Milltown Baseball & Softball

The Midget League is the second phase in the MLL baseball program. Most players in this division are 7 and 8 years old. Players in this age group will rapidly develop the fundamental baseball skills that they will use in the coming years. It is the goal of MLL to give each player a solid skill base in the fundamentals of baseball during their time in this division.

The Midget League is a purely instructional league. The scores of the games are not kept. There are no division winners or end of season playoffs. All players are pitched to by either a league approved pitching machine or coach (dependent upon the decision of the MLL Board of Directors for that year).

Fielding-Players should gain a level of proficiency with the basics of fielding ground balls. They should be taught proper body, foot and glove placement and taught to field with two hands. The skill of catching fly balls can be taught with tennis balls during practice. The emphasis at this level is to teach and continually reinforce the basic skills of baseball.

All balls hit to a player during practice will be soft to avoid injury and fear of the ball. The emphasis is to apply the basic skills while alleviating the fear of being hit by the ball. The Midget League uses a soft baseball for all practices and games.

Throwing-Proper grip on the ball should be taught. Players should have two fingers on top of the ball with the thumb on the bottom. Proper throwing mechanics should also be emphasized. Try to get the players to throw in the classic overhand motion while stepping forward.

Outfield-

Properly place themselves in their position
Throw to a cutoff man on balls hit deep
Releasing the ball immediately after picking it up
Catching fly balls

Catcher-

Proper position and stance behind the plate
Catching the pitched ball
Throwing to first base on fielded balls
Accurate throws back to the pitcher
Stopping poorly thrown pitches
Blocking balls thrown in the dirt

Infield-

Properly place themselves in their positions
Move toward balls and position their body in front of the ball with their glove on the ground
Stop the ball with two hands
Throw ahead of the lead runner
Get under and catch fly balls
Throw behind advancing runners on caught fly balls

Hitting-

Proper hand placement on bat
The angle of the bat relative to the player is 45 degrees with the players' elbow pointing down at 45 degrees
Watching the ball all the way from the machine/coach to contact Proper swing
Letting poor pitches pass (taking a pitch)
Proper positioning within the batters box
When to stay in the batters box and when to get out
Proper batting stance
How to get out of the way of a pitched ball, which way and how to turn

Base Running-

Running to first base and home plate without stopping (overrunning the base)
Adancing to the next bases on ground balls
Holding a base on fly balls

Note: Sliding, Stealing and Bunting are not permitted at this level.