The Different Youth Baseball Leagues

In my last hub, I talked you through picking out the right glove. This time, I’ll talk you through all the different types baseball leagues in which your children play. Well, not all. There are so many out there, it can be confusing. So let’s go with the big ones – Little League, Babe Ruth League, Pony League, and Cal Ripken League.

The differences between each of these are small and large. But keep in mind that choosing one over the other will not necessarily keep your child from the Big Leagues. In fact, pro baseball players come from all types of leagues both national and international. Most of these leagues have both softball and baseball divisions. For the sake of not confusing you too much, I’m going to stick with baseball.

For the little ones (ages 5-6), they start with tee ball, which serves as an introduction to the sport. Everything is just about the same across the leagues with tee ball. Children hit off a tee rather than being pitched to, which means at least the kids won’t be hurt by a ball being thrown to the batter and there won’t be 15 walks a game.

After tee ball, the differences in baseball start to emerge. Little League probably has the most name recognition. The Little League World Series is covered on ESPN every summer. This year it was hosted by Orestes Estrada and had appearances by Orel Hershiser and other major leaguers. It is often the generic term people use when talking about children’s baseball. However, Little League is marked by the base location. Whether you’re 8 or 12, you’ll still be playing on a diamond with 60-foot basepaths and 45-foot pitching distance.

Basically, it can be cut into Little League and not-Little League, or better yet, static and progressive bases. Static bases – playing on 60-foot basepaths until you’re 13 – presents a challenge for the children when they turn 13 and start playing on 90-foot basepaths. Many people prefer the not-Little Leagues because these programs slowly incrementally increase the basepath distance as the children get older. By graduating the length between the bases, child are able to adjust their game according to their size and strength.

That being said, here’s a run down of the not-Little League leagues. The Cal Ripken League is the 12 and under division of the Babe Ruth League. Cal Ripken League merged with the Babe Ruth League in 1999. Many people thought the merge would be meaningless, but it actually provided a good foundation for the children in their younger years. Babe Ruth starts at 13 and goes through 18. In Babe Ruth, the players play on a Major League Baseball-size field.

Pony League is a fast growing league. It’s name is an acronym for Protect Our Nation’s Youth. The organization became international in 1950. Pony skips the tee ball phase and has the youngest players take pitches from their coaches. Like Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth, the base distance and pitching distance progress with age. A few notables came from Pony League including Alex Rodriguez, Tony Gwynn and J.T. Snow.

The two main non-recreational leagues are AAU and USSSA. AAU is the American Athletic Union, and USSSA is the United States Specialty Sports Association. Both leagues fill their rosters through tryouts or invitations. These are often referred to as “travel” teams. They participate in weekend tournaments. For AAU, base distances progress according to age.

Bats for almost all of the leagues for children under 12 can be no more than 2 ¼ inch in diameter and will vary in length depending on the size of child but should not be more than 33 inches. As the children get older, different rules will apply, and it is best to check with your league official for exactly what you need.

Again, if you’re agonizing about what league will be right for your child next year, don’t. Just go with your gut. As long as they play in a supportive environment, they will flourish. People tend to get passionate about the differences in the leagues, and if you’re on of those people, then you already know what league is right for your child. If not, try them out. If you don’t like it, there’s always next year.