@TerribleBPthrower posted:If you are paying then playing time should be close to equal. For pool games at least. 3 catchers is a lot for a 14u team. I wouldn't hesitate to ask the coach if playing time is earned or equal. If it is earned then I would find another team.
I'm never sure about this, but in an ideal world, the organization would make it clear, before signups, how the team was going to be run. Is it going to be like HS, "the best play"? or is it going to be rotated because everyone is paying?
In 5 years of organization travel ball, our best experience was one coach who said 3-4 players would play all the time, and the rest would rotate, and he did that. We had another pair of coaches whose sons played all the time, and most others rotated, they started showing everyone their stats to explain why some were playing more than others. Most were happy, but some were not and quit mid-season. A different year, the coach was only playing the best players, there were unhappy players/parents who were paying for the travel and barely playing; that was the worst coach.
We never did ask ahead of time how it would be, but then, we were never unhappy about playing time. In hindsight, my advice would always be, ask NOW how it's going to be, and hope that they are honest with you.
Also, at 14U it needs to be fun. If it's not fun, you need a different team. Fun can be playing, it can be learning from the coaches, it can be enjoying teammates who are also obsessed with baseball.