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I have a son who will turn 13 in 2 weeks. He has played for 4 teams in the 5 years (10 seasons)since he started at age 8. The one team he was with the longest (5 seasons) we left this year because he had learned all he could from those coaches, and he wanted to see better competition. The team we have joined seemed to be a good fit, and he has very much blossomed as a first baseman. He climbed up in the batting order from 7th to 4th, and now plays almost every inning of every game. Here is the problem, most of the other players on the team are melting down every game. Crying in the dugout, tanking plays, throwing helmets, etc.

All 4 coaches have sons on the team and the head coach's son is the worst. He is batting .005 for the season, yet stays no lower than 8th in the order. above players who are better hitters. These dads are stressing their players out. I spoke with a couple of the players between games at a tournament this weekend and they said that they felt the coaching staff was too tense, it's become all about winning and they were afraid it was going to get worse when the team goes to Cooperstown in July, which will run about 4 grand per family.

I want to look for a new team, but I have received other advice that as long as the competition is good, my son should stay where he is at. His goal is to make his high school team. He has stayed above all this and continued to hustle out the grounders, and dive for balls. He has kept his great attitude and I am very proud of how he has handled this.

Any advice?
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You are from Orlando. There has to be a lot of good baseball teams in your area. If you are that concerned find a similar level team that isn't coached by parents. Been there, done that. On the flip side, leaving mid-season isn't necessarily the greatest thing either. What are you teaching your son about honoring your committment to a team? Possibly sticking it out and having your son be a role model could prove to be a positive experience for all involved.
Dad...you made a commitment for this season, so play out the string. Doesn't sound like the coaches are being abusive to your kid, and he seems to be responding somehow (I cite your offering of him moving up in the batting order). Play it out until the end of the season (4K for one tournament...can I get a job with you?).

After the season, talk to your boy. Does he like playing for that particular team? If not, how bout some of the other teams in that league? You said the competition was great, therefore I assume you mean the other teams in the league?
Thanks everyone for the advice. We were always intending to ride it out until the end, I guess my main question is should he stay with the team when they move up to 90' bases or go with a more mature team where I believe he would be challenged by the talent on the team as well as the competition?

Regarding the comment about the fielding position, this is the first time he was ever pigeon holed into playing the same position every game. The last team he was on he pitched, and played third as well.

I'm also having some difficulty finding potential teams for the fall. I was thinking of having him take some pitching and hitting lessons at one of the more popular training facilities in hopes that as coaches come in and ask them about players, his name would come up.
DP, I left you another message, but for some reason its on hold. Don't fool yourself into going to a popular training facility to get noticed by coaches of travel teams. You should go for quality instruction as thats what you're paying for. Your sons talent will show in a tryout and there will be no need to network. I have given hitting lessons for years and I don't believe in going to a coach and telling him that I train a kid who might be good for you. The player will always have to try out as the team will fill its needs with certain types of players, unless he's a stud. The coaches will also not usually ask if there are any good players at a facility. They will want to look and they also check out league games of all kind.
I agree with BBfam that there should be tons of teams in your area. If you haven't already, you can check here:
Florida AAU

Click on "Bulletins" and you should be able to find teams looking for players, tryouts, etc. And this is just AAU. USSSA is also growing in Florida, so you might be able to find some contacts as there as well.

You've gotten some good advice regarding what to do next. I hope you have a lot of fun in Cooperstown.
DP, there are some great programs here. Contact some of them and ask if they can watch one of your sons games. He will need to try out to get on a top quality team. Talk to Florida Baseball Guy, who runs the renegades and is often found on the florida site. I do agree that your son should complete the season with his team and in the mean time be looking for other options for the summer. Good luck.

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