Out little league goes:

Tball (little ones, Really cute and fun to watch, lots of daisy pickers, kids who run the wrong direction and peewee soccer-like herd play)

A (roughly 1st through a handful of 3rd graders, machine pitch with coach soft toss after a certain number of missed swings)

AA (roughly better 2nd graders through weaker 4th graders, kid pitch, soft toss after a certain number of missed balls, the MOST boring level)

AAA (better 3rd graders through weakest 6th graders, kid pitch, starts to get interesting again at this level)

Majors (a few very strong 4th graders, maybe 1 per team, plus strong to very strong 6th/younger 7th graders. Age 12 cap. This level is the most fun to watch because the kids are very good ball players and play with a lot of heart)

There are two different types of “all-star” teams. One is the same structure as in MLB: the 1-3 best players on each regular-season team are selected and grouped into two temporary teams, which play a single game against each other at the end of the regular season. Yes, these are generally the coaches’ kids. Whether that’s because of nepotism, self-selection (kids who are really into baseball generally wind up with a parent coaching) or a combination of both is up for discussion.

The other is what culminates in the LL World Series you see on TV: Majors players (usually 12, sometimes 11 or 10) try out for spots on the select team fielded by your LL. Shockingly, these are also often coaches’ kids. Your team plays other LLs, and eventually a few teams with moose-sized players and irrationally invested players wind up in Williamsport.

Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like it does vary by league.

Depends on the league. In ours, A is coach pitch (5-7 year olds) and AA is kid pitch (7-9 year olds). If you aren’t sure which to sign up for, email the player agent (should be listed on the league’s website)

All-stars are chosen by the coaches at the end of the season (and, yes, are almost always coach’s kids).

I think it really varies league to league in terms of what is the norm. Our league is very small, and AA is essentially coach pitch and the kids are around 6-8, while AAA is kid pitch and the kids are around 8-10. Majors is obviously also kid pitch and the kids are 9-12, though very, very few 9 year olds. It is a fairly big jump from AA to AAA and even bigger from AAA to Majors. There are all stars at the 8-10 level, 9-11 level, 11-12 level, etc. Not all leagues field teams at every level, e.g., we do only an 8-10 team and an 11-12 team. It's best to find out what the norm is for your league by talking to people who have experience there.

Your kid will get a chance to play key positions like infield and pitcher more often at the lower level. But pitching is better at the higher level. Our town has tryouts starting in AA, so that is a good way to know where your child belongs. If they don't make AAA, they belong in AA, etc.

The coaches' kids get picked for all stars.

If your kid is the age range that could play A or AA, is there any benefit to playing AA rather than A?
Is there any reason to want your kid to play majors sooner than later?
Who gets picked for All Stars - is it only kids who are playing majors?

Thanks!