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@ARCEKU21 posted:

Same here. My son's high school team was nationally ranked and expected to make a run for the state 6A title. Before the draft was cut to 5 rounds, they were probably going to have 3 draft picks. Now probably only one. But I think most on our varsity team would definitely come back, especially since there was a bunch of seniors. 

I agree.  I’d much rather play out the Region 1 5-6A district which includes  the 2018 and 2019 6A state champ returning all starters than play summer ball.  Throw a rock in a random direction and you’ll hit a D1 signee / commit in our district. 

You guys are fortunate to play in some great HS baseball districts but elite level highschool teams are not the same as elite level summer teams.  Simply because the elite summer teams are made up entirely of those one or two D1 commits on any given HS team.  There are 2021 and 2022 summer teams, regional teams just in the DFW area, that would smack any high school team in the state.  Now condense that down and take the top one or two kids from those regional powerhouse teams and put them on a summer national team.  

@22and25 posted:

You guys are fortunate to play in some great HS baseball districts but elite level highschool teams are not the same as elite level summer teams.  Simply because the elite summer teams are made up entirely of those one or two D1 commits on any given HS team.  There are 2021 and 2022 summer teams, regional teams just in the DFW area, that would smack any high school team in the state.  Now condense that down and take the top one or two kids from those regional powerhouse teams and put them on a summer national team.  

Here are a couple of my son’s summer teams (for reference to my opinion) and where the players committed, but I disagree that they would “smack any high school in state” for a couple of reasons.  1. The high school teams actually play as a team.  2. Some of these committed kids were 4A and below and dominated at that level and then struggled greatly in summer ball when the competition actually got stronger for them.  For my son, most of the time (not always) the competition in the summer actually went down.  Again, just my opinion.

 
Last edited by DBAT-DFW

It's gotten to the point where almost every HS player is on a "great" travel team. So if a HS team is made up of all players who supposedly play high level travel ball...wouldn't that make the HS team basically another great travel team roster? Once I framed that to my son and his friends, they never looked at HS ball the same. They loved both and typically said they cared more and played harder for outcomes in the HS season. 

Going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

Dallas has some good talent, but no way any HS team would stack up against the summer teams of Team Elite, East Cobb, Canes National, etc.

My son plays on East Cobb Astros and that is a national team of the best kids in the country. infield is all top 25 in the country.  This team is stacked and jacked and, not being a jerk here, your HS teams wouldn't hold a candle to this group. 

Even at 16U that team would have destroyed a HS team.... 

Last edited by Eokerholm
@Eokerholm posted:

Going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

Dallas has some good talent, but no way any HS team would stack up against the summer teams of Team Elite, East Cobb, Canes National, etc.

My son plays on East Cobb Astros and that is a national team of the best kids in the country. infield is all top 25 in the country.  This team is stacked and jacked and, not being a jerk here, you guys wouldn't hold a candle to this group. 

Even at 16U that team would have destroyed a HS team.... 

It’s any given day. In one game a hs team could beat them, not in a series.

@Eokerholm posted:

Going to have to agree to disagree on that one.

Dallas has some good talent, but no way any HS team would stack up against the summer teams of Team Elite, East Cobb, Canes National, etc.

My son plays on East Cobb Astros and that is a national team of the best kids in the country. infield is all top 25 in the country.  This team is stacked and jacked and, not being a jerk here, you guys wouldn't hold a candle to this group. 

Even at 16U that team would have destroyed a HS team.... 

You definitely have some points here Eokerholm.  Those kinds of elite-level summer teams would probably run the table on any level of high school.  Probably just as a Cape Cod league team would dominate any normal college team.  Would be fun to see a Cape Cod league team play a top 10 college team.  Thoughts on who would win?

Last edited by DBAT-DFW

I do tend to agree that if you look at age to age comparison, the travel/showcase teams are stacked better than the high school teams. My son is on a top 10 nationally ranked 15u team per PG. If you put that team up against another high school freshman/sophomore team, they would win most of the time. But if you put that team up against our high school varsity team, 6 D1 signees, 1 D2 signee, 3 D1 committs, I think our varsity team would win out in that battle. 

@James G posted:

It's gotten to the point where almost every HS player is on a "great" travel team. So if a HS team is made up of all players who supposedly play high level travel ball...wouldn't that make the HS team basically another great travel team roster? Once I framed that to my son and his friends, they never looked at HS ball the same. They loved both and typically said they cared more and played harder for outcomes in the HS season. 

It may be at a point where almost every HS player "thinks" they are on a "great" travel team but they simply aren't.  That's ok, there is a summer team for everyone.  To suggest that "great" HS baseball is on par with "great" summer ball is just misinformed at best.

@22and25 posted:

It may be at a point where almost every HS player "thinks" they are on a "great" travel team but they simply aren't.  That's ok, there is a summer team for everyone.  To suggest that "great" HS baseball is on par with "great" summer ball is just misinformed at best.

