minors ages 7-9 – Dunbar Little League

Minors Division

Ages 7 – 9

General Information

Per Week

1 Practice (1h30m)

1 Game (2h)

Field Location

Dunbar Memorial Park

About this division

Minors is for kids baseball age 9 and 10. If players are new to baseball, they will be placed in Minors. Minors Division players are required to attend assessments in January. Strong players are welcome to register for the Majors division, but will be placed in the appropriate division for their ability based on their assessment scores. Minors see the introduction of live pitching. Minors is a semi-competitive development program, building on fundamental baseball skills. Training begins to focus on the details of positional play and defensive strategies. Fun, physical activity, confidence building and the value of teamwork continue to be a priority.

There are 10 – 12 players per team. Players are permitted to request one friend at the time of registration. The Coordinator and Registrar will do their best to accommodate the request but it is not guaranteed.

Player Commitment

1 practice (1 hr and 30 min) and 1 game (2 hr) per week.

Practice days/times are set by team coaches and division co-ordinators during the week. Most games will be on Saturday late mornings / early afternoon and occasional Sunday.

There will also be an optional skills training program offered on Sunday.

Parent Commitment

The families of the home team are responsible for scorekeeping. This includes using Gamechanger, recording on the paper scorebook, and using the score-board. The away team is responsible for the field prep (1 hr before the game) and field cleanup. Each team should create a rotation so that all families (except the Coach) take part in these required family duties.

Practice / Game Structure

Practice plans focused on fun and skill development. After warm-up, recommend dividing the team into small groups and rotating through 2 – 3 stations in order to ensure each child is active and being exposed to different skills. Although this level is still a pitching machine, encourage coaches to start introducing pitching / catching drills during practice.

There are several changes to the rules from Mini-Minor:

the batting tee is no longer provided so players can “strike out”. Note: this rule is frequently waived for the first few weeks of the season until the players get accustomed to the higher pitching speed.
We no longer bat through the order each inning. An inning ends when 3 outs are recorded by the defense or max runs are scored by the offense.
We introduce scorekeeping at this level. At beginning of the season, no standing is maintained. At the end of the regular season, a playoff format will be communicated.

Equipment

Players are required to bring a glove, helmet, baseball pants, cleats and athletic cup. Bats are recommended, but the League will provide community bats if needed. Players will be given hats and a team shirt to keep.