Tagged With "Ball"
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Oh, I don't know. Houston Banditos or Evoshield Canes 16U team could probably beat Beloit College. And I'm sure there are D3 teams out there much worse than Beloit College
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Would your perspective be different if the "worse than" team was ranked #298 in D1 baseball?
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
I feel like I opened a can of D3 worms, but this is kind of fun...I have seen a lot of baseball myself and do not think a showcase team assembled for the summer would beat a legitimate D3 (or other level) collegiate team, one that practices daily and is 2-6 years older, regularly. I don't care how good you think the Canes or Banditos are. For the most part they have not seen the level of pitching, even gasp at D3. Also need to make it clear not all of the D3 boys are paying big bucks to...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
oh I don't know, I saw Beloit College play this past spring and their pitchers were throwing high 70's/low 80's at best.... you throw a Nate Wohlgemuth or 16 year old Kumar Rocker running it up there at 95 mph and they could put some 0's up on the board, and I think an elite 16U team filled with future draft picks could squeeze out a run or three against Beloit Don't get me wrong I have a great deal of respect for D3 Baseball, those kids work their tails off and there's a ton of great talent...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
No doubt that there are different levels in all levels of college baseball. However, the gap at the DIII level is the largest IMO. The highest level is highest level baseball. Many that play at that level of DIII could easily be playing DI baseball. Then there is... Lets call it the middle level... It is very good baseball, good baseball players and good baseball programs. Then there is the lowest level, this level of DIII teams would get beat like a drum playing against any of the best 16U...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
I enjoy when parents who know nothing about college baseball propose to be experts....I can tell you when I actually got to see my sons future D3 school play live, in league vs a rival for 1st place on the 2nd last weekend of the season it was eye opening. We have seen most of what is to be seen on the travel circuit, the pitching after the top 3 drops a bit quicker then we might be used to but the game is very well played, strong, fast and they rake. Up and down the line up, both teams.
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Say that again please. I really not sure of what you are saying.
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Well said PGStaff. There are so many different levels of college baseball and talent. This "discussion" about elite 16U teams beating D3 teams is irrelevant. It is not going to happen and it is purely opinion. We could turn this whole arguement around and ask how many of those elite 16U teams would do well academically at some of these high academic D3 schools. It doesn't matter because most of those kids aren't considering those schools. What is important is knowing what you want to do...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
When my son was a HS sophomore I went to watch a game between the school he eventually ended up at and the team that was the runaway #1 team in the league at the time. I went in with my eyes wide open and really felt like I had a handle on what he could do and what he would be able to do in 3 years when he was a college freshman. I went to the game just to watch and compare what he was to what they were. The game was a disaster...18-14 or something like that....12 pitchers, 28 hits, 7 or 8...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Most HS and younger baseball parents you talk to overestimate D1 baseball players and underestimate the other levels of college baseball. All of the kids I know who play/are going to play D3 are all very good baseball players. These are really above average HS players, some with very high HS baseball accolades. People definitely underestimate the talent and extra work these guys have had to put in to get that opportunity to play D3 baseball or any level of college baseball. If you are an...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
My son played for a very competitive, but very affordable travel team. It was made up of generally blue collar families, and every player on that team played in college. He was lucky because they played in SoCal and had high level competition in the Arizona/SoCal region and did not have to travel very far. He told me the other day that this really prepared him for both HS and college ball as he had faced high level competition growing up which gave him confidence against any player. He also...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
I didn't mean to offend ANYONE who had a kid playing or planning to play D3, I'm talking about the middle of nowhere, maybe won 3 games last year D3. As PG said there is a HUGE difference in talent levels across all of the D3 schools. So, yes, I'm sure, if a kid is that determined, his parents will support this, and he's willing to go anywhere, then yes there is a school he can play at. As for my 16u statement...well several more knowledgeable people have corroborated this. We can take this...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Nice. This thread is becoming another valuable read for those entering the process. Here's an aspect that I think is often overlooked when choosing the travel ball path... Everyone talks about finding the travel teams that will go to the big events in Arizona, Georgia, etc. Some players will end up playing at a college somewhere across the country or otherwise far from home. But the reality is that the large majority of players will end up in-state or at a neighboring state...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
