Criteria for picking a high schol team?

My "rubric":

Playing Ability:

Throwing

Hitting

Fielding

Running

Baseball IQ

Pitching (if needed)

Character:

Grades

Attitude

Coachability

Discipline

Desire

Competitiveness

Attendance

No one item is necessarily weighted more than the other. Any egregious short coming in one area may not be able to be overcome by other strengths.

I tell kids and parents clearly that Ability and Character carry the same weight in our program.

My son attends a HS that gets 30 kids tryout....total.  So our HC's process is this:

1) did he wear baseball pants or jeans to the tryout???

If pants....then he makes the team..........if jeans......well, if he can throw and hit he still makes it  

Don't forget having a dad that is willing to work the grill in the concession stand.

The guy who did the grill at our games loved the game and doing the grill so much he was still there two years after his kids graduated.

Over the course of next week through December we will play 30 games.  The criteria for making the Varsity team is be able to be successful in those Varsity games.  At the end of those games it is pretty much straight forward who should and should not be playing.  If you are not playing in those games you will end up getting very limited playing time unless you show up and are just flat out better. 

Find players who can spell "school."

Where does the "attractiveness of mother" fit into the equation. 

I considered adding that, but I don't think the average HS coach spends enough time with the parents for it to have an impact.

I will say that it is quite an important factor in your typical youth league drafts.

1.Does the kid have any talent?

2.Does the kid have any talent?

3.Does the kid have any talent?

4.Does the kid have any talent?

Very high.  If I'm going to get yelled at by someone over their son not getting playing time I at least want to have something nice to look at.

I agree with Will in that talent - baseball or sheer athleticism - will get picked first.  Baseball players and athletes (at the HS level) will know how to hit the ball or learn quickly.  I can plug them in anywhere defensively and be fine.  After that then I will start looking at specific skill sets - can only play first or only pitch - to fill in left over spots.  Then if any room is left over I take the great kids who have great attitudes with the understanding it will be difficult for them to get playing time.  I typically let them decide if they want to be on the team.  I lay it out there (with the understanding they could get playing time if they show tremendous improvement) and they choose to be on the team or not.