14U/8th Grade Travel Teams ---- Priority is What?

Which team will have him better prepared for HS?.

BishopLeftiesDad posted:

Which team will have him better prepared for HS?.

That is a good question.  I honestly don't know.   His high school doesn't have a strong team.   So he'd have a chance at Varsity and if he works at it should start on Varsity as a Sophomore.   I would think the more versatile defensively he can be the better, as well as the most experience against strong pitching the better, too

Walk before you run. Forget thinking nationally for now. It's not important in 14u. Think locally/regionally. Where is the best place he can play to develop and prepare to become a high school varsity player? Step one is prove himself to the high school program. If he plays well regionally in travel he will be noticed. If your son should be playing on a national level the teams in your region who play on that level will seek him out.

Have to agree with RJM! Developing for high school should be #1 task for sure...which based on my sons experience translated into facing best talent in the best tournaments. We just did the 14u thing last summer on a team where dads son started at 2b despite hitting .185...my recommendation is no dads in the dugout if possible! This game is about fun at that age, so ask your son his thoughts. I went through the 14u season  with my son being pigeon holed as a PO tho he did play some in the field. He is an excellent OF/1B but coach needed to protect playing time for his son and my son was #1 pitcher so he could justify that being my sons playing time. Didn't understand how frustrated my kid was until he played up this year 17u and was asked by former team to come back and pitch a game on an off weekend and he turned them down. Another team where he knew nobody asked him to throw that same weekend and he accepted....turned down playing with his buddies over not wanting to play for that coach! I knew he was frustrated with last season but had no idea how much! That being said, because of the tough competition week in week out, my son had absolutely NO problem competing at the HS varsity level as a freshman...so that is my "lesson learned" from all of what was his 14u season. Because of that he was also able to very successfully compete as a PO at 17u this year as a 15 year old. Can't wait for high school ball to start back up to see what kind of a sophomore season he could have! Good luck to you! Go with your gut, and continually talk to your son!

The best competition where you can get regular playing time and not be totally overmatched. If you Play at a tough Level but struggle to hit .250 it is not much fun, but if you Play on a Level where you hit .500 it probably is not good for your developement either. find an appropriate Level, that is different for every Player.

Not #2.  You never want to be behind the coaches kid.  

As as for the "best" competition. I wouldn't over thimk it. There are so many teams out there.  You can spend all the money traveling around to the "good" tournaments only to face "weaker" competition.  Play where he will learn the most, best training, play, and have fun.  Good luck. 

Lacking any other info, or "feel" for the coaches/teams that you may have, it sounds like #3 fits best for the play on the best team you can where your kid will see the field a lot.

Any any teams in an org with other teams? Can coaches describe their practices to you?  Does it sound like they know what they are doing?

Little taken aback that you post is so position specific at 14U.  By around that age, I would think that every kid would know enough to play every position (even if not a physical "fit") for the position.  At least from the sense of where to go, what to cover, do, back-up and cut off/throw to proper cut off.  Son just finished a two month 15U showcase type season, many kids didn't know what to do at positions they were put off.  An example, third baseman, runner on second, single to left, he didn't know to line up the throw to home.  Parents said "he never played 3rd before".  Even if true, kids should know what to do by that age.

So, I have walked a mile in your parental shoes although my oldest son was a pitcher not a position player.  My son's youth travel coach moved over to be an assistant coach at one of the top 14U travel teams in the state.  This team would go on to win the Perfect Game WWBA in East Cobb a few years later.  His former youth coach asked my son to try out in the Spring for this new team, but he was not selected by the Head Coach.  I went to the tryouts and the 14U players on that team looked like full grown men.   Son continued to play and develop on his own.  He tried out again for the same team in the Fall, and made the team which is the good news.  The bad news was he was low man on the totem pole and he had a lot of work to do.   However, he had been there before with his youth travel team a few years before working his way up to get more and more playing time until he was the best pitcher on that team.  Again, he worked hard on his game and developed his body because he kept pushing himself and believing in himself.  Self-motivation was always in ample supply

So, I think this decision is the young mans to make,  and it is really about challenges.  Baseball is full of them and they never stop.   I don' think he can go wrong with any of those 3 choices you offered up.  The bottom line for me is knowing your son and understanding how self-motivated he is.  14U is a tricky age with a lot of new distractions.  If he can stay focused on baseball and put the necessary effort into it I'd strongly consider playing for the best team possible.  Why not?  You can always change teams if things don't work out as expected. 