We live two blocks from a D3 that is like CaCO3Girl describes. They just changed coaches, have lost most of their games the last two years and while I'm not positive about the 16u statement, I KNOW our high school varsity team would beat them, and the JV team would probably have as well. Here's what I think CaCO3Girl is talking about. One of our teammates was a solid first baseman in his HS career, good pitcher who didn't throw hard, but threw strikes. He got some interest from small D3s,...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Kind of have to agree.....maybe not in a baseball hotbed like California or Florida, but in the Midwest almost any kid with any baseball talent can find a spot on a college team, whether it's D3, NAIA or Juco if he's just interested in playing baseball and doesn't necessarily care how good or bad the team (or school) is. There are several D3's within 50 miles of me that have a lot of kids playing who were in my son's HS league during the time he played and I've never even heard some of their...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
California ... indeed the entire West Coast ... is completely different from this. There is only one 9 team D3 league in California. And another one in Washington St and Oregon. Excepting Cal Tech ... which is a very weak program, but actually getting better and more serious, competition for roster spots is VERY intense. Believe me. Look at it this way, in the 9 D3 schools in California, there are something like 270 total varsity roster spots. (Some of the schools carry less than 30 usually,...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
I couldn't agree with Cabbagedad more. I have forwarded a link to this thread to two friends. Lots of wisdom being shared. Thank you.
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Sluggerdad had an interesting way to look at the D3 numbers which I had not really thought about. There are approx 350 D3 schools (I believe not sure about baseball, but lets assume) Take the top 25 D3 schools in the country with rosters of approx 40. This gives you 1,000 slots that will be pretty competitive, mostly D1 caliber to some degree. Total players: 1,000 Take the next 50 schools which will also be competitive, but not hyper competitive. Some D1 talent mixed in with high performing...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Whoa The number of HS baseball players is almost 489,000. FROM THE NCAA (from 2015-2016 numbers) High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall % HS to NCAA % HS to NCAA Division I % HS to NCAA Division II % HS to NCAA Division III Baseball 488,815 34,554 7.1% 2.1% 2.2% 2.8% So while those going on to play in college (at D1, D2 or D3 level) are not necessarily the TOP 7.1% capability wise as there are other factors at play, it is still a fact that 93% or so of HS players DO NOT play...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
I agree with your statement that most don't because most cannot. But the above numbers are a bit misleading (I'm generally skeptical of anything put out by the NCAA). First, if a kid does not play baseball throughout high school, is it fair to count him in the analysis? Around here, most schools have Frosh, JV, and Varsity. A significant percentage of the frosh baseball players -- perhaps half -- never go on to play varsity, never mind college. I would venture to guess that the number of...
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Yes good to be skeptical and think this through. Also, now a growing number of non Americans playing collegiately. Not counted either.
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Also we shouldn't assume that every high school baseball player WANTS to play baseball in college. Last year the varsity team at my sons school had 11 seniors. 8 are playing in college but three of those 8 are playing football not baseball. The three that are choosing not to play baseball; one is a high academic kid that I swear will rule the world one day, one isn't going to college, and the other is going to trade school to join the family electrician business.
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Re: Is Travel Ball a necessity?
Also need to consider that some players will not be academically eligible as well.
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Re: Hitting Tips
That can be a tough one. First, make sure that you're turning away from truly inside pitch, and not just lurching backwards. Second, get acclimated. Ask your coach if you can stand in the box while the pitchers throw their pens.
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Re: Hitting Tips
I'm going to be completely honest with you. If you've been playing 13 years, you must be at least 16. If you are still afraid of getting hit at this point, you are going to have to take a fairly drastic step to get over that or find another sport (and nothing wrong with that). You will need to take a full-on "embrace getting hit" approach. Have someone throw inside pitches at you as you stand behind a square screen. Practice turning in and taking the hit on your large muscles for pitches...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Good stuff in the posts above. Along with standing in during pens, which some pitchers actually like having (others don't of course)... Try standing in with a pitching machine dialed up to mid to upper 90s. Depending on the machine, you might dial up a curve/slider type pitch shape along with FBs... Random mix if possible. Just grab a bat and work on striding while tracking each pitch... No swinging. Get comfortable with the speed and natural ball movement... And work your way in toward the...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Learn to direct your focus away from getting hit and only focus on attacking the ball. Be aggressive at the plate.
