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Francis7 posted:
2019Dad posted:

Thread for the 2019 season, which kicks off Feb. 9th for us.

In NJ, our first game is scheduled for April 2nd.  8 weeks after you!

Yeah, I grew up in PA and can remember practicing with snow falling (flurries . . . but still). Of course, the other side of it here is that teams play games all winter -- just by way of example:

http://www.westranchbaseball.com/fall/  or  https://www.cdmbaseball.org/page/show/272428-calendar

Last edited by 2019Dad
2019Dad posted:
Francis7 posted:
2019Dad posted:

Thread for the 2019 season, which kicks off Feb. 9th for us.

In NJ, our first game is scheduled for April 2nd.  8 weeks after you!

Yeah, I grew up in PA and can remember practicing with snow falling (flurries . . . but still). Of course, the other side of it here is that teams play games all winter -- just by way of example:

http://www.westranchbaseball.com/fall/  or  https://www.cdmbaseball.org/page/show/272428-calendar

That's interesting... a 44 game fall/winter schedule prior to the actual Spring HS season... and I notice they post below each schedule the names of anyone that misses a game.  No pressure there 

My son's former team came one inning away from winning Section (kinda like winning State in CA) last season. There are still a lot of his former teammates playing, and they should be pretty good again this year, but I'll be missing their games as I'm now in NYC.  If anybody has a HS (or college) team for me to follow here, PM me. I'm going to need to see a few games!

HS tryouts in Feb. He has been killing it this off season with S&C in late August and packed on good muscles ~10 lbs and gained speed (based on flag football in the fall). He just started his onramping for throwing following DL. His hitting metrics are very good but needs to be tested against live pitching. He will be trying out for his freshman team in February.

2019Dad posted:
Francis7 posted:
2019Dad posted:

Thread for the 2019 season, which kicks off Feb. 9th for us.

In NJ, our first game is scheduled for April 2nd.  8 weeks after you!

Yeah, I grew up in PA and can remember practicing with snow falling (flurries . . . but still). Of course, the other side of it here is that teams play games all winter -- just by way of example:

http://www.westranchbaseball.com/fall/  or  https://www.cdmbaseball.org/page/show/272428-calendar

LOL!   Son's HS team never played in snow, but I distinctly remember light snow flurries during the first college (JuCo) home games we attended.   Brrrr!  Temperature was 38 F at game time and below freezing by the end of the 2nd game (double header).

My 2020 is in the throws of basketball season right now, but he's been keeping up with baseball training a few times a week and lifting a couple times a week.  It makes for a very busy schedule, but he's loving it and seeing results, so that is motivating.  

In the NW, our HS tryouts/practices start in late Feb and first game is early March.  Lots of rainy games in store for us--bleh!   The last two years, our basketball team has gone to state, which overlaps with the beginning of baseball, so my son has had to go from last state basketball game one day to his first day of baseball practice the next day. 

Hoping for a good baseball season this year!  My son's Freshman year, our varsity team was all Freshman and Sophomores (new program, small school) and we played schools with all Seniors on their rosters.  Lost every game that year, except 1 game where my son pitched the entire game (he's not even a pitcher!) and we won by 1 run.  Brutal.  Last year, they made districts!  Hoping this year is even better with some Juniors and Seniors on the team!

Tryouts start March 10, then Varsity/JV go down to FLA for spring break training and scrimmaging. Games start as early as possible...snow is often involved up here in MN.

Son#1 is in college, #2 trying out for one of two Freshman teams. I don't care too much what team he plays on as long as he gets to play a lot and has a good time. He has always played both pitcher and in the field, but i suspect that he will be groomed to be on the mound with the HS program. He isn't the fielder his brother was, but he can hit,  likes to hit, and is fast, so I don't know how all that is going to be handled. In our program, very few pitchers also hit, and even fewer play in the field.

The Varsity team has some talented position players, and can hit, but might struggle pitching wise. 

Last edited by 57special

In hs, do they try out by position? IE does coach ask what 2 positions do you want to try out for?  My son will be in hs next year and his current coach told the kids if a coach is to ask you what position do you play, your reponse should be,”anywhere you need me coach.” Which I thought was good.  But that might not be applicable if they have to try out by position. 

Dadof3 posted:

In hs, do they try out by position? IE does coach ask what 2 positions do you want to try out for?  My son will be in hs next year and his current coach told the kids if a coach is to ask you what position do you play, your reponse should be,”anywhere you need me coach.” Which I thought was good.  But that might not be applicable if they have to try out by position. 

Depends on the coach and if he sees kids that stand out and are locks at certain positions he may have kids work out in positions other than their primary ones to see who can help. For instance, my sons HS used an 8th grade feeder team to kind of determine where kids lined up for their progression into HS ball. My son was a darn good catcher, but there was another kid at tryouts who was a year older and more physically mature who was pretty clearly going to lock down that spot. Son worked out in MIF and is now playing a completely new position. Pays to be versatile for sure, because he made the cut over others who were primary in that position.

Dadof3 posted:

In hs, do they try out by position? IE does coach ask what 2 positions do you want to try out for?  My son will be in hs next year and his current coach told the kids if a coach is to ask you what position do you play, your reponse should be,”anywhere you need me coach.” Which I thought was good.  But that might not be applicable if they have to try out by position. 

Dad, this is another one of those questions for which the answer can vary widely.  The length and nature of tryouts differs quite a bit as well.  For example, as a small/medium school with a lot of multisport kids and overlapping seasons, we will conduct tryouts, squad splits and practices over an extended period of time with a fair amount of overlap and various cut points.  Some schools will conduct a single tryout on a single date.  Regardless, I think most will at least make an attempt to look at a player as either an IF, OF, P, C or combination of.  You are likely to see something similar to a showcase environment.   A player is likely to get sent to a group taking ground balls and making throws, taking similar OF reps, possibly throwing a pen and possibly catching a pen (if there is some indication they may contribute as a P or C).  This, combined with some cage or on-field hacks and maybe some form of running typically make up the basic groundwork for a tryout.  From there, some programs have the luxury of more extensive looks and some do not.  

So, I think the answer his current coach suggested is a good starting point but it will likely benefit him if he also shares where he has played the most, whether IF, OF, P or C.  With incoming freshmen, HS coaches are generally more interested in determining whether a kid is a player or not as opposed to making specific determinations on where they will fit in.  That's not to say that it isn't part of the equation. 

Honestly, a decent HS coach can watch the first part of the first day of practice (playing catch after warming up) and pretty much tell by throwing motion and athleticism which kids are going to be good players and whether they are more likely to be IF, OF or P's.  Of course, it is tougher with big schools with large pools of talented players, but coaches of those programs usually have a pre-read on the better incoming players.  Just have your kid be himself, be respectful and play hard.  The rest will take care of itself.

Last edited by cabbagedad
Dadof3 posted:

In hs, do they try out by position? IE does coach ask what 2 positions do you want to try out for?  My son will be in hs next year and his current coach told the kids if a coach is to ask you what position do you play, your reponse should be,”anywhere you need me coach.” Which I thought was good.  But that might not be applicable if they have to try out by position. 

At son's school, they try out for the team, not a position.  I think they get asked if they have pitched or caught before.  Coach will put them where he wants them to develop.

baseballhs posted:

Our boys have been in baseball class all year so cuts were made last Friday. They will have another tryout in January for football/basketball kids and then first game is first week of February.

Same state, level as baseballhs - Texas 6A.  Our coach gives each kid in baseball class at end of semester (today) a sheet of paper.  On the paper it says the most likely outcome(s) for the kid for the upcoming tryout.  So "Varsity/Cut" (for a senior), "Freshman/JV", "Varsity", "Freshman" etc.  Let's all the kids know where they stand.  No seniors are actually cut, if they played at any level the previous years.  But if they are not in the plans to play their senior year, they are told.  Some of the kids will get notes, "work on this/that". He will then meet with any kid in the class one on one to discuss if they have questions.

We lost some top level 2018 pitching, so we might struggle there even though there are a few 2022 (Freshman) Pitchers that can help...but probably won't be impactful.

My 2021 catcher will be on Varsity as the backup catcher, but will get his reps behind the plate as the #1 2020 catcher wants to be more of a pitcher this season.

We'll see how things work out.

