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Weighing Pros & Cons of various options for 15U Baseball in 2018.  Kid is (so far) a MI/Corner OF who will be a rising Soph in the summer of 2018.  

Do we invest in getting him on a great travel team that plays top competition?

If 15U isn't that important from a scouting point of view would it be smarter to save $$$ for 16U/17U and instead focus more on getting bigger/stronger/faster while playing more regional/local competition including Legion Ball and some travel?

Perfect Game has a great Fall Ball league in Iowa that we would consider getting him into which would get him plenty of reps vs bigger/older talented kids.  So I'm confident I can get him valuable game reps without investing in a travel team that plays WWBA, Jupiter, Lake Point etc.... we're in the upper midwest and have limited $$$

Last edited by 3and2Fastball
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There are plenty of paths to take without braking the bank.  Sounds like you found a few.  Same goes for conditioning/strength/speed & agility as well as instruction.  Whether you spend a lot or spend a little, it all comes down to a good plan and a player that has the talent, passion and work ethic to make it happen.

Personally, at that age, I also like to see the player start to own a little skin in the game as far as helping cover costs of some of the extra stuff (better equipment than necessary, more expensive playing options, etc.).

16u is like high school ball without the prospect studs. If he can move up it's a great way to get ready to make varsity. My feeling has always been once a player is good with the 60/90 field and can play at the speed of the 14u game it's time to start playing talent appropriate over age appropriate. 

3and2Fastball posted:

Weighing Pros & Cons of various options for 15U Baseball in 2018.  Kid is (so far) a MI/Corner OF who will be a rising Soph in the summer of 2018.  

Do we invest in getting him on a great travel team that plays top competition?

If 15U isn't that important from a scouting point of view would it be smarter to save $$$ for 16U/17U and instead focus more on getting bigger/stronger/faster while playing more regional/local competition including Legion Ball and some travel?

Perfect Game has a great Fall Ball league in Iowa that we would consider getting him into which would get him plenty of reps vs bigger/older talented kids.  So I'm confident I can get him valuable game reps without investing in a travel team that plays WWBA, Jupiter, Lake Point etc.... we're in the upper midwest and have limited $$$

Do you know his measurables?   If he's already a "stud" start the journey now.  Otherwise I think you're on the right track.  I wouldn't waste my time and money traveling all over at 15u.  

3and2Fastball posted:

Weighing Pros & Cons of various options for 15U Baseball in 2018.  Kid is (so far) a MI/Corner OF who will be a rising Soph in the summer of 2018.  

Do we invest in getting him on a great travel team that plays top competition?

If 15U isn't that important from a scouting point of view would it be smarter to save $$$ for 16U/17U and instead focus more on getting bigger/stronger/faster while playing more regional/local competition including Legion Ball and some travel?

Perfect Game has a great Fall Ball league in Iowa that we would consider getting him into which would get him plenty of reps vs bigger/older talented kids.  So I'm confident I can get him valuable game reps without investing in a travel team that plays WWBA, Jupiter, Lake Point etc.... we're in the upper midwest and have limited $$$

Looking back, I feel I spent more than I really needed to for traveling around the US to play in such competitive events.  Locally, my son had plenty of high end competition to play against and there was really no need for the expense to travel across the US, except . . . it was a lot of fun to do so.   But there was just no added value in terms of getting more noticed (and I'm talking about 15U).  Later in HS (like the Sophomore and Junior years) it can be very beneficial to go to a few events that has high attendance by scouts and recruiters.

Raising the bar for playing at a higher level is an approach I used and was very helpful in determining if my son could really be a top performer at the next level, then the next and then next and so on.  It doesn't really do much good trying to pay at a higher level if one can't do so resulting in not getting much play time or attention for development.  So, raise that bar and see if your son can play with those at a higher level and still be just as competitive.  

There's no need to go overboard and play a great many top competition events.  One here and there will do to get enough attention, particularly if he's a stand out player.  A lot of changes happen from this stage in a player's life . . .so, I do wish the best for your son and hope he achieves his dreams as my son has.

