Why Little League?

I would agree that little league pitching/base distances may be too short for the cream of the crop 12 year olds. However, I will say that as far as pitching development goes, there is so much more to work on in developing pitchers than worrying about pick-off moves. Young pitcher's time would be so much better spent working and refining their throwing mechanics to help make their deliveries as efficient as possible in order to maximize velocity and control while minimizing the risk of injury.

Similarly, for position players, there is so much more to work on than lead offs. Proper fielding technique, throwing technique, footwork, rundowns, receiving relay throws, etc. I could go on and on and I haven't even discussed hitting yet.

While I do agree that baserunning is a significant part of the game. There is still much that can be worked on in this area without lead-offs. Proper sliding technique, rounding a base, etc.

This is not in any way meant to be critical but I feel that, at younger ages (12 and under), fundamental pitching, hitting, and fielding technique development is by far the most important aspect.