How much is too much?

BaseballChaffeur,

First, love the screen name.  I can't wait until my youngest son gets his license in two weeks.

There is a universe of colleges and a multitude of NCAA levels, JUCO divisions as well as  NAIA, etc...  First define what it is your son wants to do and is capable of doing.   Then find the appropriate path to get there.   Playing on a national travel team is a great vehicle to get exposure for national powerhouse universities, but it may be a a waste of time & money if your son wants to play for a local D3 academic school or other situation.  So define what he wants, then determine his playing ability then seek the path that will take him there.   This site and the people here will help you with that.  Good luck and let us know if you have any questions.

quote:

So, to the parents out there that have had experience with rigorous travel ball out there: am I passing up an opportunity for my son when I think that focusing on high school ball this winter and next spring and then maybe joining a different showcase team during the summer is the way to go?  Or is it better to try to stick it out with a really good team, but not get much playing time?

If it was my son, we would seek the team where he is getting playing time.   It can be different for pitchers, but your son has to play to make this worthwhile.  Overpaying to say he was part of a national team but doesn't play won't get you very far with college recruiting coaches.  JMO.

Thanks for the replies.  It's a bit of a relief to hear others think along the same lines as what I was thinking.  I think it's time to make baseball fun again for him.  It feels like they've been playing at the college level the second half of this season.  It's hard to keep pepping him up and being a "team parent" when the kid is batting over .400, has a fielding percentage of .985 but yet sits every other game since they've added yet another fully developed young man.  I will continue to support, though, until the season is over and I've thanked the coaches for all of their expertise (they are very knowledgeable coaches). Then we will sit down and have a good heart to heart about his future.  

BaseballChauffeur,

It is a very fair question for your son (and you since your paying the bills) to ask his current travel coaches (at the end of the season) what his projected role will be if he is to remain with the team.  In addition, I'd ask them what they think he projects to at the at the next level.   That should tell you everything you need to know from their perspective.

Sketchy that they r adding players unless there r injuries or kids out of town.was that disclosed when you paid all that money to play?

We  have the same lineup as beginning and have practiced all together and the players/parents have really jelled. They trust each other. Plenty of opportunities during tournaments to be seen for all of us. 

Are their any good showcases where your son can be seen? 

Winning is great, but continuing to develop is what's important while being seen. Agree w other opinions that he has to be off bench to be seen. Good luck

Thank you fenwaysouth for the suggestion of speaking with the coaches at the end of the season.  It would be good to get honest feedback from them.  I believe they will provide this and that they do think highly of him; they've just lost the focus of the team and see easier wins whenever the new kids walk in the dugout.  I'm also planning on meeting with the owner of the organization that oversees the team and asking for his honest feedback and seeing if there is another team, possibly an age level up, that would be a good fit for next season.  

Playball2011, thank you for your post.  We were informed at the beginning of the season that we may need to add a couple of strong pitching arms at the end of the season to get thru the big tournaments but they were to be brought on as pitchers only.  Unfortunately, that is not how it went.  They have been given IF and OF positions in order to keep the big bats in the lineup.  They are hitting better than my son, so I understand the change from a coaching perspective, just having a harder time from the parent perspective.  There are other organizations and teams in the area that have showcase teams, so I'm not worried about him getting the exposure.  

RJM, you've given me hope that he will grow.  He's currently 5'6", 116 lbs.  Eats like a linebacker and works out, including weight lifting, 4 days a week, not including practices for baseball and football.  He just can't put on any weight right now.  I have told him that it's genetics and not to worry because there is nothing he can do at this time and to be grateful now because when he's 30 all of that weight will try to catch up with him.  

My main worry right now is him burning out and losing the love of the game.  I've always thought that this number of games at this age was too much and now with the changes and his frustrations with everything, it has confirmed that for me.  The hard part will be convincing him that the team he has been on since he began travel ball years ago is not the best fit for him anymore.  

I am looking forward to sitting back and watching the local high school ball next spring.  I will try not to giggle when the parents are complaining about the twenty minute drives 

My son is a 2017 as well.  From what I have seen this summer, there are a lot of teams that place a bit too much importance on the result - and not enough on the process. For some it is about the money they can make with a "big time" program.  For others it is about ego.

14U is kind of a strange year,  You are in the middle between kiddie travel and showcase ball.  Teams are more likely to want to play to win, than to develop and display their players.

You need to know which way the program wants to go.  It does your son no good to be sitting on the bench on a winning team.  If he has the desire and skill to continue on in the game, it is a waste of money for him to be sitting on the bench.

I also am of the belief that players at this age are better served seeking out an established showcase type program.  It's a different world than pre-HS travel.  You want to be in a program and have coaches that have a track record of player development. Also, you want a program with a good reputation for helping players advance to the next level.  There are plenty of programs out there willing to take your money, so you really need to do research to make sure the program is a good fit for you.

In the program my son plays for, the rosters for the teams (14U-17U) were mostly set by February.  The tournament schedule was set by March. Team fees were all due in by April. If the coaches had decided to make roster additions after that, you would have had parents screaming.

Chauffer, my $02.  First you want to be on a good team.  One that is competitive and will make your son earn a spot.  But you also need to make sure the coaches do the right thing and mix up the playing time.  Not equal PT but sufficient.  Otherwise, what is the point.  The purpose of a "showcase" team is to show the players abilities (or lack thereof ), not necessary to win every tournament.  Winning comes with a well rounded team. 

A big red flag for me is the recruiting of players mid-season.  A bigger one is being told that they'll be pitchers only and not following thru on that.  Even if you speak to them at the end of the season, can you "trust" them.  If it was me, I would focus on the program with the best offseason training to get the kid ready for HS tryouts.  Number 1a criteria would be a good fit for my kid where he is challenged and gets sufficient playing time.  Good luck.      