3and2fastball,

So, looking back I think it is dependent on a couple factors.  Travel baseball can be a money pit if you let it be.  You have to tailor what you want to accomplish with what is available to you.

1) Some organization will lump two 15U/16U teams together, for practices, tournaments and showcases.  My son's organization did this and it really helped the 15U team become a force when they turned 16U.  They won the 16U PG WWBA Nationals in 2008.  Initially, they took their licks at 15U in 16U tournaments  then they were winning 16U tourneys as a 15U team.  They got very, very good and very polished at 16U.   My son wanted to play at the highest level possible and this team accomplished that goal.  At 15U/16U, he had no idea what colleges he wanted to target.  At late 16U/17U he had a much clearer picture, and realized we were going to have to do some things on our own.

2) So, I think it is important to understand (and hedge) what kind of school your son is most interested in , qualified for, and what the travel team is setup to do....who are their college contacts and where have their past recruits gone.  Some college recruiters are local, regional and some are national in scope.    So, you have to match the travel organization, schedule, etc....to the type of recruiter.   This was something we learned along the way.  My son's travel team was very successful in getting their recruits picked up by D1 regional teams, but they knew absolutlely nothing about high academic recruiting which is national in scope .   We had to learn all of that high academic stuff on our own.  In other words my son's travel coach was exceptional at what he knew, and opening doors for my son but it wasn't a fit for us.  We had to made some "audibles" on our own. 

3) If I could do it again, I'd probably do a couple small things different.  But it was important for my son to play at the highest level he could at 15/16/17U.   He wanted to challenge himself.  For us, his path was forged from a combination of his 15U/16/17U travel teams efforts and our own efforts to find the best program in his intended college major at 16/17 years old.  Truthfully, I believe his college recruiting coaches were impressed with the level of travel baseball he played and they knew he could be a successful college player at their mid-major D1 level with a focus on academics.

As always, there is no one approach to all of this.  There is common sense, a gut feeling, and listening to nuggets from others that have been down the path before.  

Good luck!

Last edited by fenwaysouth

For the most part it is about talent and money of course.  IMO if a young kid shows outstanding talent, it is in his best interest to get identified and recognized as soon as possible on a regulation sized field.  Some of the best 14 year olds are already verbally committed to power colleges.  We have a nationally televised game with the best 14 year olds.  This year we will have a National Showcase for 14 year olds.  We might not know who "all' the top 14 year olds are, but we know it when we see one.  Many of the top ranked seniors in HS, we have seen when they were 14 or 15, some even before that.  You get to know quite a bit about them over four years.  In fact, anyone interested gets to know who they are.  Often these type kids will play up, but not all of them.

For those that have talent, but maybe not highest level talent, they can benefit by seeing and competing with and against good talent.

For those that lack current talent, they would probably be best off by playing locally if possible.  If they have the desire, they should work on their skill level.  Could be worth some money for a "good" instructor.  Keep in mind that there are always many late bloomers that lacked high level talent when they were 14 years old.  And there are many that did have the talent and continued to develop over the next few years. Often it is body change that either helps or hurts the player.

I could give a thousand examples but guys like Justin Upton, Bryce Harper, etc., pretty much looked like future Big League players when they were 13 years old.  Others like Strasburg had a lot of baby fat and didn't look athletic at the same age.  He was still chubby in HS and it wasn't until his senior year that we started seeing some 90 mph fastballs.  Then he really blossomed in college, transformed his body and threw upper 90s.  The thing those three mentioned have in common is they were all the first pick of the draft.

Anyway, in all cases, no matter what the talent level, it can be very beneficial to find a team that will teach the game.  That seems to be  lacking in many cases, even when it comes to kids that are extremely talented. Nearly anyone can say they played baseball, many never leaned how to play.  There is a huge difference between those that play baseball and those that are true baseball players.  Find a team that will help you become a true baseball player, no matter what your current talent level might be. 

