All players must register with West Seattle Baseball during the registration period to be eligible to play. At the close of registration, the number of teams in each division will be determined by dividing the number of registered players by 12 with the goal to get each team as close to 12 players as possible.  The intent of the player draft is to promote parity between teams.

Evaluating the Player Pool

Player Evaluations will be coordinated by the league in February prior to the spring season. All registered players are required to attend the evaluation, including the children of coaches. Following the evaluation sessions, coaches will convene to select players for their roster via a player draft.

Player Eligibility

To be eligible for the draft, a player must be the appropriate league age and participate in the player evaluations. There is no guarantee that a player who does not participate in the player evaluations will be placed on a team.

Coaches’ Kids

The children of each team’s Head Coach and those of the one designated Assistant Coach will be assigned to that coach’s team.

The Head Coach of each team may designate one Assistant Coach. Prior to the player evaluations, the designated assistant coach must be approved by the board. The designated assistant coach shall participate in coaching the team for the entirety of the season.

Player Rankings and Average Draft Value (ADV)

Following the player evaluation, each Head Coach will submit a list to the league commissioner that ranks every player in order by evaluated abilities, #1 through the final player. The purpose of this list is to determine an average draft value (ADV) for each player so that coaches’ children and “retained players” can be placed on rosters in a way that promotes parity.

The player ranking lists from each coach are combined, dropping each player’s highest and lowest rank, to determine each player’s ADV. The ADV will correspond to the round in which they would be drafted if the rankings were followed precisely. The ADV for each player will be disclosed to the coaches prior to the draft but the player’s actual ranking will not be disclosed. 

For example, the top eight (8) players in an eight-team draft would have an ADV of 1, the next 8 would have an ADV of 2, and so on.

If coaches’ kids or keepers have the same ADV (are ranked in the same round), then the team’s first such player will be drafted in the appropriate round. The team will draft the second player in the next round, and so on.  The league will do its best to balance teams with multiple picks in the first four rounds. The teams will be balanced out within the first eight rounds of the draft.  Picks will be made up according to this list to keep the sum of ADV’s between teams as equal as possible.  The league has final say in how picks will be made up as different scenarios arise.

One of many possible examples: if a team were to pick one player from each round 1-12, the sum of the ADV would total 78.  If a team were to keep three players with an ADV of 1, they would lose picks later in the draft and would have to pick three players in the 8th round of the draft in order to equalize the team ADV.​

The Draft

The order in which teams will select players will be determined by random draw. Once each team is given their draft slot, the picking order of the draft is conducted “serpentine-style: (i.e. In the first round, team one drafts first and team eight last. In round two, team eight would draft first and team one last.

Siblings will be placed on the same team according to their ADV if a parent wishes. A parent may also want their children to play on different teams. The league leaves this decision to the parent, though the parent needs to express their intent to the league prior to player evaluations.

The goal is for each team to have twelve players at the end of the draft.  Based on the total number of players, teams projected to have fewer than twelve players will not select a player during the 8th round.  The goal is to ensure that each team has the same a similar number of top-tier and lower-tier players

Example: The draft has 82 players allowing for seven teams (5 teams of 12 and 2 teams of 11).  The two teams with 11 players will not draft a player in the 8th round of the draft.  Those two teams may get to 12 players from players on the waitlist. Conversely, if a team is projected to have 13 players, they will receive an extra draft pick in the 8th round.

“Playing Up”

Players turning 11-years-old prior to a league-approved date of the current year are eligible to play in the Bronco division. Players who turn 11 after the appropriate cutoff date may tryout to play in the Bronco division. They are eligible only if, after evaluation by all the coaches, the player’s average draft value is in the top five rounds of all players in the division.  If not rated in the top five rounds, the player will not be eligible to “play up”. That is, they must play in their age appropriate division.

Players turning nine-years-old prior to league approved date of the current year are eligible to play in the Mustang division.  Players who turn 9 after the appropriate cutoff date may tryout to play in the Mustang division. They are eligible only if, after evaluation by all the coaches, the player’s average draft value is in the top 5 rounds of all players in the division.  If not rated in the top 5 rounds, the player will not be eligible to “play up.” They must play in their age appropriate division.

Players who turn their appropriate league age after August 31st must attend the player evaluation and be drafted by a team.  These players may be added to a roster as replacement players under dire circumstances (such as if a team loses players due to injury or players quitting during the season).  This situation can only be approved by the league commissioner.

Trading  Players

Following the 12th and final round of drafting, the league will open (and eventually close) a draft-night trading period where managers may, if they desire, swap players.  All trades require the approval of the league commissioner. Trades must be for players only, and rosters should end up balanced. (e.g. No team should end up with +/- one player than any other team.) Trades involving a player for draft choices are not permitted.  All rosters are final at the close of the draft.

Player Waitlist 

The player waitlist is comprised of players who registered to play after the draft has occurred. When a vacancy occurs during the playing season a replacement may be placed from the player waitlist.  That player selected to fill the vacancy becomes a permanent member of that team, governed by the same regulations as all members of the team selected in the spring draft. However, that player is not eligible to be retained the following year (under Bronco Keeper Rule), as they were not drafted.  Players will be placed in the order in which they registered.

Confidentiality

Players shall never be told the position in which they were drafted.