also known as: 
How do they select the All Star Team
and why isn't my child on it?

       Other than the draft very few things are as controversial as the selection of an all star (baseball or softball) team to represent a league. Why is that? Well in most cases only 12 or 13 players are chosen to represent an entire league. And at least half of the parents believe that their child belongs on the all star team. Now, they may not believe that their child is an all star but they know that their son or daughter is at least as good as one of the players they see selected to the team. Well, he did out-hit that other boy in the two games when they played my son's team - didn't he? It is not the first eight or nine players chosen that are controversial (everyone knows they belong) but rather the last two or three. This is true in any sport - just look at the selection process for the 64 teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.

        There are two reasons that All-stars are selected: to honor those who had outstanding seasons and also to put together a team that will be competitive with other teams in the areas or regions where the all-star competition is held. 
        These two requirements are not always the same when selecting players for an All-star team.  The pitcher that may have won most of his team's games may only be the fifth best pitcher in the league which means he probably will not pitch in all-star games.  Can he hit or catch?  If not, he probably will not be able to contribute to the all-star team in competition.  Or the hitter that hits .400 but is slow or strikes out a lot may not be selected or may be passed over for a fast .300 hitter who seldom strikes out.  In all-star games speed is essential and a player who puts the ball in play is preferred over a player who strikes out often.  Can he hit the faster "all-star type" pitching?  A player who is on a last place team may never get to see the better pitchers in the league and therefore his batting average may be inflated by 100 to 150 points.  If he has a long looping swing he may be able to hit slower league pitching with power but he is unlikely to hit the faster pitching he will see in the all-star tournaments.  Does he get along well with other players or is he constantly bickering with the other players and coaches?  Does he make the players around him look better because of his play or is he blaming everyone else for his own mistakes?  If he has played infield all season can he, or is he willing, to play in the outfield?  Everyone can't play in the infield in every game.

        Another part of the controversy is that it seems that the 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?  If you read the selection criteria below you will see that the league frowns on any conspiracy among managers or coaches to "fix" the all star selection. Most leagues have severe penalties for collusion among the managers but it is doubtful collusion could ever be proven or is ever prosecuted.  It is probably true that some managers vote for other manager's kids because they know the other manager. Quite often just the opposite probably happens, too.  On the field rivalries can cause bias against another manager's child. The league tries to see that neither of these scenarios occurs but that the best players are chosen irregardless of who their parents are. Also, whether it is cause or effect, the best players are usually sons or daughters of coaches because the coaches put in more time with their own children or because they got into coaching because they saw some ability in their own child or because league rules allow coaches' draft options for their own child.

         Another controversial aspect is that it always seems that the all star manager has more players off his own team than any other team. That is almost always so. It would seem that since his team came in first place that they probably had better players overall than other teams. Also, in most leagues, the all-star manager usually gets to choose a couple of players on his own in addition to those selected by ballot. He will usually choose "position" players if he is lacking a catcher or needs an extra pitcher. But if not, he is more likely to choose someone off his team since he knows those players better or because he wants their parent to help coach. In my experience the managers I know have used their "free" choices to choose players (yes - usually off of their own team) who may not have had the best statistics or power or pitching ability but rather were good TEAM players who hustled and had good attitudes. A team of all stars is not easy to coach and a couple of kids who hustle and have good team spirit can be instrumental in having fun during those long hot July practices and in winning tournament games.
         The manager is also at a disadvantage if he had a very good or great regular season team.  He may have had six, seven or eight players off of his team that are truly deserving of being on the All-star team.  At the same time, every other manager is trying to get at least one or two players from their regular season teams onto the All-star team.  The result is a numbers crunch and compromises are usually made.  Usually all of the teams will end up with at least one player on the team and most teams will have two players selected.  That leaves precious little room for players who were third or fourth best on their own teams but who were also in the top ten in the league.  They are usually left out. Players on the second place team usually suffer the most from this scenario. 
        In leagues where the teams are made up of multi-age players great younger players are often left off in favor of older players with less ability with the reasoning that the younger players will have their chance "next year". 
        You may not agree with these criteria and they may or may not be the proper criteria for all-star selection but as long as the coaches choose the players this is the way it will be done.
        To aid those parents and coaches who do not understand how the all stars are chosen I have reprinted that portion of the process from the Decatur Dixie Youth National League handbook below.  Most leagues adhere to a process very similar to this. I hope after reading it the process becomes clearer. It is a compromise and may not be a perfect method.  But it beats a popularity contest like Major League Baseball runs, and it allows a League to honor those who played well during the season and also be represented well when they participate in post season competitions.   
         Let me know what you think.

Ken Gamble
dsports@hiwaay.net