 

Both Fenway and my son's followed similar path's so I am usually in agreement with what he posts. Looking back, my 2 cents for a do-over are:

1. I would focus more on getting bigger/stronger/faster with high level strength and conditioning. Power and Speed kills it.

2. Get high quality individual instruction, particularly on hitting for position players. If you can hit (for power and ave) you will play someplace.  For pitchers; Driveline or Wolforth programs. Same theory, if you can throw hard, you will find a place to play.

3. Play against the highest competition you can reasonably find, but don't kill yourself or your budget. 

From 13-15U there is huge differences in competition because of puberty timing,  

Finally, your son has to really want this and has to put in the extra effort. If not, you are wasting your time and money. All of the players from my sons HS program who went on to play in college were the ones there after hours, on weekends, and personal time. At this age I would get to some college games so he can see the level of competition and also remind him that college baseball is hard, REALLY HARD. Hang out afterwards and try to talk to some of the players and/or coaches, they will give him a perspective that you will never be able to provide.

Good luck!

 

 

Last edited by BOF

During freshman year, we took our 2018 to a small showcase nearby. $100 with a bunch of D3 coaches. We got measurables about him, but even more importantly, we saw where he compared to other kids his age, and older and got a sense of where he fit — good, but probably not elite.

We then asked him to invest by putting in the time and effort on strength and conditioning, speed and agility, getting himself to practices, etc., without our prompting, which he has done, so we put money into a good travel team (not top notch) that plays around the midwest. But we haven't spent the kind of money that takes you around the country — we've been to Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota, as well as a couple of events here in Iowa, including apparently a couple of PG tournaments this year here in Iowa, which is the only thing I feel like we've been missing.

Seems to be working — as a junior, he has a couple of offers at schools he is interested in, and more coaches who are calling and texting, and I still have money in my checkbook.

 

I guess I would consider a couple things.  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group? If he was a pitcher, this would be easier....75mph play local....85...play where he gets noticed.  Tougher with a MIF/OF.  If he is a capable MIF, I would have him play somewhere where he'll get to stay in the IF.....it's much easier to get recruited to college as a MIF than it is an OF (unless he is a power hitting stud).  Coaches can take an athletic MIF and move him to OF if needbe....not the other way around.

I have never really seen a need for 15U....unless you want to win a big tourney like the WWBA.  Most tourneys are 15U/16U anyway....might as well just have him play 16U.  There are plenty of good tourneys in the Midwest.  Maybe you can find a team that's going to play in one of the bigger Indianapolis tourneys (Grand Park has a couple good ones.....and gets plenty of coaches to the games).  He'll see the best teams the Midwest has to offer and you'll get plenty of opportunities to be seen. 

Buckeye 2015 posted:

  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group?

That is tough to say for sure because despite being 5'10" 165 at 14 he is physically under-developed so far compared to the top peers in his age group.   We've all seen  14U Games where it is Men vs Boys in terms of physical development and my kid right now is one of the boys.  His Mom is 6'2" and he has several cousins who are 6'5" to 6'7".   We think he could end up being 6'3" or 6'4" but we'll see.

He seems to be able to hold his own against the kids who are further through the puberty chain.  He's had a few D3 coaches tell him that if he keeps working hard he can at least play D3.  As an 8th Grader he participated with the high school kids in winter workouts and held his own.  He played up in Fall Ball in the fall of 8th Grade with a JV team and hit .300 or so and played solid D at 2B/LF and was good at SS but lacked arm strength at Short to turn heads and wasn't fast enough in CF but played all those positions, and has been swinging BBCOR since then even though 14U allows Drop 5's.  I think he has a chance to make the best travel program in our region/state but would be a backup on that team until he grows more & fills out physically.

He'll be done with 8th grade next month

I don't know his measurables yet, will start to get them this summer.  I doubt they would get him any sort of early recruiting attention except for perhaps his exit velo.  