My 2020 plays for a 6A Pennsylvania high school. He started OF/MI as a 10th grader, and got 3 starts on the mound as team won their section. Lost some talent but still should be pretty good this year. Barring injury I think the lineup is pretty well set. Season doesnt start til mid-March. Last spring our weather was brutal, hopefully we dont have a repeat. We had several local teams head south (NC, GA, FL) to get games in against other high schools while we were waiting for snow to melt. Wish my son's hs planned such a trip this year. But I guess we'll just have to keep fingers crossed for decent weather

#7 preseason Greater Houston area 

2ADE164B-7815-4D20-8E17-4E4FEA32073797EAB700-0AE7-4660-AE5A-85E264CB72196B6A3285-65EA-489A-A1E1-07AB0E0DCEE4

A young captain sailed from port, the stores of his ship full and fresh. The  seas were flat, a slight wind at his back. “With vigil, this journey will please the queen and profit the crown.”  The old salt murmured under his breath “the dragons of fate lie in wait”.

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Go44dad posted:

#7 preseason Greater Houston area 

2ADE164B-7815-4D20-8E17-4E4FEA32073797EAB700-0AE7-4660-AE5A-85E264CB72196B6A3285-65EA-489A-A1E1-07AB0E0DCEE4

A young captain sailed from port, the stores of his ship full and fresh. The  seas were flat, a slight wind at his back. “With vigil, this journey will please the queen and profit the crown.”  The old salt murmured under his breath “the dragons of fate lie in wait”.

Here is the write up for the #1 on the list.

CYPRESS RANCH

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PlayWithEffort posted:

Tryouts are done.

Practice has started and the weather is cold and wet.

T minus 30 day’s here in Georgia. 

Oh...and rumor has it there is an intra-squad game today. I might try to sneak over and watch a little of it. 

This is so different than here in NE Ohio.  Forecast this weekend is for a foot of snow lol.  But regardless of weather, what about basketball?  There is a little overlap but for the most part, the Ohio HS Athletic Association rules do not permit one sport seaon to start until the other is done (other than playoffs).  There are still at least 40 or so days left in the regular HS basketball season (not counting playoffs) - and you're starting baseball practice already and games in 30?  That's cool by me, just noting that it is different.  What about the boys who play both basketball and baseball (perish the thought)?

Qhead posted:
PlayWithEffort posted:

Tryouts are done.

Practice has started and the weather is cold and wet.

T minus 30 day’s here in Georgia. 

Oh...and rumor has it there is an intra-squad game today. I might try to sneak over and watch a little of it. 

This is so different than here in NE Ohio.  Forecast this weekend is for a foot of snow lol.  But regardless of weather, what about basketball?  There is a little overlap but for the most part, the Ohio HS Athletic Association rules do not permit one sport seaon to start until the other is done (other than playoffs).  There are still at least 40 or so days left in the regular HS basketball season (not counting playoffs) - and you're starting baseball practice already and games in 30?  That's cool by me, just noting that it is different.  What about the boys who play both basketball and baseball (perish the thought)?

Basketball ends regular season on Feb 9 with tournament finals ending March 6-9. Basketball players typically start freeing up in mid to late February (assuming most don’t reach the semi finals or better.

GHSA requires players to finish their season (current sport) prior to practicing / playing in the next sport.

Baseball can start practice Jan 14. First game can start as early as Feb 11. The overlap is usually only a week or two for most players and they wait until basketball season ends prior to joining the baseball team. 

 

PlayWithEffort posted:
Qhead posted:
PlayWithEffort posted:

Tryouts are done.

Practice has started and the weather is cold and wet.

T min byus 30 day’s here in Georgia. 

Oh...and rumor has it there is an intra-squad game today. I might try to sneak over and watch a little of it. 

This is so different than here in NE Ohio.  Forecast this weekend is for a foot of snow lol.  But regardless of weather, what about basketball?  There is a little overlap but for the most part, the Ohio HS Athletic Association rules do not permit one sport seaon to start until the other is done (other than playoffs).  There are still at least 40 or so days left in the regular HS basketball season (not counting playoffs) - and you're starting baseball practice already and games in 30?  That's cool by me, just noting that it is different.  What about the boys who play both basketball and baseball (perish the thought)?

Basketball ends regular season on Feb 9 with tournament finals ending March 6-9. Basketball players typically start freeing up in mid to late February (assuming most don’t reach the semi finals or better.

GHSA requires players to finish their season (current sport) prior to practicing / playing in the next sport.

Baseball can start practice Jan 14. First game can start as early as Feb 11. The overlap is usually only a week or two for most players and they wait until basketball season ends prior to joining the baseball team. 

 

I did not k kw GHSA says a a player can not practice or play in the next season sport until the current season  sport is over.  Thanks for the info 

Alanj posted:
PlayWithEffort posted:
Qhead posted:
PlayWithEffort posted:

Tryouts are done.

Practice has started and the weather is cold and wet.

T min byus 30 day’s here in Georgia. 

Oh...and rumor has it there is an intra-squad game today. I might try to sneak over and watch a little of it. 

This is so different than here in NE Ohio.  Forecast this weekend is for a foot of snow lol.  But regardless of weather, what about basketball?  There is a little overlap but for the most part, the Ohio HS Athletic Association rules do not permit one sport seaon to start until the other is done (other than playoffs).  There are still at least 40 or so days left in the regular HS basketball season (not counting playoffs) - and you're starting baseball practice already and games in 30?  That's cool by me, just noting that it is different.  What about the boys who play both basketball and baseball (perish the thought)?

Basketball ends regular season on Feb 9 with tournament finals ending March 6-9. Basketball players typically start freeing up in mid to late February (assuming most don’t reach the semi finals or better.

GHSA requires players to finish their season (current sport) prior to practicing / playing in the next sport.

Baseball can start practice Jan 14. First game can start as early as Feb 11. The overlap is usually only a week or two for most players and they wait until basketball season ends prior to joining the baseball team. 

 

I did not k kw GHSA says a a player can not practice or play in the next season sport until the current season  sport is over.  Thanks for the info 

Same in Texas.  So at sub-varsity (no playoffs), there is very little overlap in most of the sports.  At Varsity, because of length of the playoffs, there becomes more overlap.

Same here is SC except you can play pre-season games.  So you can have several games before any basketball players are there.  We have four varsity starters who play basketball including mine so we have to work hard at getting those guys their reps in on the side.  Cannot be with any coach so my son has been throwing on his own for a couple of weeks and will continue.  Working to get him time with the sophomore starting catcher so they will be on the same page because the day basketball ends he will be on the mound for the baseball team.

My son's HS team (hopefully he will make the team this year) starts their winter workout at the end of September, 3 days a week, not at all mandatory, but gets the boys in shape and gets them in front of the coaches. Tryouts begin the 3rd week of February. I must say that doing the winter workouts is not a guarantee for the boys to make the team, which I like. Last year my son (8th grade) went to the workouts but did not make the Freshman team, we were devastated until a good friend told him that he just wasn't ready to play HS ball- that was the encouragement he needed to work even harder and its paying off!

Now he plays Select ball. After their Fall season, their practices started first week in December, 1 day a week until the end of February then will start back up with practice, games and tournaments as soon as HS ball is over. Of course they have an unwritten rule to hit the batting cages, tees etc. throughout the week.

Basically, my son plays or practices everyday He works hard and is dedicated to self improvement and now that he is 9th grade, now we are starting the camps and showcases as money and schedule permit.

 

meads posted:

My son's HS team (hopefully he will make the team this year) starts their winter workout at the end of September, 3 days a week, not at all mandatory, but gets the boys in shape and gets them in front of the coaches. Tryouts begin the 3rd week of February. I must say that doing the winter workouts is not a guarantee for the boys to make the team, which I like. Last year my son (8th grade) went to the workouts but did not make the Freshman team, we were devastated until a good friend told him that he just wasn't ready to play HS ball- that was the encouragement he needed to work even harder and its paying off!

Now he plays Select ball. After their Fall season, their practices started first week in December, 1 day a week until the end of February then will start back up with practice, games and tournaments as soon as HS ball is over. Of course they have an unwritten rule to hit the batting cages, tees etc. throughout the week.

Basically, my son plays or practices everyday He works hard and is dedicated to self improvement and now that he is 9th grade, now we are starting the camps and showcases as money and schedule permit.

