From a very young age me and my friends would marvel over the Little League World Series and wish to be in their shoes, or cleats one day. But why just settle for playing in the Little League World Series, we would even set our sights on bigger and better things, playing in the actual World Series. That is the power of the LLWS.
It is always fun watching 6-foot-1, 11-year-olds with mustaches destroying normal-sized children. On the other side of things, it is fun watching the undersized kid also perform well against the bigger kids. People of all shapes and sizes make the trip out to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“Hi, my name’s Alred Delia. At home, they call me Big Al, and I hit dingers.” The LLWS introduces us to players like Big Al, and for that, we should all be grateful. You get volunteer coaches and umpires getting together to put on a great spectacle, and you get fans traveling thousands of miles across the world to watch their children play on the big stage. You also get some pretty cool moments like Mo’ne Davis dealing on the mound.
You get entertainment from watching, you get emotion from the fans, coaches and kids, but there might be something bigger. Kids at home get to dream that they can be that 12-year-old leading their team to the championship in front of a sold out crowd and millions of fans watching. Making a whole community proud is cool, but inspiring kids around the world is even more special.
Best MLB Players to Play in the LLWS
One of the coolest parts about watching the Little League World Series is when MLB players are part of the experience. MLB did a great thing when they developed the MLB Little League Classic.
In 2017 the first MLB Little League Classic came about where two teams will play in Williamsport to put on a show for all the kids part of the big event. This year, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles are set to compete. The ultimate goal of this game is to try to get more kids involved in baseball and continue their love for the game.
Cody Bellinger is one of the best MLB players to come from the LLWS. The 2017 Rookie of the Year played for Chandler, Arizona in 2007. His team eventually lost to Georgia in the semifinals. Michael Conforto is another big-name from the LLWS. He was the first player to record an RBI in the LLWS, College World Series and MLB World Series. Conforto is one of three players to play in all three World Series’ as his first one came in 2004 with Redmond, Washington.
Randall Grichuk also played in the 2004 LLWS. His team in Lamar, Texas allowed a homer to Conforto, but Grichuk led the LLWS in hits, home runs and RBIs that year. Scott Frazier is another one of the most notable players from 1998.
Jurickson Profar and Jonathan Schoop were actually teammates on the championship team from Curacao in 2004. This year definitely produced some stars. Lance Lynn, Colby Rasmus, Kevin Cash, Jason Bay and Jason Varitek also played in the LLWS.
Viewership of the LLWS
The Little League World Series is in a great spot here in 2022. Even as fans grow up, there are younger kids filling the void keeping the viewership numbers up.
After 2020 when COVID cancelled the LLWS, the event did not take a hit in the next two years. In 2018, the championship game had a top-audience of 3.25 million, which was higher than any regular season baseball game.
In 2019 the game averaged just over 3 million viewers, more than the Sunday Night Baseball game between huge market teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. The average was higher by 600,000 viewers.
Finally, in 2021, the United States championship game between Ohio and Michigan averaged 2.77 million viewers. This was not even the world championship. The LLWS is in a great spot right now and MLB has helped big time in that cause.
The LLWS is a tradition fans look forward to every summer, and kids dream of playing in. It creates lifelong memories for everyone involved and should stick around til the end of time.
