Frequently Asked Questions

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY BABE RUTH BASEBALL?
If you reside in Danvers and, as of May 1, 2012, will be at least 13 years old, but not more than 19 years old, you are eligible to play Babe Ruth baseball.  It does not matter whether you’re a boy or a girl, a budding expert or a mere novice.  So long as you are a Danvers resident who wants to play real baseball and will be 13 to 19 years old on that date, we have a roster spot for you.

WILL I BE PLAYING WITH OTHER KIDS MY OWN AGE?
Our league has 3 playing divisions, based strictly on age.   All 13-year-olds play in our Prep Division, regardless of their skill level.  All 14 and 15 year olds play in our Major Division, regardless of their skill level.  All 16, 17, 18 and 19-year-olds play in our Senior Division, regardless of their skill level.  Period! No one may “play up” to an older age group and no one is kept down below his own age group.   You play with your peers, your schoolmates and your friends.

HOW ARE BABE RUTH GAMES PLAYED?
Babe Ruth baseball is real baseball.  For the most part, we play by the same rules as the pros.  Stealing is allowed;  runners take leads off bases;  pitchers try to pick runners off base, etc.  But, there are certain limited differences.  First, during our regular season, we use a “continuous batting order”, meaning that every player gets to bat, even when he is not taking the field in a particular inning.  Second, we only play a 7-inning game, unless there is a tie after 7 complete innings.  Third, every player gets at least 3 innings in the field during each game.  Fourth and finally, we limit the number of innings pitchers may pitch in any one-week period, in order to avoid hurting young arms.  Otherwise, it is full-tilt baseball.  The playing rules for each division are posted on our website (www.danversbaberuth.com).

HOW COMPETITIVE ARE BABE RUTH GAMES?
At the Babe Ruth level, we place sportsmanship and player development ahead of competition, during our regular season.  That doesn’t mean that the games are not competitive.  On the contrary, they are all “hard fought”.  But, we try to ensure that everyone has a good experience each season.  We make our teams as even in strength as we can.  By utilizing a continuous batting order, we ensure that every player’s head is kept in the game at all times.  We try to give all players approximately the same amount of playing time, offensively and defensively, over the course of the regular season.  Babe Ruth baseball is good baseball and it’s fun baseball.

HOW MANY TEAMS ARE THERE AND HOW MANY PLAYERS ARE ON EACH TEAM?
Last year we had 6 teams in the Prep Division, 7 teams in the Major Division and 1 team in the Senior Division.  Each team had no fewer than 12 players, nor more than 14 players, except the Senior division team which carries a larger roster.  We expect that this year’s program will include between 180 and 200 players.

WHERE AND WHEN ARE THE GAMES PLAYED?
Prep Division (13 yr. old) games are played at the two fields at Danvers High School every day of the week.  Additionally, on Friday nights, two Prep Division games are played under the lights at the Twi Field at Plains Park.  Major Division (14/15 yr. old) games are played at the Twi Field every day of the week, except Fridays, when they are played at the Stadium Field at DHS.  Half of the Senior Division (16-19 yr. old) games will be played at the new field at DHS; the other half of their games are on the road in other North Shore cities and towns.

WHAT WILL IT COST ME TO PLAY?
The 2012 fee is $140 per player or $190 (max family rate) for families with more than 1 player.


IS THERE A TRYOUT?  IF NOT, WHEN AND HOW WILL MY SKILLS BE EVALUATED?
For the Prep and Major divisions, there isn’t any tryout. If you want to play and are registered in time, you will get to play. But, you MUST attend an “Evaluation Session”, so that we can assess your skill level and take it into consideration as we set up teams of equal strength in each division. The evaluation session for players who are 13 to 15 years old will be held in March. Participation on a Senior division team is based on available space and is not guaranteed. In 2011, for the first time in many years, we had to turn away quite a few players due to the limited space on the one team that we have typically fielded. In 2012 and going forward, we will try to field a second or potentially third team to make sure every player has a team to play on. The evaluation session for players who are 16 to 19 years old will be held in May. You will be notified of the exact date, time and place of those evaluations, as soon as they are set.

