High School Baseball vs Travelball

I'm a high school baseball coach and I understand where you're coming from but I can't jump on the bandwagon with you. I think high school baseball is awesome but there are sadly too many instances of a lot of negatives. But the flip side is you can also say that of travel ball or whatever you label the team you play in the summer.

You could label the positives about travel ball until the cows come how and I could do the same about high school ball. You could list all the negatives about high school and I could list all the negatives about travel until the chickens came home to join the cows. Really no point in doing this because it's been done before on here. The ironic thing (I guess it's irony - I teach history) is that when you start looking at the positives for each side and find MANY similarities in both. Same way for the negatives.

This is a pretty big country and each area and region has it's own identity for baseball. Some areas high school baseball is more important while some areas summer ball is more important. But you will probably take off and truly enjoy the sport more when you realize that both are important. You mention that some treat high school as a warm up to summer ball and that is for each person to make that choice but I think it's such a waste. High school baseball is very important and needs to be very important because you are stepping on a field and playing and competing. That's why it's important. It might be because it's the local high school that only has 300 kids K - 12 and everyone beats them by 10 runs each game. I've seen those teams in the summer too. But those games are important because you can get something out of them. It might be learning how to focus when it's very easy to let your mind wander or getting backups some much needed time on the field. But regardless of high school or summer it's a chane to be on the field and compete - that makes it important.

As for the scouts thing there is a ton of truth that college scouts don't get a good chance to see you during the high school season. But it's a very valid reason since both are playing at the same time. But if you're relying on hoping the scouts see you at some game somehwere then you're doing it wrong. The player has to be proactive and make contact with schools, attend college camps, call coaches to find what showcases they will attend and send out summer and high school schedules. You might get seen playing somewhere but there are a ton of shoulda, coulda, woulda players out there who thought it would just happen. If you want to play baseball at the next level and you have the talent then you have to make it happen. High school or summer ball doesn't make or break you if you put the work in.

Maybe I'm wrong but your last sentence leads me to believe that your son didn't have a good high school experience. If that's true then I'm sorry for that but it really shouldn't impact how he plays. If your son is lucky enough to continue to play baseball at higher levels he's going to encounter many coaches who are terrible. Terrible coaches are everywhere - high school, summer, college, college summer, minor leagues and MLB level. Just like there are terrible teachers, lawyers, doctors, plumbers, carpenters, taxi drivers and a whole bunch of other whatevers. It's left to the individual to take something positive from everything. This might be a stretch here but I don't think so. My best friend has a 7 year old son who's autistic and he made the comment today it's hard to have a bad day around him. His son is a very happy child naturally and when I'm around him his dad is right - I have a great time although I can't really understand what he's saying due to him being behind in developing language skills. It makes me think that life should be like this - enjoy the heck out of it because it all ends the same way. So I apply this to baseball and I'm going to be happy out there. Yeah losing sucks, sitting on the bench sucks, playing for idiot coaches suck, being around idiot parents suck but you love the game of baseball so find something good about it no matter if it's little league, babe ruth, summer, USSSA, American Legion, college, MiLB, MLB or a whiffle ball game in the backyard. Enjoy the moment.

I'm sorry if it seems like I drop kicked the preacher to take over his pulpit to deliever a baseball sermon. It just seems like that there is more and more of an attitude that high school ball is irrelevant and the importance is all on summer. Baseball is baseball no matter where you're at. You can drop an American kid off someplace with 8 other kids from other countries and none of them speak the same language. You can still play the game correctly because that's how great it is and not too many sports can say this.

Anyway I'm done rambling on semi-coherently (I hope it's that good) and please don't take this as me attacking you because it's not. I just get fired up sometimes.

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It just seems like that there is more and more of an attitude that high school ball is irrelevant and the importance is all on summer.

the attitude comes from those who did not bat 1st play shortstop etc etc etc. as far as travel ball is concerned in some cases get kids together collect their money and travel.

I respectfully disagree with the premise of this topic. I see high school ball and travel ball serving two important yet different purposes in the development of a ballplayer and both are equally important in my humble opinion.

The difference between high school ball and travel ball is competition imho. Many travel teams are hand-picked (by the Dad's running them), thus competition for playing time is often neglible. In our situation for example, my son had a graduating class of over 1100 and well over 100 kids tried out for the freshmen team. There were several travel teams that fed into that "one" freshmen team and it was a big deal to make that team let alone find your way on to the field and play.

In high school ball, who makes the team and who plays is out of the player's and sometimes their parent's control for the first time. Some kids don't react well when the option is produce or sit which is what it is like in college ball. Travel ball often does not offer that dynamic imho. The best training for college ball is learning how to beat someone else out and playing under pressure.

