cut from JV team

YES if the school that he is transferring to has a good academic record.The politics

in high school can be overwhelming and you cannot do anything about that.The coaches have total control and are not accountable to anyone.Some parents have a lot of influence as well.I wish that players were free to play at whatever school they wanted.FREE AGENCY for high school sports would be a great thing.

Why did you send him to that school? Unless you just have money to burn, there must have been reasons. Is his playing baseball more important than those reasons?

Jaggerz you just hate coaches and high school baseball overall don't you?

Regardless of what your son and you ultimately decide … my suggestion is to embrace the opportunity of teaching a significant life lesson here.

Use this as a lightning rod to focus your son’s desire, determination and work ethic to persevere and prove the coach wrong.  If your son truly is a baseball player he will find a way to overcome this adversity … no one person or one event should derail him from that dream.

You asked the question about letting your son transfer to another HS to play baseball ... unfortunately the answer is probably – it depends.

Some things to consider …..

1.  The grass may not be “greener” in the public high school.  That situation may be just as bad or even worse with those coaches.

2.  You said the new JV Coach cut your son from the team.  What about the VARSITY coach??  Does he know your son??  What does he think or know about your son’s talents??  If he feels the same way as the JV Coach does, maybe you and your son need to do some self-evaluation.  Certainly a single coach can have subjective biases, blind spots, even a personal agenda, but several coaches or an entire coaching staff showing the same faults … that seems unlikely.

3.  What does your son expect from playing HS baseball??  If his end goal is to play collegiate baseball, in our part of the country HS baseball doesn’t mean much to that end.  What he does in summer ball playing American Legion, area code teams, regional showcases etc, are much more important towards playing college ball.  While it’s unfortunate he is not playing JV high school ball, his end goal may not necessarily be derailed permanently.

While I wouldn’t rule out switching schools to pursue his dream, it just seems to me to be a pretty drastic measure to consider.

Some good questions posted above that you should consider.  One thing that bothered me in your statement was that the JV coach told your son one thing and then told you another.  That would be a red flag for me as to the how things are run in this program.  I also find it unusual, but maybe it's just different in my area, that the JV HC made the cuts, the V HC usually makes the cuts, even for the JV team, afterall, they are feeders for the V team.

 I would consider scheduling a conference with the V HC and asking him for an honest assessment of your sons skills, or better yet, have your son have a meeting with the V HC about the subject

Do you know me? Hate is a pretty strong word to throw around. Most, not all high school coaches are very average at best. Many coach for the extra money.That is fine but I am not someone who bows to the title of coach. I have seen a lot of them and know quite a few. I look at each situation separately and draw conclusions. My 55 years around the game tells me this: there is a lot of politicking and many, not all, high school coaches are not qualified to assess talent.

And "many" parents, even with a glorious 55 years around the game, are still biased and jaded.

Walkerr,

The first thing I would do is to seek an objective opinion on your son's ability. This is easier said than done, but transferring to a new school for baseball must be the last resort. What if he doesn't make the team at the public school?

Encourage your son to communicate frequently with the coaches at his current school. Press them to provide a list of areas where he needs to improve, and make sure he follows through. Finally, limit/end your contact with the coaches; this is your son's battle now, not yours.

Speak for yourself big boy. My guess is that you are a clueless high school coach.

If public school is good academically go for it.  Having a son in sports can be good at keeping them out of trouble and they tend to work harder academically to stay on a team. The fact that he made the team last yr. shows he has some talent. He's also working in the off season which means he  s putting in extra time/effort. Get on a good summer team and save the money and transfer. Good luck and keep us posted

Where do you come up with this stuff? At this point, I must say, it just makes me laugh. Here is the bottom line: Coaches seek out the best players. They make mistakes from time to time, but they are trying to win. Most (but not all) of the time when a player gets cut he just is not good enough. More than 90 percent of the high school coaches I have encountered are pretty darn good and way more influential with colleges than summer coaches.

For the original post, if baseball is important to your son (and not you) and it will help in this regard to change schools, go for it. At the same time, keep in mind that he could go to the next school and get cut again. Also, if he makes the team at the new school, he will be taking the spot of another player and will face a certain level of resentment over that.

My guess is you have a son(s) who got cut and you blame the coach.

jaggerz, jemaz....take it outside

First, I'll answer your question.  No, I would not allow my son to transfer to a new school just to play baseball.  I grant you that’s easy for me to say not being faced with your specific situation.

If he loved the game, but just wasn't skilled enough to play at his school, I would encourage him to keep working and to stay involved in any way possible (e.g. practice only).  If I felt like he was skilled enough, but not being fairly evaluated, I would chalk that up to a crappy life lesson and focus on all of his other baseball opportunities.

Thing to consider:

• Would transferring make him a quitter?  Will he look back some day and say, I should have worked harder and toughed it out.  Or will he say, I just loved baseball and I really wanted to play in high school, and my public high school was just as good for me in the long run.

• Will the public school meet his academic needs?
• How high are his undergraduate goals?  Will he have to defend his transfer decision to a highly selective college?
• How do the social environments compare? Will he be the odd man out at the new school, or does he already have a good group of friends there?
• Are there any other factors motivating him to change schools?  (Well reasoned or otherwise.)
• Are you certain that he won't have to sit out one season after transferring?
• Could he play another spring sport at his current school?  Golf, tennis, track, lacrosse?
• What would you do with all that money?  :-)

Sorry but my son signed with a big time D1 school and was drafted and signed out of high school.He was not cut from a JV team because he played four years of varsity.