As always, JMO.

Which team has the players on it that he will likely play with in HS?

Really good points by all and agree that #2 is the situation that I would stay away from. 

I would put a premium on which coaching staff can facilitate the best practices to maximize reps for your son. You probably have a good idea about this based on how the individual tryouts were run. Which tryout seemed to be well-organized and efficient with multiple stations going at the same time versus lots of standing around and water breaks as the coaches tried to figure out what was next?

I also agree that playing good competition is important if the goal is to play in high school.  The combination of well-run, efficient practices and facing good competition should help prepare him for high school. 

Would definitely avoid #2. At his age what he needs is repetitions, especially as a position player. My son played up at that age, but he was getting playing time, some IF, some OF and was SS when the "Ace" pitched. The third option is good, but I wouldn't worry so much about the competition yet as others have said. To me his best preparation for high school at this age is probably #1. There he gets playing time, while not being "pigeon-holed" into one position. IMO, versatility can be beneficial when he will try out for HS baseball his freshman year. Good luck.

See if you can get him on a 16u team... My kid was lucky enough to do this the summer before going into HS... I feel it was VERY instrumental to him being a 4-year position starter on Varsity... It gave him a TON of confidence being able to feel the speed of the game and face and excel against top 16u pitching in summerball events...

I also would not focus too much on position... When he gets to HS, if he can hit, he will play... HS coach will play him where he needs him, or there may be a player that is a year older that is playing SS that is taken #3 overall in the MLB Draft (like we did, LOL), and you son will never see that position he's played his entire life!! 

3and2Fastball posted:

My son will be an 8th Grader in the fall.   5'7" 130 pounds, not quite as far along through puberty as some of the kids he's playing with, so far.

1) Likely will be a .500 Majors team.   Great bunch of kids that he really enjoys being around.   They guarantee him that he'll start at 2B and that he can compete for the starting SS spot.   Also promised me he'll play some OF too (as I want him to be well rounded).  Coaching is good but nothing special

2)  One of the best Majors teams in our state.   Seems like nice kids but they are tight knit from being together a long time and he doesn't know them well.   Coach's kid starts at 2B, and one of the top 2-3 players in our state at this age group starts at SS for them, my son would strictly be their backup and would likely only play SS/2B in blowouts or when those kids pitch.   My son would get a chance to compete for the starting LF spot and might be able to play some 3B too.  They play more games because they are usually in the Semi's or Final of every tournament.  Coach is fantastic, former pro who really knows the game

3)  One of the Top 5 Majors teams in our state.   Coaching/training is pretty good but not as good as Team #2.   Better chance for my kid to compete for the 2B spot but not guaranteed.   They play a great schedule though, several tournaments out of state to some of the best tournaments (Cincy Flames Tournament, Grand Park in Indiana etc).  Good group of kids.   They almost always bat the order and they do make sure everybody plays

Which of these sounds the best to you?

14u is weird, some look like men, some look like 8 year olds, your kid is in the middle.  As others have said I would stay away from #2...tight knit teams are hard to break into and as much as they say they don't, the coaches will give special treatment to the core group.  We learned this the hard way.

Since your son is medium sized I like option #1.  They seem to really like him, and he really likes the kids.  #3 looks flashy, but it also looks expensive.  Does a 14u kid need to travel across the country, well, not according to my bank account. 

