(Updated: 2/1/18)
The Northfield Youth Baseball Association (NYBA) is committed to providing an impartial, objective and accurate assessment of Player baseball skills. This assessment will be used to determine the rosters for the Travel Teams. No tryout process is perfect. The NYBA reviews our tryout process each year to determine how to improve the process to give all the athletes a fair opportunity to show their baseball skills.
Who should attend the tryouts?
Player Eligibility Requirements
Player Age Level Determination
Tryout Dates
Tryout Location
Evaluators
Evaluated Baseball Skills
Tryout Process
General information
Equipment
Day 1
Day 2
Player Tryout Attendance
Who should attend the tryouts?
All players that register to tryout Travel Team at 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U and 15U must attend the appropriate tryout session as detailed on Tryout Schedule page.
To be eligible to play on a NYBA Sponsored Traveling Team or Tournament Team, Players must:
Live in the Northfield School District or attend Northfield Schools.
Special situations (home school, etc.) will be handled on a case by case basis. Please contact the President of the NYBA Travel Program for more information.
Have completed the NYBA registration to tryout for the travel teams by the stated registration deadline.
Note: Players that have not registered by the registration deadline may be considered for traveling or tournament teams under extenuating circumstances.
Players that have not registered by the registration deadline must submit a written request to the NYBA President of Travel baseball for review and approval by the Travel Group before they will be considered for placement on a NYBA travel team.
Have paid required Travel Team registration fee for the current season.
Have paid all past due balances from previous seasons.
Have agreed to all required waivers to participate in the NYBA Travel Baseball program.
Have agreed to the NYBA player code of conduct.
Travel Teams are designated by age level (15U = 15 years old and under).
Age is determined by the players age on April 30 of the current year. Players in their respective age groups must not reach the next age before May 1 of the current year.
The NYBA gives priority to players that are in the same grade and meet the team age requirement. Typically players are not allowed to play up.
The NYBA Travel League Team tryouts are generally held early to mid March depending on facility availability. The age specific dates of the tryouts will be posted on the NYBA website on the Tryout Schedule page.
Tryouts are generally scheduled in early to mid March depending on facility availability in a location most conducive to our tryout process for each age group. Every effort will be made to provide as much advanced notice as possible to the actual location and dates of the tryouts each season. The information will be posted on the NYBA website on the Tryout Schedule page.
The NYBA reserves the right to change dates, times and locations (weather and facility availability) without prior notice. If this should occur, we will communicate these changes as quickly as possible with players and parents.
The NYBA aims to use impartial Evaluators with baseball background (coaches, college playing experience, etc.). Examples of Evaluators that have assisted the NYBA in the past are: Local team Coaches (HS, Legion, VFW) and Players who have competed at the collegiate level.
All efforts will be made to avoid any conflict of interest during the evaluation process.
All eligible players participating in the tryouts will be evaluated on the following:
Hitting mechanics
Hitting contact
Infield/Outfield fielding and throwing mechanics
Arm strength and accuracy
Foot speed
Pitching and Catching (optional).
Pitching and/or Catching evaluation is not required, but is recommended. The Pitching and Catching evaluation is used to determine who can pitch/catch and may also separate two or more players that are close in their rankings.
Catching evaluation will depend on time and facilities available.
The tryouts for the 10U-14U Travel League Teams will be conducted over two (2) days. 15U Travel Team tryouts will be one (1) day.
Players should arrive approximately 30 minutes before their scheduled tryout time to check in. Upon check-in, each player will receive a number that they will give to each of the Evaluators at each of the stations.
About 10 minutes before each group is to start, an NYBA representative will give the players a short introduction to the process and divide the players into smaller groups and instruct them where they will be going. Groups will rotate through all the stations (batting, infield, outfield (if available), pitching/catching/running).
If tryouts are held inside at the Northfield High School gym, due to space constraints, parents will be asked to wait for their player in the lower cafeteria area.
If tryouts are held inside at the Carleton field house, parents will be allowed to remain in the designated waiting area. Parents will not be allowed in the field house area (track and courts).
If tryouts are held outside at the Dundas Dome, parents will be asked to wait outside the dome entrance doors in the waiting area.
Total tryout time should be about 1½ to 2 hours per day.
Older players in the NYBA may be used to help out during the tryouts for younger players (15U player may play 1st base during infield evaluations of 12U players, for example).
Players must provide their own glove.
Players may bring their own bat that meets the current Metro Baseball League (MBL) rules for the age level for which they are trying out. See the MBL website for current bat rules. Bats will be available, if needed.
Players may bring their own batting helmets. Batting helmets will be available, if needed.
Players must provide their own batting gloves, if desired.
Players are not allowed to wear any clothing with their name on it or from a previous years traveling team.
Players should wear shoes appropriate to the tryout location (Tennis shoes if inside, cleats if outside. See MBL rules concerning metal cleats).
Players should wear baseball appropriate clothing.
Catchers may use their own catching gear (helmet/mask, chest protector, shin guards, catchers mitt). Catching gear will be available, if needed.
Players are strongly encouraged to wear a protective cup.
