The team formation process can seem opaque and the results can be emotional for some players. MYBA’s goal is to form balanced teams at all ages and levels (A, AA, AAA). For instance, if we have 2 A-level teams, we do not form a top-tier A team and a low-tier A team -- we want all our teams to have an equal chance of success during the season. Our aim is to place kids in a way that matches their skill level and continues their development and passion for the game. We want every player to have the best experience possible by feeling as successful as possible.

• Independent evaluators from outside MYBA will evaluate all players, and the evaluators are paid by MYBA for their time and expertise.
• Evaluators are typically coaches and/or players with years of experience at the high school and/or college level.
  • In rare instances (ex. a make-up session with very few players) qualified MYBA board members may step in if independent evaluators are not available.
• Parents are not allowed to observe tryouts.
• Board members are only allowed in tryouts in their official capacity (e.g. if a board member is responsible for running the tryout, they will be present).
  • Regardless of official board capacity, board members will not participate in any skilled activities for their players’ age group (e.g. a board member with a 10U player will not throw batting practice at tryouts to anyone in the 10U age group).
• All head coaches from the previous season that apply to head coach for the current season will be invited to attend tryouts for the respective age group they coached. If the head coach cannot attend, one of their previous assistant coaches can attend as a substitute,  For any coach that attends tryouts:
  • They must be present for all Round 2 tryouts (A/AA and AA/AAA) for their respective age group.
  • MYBA will provide them with an official evaluation sheet to capture their observations. Those sheets will be collected after the tryout but will not be referenced until after the Team Formation Committee (TFC) has determined the Final Player Rankings for each age level and begins the process of forming Draft teams.

• The Team Formation Committee (TFC) is comprised of five Board members. Members recuse themselves from discussions involving their kid(s).
• The TFC will create "Draft Teams" using Final Player Rankings from tryouts; past performance and feedback; and positional balance, especially with pitchers and catchers.  Evaluation sheets from the coaches who observed Round 2 tryouts will also be consulted at this time.
  • Final Player Rankings are tryout rankings from 1-n for each age group, and are determined using only independent evaluator input.
  • Teams will remain in “Draft” format until the end of the TFC process, at which point they will become “Final” and will be shared with coaches and players.
  • In addition to Final Player Rankings and coach feedback, the TFC will also work to ensure equitable positional distribution, especially with pitchers and catchers, in creating balanced teams.
• Once Draft teams are formed, head coaches will be assigned. Once head coaches are assigned, they will have an opportunity to review their Draft team with the TFC, starting at the AAA level and cascading down to the A level.
  • At this time, head coaches will meet with the TFC and can make their case for roster adjustments, but final decisions sit with the TFC.
  • Once the AAA team is Final, the process will repeat at the AA level and continue down through the A level.
  • If there are multiple coaches at the same age and level, those coaches will attend the same meeting with the TFC. 
• Once all teams are final, coaches will be notified and within 24 hours players will be offered their spot.
• Players will be given a deadline to accept their roster spot before the TFC moves to offer that spot to a waitlist player. The timeline will generally be 1-2 weeks for a player to make a decision.

Please click here for more information about how teams are formed and all the elements that go into the decision making process.