 

Welcome to the site, Meads.  You may consider holding off on the showcase aspect of that plan for a while.  If your son wasn't ready to play HS ball a year ago, he probably doesn't have enough yet to impress recruiters.   That money can most likely be better spent on instruction/training or maybe a nice weekend with him doing anything except baseball since he plays every day.  That time will come.  Just a thought.

cabbagedad posted:
meads posted:

My son's HS team (hopefully he will make the team this year) starts their winter workout at the end of September, 3 days a week, not at all mandatory, but gets the boys in shape and gets them in front of the coaches. Tryouts begin the 3rd week of February. I must say that doing the winter workouts is not a guarantee for the boys to make the team, which I like. Last year my son (8th grade) went to the workouts but did not make the Freshman team, we were devastated until a good friend told him that he just wasn't ready to play HS ball- that was the encouragement he needed to work even harder and its paying off!

Now he plays Select ball. After their Fall season, their practices started first week in December, 1 day a week until the end of February then will start back up with practice, games and tournaments as soon as HS ball is over. Of course they have an unwritten rule to hit the batting cages, tees etc. throughout the week.

Basically, my son plays or practices everyday He works hard and is dedicated to self improvement and now that he is 9th grade, now we are starting the camps and showcases as money and schedule permit.

 

Welcome to the site, Meads.  You may consider holding off on the showcase aspect of that plan for a while.  If your son wasn't ready to play HS ball a year ago, he probably doesn't have enough yet to impress recruiters.   That money can most likely be better spent on instruction/training or maybe a nice weekend with him doing anything except baseball since he plays every day.  That time will come.  Just a thought.

Thank you. My son is more of a baseball player than what he was a year ago (its like night and day). Our Fall season, my son was turning heads. ERA was 2.48 and his FB tops at 76 now. In fact, the HS coach sent him a personal invite to a PBR showcase in a few weeks (this will be our first). He sent it out to only 3 freshman. The coach pairs my son at workouts with several Varsity players. I'm sure he will make one of the teams this year. I know he won't play Varsity for sure, but there is a slight chance he could make JV. Either way, I know he will give his all.

Budgeting and Baseball are my life. My son doesn't ask for anything and he tries to pay his own way with what money he earns or gets for his bday etc. He takes pitching lessons that he pays out of his own money. Last week he did a Pitching Camp at a college a few hours away.  He received good feedback. I told him we will take it slow and learn the ropes and then next year hit the showcases harder, when we know he will be more ready.

 

our tryouts begin Feb 4, with a vars tournament that starts Feb 7.  I think only last year's vars kids will be in the tournament. My senior started almost all games last year in OF, so I hope he's in decent shape to play this year.  My youngest ('22) is trying out for JV is which is typically Fr/Soph team. Fingers crossed.

meads posted:
cabbagedad posted:
meads posted:

My son's HS team (hopefully he will make the team this year) starts their winter workout at the end of September, 3 days a week, not at all mandatory, but gets the boys in shape and gets them in front of the coaches. Tryouts begin the 3rd week of February. I must say that doing the winter workouts is not a guarantee for the boys to make the team, which I like. Last year my son (8th grade) went to the workouts but did not make the Freshman team, we were devastated until a good friend told him that he just wasn't ready to play HS ball- that was the encouragement he needed to work even harder and its paying off!

Now he plays Select ball. After their Fall season, their practices started first week in December, 1 day a week until the end of February then will start back up with practice, games and tournaments as soon as HS ball is over. Of course they have an unwritten rule to hit the batting cages, tees etc. throughout the week.

Basically, my son plays or practices everyday He works hard and is dedicated to self improvement and now that he is 9th grade, now we are starting the camps and showcases as money and schedule permit.

 

Welcome to the site, Meads.  You may consider holding off on the showcase aspect of that plan for a while.  If your son wasn't ready to play HS ball a year ago, he probably doesn't have enough yet to impress recruiters.   That money can most likely be better spent on instruction/training or maybe a nice weekend with him doing anything except baseball since he plays every day.  That time will come.  Just a thought.

Thank you. My son is more of a baseball player than what he was a year ago (its like night and day). Our Fall season, my son was turning heads. ERA was 2.48 and his FB tops at 76 now. In fact, the HS coach sent him a personal invite to a PBR showcase in a few weeks (this will be our first). He sent it out to only 3 freshman. The coach pairs my son at workouts with several Varsity players. I'm sure he will make one of the teams this year. I know he won't play Varsity for sure, but there is a slight chance he could make JV. Either way, I know he will give his all.

Budgeting and Baseball are my life. My son doesn't ask for anything and he tries to pay his own way with what money he earns or gets for his bday etc. He takes pitching lessons that he pays out of his own money. Last week he did a Pitching Camp at a college a few hours away.  He received good feedback. I told him we will take it slow and learn the ropes and then next year hit the showcases harder, when we know he will be more ready.

 

Meads, that's all very admirable and promising that he is on a good path.  But, please understand that showcases are, for the most part, for two things.  One is to showcase ready or near-ready skill set that is of enough interest that a recruiter will take note and begin communication with the player in the interest of possible recruitment.  The other is to make money for the organization running it.  Topping out at 76 (and having a slight chance of making HS JV) is nowhere near enough to generate true interest with regard to the first reason.  That puts you and your (or worse, his) money in the category of the second reason.  Like I said, there will come a time for that part of the equation.  It's just not yet unless you don't mind spending unnecessarily.  

I agree.  The only upside I see to doing one now is the shake off any nerves and get a feel for how showcases are run.  My son did his first summer after 8th grade and topped at 81.  He got a little write up, but no one called or started recruiting.  It was good for him to see that he could compete even as a rising freshman but in terms of recruiting, it didn't matter. He did his next showcases summer after freshman year, hit 87 and started getting a few calls.  

Qhead posted:
PlayWithEffort posted:

Tryouts are done.

Practice has started and the weather is cold and wet.

T minus 30 day’s here in Georgia. 

Oh...and rumor has it there is an intra-squad game today. I might try to sneak over and watch a little of it. 

This is so different than here in NE Ohio.  Forecast this weekend is for a foot of snow lol.  But regardless of weather, what about basketball?  There is a little overlap but for the most part, the Ohio HS Athletic Association rules do not permit one sport seaon to start until the other is done (other than playoffs).  There are still at least 40 or so days left in the regular HS basketball season (not counting playoffs) - and you're starting baseball practice already and games in 30?  That's cool by me, just noting that it is different.  What about the boys who play both basketball and baseball (perish the thought)?

It really depends in Texas on the school from what I see, but baseball season practices are rolling. If you play basketball and baseball, you're an odd combination. From my experience players do football and baseball all the time (sping/fall) but basketball and baseball is a rare breed. Since the practices overlap, to make most HS varsity teams and do both, you likely have to be a very talented baseball player. Not saying that's true everywhere, but at bigger schools, like last year 5A state champions, you likely wouldn't make the team if you played basketball.

New parent here with incoming Freshman trying out for JV. 21 kids trying out for 16 positions. We have all been fundraising for the JV spring trip since last summer, not knowing which of the kids will be cut. On top of that, they just posted the itinerary for the trip, which to me seems a bit in poor taste, since cuts aren’t till next month. Anyone have a similar experience with this?

KTCOTB posted:

New parent here with incoming Freshman trying out for JV. 21 kids trying out for 16 positions. We have all been fundraising for the JV spring trip since last summer, not knowing which of the kids will be cut. On top of that, they just posted the itinerary for the trip, which to me seems a bit in poor taste, since cuts aren’t till next month. Anyone have a similar experience with this?

Our booster club does fundraising starting in the fall but ensures that it's distributed fairly between freshman, JV and Varsity teams - not just for a specific purpose. Once the rosters are set, varsity players will be expected to individually fundraise to pay for the balance of a spring trip.

Last edited by BBMomAZ

Well this is a booster club, but players and parents of current and prospective players are ENCOURAGED to participate in the fundraisers which demands time, and considerable funds paid to the booster club. I just think it is incredibly unfair to the kids who do not make the team, to have to spend time and money for a team they won’t get a chance to play for. I know it’s a “risk” they all take, but to post the itinerary a month before tryouts is really rubbing the salt in the wound.

Daughter’s softball team has been fundraising for over a year for a V trip.  Needs to be done in order to have the time to raise enough money.  Sure, there's some risk, but they want to have the trip every few years, so, if you don't make V this year, you may get another chance.

I'm sure there are some families that wont /don’t put in the effort, but will gladly accept the offer and benefit from the hard work of others.  Don't be that person and complain its not fair, it sends the wrong message to your child IMO.

