How many players should a HS varsity team have?

12 I believe is the optimal number due to just the facts you describe.

Overall I agree with you but that number can change based on need.  I like to keep around 14 - 16 kids on the team because at some point you're going to use them.  End of the season I like to pull up some younger guys for the playoffs to let them acclimate themselves at the varsity level since they will probably be on it the next year.

During my son's three years on varsity, coach usually kept 13 on the roster.  He would leave room to call up a JV player or two in case of injury.  Only during my son's senior year did he bring up a couple of JV players for the playoffs.  And that was only because he did have a couple of starters hurt (minor injuries).  The injured starters did recover in time for the playoffs.  The called up JV players did see some playing time, but usually only as courtesy runners for the pitchers and catchers.  They may have had an at bat or two.

I always like to keep up to 20 which gives me depth but then I have 5 or 6 kids that never play.  It is nice to have the depth but at the end of the day it isn't worth the complaining from the kid or parent.  Having less kids means they will play and having more kids means more kids benched and thus more of an opportunity to become a bad apple on the bench and effect the team in a negative way.

I learn something new every year. 

The days of being the nice guy and allowing kids to be on the team so they can feel apart of something are long gone because it doesn't matter how many conversations you have with the kid and parent about the kid not getting a lot of playing time and it's a good thing he is still on the team, doesn't mean anything to the kid or parent in most cases.  Parents want to see their kid play no matter win or lose.  (in most cases)

I used to think like this but really consider it like this - if you have 5 or 6 that never play then do you really have depth?  Not really so why carry around kids who won't play?  

I thought HS baseball was about developing players?   Thats what I read alot about in threads.  If that is true why only take 12?  While it is true that it is easier to give more time to 12 rather than 20, isn't it part of the high school experience to have an opportunity to play for your school?  Also with 12 that means alot of 2 way players, pitching and playing a position.  There could be problems with that senario also as far as rest, warming up properly....

Freshmen and JV ball may be about developing players. Varsity is time to win. 

So your saying you can't do both, develope and win? Really?

All I know is our younger son's HS, which won a ton of games, sent players onto college and the pros and never had a shortage of players trying out (like 70ish) would keep somewhere in the 20's.

Coach said he didn't have a fixed number, just drew the line where the talent bifurcated.

And everyone played...especially in pre-league games.  Everyone got their shot.  And yes, there was some complaining, but very, very minor.

Incredibly well run program.  Best I've ever seen.

It is easy for someone to say keep 20 and develop everyone, however, that same person is not the one spending countless hours with these kids and making .25 cents an hour being a high school coach.  I have always wanted to be a high school coach and I definitely do not do this for the money.  I can do lessons for $50 an hour but I choose to still coach HS ball because I love to develop players and in hopes send them to play college ball because that is what I got to do.  That same person who says keep 20 doesn't have to deal with the kids and parents complaining that they are not playing and then having to deal with that kid becoming a cancer in the dugout and effecting the whole team and all of the hard work the coaching staff and team players put in is wasted because of a few disgruntled kids and parents.  At the end of the day it isn't worth it to carry more kids than you really need because in today's society kids and parents aren't just happy with a uniform, they want the uniform, starting position, batting first in the line up and oh yeah the bragging rights to say their kid is the starter. 

I coach because I love to coach and help kids but the last few on the bench could careless about the team and I just don't want to waste the effort in kids that aren't for the team.

Here in Georgia it has gotten worse and worse every year. lol.  Too many entitled kids and parents.

Just my opinion.

I try to keep about 16 give or take depending on how many straight pitchers, talent levels, etc.

I have 12 starters (9position players, 1 DH, and 2CR for pitcher and catcher). So that leaves me with 3-4 subs and pitchers...

I wonder if that depends on the school and its culture?  The HS I was talking about above has far less problems with players #20-#28 than a HS our older son attended that carried 17 or 18 with players #11-#15.

Why is that?  I can tell you that the HS that does it well has an incredible culture where just making a team is celebrated.  I can also tell you that the baseball program has 2 fields, cages etc... side-by-side and all 9 coaches (frosh-JV-varsity) work with ALL players in the program (for no charge) day after day...integrated practices, 6 days a week, 3+ hours a day.  You'll even find freshman participating in varsity scrimmages.  Everyone gets attention. You are part of the "program" or 'varsity program' from the day you make the freshman team.

And the other thing I noticed...and is widely stated on local message boards...is that those teams improve more than any other in the area from start of season to end...year after year.

I guess my point is, if done properly...it can be done.  I've seen it - firsthand! 

Think some schools promote 2 sport kids, so they can participate in off season programs that will benefit the other sports.

Our varsity baseball team has a lot of football players on it.

