olds he coached, only three or four kids wanted to play past the age of 10. In select, most organizations have an explicit goal of preparing participants to play in high school, college or even professional ball.

During one game, Kostka witnessed a Little League player’s response at a critical moment: he was up to bat in the last inning of a tied game with the winning run on base. But, instead of reflecting the tension of the moment, the player started moving his bat back and forth while making light saber sounds, Kostka recalled.

“You’re not going to see that in select ball,” Kostka said with a chuckle.

Nonetheless, even some staunch advocates of Little League believe there is a place for select baseball, where players receive instruction from paid coaches instead of the parent volunteers in Little League.

Paul Purcell, South Austin league president, agrees that at a certain point it’s best for the more focused baseball kids to play select ball, where the coaching tends to be better and parent-child conflict less common.

“I coached, and I enjoyed coaching, and I’ll coach my younger kids again, but at a certain level… I think the dad shouldn’t be the coach for the kid’s and the parent’s sake,” Purcell said. “I’d argue with my kid every game and every practice.”

Even though Purcell is league president, his son Peyton, 12, plays only on a select team.

“The number one negative of select ball is obviously you’ve got to pay… more,” he said.

According to Purcell, instead of the $275 fee for the entire spring season for the South Austin league, a select team costs $200 to $300 per month of season play after a down payment of $150 to $300 to cover jerseys and other basics. In addition, sometimes parents send their children to private lessons that can cost $30 to $50 per hour, he said.

Also, select teams play in baseball tournaments instead of the typical round-robin style found in recreational leagues. That means instead of playing one game Tuesday or Saturday, teams play multiple games on Saturday, and then start elimination games on Sunday. The schedule obliges parents to devote entire weekends if they want to see their kids play, which Purcell said can be difficult for some.

Downs believes Little League is about more than creating great baseball players—it’s about youth interacting and socializing with others the same age and creating community leaders for the future.

“Little League… is a leadership training program,” Downs said. “You want to try and grow these children into good, young adults who can be responsible and accountable to themselves and their communities.”

Downs thinks that select ball’s reputation for providing exposure to collegiate and professional scouts is overrated because, in Little League, you can receive just as much exposure through events like the Little League World Series, which is televised on ESPN.

“These travel and select ball teams actually charge you sometimes thousands of dollars to participate on a team with the promise that you are going to be seen by a scout… with no guarantee of placement,” Downs said. “Where Little League provides that same… opportunity at no cost to the player and no cost to the family.”

http://reportingtexas.com/the-different-worlds-of-youth-baseball/

Fun Baseball Drills and Games

We try to describe every baseball drill on this website in a manner that will make the drill fun. However, first and foremost, all of them have a useful learning or practical purpose.

The same isn’t quite as true about the following two fun baseball drills. They are more slanted towards the fun side than the learning side.

Having said that, there is a time and place for relaxing in baseball.

How many times have you and your players had to sit around waiting on umpires before a game? The players get antsy and probably are going to get in trouble with you.

Won’t it be better to have a fun baseball drill for them to play?

Or maybe you have had to play a string of games over the last few days. You know the boys need to throw the baseball around a little, but you don’t want to have a hard practice. Pick one of these two fun baseball drills and let the boys practice and relax at the same time.

Also be sure to check out our page called “Fun Baseball Games”. It has two other great fun things to do in baseball.

Baseball Tip – The Game of Pepper
The game of Pepper is probably the oldest of fun baseball drills. There are film footages of players back in the 1920’s playing Pepper. Even today you will see lots of little league teams playing the game.

It is a simple game or drill to play. One player or coach, with bat in hand, stands in front of a group of five to seven players, who are in a line. The coach or player with the bat (batter) should probably be about fifteen feet away from the line of players. The players in the line should be about five feet spread apart.

 A Game of Pepper
One player in the line will have a baseball. He starts the drill by tossing the ball towards the person with the bat.

The batter then hits a ground ball or line drive to a random player in the line. Those players can have gloves or not, depending on how hard the baseball is going to be hit back.

The player catches the ball or fields the ground ball and tosses it back at the batter. Again, the batter hits a ground ball or line drive to a random player.

And the drill just keeps on going. Players in the line are removed when they miss a ground ball or line drive, or make a bad toss back to the batter.

The game continues until there is only one player left in the line.

Baseball Tip – 2 Ball Toss Game
This is a good pre-game drill. It gets the players concentrating on baseball and also helps with their hand eye coordination skills. Fun baseball drills like this can really help a team’s chemistry.

Teams that have fun together will communicate better in the field, and it is a lot more fun knowing your teammates are pulling for you.

You can play this game with five to nine players. The players get into a circle, only a few feet a part from each other. Each player, except the “starter”, has one baseball and no gloves or bats.