I Never complain about it in front of my kid, I know better, and I’m sure there are parents/kids who did not contribute but will benefit from it. We put in more than our fair share btw. My biggest problem is that they are getting these kids excited way before they should. It feels more like extortion than fundraising.

russinfortworth posted:
2019Dad posted:

First preseason national poll that I've seen:

http://baseballnews.com/colleg...all-hs-poll-1-25-19/

Looks like we get #1 before district starts.  Hopefully we'll have dried behind our ears by then.  Looking forward to a good season.  Good competition gets your ready for the playoffs.  

SA Reagan is in our first tournament. Pretty sure we will play them.  (Lost in state finals last year)

Last edited by Go44dad
2019Dad posted:

First preseason national poll that I've seen:

http://baseballnews.com/colleg...all-hs-poll-1-25-19/

And PG's list:

https://www.perfectgame.org/Ar...w.aspx?article=16086

Looks like Argyle is the consensus #1, and will stay that way until they lose a game, and it's been awhile since they've done that.

Edited to add: between last season and recent scrimmages, my son has been fortunate to get starts against 4 of the top 25 teams in PG's rankings. These rankings are just fun, they don't mean anything, but it's cool to me to see some of the opponents he's faced on the list.

Last edited by 2019Dad

Ironically, weather is putting a big question mark on the start of the season here in California.  Lots of rain and more coming.  First year away from coaching in a long time, I though I'd miss it a lot.  In some strange way, this kinda helps.  Still anxious to follow our boys though.

Also, some of our assistants have advanced to take the head spots at neighboring schools and I am looking forward to seeing them continue to grow and manage their own programs, both against each other and in general... mostly against each other   

2019Dad posted:
2019Dad posted:

First preseason national poll that I've seen:

http://baseballnews.com/colleg...all-hs-poll-1-25-19/

And PG's list:

https://www.perfectgame.org/Ar...w.aspx?article=16086

Looks like Argyle is the consensus #1, and will stay that way until they lose a game, and it's been awhile since they've done that.

Edited to add: between last season and recent scrimmages, my son has been fortunate to get starts against 4 of the top 25 teams in PG's rankings. These rankings are just fun, they don't mean anything, but it's cool to me to see some of the opponents he's faced on the list.

What is really amazing about Argyle is it's enrollment is 800-900 kids/class 4A in Texas (goes up to 6A).  They place well in about an extracurricular they do, sports, band, theater etc.  I don't know anything about the school other than that. Maybe Russinfortworth knows some about it.

Go44dad posted:
2019Dad posted:
2019Dad posted:

First preseason national poll that I've seen:

http://baseballnews.com/colleg...all-hs-poll-1-25-19/

And PG's list:

https://www.perfectgame.org/Ar...w.aspx?article=16086

Looks like Argyle is the consensus #1, and will stay that way until they lose a game, and it's been awhile since they've done that.

Edited to add: between last season and recent scrimmages, my son has been fortunate to get starts against 4 of the top 25 teams in PG's rankings. These rankings are just fun, they don't mean anything, but it's cool to me to see some of the opponents he's faced on the list.

What is really amazing about Argyle is it's enrollment is 800-900 kids/class 4A in Texas (goes up to 6A).  They place well in about an extracurricular they do, sports, band, theater etc.  I don't know anything about the school other than that. Maybe Russinfortworth knows some about it.

Saw Argyle in the state tournament last year and they have an excellent HS baseball squad with a lot of returnees for 2019.  However,  they would not qualify for the state tournament at the 6A level in Texas much less win it.  I am sure they have and will 1-off some  6A teams in the preseason tournaments but that is much different than playing a 6A district schedule and winning multiple rounds of 2 outta 3 during the playoffs.  They are not nearly as talented as the Southlake Carroll, Cy Ranch, The Woodlands and Lake Travis's of this years Texas HS baseball world... Great for them to be ranked preseason #1 but really think Cy Ranch or Lake Travis is the best team in Texas this year and should receive that national notoriety.... 

1st varsity scrimmage today.  Supposed to be in the mid 70's at 5pm (and it doesn't have to change the rest of the year).

Freshman boy will be alternating in CF and LF and batting 6th I think.  

Seems like yesterday he was doing this.

Good luck to everyone this year.  Hope everyone has an injury free year, their boys play to the best of their ability, and they enjoy their time on the field.

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Ranking HS baseball across the wide spectrum of variables of competitive levels, leagues, etc., I always thought was an impossible task.  I am actually amazed at how well the MaxPreps formula works.  By late season to playoff time, they are pretty darn well dialed.  I  can't speak to pre-season player ratings.

Alanj posted:

I have a question for y'all.  When you son or daughter tries out are they only told if they made varsity.  Or are they told they made varsity or JV or freshman or are cut?  

For us, the boys are told V, JV1 or JV2 (don't have enough for a full freshman only team, so they have two "JV" teams).  That being said, the HC treats the JV1 kind of like a minor league team and can call up and send down a player here and there as needed.  But they are told after tryouts what team they have "made" or been assigned to if you will. 

Thanks for the replies.  The coach waited until the real scrimmage then gave out varsity jerseys.  Son did not get one.  Ok not a problem.  Went to game and son was required to sit on the dugout while varsity warmed up.  When they were done he was sent up into the stands to sit and watch game.  No idea if he is JV or freshman or cut.  Just limbo.  I am totally confused.

At son’s high school, the first team that is announced (posted on our website) is the freshmen squad. The V/JV players are announced as well but the rosters (who made which team) isn’t announced until after a week of intersquad games and our Red/Black World Series. 

The head coach will explain (to any kid who is interested in hearing) why they didn’t make the team, what they need to improve upon, etc. I said any because not every kid is interested in the why so he doesn’t force a conversation. 

Alanj posted:

Thanks for the replies.  The coach waited until the real scrimmage then gave out varsity jerseys.  Son did not get one.  Ok not a problem.  Went to game and son was required to sit on the dugout while varsity warmed up.  When they were done he was sent up into the stands to sit and watch game.  No idea if he is JV or freshman or cut.  Just limbo.  I am totally confused.

ok that is really weird - never seen a player "sent up into the stands" from the dugout?  Your son may need to be direct here and just ask the HC what team am I on.

Alanj posted:

Thanks for the replies.  The coach waited until the real scrimmage then gave out varsity jerseys.  Son did not get one.  Ok not a problem.  Went to game and son was required to sit on the dugout while varsity warmed up.  When they were done he was sent up into the stands to sit and watch game.  No idea if he is JV or freshman or cut.  Just limbo.  I am totally confused.

That sounds awful...it surprises me the coaching staff can be that clueless or ice cold.   

meads posted:

My boy is currently trying out for his Freshman team and cuts were supposed to be announced last night...(oh my nerves, LOL) well they have been extended to Saturday. My son said the coach needs to see more!

You've been saying that the coach requested that your son go to showcases, that he performed well at the showcase....................and you're worried about your son making the freshman team?  Must be a pretty powerhouse program.

russinfortworth posted:
meads posted:

My boy is currently trying out for his Freshman team and cuts were supposed to be announced last night...(oh my nerves, LOL) well they have been extended to Saturday. My son said the coach needs to see more!

You've been saying that the coach requested that your son go to showcases, that he performed well at the showcase....................and you're worried about your son making the freshman team?  Must be a pretty powerhouse program.

I do worry because nothing is a guarantee. The community we live in is very political and wealthy and last year I saw a kid who was very slow and not very motivated make the freshman team as an 8th grader when my son did not, only to find out later that kid's parents donate a lot of money to the boosters - now that being said...I would like to think that a coach, like the one we have, would choose kids who will win titles for the school and not just bring in money, but money helps programs grow and besides, maybe the coach saw something in that boy that we did not see  So, even though this coach has been working with my son, having him practice with the varsity boys, invited him to the showcase, I still told my son to work his hardest and take nothing for granted.

meads posted:
russinfortworth posted:
meads posted:

My boy is currently trying out for his Freshman team and cuts were supposed to be announced last night...(oh my nerves, LOL) well they have been extended to Saturday. My son said the coach needs to see more!

You've been saying that the coach requested that your son go to showcases, that he performed well at the showcase....................and you're worried about your son making the freshman team?  Must be a pretty powerhouse program.

I do worry because nothing is a guarantee. The community we live in is very political and wealthy and last year I saw a kid who was very slow and not very motivated make the freshman team as an 8th grader when my son did not, only to find out later that kid's parents donate a lot of money to the boosters - now that being said...I would like to think that a coach, like the one we have, would choose kids who will win titles for the school and not just bring in money, but money helps programs grow and besides, maybe the coach saw something in that boy that we did not see  So, even though this coach has been working with my son, having him practice with the varsity boys, invited him to the showcase, I still told my son to work his hardest and take nothing for granted.