Agree many think they are on a great travel team. I'm not talking about the big time national travel team, of course those are better than HS teams. Only speaking from experience as a HS coach and a travel coach in IL, playing at Lakepoint PG games, PBR games, and other Midwest tournaments....on average there isn't a whole hell of a lot difference I've seen between good travel and the majority of good Chicagoland HS programs. Again, not including the MAJOR national travel teams that field kids from all over. And the overall product of play isn't that much better. Just speaking from experience here. 

@James G posted:

Agree many think they are on a great travel team. I'm not talking about the big time national travel team, of course those are better than HS teams. Only speaking from experience as a HS coach and a travel coach in IL, playing at Lakepoint PG games, PBR games, and other Midwest tournaments....on average there isn't a whole hell of a lot difference I've seen between good travel and the majority of good Chicagoland HS programs. Again, not including the MAJOR national travel teams that field kids from all over. And the overall product of play isn't that much better. Just speaking from experience here. 

This was kind of my point.  Kids may play on a high level summer team but a lot of the time those teams aren't playing other high level teams until maybe semi-finals or finals of a lot of tournaments.   So you might play 10 games and only get two good games.  However, in some HS districts you get good teams (or at least good pitching) every week, twice a week for the most part.   Certainly on par with your local or regional travel teams.  

Last edited by DBAT-DFW
@James G posted:

It's gotten to the point where almost every HS player is on a "great" travel team. So if a HS team is made up of all players who supposedly play high level travel ball...wouldn't that make the HS team basically another great travel team roster? Once I framed that to my son and his friends, they never looked at HS ball the same. They loved both and typically said they cared more and played harder for outcomes in the HS season. 

For our student athlete, HS ball is about playing with your classmates, friends, and representing your community. It’s about leadership and passing the torch. Summer ball (for my SA) was about facing best competition available and being recruited. It was about learning the game and making progress toward the goal of playing at the next level. For every player, summer vs high school will have a different flavor, depending on person goals. 

I think there is a HUGE difference between good travel teams and the great travel teams.  The parents may think their kid is on a great travel team but most of the players know the difference between good and great travel teams.  The teams listed above and I would say the top 50 in the nation are so much better than any HS teams.  When you see the great teams play in WWBA, you know the difference.  The year my son's team finished 3rd in 15U WWBA, we knew there was a big difference between our team and the big teams.  We just had 2 good pitchers who could play with anyone and used them in the right games.  When we got to the semis, we had no pitching left and it showed.  We were a great local team and a very good to bottom great national team but we only had kids from 45 mile radius in Northeast Tennessee.   The great teams have the players from top to bottom and the pitchers are dominating.  I don't think most understand how good the great teams are until they see them play a good team. 

@Good Knight posted:

But to be completely safe there will be no crowds, no coaches, play will be via zoom with no ball!

Fans will be allowed, although they are encouraged not to sit on bleachers, but to bring chairs or stand. No sitting in dugouts during practice, but okay during games, no spitting sunflower seeds and coaches must sanitize equipment. And a piece of brilliance — now state dictated that parents are not allowed at practice.

Big questions now are whether concession stands or restrooms will open.

Last edited by Iowamom23
@James G posted:

After this news they should immediately retract some of the restrictions we have heard about with equipments, wiping down surfaces, water cooler/cups, etc changing balls

https://www.google.com/amp/s/w...rfaces-objects%3famp

Why? My gym asked us to wipe down equipment before the pandemic. Now some actually do. And just because it doesn't spread easily doesn't mean it doesn't spread. This is the time you decide to believe what the CDC says??

No I believed about 10 percent of what they have said all along. Following this closely from other medical publications showed this was true awhile ago. But because the CDC has it in writing now, these organizations can "safely" follow that too. 

Just like your gym scenario- before it was recommended as good hygiene overall to wipe down. But it wasn't a rule and absolute to follow. Same should apply to this. It can be suggested and recommended, but not a requirement to change a sport or how a business must operate. People and kids can be encouraged to make proper decisions, but then allow them to make the decision. Not force it. 

@James G posted:

No I believed about 10 percent of what they have said all along. Following this closely from other medical publications showed this was true awhile ago. But because the CDC has it in writing now, these organizations can "safely" follow that too. 

Just like your gym scenario- before it was recommended as good hygiene overall to wipe down. But it wasn't a rule and absolute to follow. Same should apply to this. It can be suggested and recommended, but not a requirement to change a sport or how a business must operate. People and kids can be encouraged to make proper decisions, but then allow them to make the decision. Not force it. 

See, I saw it as a rule before — someone asked me to do something that didn't cost me much, so I did it. And would continue to do it if I were still going to a gym right now. At the very least it was common courtesy then and even more so now. It seems like a silly thing to raise a stink about. 

@James G posted:

After this news they should immediately retract some of the restrictions we have heard about with equipments, wiping down surfaces, water cooler/cups, etc changing balls

https://www.google.com/amp/s/w...rfaces-objects%3famp

Why? Just because asbestos “is not thought to be the main way” that you get lung cancer doesn’t mean that you should start insulating your house with it. 