The “starter” has two baseballs, one in each hand. The “starter” starts the game by tossing one of his baseballs to another player. This player in turn must toss the baseball he originally has, before catching the baseball that was tossed at him.

Players are not allowed to switch the baseball from hand to hand. In other words, the hand they catch the baseball with is the hand they must toss the baseball with. And, players are not allowed to move their feet.

So the rules are:

1) You must toss the baseball you have before catching a baseball tossed to you.

2) You must toss the baseball you have with the same hand as you caught the baseball with.

3) You must make good tosses to the other players.

4) You must not move your feet. Any violations of the rules and you are out of the game. Last man standing wins.

Break the Ice

So go ahead and tell your players about these drills. Everyone needs a break in the action, and these two fun baseball drills will help loosen up your team.And again, here is the link to the other Fun Baseball Games.

Here is a listing of the drills under the Team Drills Section:

Team Drills:

Game like Practice
Team Workup Drill
Relay Throws
Team Throwing Drills
The Workup Defensive Drills
Fielder’s Communication Drill
Indoor Baseball Drills
Game of Pepper and Game of 2 Ball Toss
Game of Flip and Game of 500
The Doubles Game
Infield Drills:

Infield Instruction
Live Infield Action – My Favorite Infield Drill
Teach Fielding Groundballs the Right Way
Infield Throwing and Double Play Drills
The Hot Box Drill
Indoor Baseball Drills
Fielder’s Communication Drill
Relay Throws
The Workup Defensive Drills
Outfield Drills:

Outfield Instructions
Outfield Drop Step Drill
Game like Situations
Fielder’s Communication Drill
Relay Throws
The Workup Defensive Drills
Coaching Tips and Misc Drills

Coaching Baseball Tips
Coaching Youth Baseball - Should I
Coaching Little League Baseball
Base Running Drills
Baseball Coaching is Right For You
Baseball Coaching Tips - Intimidating Coach
Throwing with Accuracy and Power
Baseball For Kids
Youth Baseball Instruction - Playing Scared
Youth Baseball Coaching – What's Your First Priority?

http://www.helpful-baseball-drills.com/funbaseballdrills.html

Tom Emanski Fingertip Drill

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2/3/8/87443238/Emanski_5a1rely3.gif

Baseball Defensive Drills with Tom Emanski Fred McGriff Commercial

Classic!

When 2 Tee Batting Drills are Necessary

When 2 Tee Batting Drills are Necessary

After a while, kids get bored hitting balls off a single batting tee. Additionally, players may get away with incorrect habits, when only hitting the stationary ball on one batting tee. To add some variety and challenge to batting tee practice, two tee-batting drills are good for helping gain the perfect baseball swing. The following two-tee batting drills do just that.

Quality Batting Tee Drills

For batters, who pop up or swing under a great number of balls, the “high, low tee drill” helps. This drill develops a compact swing and eliminates the long, uppercut swing. This drill works best on high pitches in the strike zone, which are common pitches that batters drop the barrel on, with popped up or missed balls the result. It is necessary to note that, in order to correct bad swing fundamentals, having players slightly exaggerate the opposite of their bad habits, helps correct players’ swings.

Batting Drills

Line one tee a foot behind the other with both in line towards the pitcher. Put a ball on each tee with the ball on the tee closest to the catcher a ball’s width lower than the front ball – both balls are out front of the hitter in the contact zone. Hitters should miss the rear ball but hit line drives on the front ball. At first, ground balls usually result with this drill, but overtime, players turn them into solid line drives.

Batting Tee Drills to Prevent Bad Strides and Swings

For players who step differently based on the pitched location, or who do not understand where to make contact on various pitch locations, the following drill is a good first step to correcting those. The “inside/outside tee drill”  develops contact points, understanding of contact points and the same strides.
Batting Drill

Set one tee on the outside corner about 4 inches in front of the lead leg and the other tee on the inside corner about two feet in front of hitter. After the stride, hitters hit the ball (inside or outside) called by the coach.  When players have no coach to call out, they alternate hitting one than the other, after taking the same stride before swinging. When done correctly, contact is on one ball, and balls are driven to the direction of the struck ball. With the incorrect swing, players will hot both balls. Helping batters understand that the stride is the same on every pitch, with contact points being different, is usually necessary for inexperienced players.

Batting Tee Drills to Help Swing Extension

For batters, who pull their head, front shoulder or roll their wrists early on the swing the “two tee in line drill” develops correct swing extension, as well as keeping the front shoulder from pulling off the ball. Batting Drills

Set two tees in line with a ball at the same height on each tee and about a foot apart. The ball closest to the hitter is out front of them in the prime contact-hitting zone. The object is to hit line drives with both balls, which is possible if hitting the inside back of ball closest to the hitter and extending through the second ball, without rolling the wrists too early.



http://www.baseballcoachingtips.net/quality-2-tee-batting-drills/