Pool Player Guidelines - 2025 Season
Updated March 19, 2025

Players get injured, sick, and sometimes have conflicts that are unavoidable. We hate to cancel games! Fortunately, Little League encourages pool play which allows competitive divisions (AAA, Minors, Majors, and Juniors) to field enough players to prevent a forfeit.

This means players get additional opportunities to play for other teams where they might have friends and we avoid the disappointment of cancellations.

Non-competitive divisions do not use pool players.

1. A pool player request is made by the manager or coach of the team directly to the Pool Player Administrator NO LESS THAN 48 HOURS before the game. For Majors Division Pool Player requests, please email Patti Shore at [email protected].  For AAA, Minors, and Juniors requests, please complete the Google form found at this link:  https://forms.gle/zNNAr52hooVHzwEw5.

2. The Pool Player Administrator will make the decision as to which player from the pool is selected to play on any given day.

3. Managers may not request specific players and should never reach out to players from other teams seeking pool players.  While there are no "provisional" requests (i.e., ordering a pool player "just in case"), notifying the Player Agent that you might be making a request, especially if it will be a late request, is appropriate and encouraged.

4. With 9 or fewer players available, Managers are required to make a Pool Player request. With 10 or more, no request should be made.

5. Once the pool player request has been filled, the pool player must be used - no cancellations can be made - even if the player missing arrives at the game.

6. Pool players are required to play 9 defensive outs and bat at least once; the pool player will remain in the batting order for the duration of the game.

7. Pool players may not pitch nor catch and must bat at the end of the batting order.

8. No more than two pool players may be requested for any one game, unless an exception is granted by the division Commissioner.

9. Pool players must wear their own team’s uniforms.

10. Pool play helps MVLL run smoothly and provides a great opportunity for the player. If you are asked to be a pool player, schedule permitting, our hope is that you will accept.

11. Pool players may not play more innings than any rostered players present during a game.