Marblehead Summer Travel Baseball
Marblehead Youth Baseball’s Goal:
Summer baseball is a fun and exciting opportunity for all kids to experience, no matter their ability of commitment level! It is the goal of Marblehead Youth Baseball to provide any player with the interest of playing summer ball to have the chance to do so. A wide range of options for various levels of commitment and ability exist to meet that goal.
This Document:
This document is intended to layout a clear and transparent process for Summer Travel Baseball. The process will apply to all issues surrounding Summer Travel Baseball including Team Selection / Manager and Coach Selection / Fees / Eligibility / Alternates / Team Uniforms & Conflict Resolution.
Overview:
The summer baseball program (excluding summer pick up ball) is for players aged 8-15 who are interested in competitive baseball. Play typically begins in Mid-June and runs into early August. There are typically 3-4 games per week, in addition to practices. It is the goal of the board to field as many teams as possible to compete over the summer. However there will only be one team (for each age group) entered in the Cal Ripken / Babe Ruth Districts. The 12-year-old district team will also be the team that represents the town in Cooperstown.
Player Eligibility:
We anticipate fielding teams for each age group to compete in the Cal Ripken District (All-Star) tournaments and Bay State Baseball (Travel) League. We may field additional teams to compete in the Bay State Baseball League and additional local weekend tournaments, based on the level of interest. We will try to accommodate as many players who want to play, as possible, but cannot guarantee a spot for every player in the summer.
Parents and players should understand that it is MYB’s policy that in order for a player to be eligible for summer play, he/she must have been registered for that year’s spring season and have played in at least 50% of his/her team’s scheduled games.
Expected Commitment for all U12 Teams:
Players are expected to declare their availability in writing before the selection process. A player’s commitment/availability will have an impact on his/her selection.
U12’s
Cal Ripken / Bay State / Cooperstown Team: (12 Rostered Players) Commitment Level = HIGH. Players must commit to be available for the Districts and States (if necessary). A player may not miss more than 3 Bay State Games with the exception of games missed for legitimate illness, injury or family emergency.
(A player must participate in the Cal Ripken & Bay State Tournaments (miss no more than 3 games) to be eligible for Cooperstown).
(MYB recognizes that these are guidelines and reserves the right to adjust them based upon level of interest at a specific age group, adjustments must be approved by the Executive Committee.)
# Of Players per Team:
Each U12 Ripken team will consist of 12 players per team. Alternates will be added to that roster and must be approved by the selection committee; alternates may only play if one of the 12 selected players is injured or unavailable. Every effort will be made to ensure the alternates were one of the last several candidates for the respective team. The selection committee must approve any alternates on the team. The same will apply for the Cooperstown team. A majority vote by the board is the only way to change the number of players per team.
Each Bay State team will roster up to 20 players. The coach will determine the number of players to attend each game. Factors will include availability, interest, and ability.
Summer Team Selection Process:
A list of players who have registered for summer play will be provided to the managers in each league (Majors, AAA, AA & A). Managers will be asked to rank in order from strongest to weakest by age all of the players who have registered for summer play. This ranking will be submitted to the League President & Summer Coordinator only.
Selection Committee: The selection committee will consist of the respective League Coordinator / President & Summer Coordinator.
Cal Ripken / Cooperstown Teams 12’s & Cal Ripken 11’s
A meeting will be held with all Major league Mangers. Meeting Attendees: Managers / Respective (Summer) Team Manager & Summer Coordinator. The Summer Coordinator will run the meeting. The managers will discuss candidates and vote the players onto the teams by secret ballot. The Selection Committee & Team Manager may select the last player on the team. However the Team Manager may elect to have the Managers vote on the last player. If for some reason players are needed from AAA to play on the 11 & 12 teams a tryout for those players from AAA may be used to finalize the roster.
Cal Ripken 9’s, 10’s:
The Selection Committee will review the input from the Team Managers and select the team from that data. In some instances the Team Manager may be consulted for his or her opinion. Should the selection committee have trouble selecting the team, they may require a tryout.
Cal Ripken 8’s:
The Selection Committee may host a tryout to determine the roster.
MYB hopes to field the following teams:
- Cal Ripken District & Bay State Teams
- U 12
- U 11
- U 10
- U 9
- U 8 (TBD on Baystates)
Manager & Coach Selection:
To be eligible to Manage / Coach a summer team the Managers and Coaches must have been a rostered Manager / Coach during the spring season.
Anyone interested in Managing & or Coaching a summer team must declare their interest in doing so by the Board determined deadline. The Board will meet and select team managers. The team managers may select their respective coaches, however all coaches must be approved by the Board. All managers and coaches must complete the online Cal Ripken training class.
Summer Baseball Fees
The summer baseball program is a cornerstone of the Marblehead Youth Baseball program and as a result partially funded by the league. However there is a fee to offset many of the summer costs such as umpire fees / baseballs / tournament fees / uniforms etc….
Upon selection to a team the summer payment fee is due before a player plays in his or her first game. The Board will set the fees no later than May 20th. of each year. The fee will be in the range of $150-$200.
The Cal Ripken 12 year old district team travels to Cooperstown in August. The trip is entirely self-funded by the players and coaches. Cooperstown Dreams Park (CDP) sets the fee. The fee is per player & COACH. MYB pays these fees to CDP upfront, as a result the fee is due to MYB within (14) days after the team is announced. The 2022 fee is $1,295 per Player & Coach. This fee is in addition to the summer fee discussed above.
There are no scholarships available for the Cooperstown trip. However, a payment plan may be worked out in advance with the League Treasurer. A team may fundraise to offset the costs of traveling to Cooperstown. Fundraising programs must be approved by the executive committee.
Uniforms
The Board will select the uniforms that will be worn by the teams, and determine who is responsible to purchase them. The only person(s) allowed to order summer apparel are the Equipment Manager and / or the Summer Coordinator. The league will also supply coaches’ uniforms.
Coaches will also receive a collared shirt for Bay State games.
CDP Team:
CDP supplies coaches and players with uniforms / socks / rainwear etc…Players are required to purchase two pairs of white baseball pants. For more information on the pants please refer the CDP website. http://www.cooperstowndreamspark.com/
Conflict Resolution
Any concerns and or issues regarding the processes above or how these processes were applied should be addressed to the League President & Summer Coordinator. In the case that the issue is not resolved with the League President & Summer Coordinator may to the Executive Committee.
We look forward to a great summer of baseball! Go Marblehead!