Last edited by 3and2Fastball

I wouldn't worry too much about his size....he's plenty big enough especially at 14U.  My son was maybe 5'4, 115 in 8th grade, maybe 5'10, 160 when he got offered after his junior year and is now 6'1, 185 as a college soph. He was young for his grade/age group (late April birthday).  It's funny, we have a picture of him when he was subbing on a travel team as 13U kid....all 5 kids in that pic ended up at D1's....he looks like their little brother in the pic...at least 6" shorter than the others and probably outweighed by 25+ lbs by every one of them.   Fast forward to today, he is  the tallest of the 5 lol.

3and2Fastball posted:
Buckeye 2015 posted:

  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group?

That is tough to say for sure because despite being 5'10" 165 at 14 he is physically under-developed so far compared to the top peers in his age group.   We've all seen  14U Games where it is Men vs Boys in terms of physical development and my kid right now is one of the boys.  His Mom is 6'2" and he has several cousins who are 6'5" to 6'7".   We think he could end up being 6'3" or 6'4" but we'll see.

He seems to be able to hold his own against the kids who are further through the puberty chain.  He's had a few D3 coaches tell him that if he keeps working hard he can at least play D3.  As an 8th Grader he participated with the high school kids in winter workouts and held his own.  He played up in Fall Ball in the fall of 8th Grade with a JV team and hit .300 or so and played solid D at 2B/LF and was good at SS but lacked arm strength at Short to turn heads and wasn't fast enough in CF but played all those positions, and has been swinging BBCOR since then even though 14U allows Drop 5's.  I think he has a chance to make the best travel program in our region/state but would be a backup on that team until he grows more & fills out physically.

He'll be done with 8th grade next month

I don't know his measurables yet, will start to get them this summer.  I doubt they would get him any sort of early recruiting attention except for perhaps his exit velo.  

He is already 5'10 and 165? That's not bad at all! He may not be the biggest kid but their is plenty of kids that would give anything to be that size, including me. I'm 5'9 140-150(depends on the time of the year) and finishing my sophomore year. I would give anything to be his size but I just can't grow, trust me my parents and I have tried a lot to get me bigger. I think I will start to develop a little more this summer with how my workouts are planned. He is decent size for kids up here in Wisconsin.

3and2Fastball posted:
Buckeye 2015 posted:

  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group?

That is tough to say for sure because despite being 5'10" 165 at 14 he is physically under-developed so far compared to the top peers in his age group.   We've all seen  14U Games where it is Men vs Boys in terms of physical development and my kid right now is one of the boys.  His Mom is 6'2" and he has several cousins who are 6'5" to 6'7".   We think he could end up being 6'3" or 6'4" but we'll see.

He seems to be able to hold his own against the kids who are further through the puberty chain.  He's had a few D3 coaches tell him that if he keeps working hard he can at least play D3.  As an 8th Grader he participated with the high school kids in winter workouts and held his own.  He played up in Fall Ball in the fall of 8th Grade with a JV team and hit .300 or so and played solid D at 2B/LF and was good at SS but lacked arm strength at Short to turn heads and wasn't fast enough in CF but played all those positions, and has been swinging BBCOR since then even though 14U allows Drop 5's.  I think he has a chance to make the best travel program in our region/state but would be a backup on that team until he grows more & fills out physically.

He'll be done with 8th grade next month

I don't know his measurables yet, will start to get them this summer.  I doubt they would get him any sort of early recruiting attention except for perhaps his exit velo.  

Frankly, in order to make an informed decision you need to know his measurables.  Beg, borrow, or steal a radar gun and get some idea of his exit velocity, throwing velocity, and 60 time. Them you can see how he stacks up today.  Spending time and money traveling to the "big events" if he's just average will be a waste.  To stand out there you need to be something special, very special.  

Underdog27 posted:
3and2Fastball posted:
Buckeye 2015 posted:

  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group?

That is tough to say for sure because despite being 5'10" 165 at 14 he is physically under-developed so far compared to the top peers in his age group.   We've all seen  14U Games where it is Men vs Boys in terms of physical development and my kid right now is one of the boys.  His Mom is 6'2" and he has several cousins who are 6'5" to 6'7".   We think he could end up being 6'3" or 6'4" but we'll see.