14u is arguably the last time baseball isn't job-like, at 15u everything changes.  Different types of tourneys, have to travel further, you start thinking about colleges and paths and exposure and ugh...I would want 14u to be fun while he gets reps and that seems like team #1. Plus, as he grows this year his body may not be well suited for 2B anymore and team #1 plans on using him in multiple locations.

Here is the biggest thing I would take into consideration.   Will he be able to earn significant playing time on any of these teams for his 15U, 16U and especially 17U summers....and if so, do they play in the same tourneys you mentioned?   If he can....and the team will likely stay together, I take 3....no question.  They play in the best/most scouted tourneys in the Ohio/Indiana area.  14U is meaningless with regard to that...especially for a 5'7, 130# kid.  At his size, 15U may not mean much, but the reputation of his team/organization will have coaches interested.  Your son sounds a lot like mine was at those ages.....though my son was even smaller.  He finally grew the fall/winter before 17U and because he was on one of the most well-respected orgaizations in the area, he got a ton of exposure and a nice D1 offer.   I assume you're from Ohio/Indiana somewhere......feel free to message me.  My son is a soph at a D1.  I have a pretty thorough knowledge of the teams/organizations around here.  I would be happy to give you some insight if you're interested.  Good luck

Buckeye 2015 posted:

Will he be able to earn significant playing time on any of these teams for his 15U, 16U and especially 17U summers....and if so, do they play in the same tourneys you mentioned?   If he can....and the team will likely stay together, I take 3....no question.  They play in the best/most scouted tourneys in the Ohio/Indiana area.  14U is meaningless with regard to that...especially for a 5'7, 130# kid.  At his size, 15U may not mean much, but the reputation of his team/organization will have coaches interested.  

Thanks.   I sense significant playing time is a given for Team #1 but I don't know if Team #1 will play in those top tournaments at age ages 15/16/17

He just turned 13 four months ago and has grown 3.5 inches in the last year.  So who knows, he may be 5'10" or 5'11" a year from now, or for all I know he may be done growing!  Pretty tough to tell.   His Mom is 6'2" (I'm 5'10") and he has a few 1st cousins who are 6'6".

Despite not playing as much in games he might learn the most on Team #2.   The Coach is tremendous at teaching the game and making sure the kids play fundamentally sound Baseball with sportsmanship & class.   Maybe my son will rise to the challenge and earn a starting spot on that team.   Or maybe he will bat 12th and be a backup, I don't know.  Can't predict the future.

My gut instincts tell me that the most at-bats he can get against the best pitchers will help his development the most

Bolts-Coach-PR posted:

See if you can get him on a 16u team... My kid was lucky enough to do this the summer before going into HS... I feel it was VERY instrumental to him being a 4-year position starter on Varsity... It gave him a TON of confidence being able to feel the speed of the game and face and excel against top 16u pitching in summerball events...

I also would not focus too much on position... When he gets to HS, if he can hit, he will play... HS coach will play him where he needs him, or there may be a player that is a year older that is playing SS that is taken #3 overall in the MLB Draft (like we did, LOL), and you son will never see that position he's played his entire life!! 

To be fair almost all position changes at higher levels are down in the defensive spectrum. It happens all the time that a shortstop moves to third base but not so much that a third baseman moves to short.

Dominik85 posted:

Bolts-Coach-PR posted:

See if you can get him on a 16u team... My kid was lucky enough to do this the summer before going into HS... I feel it was VERY instrumental to him being a 4-year position starter on Varsity... It gave him a TON of confidence being able to feel the speed of the game and face and excel against top 16u pitching in summerball events...

I also would not focus too much on position... When he gets to HS, if he can hit, he will play... HS coach will play him where he needs him, or there may be a player that is a year older that is playing SS that is taken #3 overall in the MLB Draft (like we did, LOL), and you son will never see that position he's played his entire life!! 

To be fair almost all position changes at higher levels are down in the defensive spectrum. It happens all the time that a shortstop moves to third base but not so much that a third baseman moves to short.