Travel ball in general, offers better competitors in which to play against. In that arena, kids can compare themselves to the better players and hone their skills against them. Thus, both high school ball and travel ball are essential developmental tools for fairly different reasons imho.

Like a lot of things in life, the value you get from high school baseball depends mostly on what you put into it.

If you treat it like a joke, it will become a joke, albeit not a very funny one; if you treat it like something that deserves your best effort and concentration, you will emerge better from the experience.

My son's high school team was pretty weak, but even though it was frustrating at times, he wouldn't have wanted to miss out on playing with friends he had grown up with. And, as Coach2709 suggested, he learned important lessons in leadership, perseverance, and responsibility from going through the adversity his high school experience offered.

On the other hand, some of his travel teammates played for very strong private or public school teams, and my conversations with their parents led me to believe their rivalries with other strong schools gave a level of significance to their high school seasons that travel games seldom match.

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High School Baseball vs Travelball

Never understood this topic that pops up quite a bit.

Do they need to compete? Both can be great! Both are important! Why compare? Does one have to be better than the other?

Doesn't nearly every single "travel" player also play High School baseball?

CD and Swampboy,

Well put. Each has value, it is up to the player to find the value.

Example...like Swampboys' son, my oldest son's hs team was not very good. This provided additional opportunities for him to learn new positions, and get more ABs all year. Bottom line is his overall game improved year after year. He would not get those opportunities on his national travel team where he was a successful starting pitcher and lefty pinch hitter.

While we have had fantastic experiences with travel ball, by far our single best pre-college experience has been with our younger son's HS baseball team.

Great team, great coach, great teammates, great school, great atmosphere...and very competitive. Wouldn't trade it for any of the travel ball experiences.

In fact I would say, next to our older son's trip to the College World Series in 2008, our younger son's HS baseball experience was the best baseball thing yet for this family.

So I cannot agree with the original premise of this thread...at least not for us.

Before last year I would have agreed 100% with the original poster. My son had learned everything he knew about baseball from travel. The HS coaches had been indifferent at best and horrible for the most part. I had always thought of HS like it was LL. Fun to play with your friends, represent your neighborhood and just get some at bats.

We got a new HC last year. It makes all the difference in the world. The guy reminds me of Coach May in how he cares about the boys, teaches the game and his amazing knowledge about baseball and life.

So to answer the question, for me it is not HS vs. travel. It is "how good is your HS vs. travel coach." I truly feel blessed to have Coach Casey at our school. You have no idea what a great HS head coach can do until you get lucky enough to get to experience one. It is truly the best baseball experience possible.

Doughnutman thank you for that tremendous compliment.

I am with PG on this one. There is no need to compare them.

I hate to disagree with PG and Coach May, but in AZ, most HS programs have voluntary(mandatory) fall and summer programs. There is a conflict between HS and travel ball. Some programs do not allow kids to play travel from Sept through June basically. It is getting to the point where kids and their parents have to make a decision. PO the HS coach or don't play for a great travel program.

Two sport kids have it worse. Year round sport specific workouts are the norm.

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In high school ball, who makes the team and who plays is out of the player's and sometimes their parent's control for the first time.

sooner or later that is the way it works better sooner than later

I didnt think people would take this topic personal but it was a general observation. My last sentence after 4 years of varsity baseball, not alot of kids can say they were a 4 year varsity starter so he had an above average HS career. I can sum it up as in summer ball your surrounded with a bunch of high quality individuals and high school your kind of stuck with whats the pick of the high school. Its amazing how nice it is to be a part of a team of players who are tops from their area and there is a reason they are top players. HS doesnt always get you that. So you can see there are limits up front with HS. Not to say there is not good High School sitauations out there. But hey we get around we hear from other parents most time what you here is travel ball is a better situation all around. I think its because HS is all local everyone knows everyone plus a mix of good players not so good players and players who think they are good plus local politics and some schools have coaches that were picked due to the fact high school baseball is not high priority in most high schools as its not a revenue generating sport. Our basketball coach was an all summer long drawn out deal with a commitee and lots of newspaper articles about the process and articles about the top five canidates and the big announcement who they picked, same goes for football. In baseball its AD picked this guy thats not even been a head coach before and doesnt even make the papers. You have to hear by word of mouth.

The problem here is most people who think travel is more important are those who's only purpose of having their kid play is to go to the major leagues when realistically, 99% who play HS ball will be doing something else for a living at some point. The elitist snob attitude if you will. HS ball is what it is. An extension of the education system and those who are good enough from that school make the baseball team and play other schools for some school and town pride. Nobody is gonna care who wins between the River Dawgz vs The Mud Hens but many will care when a good school rivalry is on. The one thing I will say for summer ball is that the more serious players tend to play summer ball, but in the end, if people would stop getting hung up on which scouts come to their HS games, perhaps they might enjoy what HS baseball is supposed to be about.