He seems to be able to hold his own against the kids who are further through the puberty chain.  He's had a few D3 coaches tell him that if he keeps working hard he can at least play D3.  As an 8th Grader he participated with the high school kids in winter workouts and held his own.  He played up in Fall Ball in the fall of 8th Grade with a JV team and hit .300 or so and played solid D at 2B/LF and was good at SS but lacked arm strength at Short to turn heads and wasn't fast enough in CF but played all those positions, and has been swinging BBCOR since then even though 14U allows Drop 5's.  I think he has a chance to make the best travel program in our region/state but would be a backup on that team until he grows more & fills out physically.

He'll be done with 8th grade next month

I don't know his measurables yet, will start to get them this summer.  I doubt they would get him any sort of early recruiting attention except for perhaps his exit velo.  

He is already 5'10 and 165? That's not bad at all! He may not be the biggest kid but their is plenty of kids that would give anything to be that size, including me. I'm 5'9 140-150(depends on the time of the year) and finishing my sophomore year. I would give anything to be his size but I just can't grow, trust me my parents and I have tried a lot to get me bigger. I think I will start to develop a little more this summer with how my workouts are planned. He is decent size for kids up here in Wisconsin.

Another Wisconsinite!  We are taking over!!

3and2Fastball posted:

So the impression I'm getting is that without great measureables 15U Baseball is relatively meaningless, i.e. don't waste your money?  Is that correct?

And if measureables are great then they should play on a top team

I don't think it's meaningless.  If you're not a top level kid yet, it's another year to get better before more serious recruiting starts at 16U and 17U.   I don't think I'd call it a waste of money. If the ultimate goal is to play in college, 15U is kind of the start of seeing what I called "real baseball".  Most of the kids have at least a year of HS behind them, kids are getting bigger/stronger and you're starting to get an idea of how much talent some HS kids can have.  If your son isn't "great" yet, I wouldn't just blow off the year and hope for something better later, but I also wouldn't put him on a top level team where he's only going to sit and watch the studs play every weekend.  Find a quality team with quality coaching that will help him learn and get better then see where things go from there.

Underdog27 posted:
3and2Fastball posted:
Buckeye 2015 posted:

  How does he measure up with other kids in his age group?

That is tough to say for sure because despite being 5'10" 165 at 14 he is physically under-developed so far compared to the top peers in his age group.   We've all seen  14U Games where it is Men vs Boys in terms of physical development and my kid right now is one of the boys.  His Mom is 6'2" and he has several cousins who are 6'5" to 6'7".   We think he could end up being 6'3" or 6'4" but we'll see.

He seems to be able to hold his own against the kids who are further through the puberty chain.  He's had a few D3 coaches tell him that if he keeps working hard he can at least play D3.  As an 8th Grader he participated with the high school kids in winter workouts and held his own.  He played up in Fall Ball in the fall of 8th Grade with a JV team and hit .300 or so and played solid D at 2B/LF and was good at SS but lacked arm strength at Short to turn heads and wasn't fast enough in CF but played all those positions, and has been swinging BBCOR since then even though 14U allows Drop 5's.  I think he has a chance to make the best travel program in our region/state but would be a backup on that team until he grows more & fills out physically.

He'll be done with 8th grade next month

I don't know his measurables yet, will start to get them this summer.  I doubt they would get him any sort of early recruiting attention except for perhaps his exit velo.  

He is already 5'10 and 165? That's not bad at all! He may not be the biggest kid but their is plenty of kids that would give anything to be that size, including me. I'm 5'9 140-150(depends on the time of the year) and finishing my sophomore year. I would give anything to be his size but I just can't grow, trust me my parents and I have tried a lot to get me bigger. I think I will start to develop a little more this summer with how my workouts are planned. He is decent size for kids up here in Wisconsin.

. . . just need to get out into the sun more!    

