Why play SFLL after Majors?
High school players, parents, and coaches explain (YouTube)
DIVISION OVERVIEW
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The SFLL Juniors (60/90) Division prepares players of all skill levels for life on and off the high school baseball diamond by making new friends, gaining confidence, and learning more about the game of baseball. Our division has many successful high school and college alumni who return each year to share their perspectives at our Alumni Clinic.
Juniors (60/90) is for players with league age 13 or 14. Play is on a regulation size baseball field (90 feet between bases, 60 feet 6 inches from mound to plate). The division has several non-parent coaches, all of whom have baseball experience (including high school, college, and professional levels). These coaches and a robust training program for volunteer parent coaches help ensure that our 'core curriculum' of big diamond skills are emphasized to each team and each player.
The season begins in late January with Training Camps, followed bya skills evaluation session (SES) in February. All players who attend SES are assigned to a team for the regular season, which begins in March. During the season, teams practice and play at fields in The City including the new Paul Goode in the Presidio. There are no practices or games on Treasure Island. The regular season culminates in a playoff tournament to crown a San Francisco Junior (60/90) champion, typically around the first week of June.
Following playoffs, select players are invited to participate in All-Stars to represent SFLL in the Junior League World Series Tournament, which begins with District level play (versus Marin Junior Leagues). SFLL has a consistent track record of success, winning or reaching the District championship game in four of the past five years.
As with all other levels of SFLL, we expect families to make SFLL games and practices a priority over other sports commitments. For this reason as well as for physical well-being, playing in another baseball program and in Juniors needs to be very carefully considered. It may be possible to join a Juniors team after a school team's season is over. Parents have told us that the Juniors program is a great value—offering more games, more competitive balance and a guarantee of more playing time—at a fraction of the cost of travel teams.
I'm an impact player. I should focus on travel ball.
Juniors has a regular season, a playoff season, and an all star season. Our top players learn a lot about baseball because they are team leaders that nurture beginners in the regular season. They get to test their character as they help coaches guide their team through the playoffs. Then they may get selected to the All Star team. San Francisco's Juniors All Star team is eligible to compete all the way to the World Series in Taylor, Michigan. Our team has made the District finals in four of the last five years, and advanced to the Sectional tournament for two of the last five years. We offer a challenging baseball experience for the impact player.
I'm a decent player. Maybe travel ball will help me take my game to the next level. I should do that instead of Juniors.
The travel ball experience can help some players take their game to the next level. For others, travel ball can fall short of expectations and drive them away from playing the sport. There are no minimum play requirements, and coaches usually have little interest giving a player an opportunity at a new position. You will get plenty of chances to take your game to the next level in Juniors. Just ask one of our alumni at the annual clinic.
I have played in previous seasons and never had success. Maybe it is time to give it up.
As long as you enjoy the challenge of playing baseball, you should keep playing. Dealing with failure is a big part of baseball and life itself. If you are age 13 or 14, you are about to experience dramatic changes in your physique and outlook that will impact your performance. The larger size of the Juniors field means more time to react to pitched and batted balls (especially when compared to the Little League size field). Many of our successful alumni from the program were ready to give up baseball at your age. They are now enjoying successful high school baseball careers as a result of persistence, determination, and their growth into young adults.
I never played baseball before, how can I start now?
Juniors provides a positive environment with just the right amount of structure and events to promote success for an adolescent beginner. Our coaches are encouraged to rotate players in the field, we have generous minimum play requirements, and adhere to a continuous batting order. All of this is provided in a competitive environment that keeps it fun and exciting all of the time.