My observations have nothing to do with him. His HS coach wrote his name in the lineup and the results spoke for themselves. The only thing that I ever said to his coach in 4 years was "hello".I kept my distance but I did not have my eyes closed.

Getting cut can be a pretty depressing thing for a kid looking to belong in high school.  I am sorry your family is going through that as it's hard for we parents to see our kids struggle too.

I don't think there is a message board answer for your question.  You know your son.  These situations often effect far more then baseball and roll into school work and who he hangs out with.  Watch him carefully and help him fill his time whether it's with private baseball work to improve for next year or even a job to keep those extra hours busy.

If he was cut from JV, he must be a sophomore at least....I would worry that the local high school already has a set group of guys on the team and it might be hard to break in there too.  I think meeting with the Varsity coach, perhaps you as an observer with your son leading the conversation and asking what to work on to increase his odds of being picked up next year might be the place to start.

I am not of the belief that because a coach cuts you it's all about talent or lack of it.  In high school ball there are many many kids with similar ability so sometimes it is politics or bad luck, like your son having stomach flu during try outs.  These situations in life although super hard to navigate through as a teen ager, give your son an opportunity to show what he is made of, how much he wants it.  Trust yourself and him to know the best way to move through this.  Neither answer is right or wrong, just be dedicated to the path you pick.  

Good Luck and know many families have navigated through this sort of thing, your son will need your guidance.

I am speaking for myself. That's the only person I can speak for. I'm sure my opinion means as much to you as yours does to me. 

Now onward with your bitterness.

I've seen sophomores who started as freshmen on the j.v. team get cut from j.v. the next season when a much more talented group of freshmen arrived.

Walkerr you have a "dialog".  See the top right.

Agreed Stafford. Things change from year to year.At our school all 4 teams are solid from frosh,soph JV and varsity. The new freshman class is very solid with elite travel summer team players. Some kids who are playing now may not next year.

The only thing a player can do is strive to work and separate himself from the pack to be assured of making the team next year.Nothings a given. from this point forward.

Topics like this hit close to home.  I had to cut kids and it was always hard for me to do because I was cut both my freshman and sophomore years.  I was cut based upon my reputation and not skills and was told that by the coach doing the cutting.  In fact, he summed it up by saying I was, "just too mean."  Still, I loved the game and refused to accept that I would not play HS ball.

Walkerr, I just don't know what to tell you.  If all things are equal and you feel that your son wants to play HS ball and has a better chance at the public school then do that.  Naturally, I don't know what your state's rules are on transfers between private to public schools.  Make sure you check that out.  I didn't have that choice and so, used those two cuts to motivate me to be so good that I could not get cut.  In all honest, I know few that have worked harder than I did.  It ate at me.  Being cut destroyed my world and so, I got tougher.  I hit every night.  I worked out...  When tryout came my junior year and with the help of a PE teacher who understood me, the VC kept me.  I became a 2 year starter and am so glad that I battled.  It truly did help mold me in to the person I am now. 

Good luck to you and your son.  PLEASE, let your son be the motivator in your decision and not simply you, as a parent, wanting him to play. 

At lot of kids find out in high school they aren't good enough to continue playing. It doesn't matter if they were all-world before high school. As boys physically mature the playing field not only levels, it changes. From having coached ranked travel teams through 16U I found most parents overrated their kid's ability. Talented players rarely get cut from school ball unless there are other issues. Coaches sometimes make mistakes on marginal players. Sometimes it's just they see a player contributing in a manner the parent of a competing player who was cut can't see. Anything else I post would be repeating Mid AtlanticDad

The coach never gave  us a answer as to what he needs to work on. He never came to open gym where player practice hitting all winter. The HVC made a comment that he didn't know who the JV coach was going to be a week before tryouts because the man never showed up for open gym and didn't seem interested.

I think it is a good idea to talk to Varsity coach and ask him what he needs to work on for next year.

My son worked hard last year to make the  team and had to tryout with a slightly fractured jaw as he was hit in a travel game the week before . My son has some speed as he runs winter track, a good arm and worked on his hitting with good instructors who work with a current advance scout  with a west coast ML team. They worked with him and have told him to stick with it because he has good size and quick hands. He is young as he started school at 4 year old and is the same age as the freshman. 

At the public school he knows a lot of the student as he played baseball with them in LL, Babe Ruth baseball and football. 

Also by sending him to public school I could save 15,000 dollars over two year which could be used for college. The private school is better academically 

The coach owes "us" nothing. Your son is a big boy now. This is his issue to deal with. If you get involved with the coach you may jeopardize Your son's future. You should only coach your son on how to deal with the issue. Your son should ask for a meeting with the JV and varsity coach to discuss his shortcomings and needs for improvement. Advice: NEVER make any talent argument a judgement between your son and another player.

At our high school I don't think anyone made varsity or the starting JV lineup in tryouts. The coach knew ahead of time based on last year and fall ball. The three years my son played varsity I accurately picked the team before tryouts.

EVERY situation is different and you should do whatever you think you won't regret as a parent 5 years from now. I know a fine young man who was cut from JV, changed high schools for better academics and made the new HS team. He had some struggles in the first year of college too, but he has a first class education and he is currently advancing through the minor leagues on his way to his dream. I know another young man who was young for his grade and decided to repeat his junior year at a private HS because he needed to grow a little more before college, he currently plays at a high academic D1 college. Good Luck!!