Players will rotate through all the evaluations stations but may not start at the same station. Actual station procedures may be adjusted based on available space and number of players at the tryout. Below is a general outline of how the tryouts may be run but the NYBA reserves the right to modify these procedures during the tryouts without notice.
Batting.
Each player will go through three batting stations during the batting evaluation. Players will rotate through stations at least twice, preferably three times, time permitting. Based on tryout location and numbers, stations may be modified.
Soft toss or tee station
Front toss station
Pitching machine station
Players will start in the soft toss or tee station. Players will then move to the front toss station and finally to the pitching machine station.
Soft toss or tee station.
A volunteer will throw soft toss to players to allow them to warm up.
A batting tee may also be used for players to warm up.
No evaluations will be done during this station.
Front toss station.
A helper will sit behind a screen and throw underhand to the player from about a 10 foot distance.
Each player will receive six (6) pitches in the strike zone and then be evaluated on the following:
Mechanics (Load, trigger, pivot, follow through)
Bat speed/hands through the zone
Contact
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Pitching machine station.
The pitching machine will be set to an approximate speed consistent with the age group being evaluated.
12U - 50 mph
13U - 55 mph
14U - 60 mph
15U - 65 mph
Players will be given six (6) strikes to hit.
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Fielding - Infield.
Players will first play catch to warm-up their arms.
After warming up, all player will start at the Shortstop position and make a throw to 1st base (Note: A left-handed player may take ground balls between 1st and 2nd base and make a throw to third base).
Each player will get four (4) ground balls.
Players will go through at least two (2) rounds.
Players will then move to third base or first base if left handed.
Players may also be rotated through all positions in the infield to allow players to get some ground balls at positions at which they are strong.
Each player will then receive two (2) slow ground balls. Player will charge the ball and make the throw to first or third (if left handed).
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Fielding - Outfield. If weather or space permits, we will do an outfield evaluation station. Space limitations may not allow this station to be used.
Players will first play catch to warm-up their arms.
After warming up, all players will start in the same position in the outfield.
Each player will receive four (4) fly balls thrown from a pitching machine with player starting from three different positions.
Player directly behind landing area of the ball.
Player in front and to the left of landing area of the ball.
Player in front and to the right of landing area of the ball.
Player will field the ball and make a throw to a sock net or screen located on the opposite side of the area.
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Running.
Each player will be timed running a distance equal the 1st to 2nd distance based on the team age group. (10U - 60ft, 11U - 65ft, 12U - 75ft, 13U - 80ft, 14U and 15U - 90ft).
If evaluations are outside, each player will also be timed running from 1st to 3rd.
Pitching.
Pitching evaluation is optional.
Each player will go through two pitching stations.
The first will be a warm-up station where the player will be given 8-10 pitches to warm up.
At the second station, players will be given 8 pitches. Players will be evaluated at the second station only. Players will be evaluated on accuracy, velocity and pitching mechanics.
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Catching.
Catching evaluation is optional and may not be included if tryouts are indoors due to space and time limitations. Interested players must provide their own catching gear.
Catchers will be evaluated on receiving the ball, footwork and blocking.
See Evaluation Scoring document for details on how players are scored.
Day 2 of the tryouts will consist of scrimmages (if tryouts are outside or indoor facility permits) where players will be divided up based on the previous day’s evaluation scores. If tryouts are inside, day 2 will consists of specific drills based on evaluation scores from day 1 to allow Evaluations a closer look at individual players.
Day 2 of the tryouts allows the Evaluators to get a second look at players that are on the “bubble” between making an upper level team (AAA or AA depending on age) or being placed on a lower level team (AA or A, depending on age). “Bubble” players are also those that could make the lower level team or not be placed on a travel team.
Players that want to tryout for a Travel League Team or Travel Tournament Team must attend the scheduled tryout for his/her age group.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each tryout session of registered and eligible Players.
A Player that is absent from the tryout without being excused may be disqualified from playing on a Travel League or In-House Tournament Team.
Players musts participate in all scheduled sessions for his/her age group unless an excused absence is approved by the Travel Director.
Injury/Illness
Registered and eligible Players who cannot participate in the tryout due to an injury or illness will be excused, prior to the start of the appropriate tryout session, upon delivery of a doctor’s note to the NYBA Travel Director describing the Players limitations.
Registered and eligible Players who miss more than 50% of the scheduled tryout session due to injury or illness, and provide a doctor’s note, may be granted a special evaluation, once he/she provides a doctor’s release to participate.
Family situations
Registered and eligible player that cannot participate due to a specific family situation must submit in advance a request (if possible) to the NYBA Travel Director for a specially scheduled tryout.
It is not the NYBA’s intent to prohibit Players experiencing short term injury or illness or a family situation from playing in the Travel Program. All reasonable accommodations will be made to determine an injured player’s skill level and place them on an appropriate team. These may include, but are not limited to:
A modified tryout
Special scheduled individual tryout
Previous years tryout scores
Previous years Coach evaluation
All requests for excused absences from the tryouts must be submitted in writing at least 24hours before the Player’s scheduled tryout time.
Extenuating and unusual circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis but are not guaranteed of an excused absence.
The NYBA will do everything possible to accommodate school functions but the player is ultimately responsible for attending the appropriate tryout session.