WHAT DO I WEAR AND BRING TO THE EVALUATION SESSION?
You must wear comfortable clothes with sneakers to your evaluation session .  Bring your baseball glove.  If you wish, you may also bring a pair of batting gloves.  Everything else that you might need will be provided to you.

DO I HAVE TO PROVIDE MY OWN UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT AFTER I AM ASSIGNED TO A TEAM?
Each registered player receives a baseball shirt and a baseball cap.  Those items are yours to keep.  You must provide your own uniform pants and baseball socks.  You also have to provide your own baseball glove and, if you want to use them, batting gloves.  We provide bats and the other equipment.  NOTE:  Do not go out and buy your pants and socks, until you find out what team you will be on, because different teams wear different colors.

WHAT IF I HAVE A PARENT OR AN ADULT RELATIVE OR A FRIEND WHO WANTS TO COACH A BABE RUTH LEAGUE TEAM?
Tell them to obtain an Application for Managers and Coaches from our website (www.danversbaberuth.com) or by calling our President.  We need all of the help we can get.  We never have as many coaches as we would like.  Since all managers and coaches have to be screened by a CORI check, before they can be appointed, make sure that your parent or friend does not delay in submitting an application.  Each team needs a manager and at least 2 coaches.  Therefore, we expect to need at least 45 adults to staff our teams this season.

WHEN DOES THE REGULAR SEASON START AND WHEN DOES IT END?
Our Opening Day will be held during the last week of April.   Our regular season should conclude during the second week of June.  Playoffs begin the following week.  All teams make the playoffs.

HOW ARE REGULAR SEASON TEAMS CHOSEN?
All regular season teams are completely redrafted every year by the team managers, using our own draft procedures, which we designed to produce teams of equal strength.  The details of our draft procedures will be posted on our website (www.danversbaberuth.com) prior to the draft.  In the years that our current system has been in place, no more than 4 victories have separated the 1st-place team from the last-place team in any division.  It is our goal to ensure that every player has a fun year on a team that has a chance to win its divisional championship.

HOW MANY TEAMS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?
All teams make the playoffs, regardless of their divisional standing at the end of the season.  Standings are only used to determine the seeding of the first round of playoff games.  Believe us when we tell you that anything can happen in playoffs … and usually does.  That’s the beauty of having every team capable of beating every other team on any given day.

WHO OFFICIATES AT BABE RUTH GAMES?
We pay to provide at least one certified, adult umpire for every Babe Ruth game.  All Major and Senior Division games are controlled by two certified, experienced umpires. 

ARE THERE TOURNAMENT TEAMS AND, IF SO, WHO GETS TO PLAY ON THEM?
After the regular season ends, our league fields the following teams in the national Babe Ruth tournament: a 13-year old tournament team, a 14-year old tournament team and our league’s flagship 13-15 tournament team which is comprised of the best 15 players in our non-senior divisions.  Senior division players may be selected to play on the tournament teams chosen by the managers of teams in the Northeast Senior Babe Ruth League in which Danvers plays.  Our own tournament teams first compete in the Eastern Massachusetts District 1 tournaments.  District 1 includes all of Essex County (except Lawrence) and the southern half of Middlesex County.  Teams that win the District 1 tournament go on to compete in the Eastern Massachusetts tournament.  If they win that tournament, they play in the New England Region tournament.  If they win the New England Region Championship, they go on to compete in the Babe Ruth World Series for their age group.  In recent years, our tournament teams have won district championships at each age level and have reached the finals in the Eastern Massachusetts tournament.  Playing on a tournament team is an exciting and fun experience; but, it involves a great deal of hard work and a tremendous commitment of time in late June and July.  The managers, coaches and players comprising our 13 Year Old Tournament Team are chosen by a selection committee consisting of the managers of all teams in our Prep Division, the VP of the Prep Division and the President.  Selection committees, which are similarly constituted, choose the personnel on our 14 Year Old Tournament Team and our flagship 13-15 Year Old tournament team.  Details of our selection procedures are permanently posted on our website.

WHO RUNS DANVERS BABE RUTH LEAGUE?
A Massachusetts non-profit corporation, Danvers Babe Ruth League, Inc. which is otherwise known as “DBRL”, runs Danvers Babe Ruth League.   DBRL holds monthly meetings throughout the entire year. All parents, managers and coaches may attend DBRL meetings.