Fall Travel Baseball - Yes or No?

I think it is somewhat age and player dependent. From say 14u and lower it is not important but with a quality organization is certainly beneficial if the kid wants to play. If they prefer soccer or football or whatever no problem, go have at it but again with quality program there are gains to be made.

at 15u and older most serious players are playing fall ball, there is a lot of college action during the fall season at 16u and 17u for the local D2's and D3's. Depending where your at on that process you can / will be watched.

Both my sons enjoyed it very much. It is a hair lower key and the fall weather is perfect for baseball.

IMO starting winter training before December is waste and even starting December is marginal. I don't mean lifting and physical conditioning but the indoor structured works on a schedule.

If your son is rock star it won't matter either way so do what you want. I don't include pitchers in any way to my comments as they are individualized so much that I wouldn't even guess.

As long as that time is used to be more of an "athlete,"  time off from baseball shouldn't matter.  Football, soccer, basketball, swimming, wrestling,... weightlifting, speed and agility training, ....

This board keeps saying college coaches like multisport athletes.

You may want a plan to get up to speed before baseball tryouts in January or whenever it is in your state.

Or, you may want to work on something specific without worrying about game performance.  Pitch mechanics, batting mechanics, ...  really hard to do "in season."

As a general rule, the best baseball players are not on the field in the fall.  At least, that's my experience at the PG and PBR events around Atlanta.

I think that in general, fall ball value is very player specific.

Son took fall of sophomore year off from gameplay, working solely on bigger/stronger/faster/hitting/throwing. It was very beneficial to him, as he was growing very fast physically. Plus, he was really exhausted from the summer and it allowed him to rest and reset.

If he is able to commit to a school by the end of this summer, it's 50/50 as to whether he will play this fall. He is not likely to go in the draft, so the benefit of fall gameplay to him in particular would be questionable, and would likely depend on what the opinion of his college coach is. His committed friends/teammates are, for the most part, following that same mindset.

As said, very individualized decision. Part of the decision could hinge on your status within the travel organization. If you're a primary contributor, you are better positioned to take off from the Fall. If you are a fringe contributor, your spot/playing time could be compromised by taking off. Also, if you are transitioning from one org to another between Summer to Fall, it could make sense to play in the Fall which would help smooth out that transition.

Agree with old_school that it is age dependent.  I always looked at Fall rec or travel baseball as development time for my kids when they were younger.   They were not two sport athletes (their choice), so it was an opportunity to work on something new.   As my kids got older, the Fall turned into an extended opportunity to play travel baseball, showcases, and to visit local camps & colleges.   When my oldest son was being recruited he played fewer Fall tournaments just because he had so much on his plate in other areas of his life.

When I coached and managed a travel team I had the same perspective...let's use the Fall to develop new skills.   I encouraged my players (<14) to tell me something they want to work on.   Position players knew they could increase their chances of making the JV high school team in 8th grade if they could pitch.  So lots of them opted for that.   One of my players who was left handed and batted right handed wanted to try batting left handed.   He worked hard at it, and when he eventually got to Varsity he was a switch hitter.   

JMO.

Fortunately in Northern and Southern California, scout teams were available for a few HS players. Games were played against College teams and other Scout teams.

It was a a "great opportunity" to improve the player's quickness.

Bob

Will you please elaborate on this statement "As a general rule, the best baseball players are not on the field in the fall.  At least, that's my experience at the PG and PBR events around Atlanta."?

Don't most top players play in the PG WBBA events in FL?

Fall Ball is vitally important for unsigned Seniors, and pretty important for unsigned Juniors.  Especially the big, highly scouted tournaments.

This is one of those "it depends" questions- position and definitely individually oriented. I would guess for pitchers it would depend how much they were used during the season. I could definitely see time off beneficial for pitchers.For position players like RipkenFanSon, (middle infielder) getting additional ABs to keep his approach keen was important. As a rising junior he would have some school specific camps in fall and a Showball Showcase in FL in December. Son played in the fall  in HS and as "Sweeper" his last 2 seasons. He would play all 80 minutes. By weekend fall ball games his legs were tired so he did much less base stealing than usual. His fall ball coach knew of his soccer commitment and that he couldn't make any fall ball baseball practices. Still son found those ABs helpful in staying close to the game and not going to baseball recruiting camps totally cold.

The top teams are not nearly as elite in the fall as in the summer.  They are just not as good.  I believe the top players are playing another sport.  Also, not many teams are travelling in the fall compared to the summer.

