2026 HALL Minors A and Majors Evaluation Information for Parents

Please read the following information carefully (and all the way to the end) as it will let you know where Evaluations will occur, when they will occur (including an alternate date for those with conflicts), the difference between a tryout and an evaluation, and an explanation of why we do evaluations and how that information is used - particularly as it pertains to assessing the right division for a player!

WHAT:

At Player Evaluations, coaches and evaluators will ask players to demonstrate their abilities and evaluate players on their throwing, fielding, running, and hitting. Players will go through these 4 stations with a group of about 15 other players of similar age/ability.

WHERE:

3/7: Hopkins North Junior High Activity Structure (10700 Cedar Lake Rd, Minnetonka, MN 55305)

3/14:Hopkins Athletic Center (2400 Royals Drive, Minnetonka)

WHEN:

Player Evaluations will take place on March 7th and March 14th.  Players can sign up for either day in their correct time slot for their little league age. Players should arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of their assigned time slot to sign in, stretch, and do some warmup throwing.  If you aren't sure of your player's Little League age: it is the age they will be on 8/31/2026 (including 8/31 birthdays).

WHAT SHOULD PLAYERS BRING? 

Players should bring their baseball glove, batting helmet and a bat (if they have them), a water bottle and athletic shoes (no cleats).

CAN PARENTS WATCH THE EVALUATIONS?

We ask that parents, caregivers, siblings and friends do not watch the evaluations unless they are coaches. This helps to keep the evaluations as objective and fair as possible. We ask that parents leave the facility and return at the conclusion of the evaluations. 

WHO WILL EVALUATE PLAYERS?

Players will be evaluated by Minors A and Majors coaches and evaluators from Pine Tar Academy. 

Saturday 3/7  Evaluation Schedule  - Hopkins North Middle School Activity Center

Saturday March 14  Evaluation Schedule - Royals Athletic Center (RAC)

ANY MAJORS OR MINORS A PLAYER WHO DOES NOT ATTEND EVALUATIONS WILL BE PLACED ON A TEAM OUTSIDE OF DRAFT BY THE HALL PLAYER AGENT. 

WHY ARE WE DOING PLAYER EVALUATIONS?  

For those new to HALL or new to player evaluations: Evaluations are not "tryouts" in the traditional sense in that everyone who is evaluated will be placed on a team.  Player evaluations are used to help HALL Coaches and leaders do three things to ensure a great season for all: 

1. Create Competitive Balance through a player draft: HALL teams at the Majors Level and Minors A Level are not created by player friend request or common elementary school or neighborhood.  Instead, we use a draft format to ensure that teams will have competitive balance.  Players generally end up with a team where they have familiar faces, but we do not make any guarantees because this cannot be the priority or games will get out of hand.
    

2. Determine proper level of play for Kid Pitch Players: HALL's priorities are to ensure players are well-positioned to: 1) Have fun; 2) Develop their skills; 3) enjoy competition; and 4) be safe all the while. Majors is HALL and Little League's most competitive level of play.  Majors will typically consist of our league's most talented players ages 12 and 11, as well as some advanced age 10 players.  Minors A is HALL's first kid-pitch level, and is appropriate for 10 and 9 year old players, as well as 11 year old players who are still developing and 8 year old players who are quite advanced in their development.  While we want to respect the choice of level between Minors A and Majors that you made for your child at registration, it's important to note a few things to set expectations going into evaluations about level of play, all of which are informed by our focus on fun, development, competition, and safety: 

• Little League age 10 players playing at Majors are generally an exception, not a normal occurrence.  The primary reason for this is because at Majors, the rules shift to be more competitive, and there are no playing time restrictions.  While a 10 year old player may be a very strong athlete for their age, they may not be a comparatively strong athlete when on a team that is mostly older kids.  Their opportunities may then be lacking, and impact a younger player's development.  As such, please be aware that even if your 10 year old is registered for Majors, they may be placed onto a Minors A roster. 
•  Little League age 11 players will generally play at Majors and Little League age 9 players will generally play at Minors A.  However, if the coaches determine that a Little League age 11 player playing Majors or a Little League age 9 player playing Minors A would either create a safety risk for the player, or be a negative environment for a player's ability to develop and grow in the game, we will move the player down a level (from Majors to Minors A for 11s or Minors A to Minors B for 9s).  This is not a negative judgment upon the player, but rather a way for HALL to ensure we meet our priorities above player age when we draft the teams between Majors and Minors A.  
•  Conversely: Little League age 11 players that are registered for Minors A may be asked to play at Majors if the coaches and HALL leaders believe that their playing at Minors A would create a safety risk or otherwise compromise player development, fun, and competition for the other players at Minors A.  
  
•  Little League age 12 players will play at Majors unless there is a rare situation where Majors would pose a safety risk to that player. 

Number of Majors and Minors A Teams: The HALL Board will determine the number of Majors and Minors A Teams prior to the evaluations based on registrations and input from the Board. The break between Majors and Minors A players will be determined after evaluations with input from the coaches. 

Any adjustments to level of play from registration will be communicated directly with families following evaluations.  If you have any questions about this or anything else about evaluations, Please reach out to the Player Agent.

 Player Agent 2026: Brady Hanson, HALL Vice President of Baseball at [email protected].