The science behind the ability of the virus to live for days on surfaces hasn’t changed at all. The original study (from NIH, look it up), states that viruses could remain active/infectious on surfaces for up to 3 days, depending on the surface. That is still the case. But even when the study came out, you could read the data and see that it wasn’t like 500k virus remained viable on a cardboard box for 3 days. It was more like 5-10 still had active RNA. 

What has changed is that researchers are growing in their understanding what the infectious dose is. It isn’t 5-10.  It’s perhaps as low as 1,000, but likely higher  Hence the revisions here. It isn’t like the CDC/NIH/WHO are just throwing random theories at a wall.

An abundance of caution where possible and feasible is still something that makes sense, especially if it contributes to an atmosphere of awareness. I’m happy to learn that it’s unlikely that my catcher son is going to receive an infection because he tossed the bat away from the plate in anticipation of a play at home.

But if the coach on the bucket (who hopefully has a mask on, keeping him from touching his mucous membranes quite as often) can grab the leftover bat out of the on-deck circle instead of a player, I’m happy to see that happen instead. 

Like Dr Angelou said: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

I personally don’t want to live that way. I don’t want to look around and see everyone in masks and sweating in 100 degree heat playing baseball. I don’t want to see everyone 6 feet apart forever.  We don’t do that for strep throat or the flu, or mono...all could be passed by the things we do daily, but that isn’t how I want to live.  Seeing your son slide across the plate and then walk into a group of his teammates all jumping and high giving him, the emotion...those are the moments that give you chills.  Those are the types of moments you love to watch on tv.  Living in a fear of touching other people or things they may have touched is no way to live.

How did this thread become infected?  To bring it back to baseball:

My son thought his senior year high school team could have beaten his travel team - we are not in a hotbed state, his travel team was not the top team in the state, although it had several D1-committed players.  Of course, unlike a travel team, the high school varsity team had players from all years, with many of the starters going on to play in college at some level.  And yet, baseball being baseball, that travel team was able to hang with some of the top national teams at the WWBA, and it was pretty exciting when that happened.

My son's team finished 3rd in state two years ago and my son said his travel team would destroy his HS team.  But I think the difference is son's travel team drew from 15 states and every player was P5 commit.  That is the difference between national travel teams and local travel teams.  The national teams would destroy any high school team 9/10 times if you played consecutive games.  I'm giving the one because one pitcher can change a baseball game.  National travel teams are stacked with all D1 or maybe even all P5 guys.  They have 20 pitchers like the best on the high school team.  Their right fielders could probably play SS better than the high school SS in most cases.  There is such a huge difference in travel ball when you move from somewhat local to the national powerhouses.

I would love to hear how (recent) high school seniors are doing, and their mental status, heading into their freshman year of college (baseball). I am a few years too many removed now but recall that transition was hard enough when we knew there would be a college semester and fall ball season coming. It must be challenging to keep working so hard and to stay in shape (especially after losing the spring season) with 2020/2021 so largely unknown still. Stay up and stay strong! 

My boy had surgery in February so he missed the HS non-season and school was online.  This worked out for him as he as able to be fully dedicated to rehab.  He was cleared for all activities in mid-June and got in a few games and has been working out 6 days per week.  Mental status is fine since the current plan is to be on campus albeit under less than ideal conditions.  You can only work with what you know.

If for some reason the collegiate baseball season is canceled, he will then look forward to summer ball (presumably).  Just no reason to let up or be down and I hope it stays that way.  

 

Last edited by Texas1836

My 2020 is playing in a local men's league this summer and enjoying it as much as he can only play once a week. We just got word yesterday that only the first years are going on campus on August 20th.  Everyone gets a single room. Classes online. We are waiting to determine if baseball will have any practice or training. Otherwise, he may not go on campus. We were expecting it, but still disappointing. A few of his other D1 friends have had the same. He did test positive a month ago and did his quarantining. Was not symptomatic at all.  We were happy to not have to worry about him getting it when he went to school.

Praying the Spring will pan out. Missing the grind of summer travel ball and like the other thread going here "update", I am starting to feel the road narrowing and the end coming over the horizon.  I may be a little dramatic at this point as he hopefully has 4 more seasons, but the pandemic has surely made many of us feel the mortality of many things we took for granted. 

So, we will relish the little things. Hope for the best and accept whatever comes.

Stay safe and positive!

Mine needs to go.  He worked really hard March to early June to prepare for redraft stuff.  Then he took a month off.  The college coach didn't really want him pitching this summer, so no summer team. He has started training again, but with nothing specific to work towards, I think it is affecting him.  He has always been very goal oriented in  preparing for a showcase, event, game.  He reports next week and I think it will be really good to get back on a regimented training schedule.  I think he is excited for life to feel normal.  I hope it does.  He has played since he was 4, and this has been a long stretch of no baseball.

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