My son made the freshman team with the possibility of playing some games with JV this year! 🎉 Now the work begins ( not like it ever stopped) but he has to work hard to earn a spot on that field!! 

Do you notice a theme to those teams on the top 25 USA list.....the number of "transfers" coming in to help the team?   I guess folks are moving to these hotbeds of high school baseball so their sons can play at a top level school?   I have no problem with that.  Parents are fortunate that their jobs allow this.  Personally I think they should separate out the private schools who can recruit and the academies  (IMG) from the public school rankings.  

 

stayfocused posted:

...Personally I think they should separate out the private schools who can recruit and the academies  (IMG) from the public school rankings.  

 

I think this is a common thought process and one that I have had on the surface in the past as well.  The problem is, for so many areas, this would create a significant travel logistics issue as there are not an abundance of similarly competitive privates.  So the privates would have to travel a great deal more and the pool of opponents for the publics gets further shrunk as well.  I think the key is to try to keep them properly slotted from a competitive standpoint and ignore enrollment numbers.  our particular area has done a fairly decent job with this in recent years with frequent realignment by sport.

Tryouts ended for us. Today my freshmen son was told he's on the team. But, he wasn't given a designation. He was told to suit up every game and he would be told then which game to play in...freshmen, JV or Varsity. So, he didn't make any team but he's on all three teams. I guess they are waiting to see how he does in games?

stayfocused posted:

Do you notice a theme to those teams on the top 25 USA list.....the number of "transfers" coming in to help the team?   I guess folks are moving to these hotbeds of high school baseball so their sons can play at a top level school?   I have no problem with that.  Parents are fortunate that their jobs allow this.  Personally I think they should separate out the private schools who can recruit and the academies  (IMG) from the public school rankings.  

 

The two Texas teams in the top 5 are public schools.  I can't see anyone just up and moving to Argyle, and Lake Travis doesn't have any transfer players.  Colleyville is listed too and I don't think they have a lot of transfers.  IMG is its own animal. It is basically college in terms of tuition, recruiting and talented players.

Francis7 posted:

Tryouts ended for us. Today my freshmen son was told he's on the team. But, he wasn't given a designation. He was told to suit up every game and he would be told then which game to play in...freshmen, JV or Varsity. So, he didn't make any team but he's on all three teams. I guess they are waiting to see how he does in games?

Francis, I think there is a non-zero possibility that the coaches have followed your posts here, or got your number in person, and have decided to mess with your head.


Your son will be okay.  Enjoy.

JCG posted:
Francis7 posted:

Tryouts ended for us. Today my freshmen son was told he's on the team. But, he wasn't given a designation. He was told to suit up every game and he would be told then which game to play in...freshmen, JV or Varsity. So, he didn't make any team but he's on all three teams. I guess they are waiting to see how he does in games?

Francis, I think there is a non-zero possibility that the coaches have followed your posts here, or got your number in person, and have decided to mess with your head.


Your son will be okay.  Enjoy.

I agree your son will be okay — but honestly, coaches just need to see how it goes. My son pitched varsity as a freshman and played third with the freshman team. Worked out fine except for the day he played third in 90+ head for two games during the day and then was asked to pitched varsity that night — in a substate game. That didn't go well at all.

But that's where the coaches needed him, so that's where he went.

meads posted:

So many HS teams have already started playing. When does your season begin? Our boys don't start until 3rd week of March so long as the weather cooperates here in Kentucky!

The baseball season at the county HS begins 3/11/2019.   Today's scrimmage is cancelled.  From what I can tell it was the only scrimmage scheduled.   Usually there is two scrimmages scheduled, but at least once in recent history neither was played due to weather.

Son graduated in 2012, but I try to make a game or two during the season.

baseballhs posted:

We’ve played 15 games including scrimmages. 

You have already played 15 games!  Wow, what part of the country are you in, Florida My son is on the freshman team and has 27 games scheduled not counting regionals, semi-finals and finals. I believe our Varsity has 36 on the schedule. Excited for the season to begin!

Son’s team is 2-0, with one rainout and a couple preseason games. 

He seems to be struggling a bit at the plate facing higher velocities than he has ever seen. He’s a freshman starting on the V, I think he’s going to be fine once he gets settled in and adjusted. 

He did throw 3 scoreless in one of the preseason games. 

We’re so used to seeing him out there playing with and against guys his age, now he looks a little small at 6’2”/180. 

My kid finally had his tryouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. All indoors. He did some throw downs on Tuesday and ran a 30. Did well on both. Wednesday he caught bullpens and did some hitting in the cages. They had a jugs cranked up about 40 ft away. He told me he lit it up and ripped all 10 they gave him and he was the only one to do it. He was really grateful for all the machine and probatter + hittrax sessions over the winter. His tryouts continue on Sat on the field. Hopefully the weather cooperates this time.

Francis7 posted:

First varsity scrimmage today. Rostering 19 including 3 sophomores and 2 freshmen...one of which is my kid. He's the only one of the 5 who is not a pitcher. I'm starting to wonder if it's too much pressure for a kid who is still 2 months away from 15.

Enjoy the game even if he doesn't see the field and let him perform, you might be surprised. My son goes to a small charter school and he and 6 other 8th graders were varsity starters. First game he every played having to swing a -3 bat he went 3-4 with a double! He's a Junior now and all that experience was valuable when they're playing 5A schools in tournaments. 

Don't worry about it!  He'll do fine.  Even if he doesn't, he'll be fine.

I'll tell you about 3 of the frosh I watched play at my kid's HS.

#1 - 4 year starter. Great career. Now playing P5 and expected to be a 1st round draft choice in a few months.

#2 - (my kid) spent frosh year mostly on V bench. But did well when he subbed in for mop-in innings, and when used as a defensive replacement in late innings.  Became a 3 year starter, had a great career. Now playing D3.

#4 - Had his chances as a freshman but pretty much pooped the bed every time he did.   Struggled some soph year too, but became a 2 year starter, had a great career. Accepted a D2 scholly but dropped down to Juco hoping to get to D1.

They all did fine.  Yours will too.

Last edited by JCG
Francis7 posted:

Thx guys. I'm just feeling it for him today because he's pacing around like a caged tiger, waiting for report time. I hope once he's at the field the feeling of normalcy kicks in.

My son is a college freshman who pitched last weekend on varsity. After the first inning he stalked off the field looking like he was ready to plow through concrete walls. A coach told him the next day "dude, you high fived me so hard last night — I feel like we really bonded."

My son has no recollection of it.

Normal is a relative state for the athletes. It's worse thinking about it than doing it.

Tryouts were forced indoors because of rain. Five varsity games rained out so far—more rained out than actually played (and two games were played in the rain). Odds are none will be rescheduled (not conference games and teams would have to travel pretty far).  The handful of games so far have been fun to watch and son’s team has played well. But man, it has been a wet winter.  

My kid made his frosh team. They had tryouts for barely a week due to weather and winter sports and it ended on Monday with roster announcements. They played scrimmages against a couple of local HS JV teams the past 2 days. They kept the roster to 18 and son told me they had to cut a few good players as the talent was really good (2000 boys HS). He played OF, C and 1st (he has played that since 6th grade) and the coach told him he would be playing utility. He has been hitting very well so they are keeping in the line up.

2022NYC posted:

My kid made his frosh team. They had tryouts for barely a week due to weather and winter sports and it ended on Monday with roster announcements. They played scrimmages against a couple of local HS JV teams the past 2 days. They kept the roster to 18 and son told me they had to cut a few good players as the talent was really good (2000 boys HS). He played OF, C and 1st (he has played that since 6th grade) and the coach told him he would be playing utility. He has been hitting very well so they are keeping in the line up.

Awesome!  Enjoy it, it passes quickly.

We are a few scrimmages into the season. my 2020 is on V, team looks good. He's pitched a few innings against good competition. Did fine, I think 3IP 1H, 0BB, 6K. This time of year pitchers seem to have the advantage.

My 2022 is on JV, huge roster. V has a game every day next week (if it doesn't rain/snow) they are talking about bringing him up to V for the week to eat some innings on the mound. Don't want him to stay there, otherwise he'll likely not get in the field. We'll see.

