Division Descriptions

All division descriptions below are specific to the spring/summer season, which runs from April and May through July. The fall baseball seasons are structured differently than our spring/summer season.

The Babe Ruth League age chart for 2023 is at the bottom of this page. You may use this to see what your child's "league age" is for the 2023 season. This chart is for baseball only. It should not be used  to determine the softball league age.

Cal Ripken age divisions go from 4 through 12 year's old. Each division progresses to the next level of rules, culminating with the Majors division playing nearly full MLB rules.

T-Ball (6U)

This division is a mix of hitting off a tee and coach pitch. No scores and standings are kept. There are no tournaments in this division. All players who are first year players, 6 & under, should select this division for registration.

Rookie (8U)

This division is machine pitch, using the Blue Flame pitching machines. Scores and standings are kept. There are tournaments in this division. It's played on a 60' diamond. While there are no walks, leadoffs, or stealing, most of the other general baseball rules are used, though modified for the age of the players. 6 year old's who have already played at least one season of T-Ball should consider playing in this division.

The benefits of this division are the machines we use generally can miss high and low, but rarely, if ever, miss side to side. This means players are very unlikely to be hit by a pitched ball. Compared to the next division up, players in this division get about twice as many at bats per game and three times as many balls are put in play. The most player growth and skill development, throughout the course of a season,  happens in this division.

Minors (10U)

This is the first division with player pitch. There are walks and stealing is allowed. Being the first year or two players are pitching, walks, passed balls, wild pitches, and stolen bases, are how a majority of runs are scored in this division. It's played on a 60' diamond. Most MLB rules are followed in this division, with the exception of leadoffs and uncaught third strikes.

Majors (12U)

This is the division where nearly all MLB rules are in play, although still modified slightly for the age. The diamond expands to 70', with pitching at 50'. This division is where we introduce leadoffs and uncaught third strikes to the rules.

Playing Up

A significant number of parents desire their kids to "play up" to a higher division, thinking there will be more skill and development growth opportunities. The only division where this has clearly shown to be the case is playing up to Rookie, while still being eligible for T-Ball. While some players are essentially forced to play up, mainly due to being on a team where some of the players are a year older and they must play in the older division, free agents, or those not returning to their previous team, must attend the assessments and be drafted by a team in the next division up from where the player is eligible. The rules for each age group are designed for the maximum growth and development for the vast majority for those age players.

Babe Ruth divisions are for those 13 and older. The game is played on a full-size, 90' diamond. We have and may also play on an 80' diamond if there are enough teams to split the division. Depending on the number of teams, we will have 1-3 different divisions. Below are the up to 3 different divisions we could offer in a given season.

14U

Played on either an 80' diamond with 54' pitching, or played on a 90' diamond with 60'6" pitching, this and all Babe Ruth divisions are played by largely MLB rules. Lineups of 9 or 10 are used, with bench players as subs. Entire lineups are not batted and minimum playing time rules are not as generous as the Cal Ripken divisions.

16U

Played on a 90' diamond with 60'6" pitching, this and all Babe Ruth divisions are played by largely MLB rules. Lineups of 9 or 10 are used, with bench players as subs. Entire lineups are not batted and minimum playing time rules are not as generous as the Cal Ripken divisions.

18U

Played on a 90' diamond with 60'6" pitching, this and all Babe Ruth divisions are played by largely MLB rules. Lineups of 9 or 10 are used, with bench players as subs. Entire lineups are not batted and minimum playing time rules are not as generous as the Cal Ripken divisions.

Schedules

Babe Ruth division teams play more games than Cal Ripken division teams, as many as two times the number of regular season games. They play interleague games where travel to areas 1-2 hours away may happen a couple of times in a season. There is usually only a single, interleague tournament at the end of the season.

Division Composition

If not enough teams to create separate divisions, all players in the Babe Ruth division will play by the 16U rules and players 13-16 will be on Babe Ruth teams. No 18U division would be played if there are not sufficient teams.

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BABE RUTH LEAGUE, INC.
BIRTH CHART FOR 2024 – BASEBALL DIVISIONS

All player ages are determined by the birth chart shown above. May 1 in any year shall be the deciding date.