Expert: Martin Hoover - 1/18/2008

Question
I have a draft question.  

I am currently serving on a Board of Directors for the local Dixie Youth leagues.  We are going to discuss and vote on the Draft rules next week.  

However, there seems to be some issues in the way everyone wants to do the draft.  Mainly surrounding Coaches Kids.  

Right now the Coaches are picking their Assistant Coach before the tryouts.  So going into the Draft they have their #1 and #2 players.  Some feel this is a disadvantage due to the ability to stack a team.  And note in our small league 2 good players could make all the difference.  

My question is, how do you make this far to everyone especially the Head Coach that has not kids in the league?  Right now I see no easy way to remedy the issue because I see both sides.  

Allowing the pick Coaches provides the opportunity to stack a team.  However, drafting kids as kids and hoping that ones of those drafted kids has a parent that will want to coach is a tossup.  Also, drafting the kids as kids could leave a team full of parents wanting to Assistant Coach.

So how do we make this fair?  

Thanks!  

Daniel

Answer
Daniel,

Off the bat, I am not familiar with Dixie Baseball Regulations, so I will give you my opinion based on what I have experienced.  You might want to check your regulations to see if there are restrictions.

I believe it is important that children of head coaches be allowed to play with their parents.  In my league, we allow head coaches, with children, to draft them onto their teams within a certain amount of time.  For instance...

If a head coach has a 9 or 10 year old son, our league allows that player to be 'protected'(undraftable) until the 5th round.  If after the 5th round, the father has not drafted him, he becomes open to the rest of the teams to draft.  If the child was 11, the head coach would have until the 4th round. 12 year olds are 'protected' until the 3rd round.

As the League President, I do not appoint new coaches to a team until after the draft to avoid "Red Shirting" of players through the draft.

A returning coach, through the head coach, may exercise an option in writing to the Player Agent provided:
1) The coach has served as a head coach or assistant coach in the league(at any level) for the past two years, AND;
2) The coach is returning to the same division team as last year.

Example: Joe Smith has coached in the league for 5 years.  Last year he coached for the Giants in the "A" Division.  His son, who is 9, will be available in the draft this season.  Since Smith was a coach last year on the "A" Division Giants, and has coached the past two years in the league, the head coach, if they so wish, can option that child.  If this is the case, the draft rounds are the same as a head coaches option (9-10 year olds by the 5th round; 11 year old by the 4th round, and 12 year olds by the 3rd round).

These options are strict enough to keep a team from stacking itself with players, but yet it is open enough to allow those coaches who have been with that team for previous seasons to pick up their child.  Our league has used these options for years, and have never had any problems with them.

I hope this has answered your question.  Should you have anymore, please don't hesitate to ask!

-Martin Hoover