Buckeye 2015 posted:
3and2Fastball posted:

So the impression I'm getting is that without great measureables 15U Baseball is relatively meaningless, i.e. don't waste your money?  Is that correct?

And if measureables are great then they should play on a top team

I don't think it's meaningless.  If you're not a top level kid yet, it's another year to get better before more serious recruiting starts at 16U and 17U.   I don't think I'd call it a waste of money. If the ultimate goal is to play in college, 15U is kind of the start of seeing what I called "real baseball".  Most of the kids have at least a year of HS behind them, kids are getting bigger/stronger and you're starting to get an idea of how much talent some HS kids can have.  If your son isn't "great" yet, I wouldn't just blow off the year and hope for something better later, but I also wouldn't put him on a top level team where he's only going to sit and watch the studs play every weekend.  Find a quality team with quality coaching that will help him learn and get better then see where things go from there.

Son played 15U last season.  If it's scouts lined up in golf carts you are expecting, probably not except at WWBA or other top events.  And even then, more towards the finals.

Almost all of his "tournaments" weren't what you get in younger ball.  It was usually four scheduled games, no bracket, no winner/runner-up/loser.  Good competition.  Coaches could schedule their pitchers and playing time based on development, and not try to strategize to win a trophy.  No gaming the umpire, getting worked up, waiting to midnight to find out if you play at 7:30, no overworking of pitchers.  Again, of course, different at WWBA. etc.  Usually our tournaments had a host college, so at least one game at a D1 field, then others at local High School, Jr. colleges.  Son pitched at UH (not the one out in the middle of Pacific Ocean), Sam Houston State.  So it was "worth it".

Buckeye 2015 posted:
3and2Fastball posted:

So the impression I'm getting is that without great measureables 15U Baseball is relatively meaningless, i.e. don't waste your money?  Is that correct?

And if measureables are great then they should play on a top team

I don't think it's meaningless.  If you're not a top level kid yet, it's another year to get better before more serious recruiting starts at 16U and 17U.   I don't think I'd call it a waste of money. If the ultimate goal is to play in college, 15U is kind of the start of seeing what I called "real baseball".  Most of the kids have at least a year of HS behind them, kids are getting bigger/stronger and you're starting to get an idea of how much talent some HS kids can have.  If your son isn't "great" yet, I wouldn't just blow off the year and hope for something better later, but I also wouldn't put him on a top level team where he's only going to sit and watch the studs play every weekend.  Find a quality team with quality coaching that will help him learn and get better then see where things go from there.

Not meaningless. But spending big bucks and time traveling arround to the "big" events only to play on the back fields doesn't get you noticed.  Coaches will come out specifically to see who they want and everyone else doesn't exist.  We were in Nashville once watching a big tourney.  A few scouts in the stands watching a pitcher.  When he pitched, every pitch was gunned and charted.  When he didn't, they where eating lunch and/or buried in their phone.  Nobody was noticed.  

It's true that recruiters and scouts tend to spend a great deal of their time at main fields where the winning teams  are competing within any particular event.  That's because those teams have a number of top prospects.  If you're not a prospect and trying to get noticed, it does help to be on such teams... IF you're able to then play some to try an get some interest from those recruiters and scouts that are there actually looking at those other players.  This is true whether it's on a good recreational team, a good HS team or a good travel ball team or any combination of them.   If you're not a top stand out prospect, it's really tough to get seen or noticed unless there's something that draws their attention.  Often, all it take is being at the right place at the right time and showing them your best stuff.

I want to throw a different take out there. At this point it appears (and yes I know there are no guarantees and things might change) as if football is going to be my son's ticket to college.  We understand going in to this his 15u season there is somewhere near a zero percent chance that he will be approached by any schools for baseball. We are still full steam ahead. Why?  Cause it's fun!  He loves it. It's great competition. And if he truly does go to college for football then these are the last three seasons of baseball for him. What happened to enjoy the ride?  That's all it's about for us. The realization by this time that his D1 baseball chances are slim and none has actually made the travel ball a little MORE enjoyable. We are pulling our travel trailer to all tournaments. Going to camp, fish, play baseball and just generally relax and create memories for a lifetime!  So I would never ever discourage someone from playing 15u just based on a lack of recruiting. 