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Re: Hitting Tips
The first thing to avoiding a HBP relates to vision. As a hitter are you seeing the ball well? Do you wear glasses? Have you had your vision checked. The key to hitting is seeing the ball well and the same with avoiding being hit by a ball. If you pick up the ball as early as possible you have more reaction time and this is the whole key to confident at bats. If you are sure vision is not an issue then you MUST practice getting out of the way of the ball to become empowered with the...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Originally Posted by Dadcoach: There is actually proper technique and it involves turning AWAY from the ball, (not into it!) Remember- Good hitters avoid HBP and are good at hitting because they are skilled at seeing the ball well. You mean turn into the pitch right? Also a hitter will take a HBP to get on base (except the head) it shows lack of fear of the ball.
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Re: Hitting Tips
Turn into the pitch? Must be a confusion of terms. Faced with a pitch off the plate inside, a right handed batter will tuck his left shoulder toward the catcher. Correct? I would call that turning away from the pitch. Reminds me of a kid I had in LL Minors. Big kid, bad attitude; had some potential, but was only there because his parents made him. I was showing him how to turn away from a pitch and wear it on his back so he wouldn't get hurt. He wouldn't hear of it. He said that if he was...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Originally Posted by JCG: Turn into the pitch? Must be a confusion of terms. Faced with a pitch off the plate inside, a right handed batter will tuck his left shoulder toward the catcher. Correct? I would call that turning away from the pitch. Reminds me of a kid I had in LL Minors. Big kid, bad attitude; had some potential, but was only there because his parents made him. I was showing him how to turn away from a pitch and wear it on his back so he wouldn't get hurt. He wouldn't hear of it.
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Re: Hitting Tips
Yup, I'm used to same terminology as Standball but just semantics. Dadcoach, everyone from at least HS JV up (if not younger) teaches and encourages players NOT to avoid HBP (unless at the head) but instead, how to get hit properly. Sorry, good hitters do not avoid HBP. OP is a teen and struggling with fear of HBP. The last thing he wants to be thinking about is to move to avoid being hit. You must be dad of a pitcher
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Re: Hitting Tips
Cabbagepatch, My son is actually a hitter, a sophomore who is leading his HS Varsity team in average and slugging so far this season. Scouts are fairly impressed with his approach and the training he has received. One of the keys to coaching is listening very careful to a player who is asking for help. You are right about HBP to the head. But this player has admitted he has true fear of the ball which is a special issue different than a regular hitter.It sounds like you have not coached a...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Originally Posted by cabbagedad: Originally Posted by Dadcoach: Cabbagepatch, My son is actually a hitter, a sophomore who is leading his HS Varsity team in average and slugging so far this season. Scouts are fairly impressed with his approach and the training he has received. One of the keys to coaching is listening very careful to a player who is asking for help. You are right about HBP to the head. But this player has admitted he has true fear of the ball which is a special issue...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Yes- we need to hear from RyyMann for his age and level of play- I am guessing around 16. There is a fascinating chapter in the book "Three Nights In August" by Buzz Bissinger where Tony LaRussa's view on the HBP and beanbballs are a factor. The chapter highlights how this can have a huge and permanent impact on the mental approach of a hitter. Until I read this book I never understood the "Self-Police" approach to paybacks and what it was about from a managers perspective. The book is a...
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Re: Hitting Tips
One of the things we did when I played was actually practicing getting hit by pitches. We would start out with a Juggs Lite Flight machine, just to get techniques down. Then we would then move on to an actual pitching machine set at about 65 with real balls. It helps you realize that it doesn't really hurt that much and it gets you over the fear.