I am making no commentary about Jupiter or the other major tournaments for Juniors and Seniors.

My son played high school soccer and fall ball at the same time. He missed infrequently scheduled Friday night games. The team I ran did not have fall ball. My son played for another team heading into freshman year. He played up a couple of years against a lot of sophs and juniors to prepare for high school ball.

Fall of soph year he played for the high school fall team to put a lock on being the starting shortstop in the spring. His play in the fall made tryouts a formality.

Fall of junior year he played fall ball to work on training adjustments to his hitting and pitching. Fall of senior year he was injured.

My daughter (softball) committed in the spring of soph year. She continued to play fall ball just because she liked her teammates. She was also playing high school volleyball. The schedules didn’t conflict.

@Francis7 posted:

With school ball (for the older kids) or spring travel ball (and sometimes rec ball too) starting around March/April and then heading into summer travel ball, the kids are “playing” baseball for 5 straight months before hitting that brief break in August and then the two months of fall ball.  So, there’s a lot of wear and tear on the player heading into the fall ball season.

That said, does it make more sense to take off the fall and use that time for recovery and training – giving the player a full seven months to prepare for the next spring season (August to February)?  Or, is that too long of a break from game action (going July until March between seeing actual competition)?

Son would play fall ball from September to early November - local league (now defunct) based on the high schools in the region.  It was not near as intense as the spring HS season, and summer Legion/travel ball.   Games were 5 inning double headers on Saturday with practice 2-3 times per week.  Playoffs were 7 inning affairs.

Allowed Foxson to keep his swing good.   His "season" was usually spring HS ball from March - June (20 games), travel/Legion from mid-June through July (30-40 games).  Then a month off (August) before fall ball (about 15-20 games over 8 weeks).  Then off from November through February.

As others posted, it depends on the player.

My kid always played fall ball from 8U to 13U.  It was fun.  And, as others have said, in the NE, it’s perfect baseball weather – much better than the other weather seasons where we freeze in the spring and bake in the summer.  Then, at 14U, his team decided that it wasn’t worth it – season too long, too much stress on arms, competition watered down with kids playing football, etc.  And, he didn’t play fall ball at 14U.  He switched teams the next year and he did play fall ball at 15U and 16U.  And, it was a lot of fun – at least it seemed like fun – especially the trips to Fort Myers as a 15U and 16U to play PG.  This year, he said he wants to take the time back to train only.  Personally, I think he will regret it when he sees his buddies playing in the fall and he’s just lifting, running and hitting in a cage.  And, I wonder if it’s good to skip what will be his last fall season before college.  But, it’s up to him.  And, it will save me a lot of money on fees, hotels, planes, etc.  And, less of a hassle with work trying to get time off in our busy season.  So, either way, it’s got good and bad sides to it.

Francis - I think it’s a smart decision, because he’s already committed.  I don’t think any athlete should ever regret a focus on getting Bigger, Faster, Stronger before College (or during College for that matter)

@3and2Fastball posted:

Francis - I think it’s a smart decision, because he’s already committed.  I don’t think any athlete should ever regret a focus on getting Bigger, Faster, Stronger before College (or during College for that matter)

Being committed helps. And, in reality, what is fall baseball? In the recent past it's been more college team camps than tournaments. There's usually not a ton of PA there because of the 5 batters per inning rule. Even in a tournament, because of time limits, there's not a ton of PA. More so, it's missing defensive innings and that's not going to hurt him.

Francis, I noticed that your son always played in the under divisions [under 13, under 14, under 16, under 17]. Now in College he will compete in the under 23 Division.

Question: how to prepare to compete? Reflex action!!!!

Bob

@Consultant posted:

Francis, I noticed that your son always played in the under divisions [under 13, under 14, under 16, under 17]. Now in College he will compete in the under 23 Division.

Question: how to prepare to compete? Reflex action!!!!

Bob

With all that’s going on with the Pandemic and the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility, it is literally the under 25 division now!

@3and2Fastball posted:

With all that’s going on with the Pandemic and the NCAA granting extra years of eligibility, it is literally the under 25 division now!

LOL!

Francis,

Being that your son had some injury issues and committed, why play?   A few weeks ago he was in a bad slump, is that over? 

Why don't you just  let him do what he wants to do and stop thinking about him having regrets. 

My kid is debating this. He is will be  committing soon. He just got hit on the hand at wwba that will probably end this trip and had a limited spring season recovering from an elbow fracture. He may play just to get more reps, he is debating to play regionally or guest play in the south for better competition, the latter I strongly disagree with and yes it is a biased opinion.