Great points 2020DAD and I can completely relate.

I'm sure my kid will want to play 15U (we always let him direct his Baseball path, within financial & common sense reason.... for instance if it was up to him he wouldn't take time off from throwing every year)

Question is more of:  if 15U isn't that important from a big picture, long term point of view, doesn't it make sense for him to just play on a good solid travel team that doesn't break the bank where he'll get an opportunity to play, learn, face good competition and have fun?  i.e. it doesn't matter if he travels far & wide just yet

2020DAD, You have gone and spilled the beans. Now everyone will know what it's all about. 

Seriously, people get caught up in having to have a reason for everything they do, other than just plain enjoyment.  The other stuff tends to take care of itself when someone truly enjoys what they are doing. Funny how some take things so seriously, they quit having fun.

BASEBALL=FUN... If it isn't fun, don't do it! Some will like the fun of playing local rec ball while others will prefer the fun in the most competitive type of baseball they can find. There's only something wrong when it isn't any fun.

You have figured it out... thanks for the reminder.

Last edited by PGStaff
3and2Fastball posted:

Great points 2020DAD and I can completely relate.

I'm sure my kid will want to play 15U (we always let him direct his Baseball path, within financial & common sense reason.... for instance if it was up to him he wouldn't take time off from throwing every year)

Question is more of:  if 15U isn't that important from a big picture, long term point of view, doesn't it make sense for him to just play on a good solid travel team that doesn't break the bank where he'll get an opportunity to play, learn, face good competition and have fun?  i.e. it doesn't matter if he travels far & wide just yet

This is the approach we are going for.  Found a team that will travel a bit, but not out of driving distance for a weekend trip and fairly cost effective.  I let him choose the team he wanted within reason after a few tryouts.  He is wanting to play where most of his friends are.  There was a summer league between high schools in years past (which would have been ideal for us), but most schools, including ours, don't participate anymore.

To add another idea - for my 2018, we jumped from the local travel team (made up of kids from little league) to the area's academy team at 15u (fall).  Main reason was not to expose our kid to all the scouts who care about 15 year-olds, but to work on getting the new team's coaches to know (and care about) my kid.  We knew that after his freshmen year he was going to join this organization, and we figured that the fall season would be a good time for the jump.

Looking back, not 100% sure I would of done it again that way (a lot of travel for not much return, but my kid had a great time), but the organization did a great job of getting my kid in-front of the coaches last summer, and he is happily (verbally) committed to a local D1.   Chances are that would of happened if we waited a season, but who knows...

3and2Fastball posted:

Great points 2020DAD and I can completely relate.

I'm sure my kid will want to play 15U (we always let him direct his Baseball path, within financial & common sense reason.... for instance if it was up to him he wouldn't take time off from throwing every year)

Question is more of:  if 15U isn't that important from a big picture, long term point of view, doesn't it make sense for him to just play on a good solid travel team that doesn't break the bank where he'll get an opportunity to play, learn, face good competition and have fun?  i.e. it doesn't matter if he travels far & wide just yet

I don't see a reason to travel far and wide until recruiting starts. For most kids it's post junior year. For some players higher up the prospect ladder it's sooner. 

Unless in an isolated area there is quality competition in the region. Why pay to play at a level for recruiting where the player won't be noticed because he's not ready?

Couple weeks later and still somewhat on the fence as to how to proceed.  As I've mentioned, when tryouts are in July/August of 2017 for the 2018 season it is very difficult to predict how much bigger/stronger/faster he'll be 12-13 months from now

There is nothing in his measureables that would lead one to think of him as a D1 prospect yet.  With added size/strength it is reasonable to assume that eventually he may reach some of the measureables needed.  He's had D3 coaches tell us he'd at least be able to play D3 if he keeps working hard

He's very self-motivated.  He puts in the time and doesn't look at it as work because he loves it and he's working more on strength & speed lately too.  He likes playing Outfield just as much as Infield.