15-2-1 to start the season. One of the losses was to Argyle (top 10 team in nation) in 8 innings 5-4.  Ranked in the top 10 of both Texas 5A (second largest schools) polls.

Freshman son is 4-0-1 to start the year on the bump  (didn't know he was going to be a pitcher).  He has played LF/CF/SS, but has settled into CF I believe.

Hitting pretty well (.375) with obp above .600 with about 15 RBI's, Runs, and SB.

Team is trying to find it's way and figure things out.

1st game of District was on Tuesday, which we scratched out.  Will start seeing really good pitching the remainder of the year.  

Good luck to everyone else.

 

Last edited by russinfortworth

This photo came up as a Facebook Memory from 2015 this morning.

What a beautiful day for baseball!

I looked it up on Maxpreps.  This was a Saturday, non-league game.  It was a tight 2-2 contest until the bottom of the 5th when our guys scored 4 and went on to win 7-2. My son was 1 for 4 with 2K's, a run, and an RBI.

ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS, FOLKS!

2015

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I think my freshman son got his answer today.

After tryouts, he was told to be prepared to play anywhere. But, he always ended up with the varsity kids. That was a good sign...but, you never assume anything.

Today, they handed out uniforms. Coach told the kids that some would be going back and forth between JV and Varsity...so, be sure to take one of each uniform.

My son took a varsity uniform. And, when he went to get a JV one, the coach said "What are you doing? Sit back down."

Pretty cool.

So here's a question for the group.  Uniforms were given out. Home and away jerseys. But, different numbers on each. From what I've heard, it's been that way for a while. My guess is that they are recycling unis from past years and the sizes don't synch up with the numbers and kids are just grabbing shirts that fit. Is this a pretty common thing for HS ball? For the record, this is the varsity team.

Francis7 posted:

So here's a question for the group.  Uniforms were given out. Home and away jerseys. But, different numbers on each. From what I've heard, it's been that way for a while. My guess is that they are recycling unis from past years and the sizes don't synch up with the numbers and kids are just grabbing shirts that fit. Is this a pretty common thing for HS ball? For the record, this is the varsity team.

It’s not common but it happens.  As the announcer at our school’s home games I can tell you that it can be  a big pain in the butt. 

Francis7 posted:

So here's a question for the group.  Uniforms were given out. Home and away jerseys. But, different numbers on each. From what I've heard, it's been that way for a while. My guess is that they are recycling unis from past years and the sizes don't synch up with the numbers and kids are just grabbing shirts that fit. Is this a pretty common thing for HS ball? For the record, this is the varsity team.

Haven't seen it here.  Seems like that would be less than ideal if college coaches happen to see a game.  None of the recruiting sites I'm familiar with allow kids to list separate home and away jersey numbers,

Francis7 posted:

I think my freshman son got his answer today.

After tryouts, he was told to be prepared to play anywhere. But, he always ended up with the varsity kids. That was a good sign...but, you never assume anything.

Today, they handed out uniforms. Coach told the kids that some would be going back and forth between JV and Varsity...so, be sure to take one of each uniform.

My son took a varsity uniform. And, when he went to get a JV one, the coach said "What are you doing? Sit back down."

Pretty cool.

Nice Francis!  Now, let him enjoy HS before you start planning his retirement years 

The Big Game. 

Son pitches against a district rival tonight.  Both 3-0.  Both with post season aspirations. Both good enough to advance deep into the playoffs.  Opponent is pitching a Team USA 18U guy.  Both teams are good.  I have been waiting for this game all week.  I've been waiting for a game like this since little league all-stars.

Of all the travel baseball "big games", this one feels like it is truly a big game.  Son is playing for something.  Something that just wasn't there in travel ball. The game has been hyped in the local on-line pubs, there is an internet radio broadcast.

Finally, A Big Game.

https://texas.vype.com/houston...rout-of-austin/20150

First season game they won 12-5. Son was so excited for his first game he let his nerves get the best of him. Luckily, he isn’t beating himself up over it. They play tomorrow. He isn’t expecting to play after his performance today, but I told him the coach knows how he does in practice and whether he sits or plays one inning he knows he has to earn his spot back. Tomorrow is a new day.

Francis7 posted:

So here's a question for the group.  Uniforms were given out. Home and away jerseys. But, different numbers on each. From what I've heard, it's been that way for a while. My guess is that they are recycling unis from past years and the sizes don't synch up with the numbers and kids are just grabbing shirts that fit. Is this a pretty common thing for HS ball? For the record, this is the varsity team.

It is for our Freshman team, they are on year 5 of using these uniforms but most of the boys got the same number for home and away

Go44dad posted:

The Big Game. 

Son pitches against a district rival tonight.  Both 3-0.  Both with post season aspirations. Both good enough to advance deep into the playoffs.  Opponent is pitching a Team USA 18U guy.  Both teams are good.  I have been waiting for this game all week.  I've been waiting for a game like this since little league all-stars.

Of all the travel baseball "big games", this one feels like it is truly a big game.  Son is playing for something.  Something that just wasn't there in travel ball. The game has been hyped in the local on-line pubs, there is an internet radio broadcast.

Finally, A Big Game.

https://texas.vype.com/houston...rout-of-austin/20150

#4 did the job!  

E8D99DF6-FEA6-4CB5-A833-9CCA81FD59B5

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2022NYC posted:

They cancelled kid's first HS game today, it is chilly & windy here and it rained the other day but it is a turf field so I was surprised it was called off. Now I have a bunch of chores to do...ugh

I feel for you--that's a shame.   Last weekend my son got the start in game 1 of a double-header, threw the top of the first and... then the skies opened and there was so much rain that both games were cancelled before the visitors threw a pitch.

Do I talk to the coach or not?

First off, I am not a complaining parent. First game of the season, my son choked- 3 K's, he has never done that at the plate. 2nd game he sat the bench the entire game, but we had the talk that he has to earn his spot every game every practice. In the 3rd game he got to pitch the last 3 innings and did well (better than the other 2 pitchers for sure), but still no at bat. Last night he played RF all 7 innings and made 4 great catches/plays, but still no at bat.

He is a great hitter. Usually bats in the upper .320-.380, OBS .389, SLG .643 But he is not getting that opportunity. He does well in batting practice and we go to the cages outside of practice. We have decent players at the plate, however there are at least 3 boys that get their shot at the plate and don't perform...which leaves me to question WHY my son isn't there?

So, should I let it ride out another week? Or request a meeting and ask what he needs to work on to get a shot At Bat?

meads posted:

Do I talk to the coach or not?

First off, I am not a complaining parent. First game of the season, my son choked- 3 K's, he has never done that at the plate. 2nd game he sat the bench the entire game, but we had the talk that he has to earn his spot every game every practice. In the 3rd game he got to pitch the last 3 innings and did well (better than the other 2 pitchers for sure), but still no at bat. Last night he played RF all 7 innings and made 4 great catches/plays, but still no at bat.

He is a great hitter. Usually bats in the upper .320-.380, OBS .389, SLG .643 But he is not getting that opportunity. He does well in batting practice and we go to the cages outside of practice. We have decent players at the plate, however there are at least 3 boys that get their shot at the plate and don't perform...which leaves me to question WHY my son isn't there?

So, should I let it ride out another week? Or request a meeting and ask what he needs to work on to get a shot At Bat?

This is going to sound unrelated, but give me a second. My son's in college and is getting some amazing opportunities to pitch as a freshman. Some of them, he has rocked. Been just amazing. Other's he's been marginal and once really bad.

Other pitchers come in and seem more consistent, and yet my son is getting better opportunities.

Here's my point — I've had to conclude that the coaches see something in practices and bullpens that we don't and that's what's driving it.

Maybe they are seeing something that you aren't. My own advice is to let it ride, but if anyone requests a meeting, it should be your son. Not you.

JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

meads posted:
JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

Read all the other posts.  Nothing good comes out of you talking to the coach, this comes as a parent and a coach.  Have your son go to him and ask what he can do to get better.  As has been stated, he doesn't need to bring up the three K's but just ask what he can do to get better.  Just remember if your son is getting this opportunity I will bet some kid is getting none to little opportunity. 

meads posted:
JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

You have said in the past that your son's HS coach is well qualified.  You have said that, just last year, a good friend's honest assessment was that your son just wasn't ready for HS ball yet (when he tried out as an 8th grader).  You have said several times that your son has to prove himself every day (very true).  Why on earth would you want to arrange for a meeting with the coach to question his playing time, now, as a freshman in freshman ball?