My son was the starting SS for 3 years of HS varsity.  His last 2 summers (17U and 18U) he played a lot of 3B and was very good at it.  He got to a lot more balls than your typical 3B would get to and I think a lot of it is due to having been a SS and knowing he had ALOT of ground to cover.  The other issue is the kid is typically playing 20-30 feet closer to home plate than the SS.  Not everyone is able (or willing) to stand that close to balls being smoked at their heads.  He was recruited as a P/INF.  His D1 brought in 5 infielders.....all 5 were All State shortstops in HS.  They'll put a SS anywhere except catcher and 1B just knowing that they can play.

Regardless of which option you choose (but avoid #2, no more dad ball) - keep developing his bat and defensive skills.  Supplemental work is necessary to develop a great glove.  And if your son can hit and play the most challenging position on the field, your son will be forcing the coach to keep him in the lineup.    

Take his defensive skills to another level.  My son's instructor would let him field with the local JUCO infielders  when they practiced in the off season.  It's easier to move SS's around the field than other position players.  Stanford Coach Marquess: "we only recruit SS's"; slight exaggeration, but he said this to my son 3 weeks ago.  

Develop, develop, develop, it will work out well.

RJM posted:

Walk before you run. Forget thinking nationally for now. It's not important in 14u. Think locally/regionally. Where is the best place he can play to develop and prepare to become a high school varsity player? Step one is prove himself to the high school program. If he plays well regionally in travel he will be noticed. If your son should be playing on a national level the teams in your region who play on that level will seek him out.

There are some very well run dad coached 14u teams. I ran one with three dad assistants. We all played college ball. Two played pro ball. The four kids never got preferential treatment. There were two other very well run dad coached teams I knew of. There are some horribly run dad coach teams. They tend to disappear after 14u when junior realizes he's not a ball player.

One of the best showcase teams in our area had both of the coach's sons come through the program. Like any team you have to look at it closely and ask questions of parents of kids who played for the team.

RJM is right....my son started playing at 9U on a team that had won a big USSSA World Series as 8 year olds. 3 dads and he was the only new kid (a kid had moved....they only carried 10)......not one moment of daddy ball in the 3 years we played with them.    HC's kid probably got the worst end of the deal.....should have been 2B and batting 2nd or 3rd......typically played 2B or RF and never batted above 6th.  At 12,  played for a former MLB pitcher...also w/son on the team.  Son played RF and batted 9th, which is exactly where he fit in talent wise.  13U, played for another team coached by dads, including another former MLB.  Not one issue...and I don't think anyone could have made a daddy ball complaint.  14U....a different team.  2 dads.....HC's kid pitched and played some 3B, but mostly RF.  Other dad's kid was RF only and played about 3 innings/game.  15U and 16U, myself and 2 other guys (one former minor leaguer) formed a new team.  We had 3 very good HS shortstops (my son and minor league coach's kid).  They rotated between 2B, 3B and SS.   No complaints from anyone.  Other coach's kid was an OF/P.   Only year my son didn't play on dad coached team was 17U when he got asked to play with a big organization....coached by college assistant coaches.   I know there are teams where daddy ball is a disaster....but in our case, it's all my son ever knew....and things turned out ok for him

Hey, clearly there are exceptions.  RJM sounds like you did a good job.  Our experience was negative.  But we chose to fight it with skill development.  Never had to be concerned again...

Greatest compliment I could give my son's 16-18U HC...  If a stranger would have watched every game of the season, and left each game before everyone went to their cars, he would have had no idea which one was the coach's son.

The only time anyone would have known which player was my son was when I hauled him behind the dugout and started screaming at him. Had it been another kid his dad would have decked me.

In 13u my son whiffed for the last out of the game with the bases loaded, down one run. He threw his bat. It sailed into the stands. It was very out of character. He needed a scolding. But I lost it on him. A parent came to see if I was beating him I was so out of control.

Once I regained control I decided he not only could not play the next game, he couldn't dress for the game or sit in the dugout. He sat down the line in shorts and a tee pouting.

