• CLUTCH SUMMARY: As the Little League World Series is being played, the amount of professional baseball players who have played in that league has increased a bit over the past few years, showing that the importance of the sport of baseball seems to be increasing.
  • Current players like Cody Bellinger and Randal Grichuk have made their rounds through the LLWS; Bellinger had a memorable 2007 LLWS, going deep for his squad.
  • Former players like Gary Sheffield and Jason Veritek have all been through the wringer of LLWS too, and Veritek is one of the few players to have played in the LLWS, College World Series and the MLB World Series.

Every year, the absolute pleasure of the Little League World Series graces television screens all across the United States of America, showing kids everywhere how to fulfill an absolute dream. With both boys and girls being members of their regional teams, the possibilities are endless for what kids interested in the sport of baseball can accomplish.

The connection between kids who played in the LLWS to players who made it all the way to the big show has become a hot topic the past few years, as more and more of those players have been showing up in the MLB. Not always big-name players, the LLWS has almost turned into a feeder league of sorts for the MLB, although that connection is very, very far off from being true.

Current players, like Cody Bellinger, Todd Frazier, and Michael Conforto, and former ballplayers, like Gary Sheffield, Boog Powell, and Jason Bay, all have made their rounds through the LLWS on their way to the MLB. Obviously, all of those names are pretty relevant in current-day and the annals of the MLB, but there have been a lot of players to make that trip through both levels.

Thanks to Cut4 and Eric Chesterton for compiling all of the important statistics about how popular the LLWS has become, and how more and more players seem to be going through the LLWS before making it to the MLB.

Of all of the players that have played in both the LLWS and the MLB, only three have been members in the trifecta, appearing in the LLWS, the College World Series and the MLB World Series. Current New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto, former Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Veritek and former MLB journeyman Ed Vosberg are the three players having made their rounds through all three levels.

As the LLWS wraps up, the importance of the MLB is sprinkled throughout their coverage. From having players attend these games and interact with the kids to having teams play on a different field with Little League flair, the partnership between both the LLWS and the MLB seems to be very healthy, hopefully sparking a long-standing relationship that can help cultivate a new interest in the sport of baseball.