My son spent more time in the weight room than any baseball player he knew...usually lifting with the football players.  When he got to college he wished he had lifted much more.  Neither one of us can remember one moment from Fall Ball prior to senior year of HS.  Recommend committed players lift and sprint during the Fall.

@TPM posted:

Francis,

Being that your son had some injury issues and committed, why play?   A few weeks ago he was in a bad slump, is that over?

Why don't you just  let him do what he wants to do and stop thinking about him having regrets.

At the end of the day, he's going to do what he wants. I just want to make sure that I am not missing something that I should be counseling him on...that he also might not be considering.

Francis;

are you located near a Minor League team or a Summer College League? Is your son a catcher?

Bob

@Consultant - yes, yes and yes

Ask your son to contact the teams to learn if they need a "bullpen" catcher. This will provide an opportunity to adjust to the speed & spin of the ball from a College and/or pro pitchers.

Later he can request BP.  This will provide an opportunity to improve his "reflex" actions.

Bob

Bob - are you 100% certain that being a bullpen catcher for a minor league team and/or taking BP with a minor league team won’t negatively effect a player’s NCAA eligibility?

Never 100%.

Ask the NCAA for a ruling in advance. No $$$ are received. Focus on the Collegiate League, if you are concerned.

Bob

My son played HS football in the fall, so no baseball from August through December.  In the big picture it was a good decision and helped him athletically, physically, socially and mentally.  But, he also missed  a lot of scout ball, Area Code games and other showcase opportunities.  His junior year he wanted to play in Jupiter at the PG WWBA so he decided to play fall baseball instead of football.  This was very tough for him and he felt like he let his football teammates down, but it was crucial for his baseball recruiting and played a big role in where he landed.  He played football his senior year and it was a great experience for him.  All-in-all, I'd say if you have a plan, execute it and the chips will fall where they fall.

@3and2Fastball posted:

Bob - are you 100% certain that being a bullpen catcher for a minor league team and/or taking BP with a minor league team won’t negatively effect a player’s NCAA eligibility?

It doesn't really matter because fall ball is September and October and minor league season are over by September 1st...at least they used to be over after August. So, it's not like this was a viable substitute for fall ball anyway.

Lots of great comments on here! Here is my son's personal experience - for what it is worth.  He is a 2024 (rising sophomore).  He always played fall ball from 8U-13U.  He took the last 2 fall ball seasons off (14U and 15U). He focused on weight training and football.  He was the JV QB this past year and even though we didn't play football until February here in NC, they had started football workouts in October/November and he didn't want to miss QB reps/practice.  He's currently playing ball this summer and will play this fall.

Here are his reasons: (1) His current organization is transitioning into a new, nationally recognized organization and it has caught the attention of a lot of kids.  Lots of kids already attending the tryouts.  He doesn't want to get lost in the shuffle for the spring if he doesn't play in the fall.  Plus, he loves his teammates and they all get along great. He's having a lot of fun! (2) He is very new to the recruiting world.  We didn't spend money on PG, PBR or high level showcase teams until he was ready to "show" (which was this year). So, he doesn't have much of a recruiting profile.  He has used the summer to work on that profile and has started gaining a lot of attention. He has just begun reaching out to schools he is interested in and all that jazz.  So, this fall will be a good time for him to hopefully get seen more and continue to build/hone his skills. (3) We only play September and October - like 4, maybe 5, tournaments.  He will still have time on week days to hit the gym and then he will take all of November and December off from throwing and really hit the gym hard before starting his throwing program in January in time for HS ball in February.

So, that is my son's reasons and thoughts for playing fall ball this year.  Maybe someone has a similar path this fall and that will help!

The word that keeps coming up in these posts is "fun", as though that was not a good enough reason to play.  Isn't that supposed to be the whole point?

@anotherparent posted:

The word that keeps coming up in these posts is "fun", as though that was not a good enough reason to play.  Isn't that supposed to be the whole point?

Fun is definitely an amazing reason, and a main reason to play any sport! But, a lot of kids rely on their athletic ability (in whatever sport) to get a college education. That is how I got a full ride to school - dual sports + academic money. It was fun but it was hard work!

Pretty sure your kid is committed. No sense in playing fall ball and going to random college camps in the area praying it will be warmer than 45 degrees.

Train. If they need some guys to fill in for a weekend, go ahead.