He wants to try out for the best Academy teams in the area.  

Underdog27 posted:
Underdog27 posted:
cabbagedad posted:

There are plenty of paths to take without braking the bank.  

Breaking* you are welcome.

 

No harm was meant by this just trying to be friendly.

Sorry for the delay, Underdog... certainly none taken.  Thanks for the correction.  To steel another posters words (see what I did there), darn publik schools! 

3and2Fastball posted:

Couple weeks later and still somewhat on the fence as to how to proceed.  As I've mentioned, when tryouts are in July/August of 2017 for the 2018 season it is very difficult to predict how much bigger/stronger/faster he'll be 12-13 months from now

There is nothing in his measureables that would lead one to think of him as a D1 prospect yet.  With added size/strength it is reasonable to assume that eventually he may reach some of the measureables needed.  He's had D3 coaches tell us he'd at least be able to play D3 if he keeps working hard

He's very self-motivated.  He puts in the time and doesn't look at it as work because he loves it and he's working more on strength & speed lately too.  He likes playing Outfield just as much as Infield.

He wants to try out for the best Academy teams in the area.  

Still sounds like a can't-lose.  Maybe check pricing and play policies before he tries out.  Once you've narrowed down to those offering something within the budget and time constraints but will allow him to play good competitive ball and see enough PT, let him try out for those options and see what he thinks.

Through the process, you'll undoubtedly run across more insight.

Last edited by cabbagedad

3AND2,

There are tryouts with the purpose of finding the very best kids and there are tryouts to find out which kids can pay.  Maybe the best route is to make sure he tries out for those looking for the best players possible.  If he makes the team it is because they believe he belongs at that level.  If he doesn't make the team you can plan accordingly to get him in the best possible situation for the future.

Just remember that there are some teams out there that don't care about ability as long as you can pay.  Those type teams can work out OK for some, but not so well for others.  If a 15 year old has the necessary talent, he should definitely get out there and see a high level of competition and get seen competing against highest level competition.  But many 15 year olds are not ready for that yet.  That is the thing... kids are either ready or they're not.  Those that are not ready need to concentrate on developing their skills.  There are 15 year olds that aren't ready that end up being among the very best at 17.

I don't believe in training and not playing during the baseball season.  I do believe in training to get better at the same time you are playing.  And of course training during the off season can be very beneficial.

Just some thoughts, not trying to tell you what to do.  No one knows your son and cares about him as much as you do.

Thanks PGSTAFF and Cabbage for the additional replies

We wouldn't just train and not play.   Options are more to play on a Top Travel team (if he makes one, more than likely he'd make one of them) or to play on a team that simply plays more local & state events

The Top Travel teams in our area at 15U go to Perfect Game WWBA, Pasttime at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Cincy Flames Tournaments etc

I'm just not sure if it makes sense for a kid who profiles more as a D3 prospect so far to go to those type events.  Perhaps the tougher competition & better training can help him elevate his game more and better prepare him for his Soph season of high school as well as the 16U 2019 Summer?  

The extra year of being in one of these top programs could help him within the program in terms of positioning for the important years of 16/17?

Please don't take this the wrong way, but no one can profile a 14 year old to have a ceiling of DIII.  While that might end up being the case, it is far too early to tell.  When my youngest son was 14 I would have been extremely happy had he ended up playing at the DIII level. Remember, I had spent most of my adult life evaluating baseball players.  By the time he would have graduated from a DIII college he was making his debut in the Big Leagues.

It is quite a bit easier to see a talented young kid and think he will play DI or be a draft pick later on.  And there is nothing wrong with playing DIII.  But no one knows that a 14 year old is a DIII player.  Some of them change dramatically.

That said,  I can't tell you what to do with your son.  It certainly isn't mandatory or even necessary to play in high level events in order to improve skills.

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