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if people would stop getting hung up on which scouts come to their HS games, perhaps they might enjoy what HS baseball is supposed to be about.

And I also agree with PG and Coach May and CD.Why do we have to compare?

Just for what it is worth I have seen on this board in the last few years that most seem to care about is how many scouts will show up at their games.If that is your only goal then I feel you are missing out on a lot in the years of your sons playing baseball.

I am sure many HS programs arent good, and there are politics, but HS baseball was some of the best four years of my sons and our baseball experiences.We won the Section title for he first time in school history.The crowd, the community storming the field.It was like winning a world series.Best of times.

Enjoy the journey and the experiences. I know politics can dictate playtime, but honestly in 99% of the time the best players will play.It may take some time but they will rise to the top.

I wish so many would stop making every experience about exposure, and scouts.Just enjoy the experiences.

I'm confused . This is the High School Baseball Web, correct? This website was originally intended to help parents/players prepare and succeed throughout the high school period. Obviously the site has expanded over the years to include just about everything baseball related from youth to the professional ranks. There is a wealth of information on the HSBBWeb, and members/posters with a tremendous amount of knowledge that take the time to help other parents/players through the process. IMHO, and I'm not one to the stir the pot on this site...But perhaps someone needs to start The Travelball Web? All of the disgruntled high school parents can gravitate towards this site and complain about coaching, playing time, politics, lack of competition, etc...This group of parents will find that the same situations that occur in HS, will come in to play on whatever road they travel. Again...JMO.

Travel teams come and go -- even the best ones. I love travel baseball and competing at the highest levels, but it is all so itinerant.

On the other hand, their is nothig like playing for your school and your community. No doubt, it is better when the program is perennially strong and successful, but it is good even when it is not and even when the coach is not great -- because it has meaning that travel ball can never match. And it is meaning that lasts a lifetime.

So.... I guess I completely disagree with the original post.

Perhaps it is the town you live in, and the culture surrounding your home town. Our son loves his high school team and teammates. These are the kids he played Dixie Youth ball with. He has known every kid on the team since kindergarten. From a baseball standpoint they are about average, but they play hard for my son as he does for them. These are his best friends. We have only 1 high school in the small town, so there are no divided loyalties within the town. He also really enjoys his travel ball teammates and coaches. They are pretty much expected to come prepared to play. He likes playing with and against a steady stream of high caliber players. I agree that HS and travel are apples and oranges. I enjoy watching both, and I know my son enjoys playing both.

The reason this topic keeps coming up like tainted food mixed with too much liquor, is because there are two different philosophic perspectives, and while they are two completely different perspectives, they inevitable overlap, and the angst comes from that overlap.

I’m of the perspective that I believe at least 70% of all amateur baseball participants and/or observers share. I couldn’t care less if a player will play at the next level, whatever that next level might be. I’m interested in the team I score for and the venue they’re playing in. FI, if the team I’m scoring for is playing during the regular HS season, that’s all that interests me. I’m not worrying whether or not there are scouts or recruiters there, and in fact, if I had my choice I wouldn’t allow them through the gates because from my perspective they’re a disturbance that takes away from the game at hand.

Now if I was scoring for the same team in a summer tournament where only the top players and teams would be showing up, and it was fully expected that scouts and recruiters would be there, and in fact even encouraged, then the entire perspective changes, and I’d adjust my perspective accordingly. In that situation, it’s not about the team, the school, the player’s education, team camaraderie, playing with friends, or any of the other things I think makes HS baseball a wonderful experience. In that venue its all about individuals and what they want.
Team wins or losses mean absolutely nothing unless it gets the players into another game to have another chance to play in front of people who they think can help them in the future. Frankly, I don’t care for that venue because it leans way too much toward “I”, even though the skill level of the average player is general much higher. I don’t need to watch the best of the best to be entertained and enjoy the game, and I find it very fulfilling to try to project what the players will do in the next at bat much more than whether they’ll be able to hit college or pro pitching.

I have nothing against those who would rather participate or watch travel/tournament/showcase ball games because I understand why those people are there, but I’d much rather watch a regular old HS game during the season.

I would love for the terrible miss conception that only top level talent play on travel ball teams....in other words, if you play travel ball, you must be a top/great player!

While I do agree that most of the truly top level and talented players are on a travel ball team somewhere. IMO, most travel ball teams do not have any playing for them. There are just simply waaay to many travel ball teams and travel ball coaches who will gladly take a player to play for them.

For example, how many travel ball teams does Ca, Fl, Tx, Ga have for each age group? I am willing to bet the number of travel ball teams in the state of Ga is very near the number of HS teams (to include Freshman, JV and Varsity) as you can expect most TB programs to have multiple teams split by age group as well as some programs that have multiple teams in the same age group. Does anyone have any numbers on the total number of TB teams?