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Selection Process
There are few things as controversial as the selection of an All Star team to represent our league. Why is that? First, only 12-13 players are chosen to represent an entire division. And at least half of the parents believe that their child belongs on the All Star team. Now... most may not believe that their child is actually an All-Star, but they know their son or daughter is at least as good as one of the players selected to the team. It is not the first eight or nine players chosen (everyone knows they belong) but rather the last three or four that are controversial. This is true in any sport - just look at the selection process for the 65 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.
There are two reasons that All-Stars are selected:
1) To recognize and honor players who had an outstanding season.
2) To assemble a team that will be competitive with other teams in the All-Star district and region competition.
These two factors do not always align when selecting players for an All-Star team. For example, if there are eight teams in a division, our All Star team will be made up of players from those eight teams. Each team has a player that was the “best" pitcher on their regular season team. But generally, only the four or five best pitchers will pitch in the All Star Tournament. This means that three or four of the best pitchers in that division of Carrollton Little League might not pitch in any All Star games.
Can the player who had a strong season as a pitcher, hit or field in other positions? If not, he probably will not be able to contribute to the All Star team. A player that hits .350 but is slow or strikes out a lot may not be selected, or may be passed over for a faster .300 hitter who seldom strikes out. In All-Star games, speed is essential. A player who puts the ball in play is preferred over a player who strikes out often. Can the player hit faster “all-star-type” pitching, and can he adjust to changeups? The player might have a long looping swing and may be able to hit slower league pitching, but he is unlikely to hit the faster pitching he will see in the All-Star Tournament.
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Other considerations may include: does he get along with other players? Is he a leader on and off the field? Does he rally the players on his team when they are down? Does he make other players around him better because of his play? If he has played infield all season can he, or is he willing to, play in the outfield for the sake of the team? These are factors often missed from the spectator seats - but every All Star Team Manager is extremely aware of.
Another part of the controversy is that managers or coaches’ kids always seem to be selected. That perception is probably true. The managers are the ones that select the All-Star teams - so they probably just vote for each other’s kids, right? It may be true that some managers vote for other manager's kids because they know them well. But quite often just the opposite can happen too. On-the-field rivalries can cause bias against another team's players. The league tries to see that neither of these scenarios occurs, and that the best players are chosen regardless of who their parents are. But ultimately, it is the division coaches who decide during secret All Star voting.
Whether it is cause or affect, the best players are frequently coaches’ kids. This could be due to the coaches putting in more time with their children, or that they got into coaching because they saw some ability in their child. It's a situation we are aware of, but an end result, which we feel in most cases, has justification. On the other hand, there are also examples of Coaches who earned the All Star Manager's job (by winning the division), who stepped aside when their child was not selected onto the All Star team.
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It is natural for all team managers involved in the selection process to try to get players from their regular season team selected to the All Star team roster, particularly the All Star Team Manager. The result is a numbers crunch and compromises are usually made. Usually, all teams end up with at least one or two players on the team and some teams may have several players selected. That leaves precious little room for players who were third or fourth best on their regular season team but were also in the top ten in the league. These players are sometimes left out.
Quite often, All Star Managers will use the last few roster selections to choose players who may not have had the best stats, or power, or pitching ability - but rather were good TEAM players. A team of All Stars is not easy to coach, and a couple of kids who hustle and have good team attitudes can be instrumental in having fun during those long, hot July practices - and can factor into winning tournament games.
One final consideration affecting the selection process (which many overlook) is that some players and their families are simply unable or unwilling to commit to the time-demands of the All Star post-season. Family vacations and priorities often keep some of our league's better players out of consideration.
It is important that Parents understand the intent of the process is to assemble a roster of 12-13 individuals that is believed will result with the best team effort. It is not an easy process – but every effort is made to insure the selection process is conducted fairly. Our league objective is simply to form All Star teams that represent the very best of Carrollton / Farmers Branch Little League.
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