We both learned a lesson. He realized he was real wrong to throw his bat. I was real wrong to lose control like I did. I always had an agreement with my kids. We treat each other as if we're not related during games and practices. The first time my son sarcastically called me Coach Dad I laughed. It was allowed.

Daddy ball is all fine and dandy.  But don't forget, paid coaches also have their favorites as well.  And some paid coaches let mommy and daddy whisper in their ear.  We had one.  Kid's mom was all "this is BS, where talking to the coach" even though his kid was at least playing at DH every game.  After the conversation, "squeaky" never left the field.  We also had the exact opposite.  After mom & dad would speak to coach, kid would be benched.  His view was it was the kid's responsibility.  Whatever you choose, go in with eyes wide open.   

I'd say wherever he can play competitive baseball and get the reps. How else do you get better?

Reps, reps, reps at 14U.  From our experience, the better teams will want a player if the player is good enough to play for them when it matters (17U-18U).  Good players end up on the best teams, most of the time, as they climb up in age.  That has been our journey.  We live in an area of Ohio, where it has been tough to find good teams at a reasonable distance and with good coaching.  Lots of politics at younger ages.  That seems to fade as the kids get older and the real players start to stand out.  Most of the best players end up on just a few of the best teams.  My son was just asked to play on one of the best teams in the area and region.  Very blessed.  No try-out, as the coach told us he does not do try-outs any longer.  He relies on recommendations only.  Son played at a level where he had developed the reputation he had worked for, had made some connections, and had earned it.  That has come from living, learning, working hard, and getting better.  Thinking back, we would not have done some of the traveling, spent the money, or played with some of the teams we have played, had we known where the journey would take us.  Just get better, so they want you.  They will find you (if you develop a reputation as a player). 

Golfman25 posted:

Daddy ball is all fine and dandy.  But don't forget, paid coaches also have their favorites as well.  And some paid coaches let mommy and daddy whisper in their ear.  We had one.  Kid's mom was all "this is BS, where talking to the coach" even though his kid was at least playing at DH every game.  After the conversation, "squeaky" never left the field.  We also had the exact opposite.  After mom & dad would speak to coach, kid would be benched.  His view was it was the kid's responsibility.  Whatever you choose, go in with eyes wide open.   

Yes, I've seen that with various Academy teams.   The paid coaches are fine, however you will see kids make the A Team instead of the B Team specifically because of how many thousands of dollars the parents spend on lessons & classes at the academy in addition to team fees, and/or kids will get special consideration because parents are investors in the business

Go where he will play.  As my son likes to say "there are only two positions in baseball - on the field and on the bench."  Encourage him to play whatever the coach wants him to play or where he is needed. My son mostly played 3rd and outfield as 13 & 14 year old.  My son's sophomore team needed a 1st baseman and they coach told him 2 days before the season started that he was the 1st baseman.  We went to Play It Again Sports, got him a mitt and practiced.  Flexibility is the key to playing in high school as body types and skills change.

You said your son is a 14 YO yet to hit his growth spurt.  My nephew is in the same boat.  He played everything this year and has put himself in good position when he gets to high school because he can honestly say he play anywhere.

He just turned 13 four months ago.... he's been growing (about 3-4 inches in the last year) but for instance he played in an All-Star event this past weekend with other 13U (2016 ages) players and at 5'7" he was the 2nd shortest kid on the team (one other kid 5'6") and by far the least developed muscularly.   It was fun seeing him hold his own against much bigger kids

I think we are going to go with Option #1 from above.   I spoke to two trusted friends on this subject, one a former college 2B and the other a former pro 1B and they both said "go where he is going to get a ton of game reps and experience at his main position."

I want to thank everyone for their replies here.   Very valuable perspectives from you all, thank you so much!

Game reps yes. Position, don't worry about it. You don't know what position he will play next year or the year after. My son went from LL all star catcher to middle school shortstop to high school varsity shortstop to centerfield. In travel he always played where the pitcher came from until showcase ball where he was a centerfielder. In college he played seven positions. It kept him in the lineup every year.

