Frequently Asked Questions

How do the age groups work and what is the cut-off date to determine age?

• Players are between the ages of 13-19 to be eligible to play Babe Ruth Calgary
• Players must be at least 13 years of age by April 30th in order to play, they can be 12 during the registration/evaluation process, but must turn 13 by April 30th.
• Players cannot turn 20 during the calendar year in which they are playing.

 

How long is the season?

• Indoor Spring training begins at the beginning of March and runs through to the beginning/middle of May (weather dependent).
• There is an outdoor "Jamboree" scheduled near the end of April (weather permitting); this is an exhibition tournament in preparation for the season.
• The first Club Team games are usually scheduled to start (weather permitting) in Mid May.
• The regular season runs through July and playoffs are generally finished by the first week in August.

Where are the games and practices?

• Games and practices are at Glenmore, Optimist , New Brighton, Foothills Athletic Park, and Lynnwood diamonds. Links to maps are located on homepage of our website under the Field Status/Locations button.
• Babe Ruth also uses the Coyote Den and Diamondawgs as a practice facilities through the regular season, pre-season and winter training. The links to all maps and field locations can be found on our homepage under the Field Status/Locations button.

What is the time commitment to play in the league?

• Teams have two indoor training sessions per week throughout the Spring. Spring Training (indoors March & April) - one weeknight and one weekend.
• There are typically 4-5 "events" per week through the outdoor season (May-July).
• For example, 2 practices and 2-3 games or vice-versa.
• Games are scheduled for weeknights and weekends; practices are typically held on weeknights.

Are there parent coaches?

Babe Ruth Calgary has incredible coaches throughout the entire organization. The foundation of our coaching staff is more than 50 volunteers … 95% of which are non-parents.  The strength of our alumni group is reflected in our coaches with many of our former players returning to coach in our league. This group of coaches is supported by a staff of paid Technical Directors that oversee player development and help our volunteer coaching group. We have the odd parent coach, however these coaches are generally coaching because of their love of the game, and most often are not coaching their own player's team.

When is registration?

• Registration for the Spring Season takes place online at the beginning of December each year.
• Registration and evaluations for summer travel teams takes place in May which allows coaches to view players in action during their regular Club games, in addition to Travel Team evaluations.
• Registration for Harvest League (Fall Ball) takes place in mid August for September and October fall games.
• Registration and evaluations for the Premier Travel Teams begin in September and run through to January, where the teams for that year will be announced.

When are evaluations for the Spring Season and what does the process look like?

• Evaluations for the Spring Season take place at the beginning of February.
• Players are encouraged to attend all evaluations that they are available for, but MUST attend at least one offensive evaluation and one defensive evaluation to be eligible for the player draft.
• There will also be one Sunday where there are offensive evaluations in addition to pitcher/catcher evaluations in the form of bullpens

Are there cuts?

• Yes, there are cuts from our evaluation process.
• The number of players who are not drafted varies year-to-year based on registration numbers and the talent pool.

When are players drafted?

• The league's player draft usually takes place in mid-late February.

Does Babe Ruth offer year-round training?

Yes, our training calendar looks like this:

• Spring Training (indoors): March & April
• Spring Season: May-First week of August
• Fall Ball & High Performance Fall Ball: September & October
• Winter Training (Diamondawgs): November-December (phase 1) & January-February (phase 2)

What are Summer Travel Teams?

• Please see travel team information and current team lists under the "Teams" tab from our main page.

Are there pitch counts?  Are they mandatory?

• Yes, there are pitch count limits
• The upper limits of our pitch counts are mandatory and are lower at the beginning of the season and can move up once arms are safely underway.

Do pitchers play other positions? Do they bat?

• Our league generally does not have any "pitcher-only" players on any of the Club Team/League rosters. Travel will have exceptions, but within our Club Teams, pitchers play other positions as well, and they are in the hitting lineup.