Generally, when a coach says there is a 24 hr rule for talking to parents, it means one of two things... he will address questions for anything except playing time at that time and/or he assumes the parent will have that time to calm down and think better than to ask about playing time for their son.  Most HS's have a strict policy that parents can absolutely bring up any concerns but can absolutely not question playing time with coach, AD or principal.  That rule is there for good reason.  Parents will naturally see the best in their kids.  Coaches must objectively see the best, worst and all in between and make the difficult decisions accordingly.  There are always more than nine players on a roster and there will always be disappointed players (and parents).  The coaches are with all the players every day for hours each day at practice.  They have assistant coaches that are also with the players every day, giving their feedback.  Relax.  Let the rope out a bit more.  Your son is in HS now.  You are giving him the good support he needs behind the scenes.  It's time to let him earn his own way back onto the field.  If your son continues to work hard and is able to achieve his goals to play beyond HS, he will face this situation again and again and again.  It absolutely IS NOT the place of the parent to stand and speak for him when it comes to playing time.

I can assure you that, in the not-too-distant future, you will look back and laugh that you actually considered doing this.

PS - also keep in mind that timing won't necessarily happen on your clock.  Even when your son earns a shot back into the lineup, the kid that replaced him has to earn his way back OUT of the lineup.

Last edited by cabbagedad

This was very similar to my son's situation freshman year and half of sophomore. He was a starting fielder halfway through freshman year, but hit in only 4 total games, even though there were other players with horrible batting averages. When he did bat, he hit decently, so ironically, his freshman BA was over .300.  We assumed (and told him) that it must have do with what the coaches saw in practice. In fact, we never figured it out. It ate at son, it ate at us. We knew enough to know that parents don't talk to the coach; we did not know enough to suggest that son talk to the coach. We just had no experience with varsity sports, we didn't know if that was something that was recommended or absolutely the wrong thing. So, freshman year he never said anything, he did hit a lot in the cages after practice. When it happened again sophomore year, we asked his hitting instructor if it would be o.k. if son talked to the coach, and the instructor said, of course he should. Son still felt nervous about talking to the head coach, so he texted (!) the (younger) assistant coach. He then did get more at bats.  Junior year he was in the lineup all year, senior year we will find out if the rain lets up so that the season can start.

In hindsight, I wish that we had known to tell him to talk to the head coach, right from the start. He would then have had a better take on it, and a better relationship with the coaching staff earlier on. It all worked out in the end, and it was certainly a good learning experience, but it was a really long freshman season.

meads posted:
JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

Meads, not to pile on but to add to what I already said...  maybe this will better help you visualize...

Just this last year, four of my players graduated from our HS program and went on to play in college.  Two of them are already playing and contributing as college true freshmen (albeit not without the constant fight for PT).  The other two have more talent.  But they also have parents that always tried to "clear the path" and do too much to help their kids, even into HS.  Those two are struggling with figuring things out on their own.  One quit and moved back home (his parents once came and complained to me about him not being a 2-way, despite him and the team clearly being better off with him as a PO - developed an average talent into league pitcher of the year).  The other is struggling to make the necessary adjustments at that level and not knowing how to, and not being self-driven enough to "fix it".  Mom is freaking out, even though this is exactly what I told her would happen for the last four years as she continued to try to do everything for him.  Each year, as we saw our players move on to the next level, I could quite accurately predict their likely level of success and, so often, it could be traced back to earlier parent interaction.

How you approach this from here on out will have an impact.

Last edited by cabbagedad
meads posted:

Do I talk to the coach or not?

First off, I am not a complaining parent. First game of the season, my son choked- 3 K's, he has never done that at the plate. 2nd game he sat the bench the entire game, but we had the talk that he has to earn his spot every game every practice. In the 3rd game he got to pitch the last 3 innings and did well (better than the other 2 pitchers for sure), but still no at bat. Last night he played RF all 7 innings and made 4 great catches/plays, but still no at bat.

He is a great hitter. Usually bats in the upper .320-.380, OBS .389, SLG .643 But he is not getting that opportunity. He does well in batting practice and we go to the cages outside of practice. We have decent players at the plate, however there are at least 3 boys that get their shot at the plate and don't perform...which leaves me to question WHY my son isn't there?

So, should I let it ride out another week? Or request a meeting and ask what he needs to work on to get a shot At Bat?

Your season started 7 days ago and you already want to talk to the coach about not getting enough ABs? I could see your son doing it a month in if he wasn't hitting at all, but if you are going to ask about getting more ABs and then call out three other players who are having a bad week - it will not end well for your son now or moving forward.

meads posted:
JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

If it is "eating at you", then do yourself and your son a favor. Take a few games off. It's his journey. Not yours.

My son's first HS game ever yesterday.  Made varsity as a freshman on a team that has a ton of young players - coach said in the paper it is the youngest varsity team he has ever coached.  My son comes down with a stomach bug on Wednesday but gets the start at 3B.  Funny side note - in a little low grade, completely hysterical hazing our seniors get to pick out the walk up music for new varsity players.  Given my son's  freshman status, his walk up music is that horrible "Baby Shark" teletubbies-type song.  Complete riot.  

Kid went  1 for 2 at the plate but had a bad error that cost a run but team still won 9-4.  He said he is going to chalk it up to nerves and experience but overall a good debut.

 

cabbagedad posted:
meads posted:
JCG posted:

+1.

Parents do not talk to coaches about playing time. Ever.

I agree with you here, except at the parent meeting the head coach did say that they have a 24 hour rule regarding games and questions and they were fine with questions and I get the playing time ( I don't have an issue with that at all), I don't understand the no at bats.

I will get my son to talk with the coaches first. I really don't want to get involved but it is eating at me.

Meads, not to pile on but to add to what I already said...  maybe this will better help you visualize...

Just this last year, four of my players graduated from our HS program and went on to play in college.  Two of them are already playing and contributing as college true freshmen (albeit not without the constant fight for PT).  The other two have more talent.  But they also have parents that always tried to "clear the path" and do too much to help their kids, even into HS.  Those two are struggling with figuring things out on their own.  One quit and moved back home (his parents once came and complained to me about him not being a 2-way, despite him and the team clearly being better off with him as a PO - developed an average talent into league pitcher of the year).  The other is struggling to make the necessary adjustments at that level and not knowing how to, and not being self-driven enough to "fix it".  Mom is freaking out, even though this is exactly what I told her would happen for the last four years as she continued to try to do everything for him.  Each year, as we saw our players move on to the next level, I could quite accurately predict their likely level of success and, so often, it could be traced back to earlier parent interaction.

How you approach this from here on out will have an impact.

Thank you. That is helpful advice.

PABaseball posted:
meads posted:

Do I talk to the coach or not?

First off, I am not a complaining parent. First game of the season, my son choked- 3 K's, he has never done that at the plate. 2nd game he sat the bench the entire game, but we had the talk that he has to earn his spot every game every practice. In the 3rd game he got to pitch the last 3 innings and did well (better than the other 2 pitchers for sure), but still no at bat. Last night he played RF all 7 innings and made 4 great catches/plays, but still no at bat.

He is a great hitter. Usually bats in the upper .320-.380, OBS .389, SLG .643 But he is not getting that opportunity. He does well in batting practice and we go to the cages outside of practice. We have decent players at the plate, however there are at least 3 boys that get their shot at the plate and don't perform...which leaves me to question WHY my son isn't there?

So, should I let it ride out another week? Or request a meeting and ask what he needs to work on to get a shot At Bat?

Your season started 7 days ago and you already want to talk to the coach about not getting enough ABs? I could see your son doing it a month in if he wasn't hitting at all, but if you are going to ask about getting more ABs and then call out three other players who are having a bad week - it will not end well for your son now or moving forward.

First off, I thought this would be a safe place to talk out my thoughts and feelings.  Apparently some of you just like to be harsh. I have thick skin and I have dealt with many yahoo dads over the years, but try to be constructive not destructive with your comments!

Also, I never said I would "call out" the other players. I don't throw ANYONE under the bus, ever! Also, I told my kid at the beginning of the season that he had to earn his spot and work hard or someone on the bench would replace him. I also let my kid battle his own battles and we have discussed on whether he should/shouldn't ask his coaches (He brought up this whole thing, not me). I would only step in if he asked me too, but I wanted to get your thoughts as well, geesh  

57special- "take off a few games"  worst advice ever....

