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Can anyone please tell me why...?

justbaseballjustbaseball10,000+ posts
I know this has been discussed here before, but I just don't understand what the benefit is for LL, Babe Ruth, PONY, etc.. to change the cutoff birthdate to April 30 (has been July 31).

I know that USA Baseball is saying it will keep more kids in baseball, but I just don't see how?! pull_hair

And since this is the High School Baseball Web, why in the world do they want ~25% more HS freshmen going back to play with 7th/8th graders the summer after their freshman year in HS? It seems to me that the current cutoff date (July 31) more or less keeps kids playing with their school classmates...the new date will not.

From where I sit, I don't know ANYONE (not anyone!) who thinks its a good idea...they are all very worried about it...HS coaches, parents, league administrators, players. They all think it will chase kids to travel ball at younger and younger ages...eventually causing the downfall of community youth baseball.

I'm open to hear some good reasons...I just haven't heard any and don't know anyone who is for it. Help me out here.
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R Ramrod100+ posts
The idea for this change is to help the youngsters at the lower rungs of youth baseball. Makes the game more competitive for marginal players and forces the better players at twelve going on thirteen to play up to the next level.

Kids at 11 and 12 are having to bat against pitchers who are throwing over mid 70's which is the equivalent of over 94 mph and that is 46 feet. Those better players should move up to PONY level baseball with pitching distance of 52 feet and base paths of 75 feet. Fences are 250 and 275 at CF.

Have the LL expand the Senior leagues and PONY ball to include the 12yo players who can compete at that level.

That's the answer to the perceived problem.
R Ramrod100+ posts
JustBaseball

I doubt if they'll go that way, rather go down to include more younger players and offer an 11yo league with the best 11's getting to play with the 12yo All-Stars. Since 12's can not turn 13 before April 31st more 13 year old players will fill the 12yo All-Star ranks. This potentially eliminates the 11yo great player, and will have a deleterious effect on the development of the 11yo to play with better competition.

The 11's need their own leagues and possibly tournaments. 12's and 13's that qualify should continue with the current LLWS system and have their own tournaments. After all it is the 12's and the small diamond that is LL's bread and butter.

PONY and BABE RUTH need to make some adjustment to take on the 12's who want to play up and merge more of them into the 13 mid-level diamond programs which is an advantage of those programs that LL cannot handle at this time.

I may be wrong but don't think anyone is addressing these issues.
C cbg500+ posts
This is what I have heard from various sources:
1. USA Baseball wanted to change the age date to the international rule
2. None of the youth leagues wanted to make that drastic of a change so they settled on May 1 for the time being.
3. In a few years they will go the additional step and adopt the international baseball rules for age participation
H HiHardHeat1,000+ posts
You can't just use the birth year ....

You can't use the "school year" since states have different cut-off dates from Sept 1 til Dec 31st.

The Mid-spring date makes no sense at all (unless the power that be had kids born then).

Changing the cut-off birth date isn't going to make LL more attractive and bring in more players. It just moves the date around when some kids will be nearly a year younger that the players they are competing against.

If you want LL to bring in more players, have a better product and just be generally more fun, then move back the pitcher a couple feet and go to wood bats.
D dwill6413100+ posts
personally, with a son with a june birhtday I like it. He has always had to play at league age one year older than he actually is. Example he played as a 13 league age when he didnt turn 13 till the season was over. Same as he was playing this year as a league 14 when he was 13, didnt turn 14 till the season was over. HE did well but the kids with the august thru jan birthdays were much more pysically developed than he and he always was the smallest. This change will even the playing field and he can compete at his actual age. Its about time. I always hated the August 1st cutoff.
justbaseballjustbaseball10,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by dwill6413:
Bottom line is the powers that be dont care about freshmen playing with 7th and 8th graders.


Oh yeah? Not true where I come from. everyone, and I mean EVERYONE from the parents (most especially the parents) to the league administrators to the regional administrators are 100% against it.

I have run a youth league with over 1,100 players...based on feedback, we expect our 11-and-above registration to noticeably drop, particularly with respect to the better players because of this change. USSSA will benefit the most from this...not a bad thing...just a fact that I don't think many considered.
CADadCADad5,000+ posts
My guess is that the people who did the voting had kids with birthdays in May, June and July. Smile

In the short term any change is going to be disruptive. In the long term you'll have a few more kids playing on fields they are too big for. The most noticeable example will be the LLWS with a higher percentage of 13yo playing and even more dominant pitchers.

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