Team #1 added winter training with a couple of current college coaches, and that made it a slam dunk for us, especially as one of the coaches is the current infield instructor on a college coaching staff

3and2 I see I am late to the party.  Sorry. But I understand this area better than others and can relate.  Getting ready for high school is a mute point here because the quality is so poor. If you can play on a quality 14u team playing high school is not even a question. I think it is critical to get out of our state to see what's out there. There is NOT enough good competition here - some but not enough. But remember this - beautiful new facility, great track record of placing kids and the organization head who has the best reputation as a human being in the state.  

2020dad posted:

But remember this - beautiful new facility, great track record of placing kids and the organization head who has the best reputation as a human being in the state.  

Stiks Academy?   Have heard great things about that place

With all due respect, the question of "what sounds best to you?" is going to, and has, generated a lot of responses that all serve the perspectives of the writers. 

IMHO, you asked the wrong question.

The question is, what future does your son see for himself in baseball?  And if it's to shoot for the moon, is it realistically achievable?

In my experience, ages 14-15 are the big shaking out period.  Kids are coming out of puberty and finding out for themselves where they'll be in the pecking order, physically speaking.  Kids are starting to see what high school and beyond might look like and to get a better idea of what they might want out of those years.

A whole bunch of kids start migrating away from baseball, even from all sports, and into other things. 

So, who is your son?  And who is he going to be?  I'll warn you, just because he was eaten up with baseball last year doesn't mean he will be next year.  14 is a transition period, so be prepared for big changes.  Some kids will emerge from this period determined to play in HS and in college.  Others will find other interests more compelling.  Still others may well want to pursue big time baseball, but an honest assessment might argue for steering them into something where they may have a better chance of success.  There are teams out there for the killer player, for the all-baseball-all-the-time player, for the recreational player who just wants to hang with his buddies and take some trips, and even for the weaker player who may be playing his last games.

Each of the teams you mention might well be the best option to suit your son as an individual, depending on what he wants for himself.  My advice would be to have this discussion with HIM.  He will no doubt appreciate your treating him like the decision maker in his own life, and you will avoid feeling like you're pushing him towards what is best for him while he resists.

14U is also a big shaking out and transition time for parents.  It really should start to be "their dream", whatever that dream is.  The parents start to be just a piece of a kid's world, where prior they were most or all of their world.

Yes, absolutely, we always let him make the decisions re Baseball, within reason (for example he got invited to some "Showcase" in Miami at the Marlins Stadium that is mostly a HR Derby and includes one game and costs $1500.  "No, son, you aren't going to that!")

In terms of his '17 summer team, we let him make the decision.  His Mom & I provided some insight & opinions and we had some great discussions but ultimately it was his choice.

We'll see where things shake out for him in the Genetic Lottery regarding size & work ethic.  In the meantime I agree with him that this should be a very good fit for him in the summer of 2017

Interesting posts.  I'll say this.  At 14 the journey is almost over for most of us.  You can start to count how many games are left.  Enjoy the 14u year.  By 15u, you can figure about 20 high school games per year -- so about 80 games left.  Plus whatever they get in the summer - maybe another 80.  Stay away from the drama and enjoy the game. 

3and2Fastball posted:

2020dad posted:

But remember this - beautiful new facility, great track record of placing kids and the organization head who has the best reputation as a human being in the state.  

Stiks Academy?   Have heard great things about that place

So why aren't you here???

2020dad posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

2020dad posted:

But remember this - beautiful new facility, great track record of placing kids and the organization head who has the best reputation as a human being in the state.  

Stiks Academy?   Have heard great things about that place

So why aren't you here???

Not sure, honestly, if we ever really looked at it mostly due to cost.   Most of the playing opportunities for my son have come from him being seen at tournaments and getting invited.  That is what happened with the team he chose for next year.   I will keep Stiks in mind for the future