This whole conversation is hypothetical in the event that things did not change and son talked to the coaches and still no change and he asks me to step in- I don't do anything on the spur of the moment, I like to process and think things through.

anotherparent posted:

This was very similar to my son's situation freshman year and half of sophomore. He was a starting fielder halfway through freshman year, but hit in only 4 total games, even though there were other players with horrible batting averages. When he did bat, he hit decently, so ironically, his freshman BA was over .300.  We assumed (and told him) that it must have do with what the coaches saw in practice. In fact, we never figured it out. It ate at son, it ate at us. We knew enough to know that parents don't talk to the coach; we did not know enough to suggest that son talk to the coach. We just had no experience with varsity sports, we didn't know if that was something that was recommended or absolutely the wrong thing. So, freshman year he never said anything, he did hit a lot in the cages after practice. When it happened again sophomore year, we asked his hitting instructor if it would be o.k. if son talked to the coach, and the instructor said, of course he should. Son still felt nervous about talking to the head coach, so he texted (!) the (younger) assistant coach. He then did get more at bats.  Junior year he was in the lineup all year, senior year we will find out if the rain lets up so that the season can start.

In hindsight, I wish that we had known to tell him to talk to the head coach, right from the start. He would then have had a better take on it, and a better relationship with the coaching staff earlier on. It all worked out in the end, and it was certainly a good learning experience, but it was a really long freshman season.

Thank you for understanding and the advice. Glad I'm not the only one here to experience this

meads posted:
anotherparent posted:

This was very similar to my son's situation freshman year and half of sophomore. He was a starting fielder halfway through freshman year, but hit in only 4 total games, even though there were other players with horrible batting averages. When he did bat, he hit decently, so ironically, his freshman BA was over .300.  We assumed (and told him) that it must have do with what the coaches saw in practice. In fact, we never figured it out. It ate at son, it ate at us. We knew enough to know that parents don't talk to the coach; we did not know enough to suggest that son talk to the coach. We just had no experience with varsity sports, we didn't know if that was something that was recommended or absolutely the wrong thing. So, freshman year he never said anything, he did hit a lot in the cages after practice. When it happened again sophomore year, we asked his hitting instructor if it would be o.k. if son talked to the coach, and the instructor said, of course he should. Son still felt nervous about talking to the head coach, so he texted (!) the (younger) assistant coach. He then did get more at bats.  Junior year he was in the lineup all year, senior year we will find out if the rain lets up so that the season can start.

In hindsight, I wish that we had known to tell him to talk to the head coach, right from the start. He would then have had a better take on it, and a better relationship with the coaching staff earlier on. It all worked out in the end, and it was certainly a good learning experience, but it was a really long freshman season.

Thank you for understanding and the advice. Glad I'm not the only one here to experience this

Meads, one more from me and then I'll step away unless you have something specific you want to ask.  

Forewarning - I'm going to be direct and you may interpret as harsh.  There is something of value to be taken from what PaBaseball said.  It is telling that your son is just a week into this thing and you are having this "hypothetical" already.  There is also something(s) of value to be taken from what 57special said if you read into it properly. 

It is telling that you latched on to the one post that you feel is someone that has experienced what you are experiencing.  Believe me, pretty much everyone here has dealt with that scenario.  And, there is no comparison between dealing with it for a week and dealing with it for a year and a half (as anotherparent did).  There is also no comparison between demanding that the player take it upon himself to talk to the coach (as anotherparent did) and considering stepping in as a parent.  It is telling that you say you have thick skin but consider those other replies "destructive" and "worst advice ever".  It is telling that you say you let your kid fight his own battles but are willing to step in and fight for him with something like playing time.

There may be a few folks here (not this thread specifically) that are just harsh jerks just because... but most of the time, when there is direct dialog as in the posts responding to yours, the purpose is to help you quickly recognize that you are headed down the wrong path and nicey nice PC sympathy is NOT going to convey that message.  Is this a safe place to express...  ??  Yeah, for the most part, I think so.  But, you asked specifically if you should talk to the coach or not.  This certainly implies that you are looking for that guidance.  There are times when the only way to really move the meter is to be very direct.

Many of us came here initially and got that straight-shooting wake-up call when we needed it.  If we can get past our initial butt-hurt feelings the first time around, we find great value in the advice and information given here.  I do hope that is the path you take.  I really think your son will benefit from it as most of ours and so many others have.

Last edited by cabbagedad
cabbagedad posted:
meads posted:
anotherparent posted:

This was very similar to my son's situation freshman year and half of sophomore. He was a starting fielder halfway through freshman year, but hit in only 4 total games, even though there were other players with horrible batting averages. When he did bat, he hit decently, so ironically, his freshman BA was over .300.  We assumed (and told him) that it must have do with what the coaches saw in practice. In fact, we never figured it out. It ate at son, it ate at us. We knew enough to know that parents don't talk to the coach; we did not know enough to suggest that son talk to the coach. We just had no experience with varsity sports, we didn't know if that was something that was recommended or absolutely the wrong thing. So, freshman year he never said anything, he did hit a lot in the cages after practice. When it happened again sophomore year, we asked his hitting instructor if it would be o.k. if son talked to the coach, and the instructor said, of course he should. Son still felt nervous about talking to the head coach, so he texted (!) the (younger) assistant coach. He then did get more at bats.  Junior year he was in the lineup all year, senior year we will find out if the rain lets up so that the season can start.

In hindsight, I wish that we had known to tell him to talk to the head coach, right from the start. He would then have had a better take on it, and a better relationship with the coaching staff earlier on. It all worked out in the end, and it was certainly a good learning experience, but it was a really long freshman season.

Thank you for understanding and the advice. Glad I'm not the only one here to experience this

Meads, one more from me and then I'll step away unless you have something specific you want to ask.  

Forewarning - I'm going to be direct and you may interpret as harsh.  There is something of value to be taken from what PaBaseball said.  It is telling that your son is just a week into this thing and you are having this "hypothetical" already.  There is also something(s) of value to be taken from what 57special said if you read into it properly. 

It is telling that you latched on to the one post that you feel is someone that has experienced what you are experiencing.  Believe me, pretty much everyone here has dealt with that scenario.  And, there is no comparison between dealing with it for a week and dealing with it for a year and a half (as anotherparent did).  There is also no comparison between demanding that the player take it upon himself to talk to the coach (as anotherparent did) and considering stepping in as a parent.  It is telling that you say you have thick skin but consider those other replies "destructive" and "worst advice ever".  It is telling that you say you let your kid fight his own battles but are willing to step in and fight for him with something like playing time.

There may be a few folks here (not this thread specifically) that are just harsh jerks just because... but most of the time, when there is direct dialog as in the posts responding to yours, the purpose is to help you quickly recognize that you are headed down the wrong path and nicey nice PC sympathy is NOT going to convey that message.  Is this a safe place to express...  ??  Yeah, for the most part, I think so.  But, you asked specifically if you should talk to the coach or not.  This certainly implies that you are looking for that guidance.  

Many of us came here initially and got that straight-shooting wake-up call when we needed it.  If we can get past our initial butt-hurt feelings the first time around, we find great value in the advice and information given here.  I do hope that is the path you take.  I really think your son will benefit from it as most of ours and so many others have.

I was halfway into a post...............but got side tracked and closed the window. 

When I came back, you had posted this.  Conveys my thoughts exactly.  Most (including myself I hope) are here to help.  I've got a kid graduating in 2 months that played D1 for 4 years, and I'm starting the process again w/ a freshman in HS.  

One thing that I will say Meads is this.........enjoy the ride, it will be over soon, and it goes WAY quicker than you can even imagine.  

I had a similar conversation with JV parents at game last Saturday.  2 varsity pitchers came down and pitched the majority of innings in a JV game as they had not pitched in a game for 2 weeks. 

MANY JV parents were upset, as it took innings away from their son on the mound and/or in the field.  

I tried to explain to them that the JV should be considered as AAA.  If you perform, you can move up, but you can also lose a spot if someone moves down or up from freshman.

Control what you can control.  Don't worry about what you can't.

Last edited by russinfortworth

My kid is 3 games in and has played OF and DH. There are 18 kids on roster and playng time is scarce for the bench players but the coaches were able to get them an inning.  I was able to make the tail end of their last game on Saturday and they looked pretty good. I asked my son how he felt about not catching in games, he was fine with it. He goes to a Catholic school and hs games all throughout his long spring break due to Easter. My Uber account is going to take a beating that week

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