My son's high school team typically kept seventeen. Fourteen or fifteen would get playing time. Nine in the lineup, four of the pitchers were typically not position players and a couple who would pinch hit or pinch run.

Players who never quit the program but made it as far as JV would get uniforms as seniors providing they understood there's no complaining from them or their parents about not playing. A couple would hang on each year.

IEBSBL

How many students are in the HS school that you coach for?

Certainly, size of school and baseball interest factor in.  We're fairly small (750) and typically carry 14-15 on V with few or no PO's.  Then, another 15-16 on JV.  I think we do a pretty good job of keeping everyone engaged and enjoying being part of the program and we seem to have very few complaints but we're not perfect.

Regardless of the right number for your specific program, I think all of us coaches can take something away from what justbaseball describes. 

Currently 2,000.  Biggest school I have been at is 2,800.  Here is where I got my thought process from.  There is a coach in Southern California that has been around forever and is at a school that has about 3,000 kids.  When I was younger he asked me how many kids I thought was a perfect roster size and I said 18.  He said your wrong, its 12 and proceeded to discuss with me developing the players and playing time.  That is why I made that statement.  Honestly we are normally at 14 but those couple are extras that are seniors and have been in the program for 3 yrs at the lower levels, cause no problems, have a great work ethic and understand their place within our program.

It depends on how hot the moms are. 

My HS kept 15 varsity players based on a highly scientific method......

we had 15 uniforms.....

We all know how that last roster spot was decided then.... S, M, L, XL  

2017 son's HS (~5,600 kids) has

20 Varsity (0 freshman, 2 sophomores), grew to 26 for playoffs from younger teams.

21 on JV

18 on one 9th grade team

16 on the other 9th grade team

The two 9th grade teams each cut ~15 at tryouts.

20 varsity seems like a lot, but not so much considering the number of players you have to beat out to  be one of the twenty...

 Well you know you dont want to hurt any parents feelings...so keep them all.

Just think of all the support $$$ you will lose if you dont keep 20- 25 players...

 With our coach, whoever is a senior can come out for the team and make it too.

He encouraged any senior to come out and play... some stay and some dont...

last year we had like four that were on the team.. cause this is there last run in HS.

even if the kid never played baseball before...  He has a very good chance to make it....

Old travel ball joke.

Know the best thing about 9U tournaments?

9U Moms.  :0

sorry, couldn't resist.  

I really think from our experience, local teams wind up with 1-3 pitchers only, depending on the year.  14-17 seems to be a good number taking that into consideration year to year.

A few years ago my son was playing in a 16u tournament at Aberdeen. We got there early. We were walking around a 10u tournament. My son asked why we were walking around 10u baseball. My response: 10u moms.

There's obviously no single answer.  Factors that weigh in the mix:

How many guys are "pitcher only" types?  The more of those you intend to rely upon, the larger your roster will have to be.  The more "two-way" guys you have, the fewer you'll need.

How many games do you play, and how frequently?  In Virginia, public high schools are limited by VHSL rules to 20 regular season games, and that frequently means only 2 games per week (though more lately due to rainouts and makeups getting scheduled).  Private high schools typically play more games in a more compressed time frame, so they will need more pitching depth.  I understand that in many states, the schedules are much longer and they would also need more pitching depth.

The more seniors you have, the fewer sophomores and freshmen you should take on varsity (as opposed to leaving them on JV where they'll play more).  The fewer seniors you have, though, the more younger guys you will need, as you'll need to find out who's got a future in your program and who may not.

Be prepared for injuries, suspensions, and even kids who may quit.  If you don't have talent parked on the JV team of a caliber that could actually help you at the varsity level should the need arise, you may need to keep an extra junior/senior or two.

Consider the attitudes of the specific individuals who are "on the bubble."  Are they team players who'll help and stay positive?  Or are they the types who'll poison the dugout atmosphere with their sulking over lack of playing time?  Are their parents known for poison pen e-mails? 

Perhas baseball17 and RJM would also consider the caliber of moms in the mix, but of course, I would never do such a thing. 

Here in southern California, we face many teams with 20 + kids on varsity.  Even with the 35 game schedule we get in, that makes for lots of sitting.

My son's coach has always kept 14...and with injuries and conflicts we often have 12 available.  This serves the dual good of having kids play more AND kids having to have a secondary position to help cover for injuries, illness, substitution, etc

When my son was 12, one of my coaches and I were standing by the concession stand, we saw a boy and his mom walk by us.  Boy was probably 6, had the huge glove, ball pants about 3 sizes too big, and  a tshirt jersey with his number and "Trevor" on top of the number.  Mom was  beautiful brunette, short white shorts, with a matching tshirt with "Trevor's mom" on the back.

Coach looks at me and says "I think Trevor would be a great addition to our team."