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Re: Hitting Tips
Wow, cabbagedad has posted an impressive resume and his experience is still questioned and from movies. Ted Williams was HBP 39 times in his career. While that isn't a lot, he was dinged a few times. "Getting out of the way" means so many things to good hitters. For example, with my child, one drill we do is called "The Progression Drill." In that drill, I throw at her front hip, throw one down the middle and then throw one away. She protects herself or "gets out of the way" on the one to...
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Re: Hitting Tips
Originally Posted by Dadcoach: Yes- we need to hear from RyyMann for his age and level of play- I am guessing around 16. There is a fascinating chapter in the book "Three Nights In August" by Buzz Bissinger where Tony LaRussa's view on the HBP and beanbballs are a factor. The chapter highlights how this can have a huge and permanent impact on the mental approach of a hitter. Until I read this book I never understood the "Self-Police" approach to paybacks and what it was about from a managers...
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
It's a question without any context, and the answer is more complex than what the article delineates. The question that should be posed is this: "What is the role that 2017 fall ball plays in the long term plan?" Prerequisite: a long term plan. Without that, then the player/parent is floating along without a rudder. So for you parents out there with middle schoolers and early HS players: pull together your plan.
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
If you dont play football or soccer and dont throw 10,000 pitches all year why wouldnt you
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
I read that article last night, and it made sense. Cressey is a shoulder guy, it's an easy concept to understand that the less stress on your shoulder the better your overall shoulder health will be. A tweet that he retweeted yesterday shortly after this article was "The best arm care tip you can give is not an exercise; rather, it's telling a 12-year-old not to pitch 12 months a year."
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
S. Young, welcome to the site... thanks for posting that Cressey piece. I sent you a PM
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
Fall Ball is great for freshman. Gets them accustomed to the coaches, teammates, and quite frankly... its the longest tryout they will ever get. For the Upperclassman, it all depends on if it fits into their plan (see JOEMKTG's post, above).
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
the article talks a lot about pitchers and innings pitched but doesn't as much discuss position players My Kid (2021) isn't playing Fall Ball this year. Instead he's focusing on getting Bigger/Stronger/Faster and working on swing mechanics. He's taking 2 straight months off from throwing and will take at least the 1st two weeks off of school from all Baseball activity just to get acclimated to high school academics and take a break from hitting Fall Ball can be a great thing, and my Kid will...
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
My 2021 hasnt thrown (until this week) since 7/16. He's not a starting pitcher but does throw inning's here and there. That stretch of downtime was hard for him and is itching to get back on the field. We spent that time being a kid of course but also on the bigger/faster/stronger. He managed to put on 6 pounds during that time that he drastically needed. His HS has a fall team in which he can make 6 of the 15 games, his commitment is with his TB team which is about 8-10 games and 3-4...
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
Thanks for posting the article. It does make some good points. My 2020 son gave up soccer this fall (he made varsity last year) to play fall ball. I would have been fine either way, but he decided he wants to focus on baseball and he wasn't happy with the way he played this summer. I think that multiple sports are best, especially before HS. And because my son Is primarily a pitcher, I absolutely count his innings and his total pitches--if he were near 100 innings, he wouldn't pitch this...
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
Son is a position player who played fall ball throughout. He used it to tinker with a few things in swing, or used more situational approaches (hitting the other way, etc). Son played varsity soccer during fall, few conflicts. Fall ball coaches knew he would not make any practices. Hit fine and threw, but baseball running was more sluggish from soccer. Fall ball particularly was beneficial junior year, when he went to a couple of school specific camps, where he remained sharp.
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
Regarding Fall Baseball with a Travel Team vs. High School team: I wholeheartedly agree that it should be one or the other to prevent overuse or fatigue. That being said, make sure the juice is worth the squeeze, IE: is your TB team playing a similar amount of games and similar completion as your HS Fall team? If so, is the cost worth it? Bottom line, just make sure which ever direction you go, your son is being developed properly without overuse or without breaking the bank before he's even...
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Re: Should Your son Play Fall Ball
The article begs the question. I mean, it starts with "we know that playing baseball year-round is a bad idea" . . .