This is true.  If the coach/director tries to sell you on anything other than trying to make your son a better player then they are not being honest.

This was the first year my son's program fielded a 14U team, and I was pretty skeptical about the value of it at first.  The program director was up front with what the goals were and how they intended to run everything.  I was comfortable with the expectation that at worst my son would get exposure to knowledgeable coaches, and get to practice with some very good players. Anything more than that is a bonus.

Don't get glued to a particular showcase team or organization. Coaches/instructors change and so may you. Watch your and the older rosters to see if the other parents have experienced something that makes them jump ship, may be personnel, cost, schedule, level or geographic area of schools targeted. There isn't "Angie's list" for showcase organizations, but you can always ask a web member with a private message.

If I understand the OP correctly he is finishing up 14U and moving into high school. I would assume his 15u team will start the showcase process.  Point his that his current team may want to rethink its goals of winning at all costs and focus instead on getting their players to the next level. 

Update:  My son has been let go from the team for next summer as of Tuesday.  What a relief for all of us.  Spot has been filled by yet another young man that has fully developed.  Reason given was new kid has a .1 faster pop time.  Son just smiled, commented that he's looking forward to having somewhat of a normal life next summer, and has already received calls from three other good teams in the area with offers to play.  He's weighing pros and cons and it's fun watching him make this decision on his own.  I think he's leaning towards a local team that wins more than they lose, may do a few showcases, has a lot of fun and a handful of great players.  He'll get plenty of playing time and already knows a few of the kids and they get along well.  We'll also enroll him in a few college camps, but baseball is no longer going to consume everything.  

I also have a new definition of irony:  Son is also playing football.  Coaches love the work ethic and determination.  He rarely comes off the field and is team captain.  When he plays baseball, busts butt but is benched due to size and power.  Aren't those backwards?  Makes me laugh every time.

Thanks everyone for your input.  I plan on keeping up my lurking for the next 4 years.

I'm always confused when someone mentions "showcase ball".  We run showcases for individuals and we run Tournaments for teams.  They are two altogether separate things.

At showcases we gather information we can't get at tournaments. At tournaments we gather information we can't always get at showcases. The best players in tournaments generally play on teams that are there to win first and showcase individuals is secondary. Both can give players a lot of exposure and both help us evaluate players. Both can be important, but they're not the same.

Somewhere along the way, someone started calling our tournaments (WWBA and BCS) showcase tournaments.  Then I started hearing about Showcase teams. I have a hard time considering the best summer and fall teams, showcase teams. Yet I see teams without much talent label them self as a showcase team. Guess I just don't get it!

Ah...I see your breakdown of the terms.  Sorry, I guess I always hear the term "showcase tournaments" but showcases are more of a skill assessment, correct?  I am definitely a super newbie.  I have really learned a lot from this website, but will continue to try to learn more.  Does Perfect Game have showcases in Michigan?  I was trying to research online yesterday but didn't find much locally.   

Yea, it's become more of a catch-all label I guess.

I think of "showcase" programs as those who have the primary goal of "showcasing" their players in order to help them advance to the next level.  Some programs try to reach that goal by winning tournaments, some by "showing" their players - regardless of game result.  If the player is talented enough he will probably get noticed either way.

I guess you could say a player is in a "showcase program" and it would make sense.  A "showcase team" is the thing your son is assigned to at a showcase.  You don't "showcase" as a team. Call that a tournament team.

I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but I'm going with it until somebody comes up with a better definition.

PG     we  -COLLEGE SELECT consider  ourselves A TRAVEL TEAM that competes in tournaments that showcases our players--thru the years we have played themost talented teams we couldthus our kids improve  their game  every time they are in an event   and still get seen by college and pro scouts

Some great advice here...

Find the highest level that he can play an be on the field and in the box.  Find a coach with a reputation for being honest and following through on what is promised (tough sometimes) and dedicate to that team.  Only you can gauge how many games are too many.  You will find physical signs and mental sign that will tell you when it is too much.  I am a BIG fan of playing more than one sport as long as it makes sense.  It gives them a break from baseball and allows them to develop other athletic abilities for the future.

Best of luck.

CAGIRL--I'm with you.  Just when I thought I had youth baseball figured out, they moved to high school and I feel like we're starting all over.  

Good post nextstep.  I can vouch that a good coach is a key component.  We've always been lucky in this area until this summer and that was my son's breaking point.  He wasn't the original coach....took over when son's former coach was unable to coach anymore.  I think most of the parents on this site would say their kids would play everyday if we let them.  Playing more than one sport helps develop not only other muscles, but it also provides a mental perk up.  A big plus in my book.

Absolutely agree! Not much organization or enthusiasm in our small town for any kind of Fall baseball program... wishy washy at best... but lots of talk of great plans.  (Not the highest level of competition for summer play, either.) So how long do you wait and miss out on other opportunities?  Meanwhile, there's plenty of talk from disgruntled coaches in town over local kids driving 60+ miles to other travel/off season teams/workout options... upset that kids are leaving town to play for other programs. We're currently trying to look into options as to hiring a fitness coach to do strength training etc... but I just keep nodding as I read all of these posts about playing time. There is just no substitute for time on the field, in my opinion. 

Thank you!  Good advice... I'm just seeing $$$$$ for the cost of buying new jeans and shoes with that kind of growth!  Wow!

My son would love to have a growth spurt like that.  I think if your son focuses on core strength, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, etc. he should be fine.  Buy him a nice medicine ball and pull up bar and he can work out while watching tv.  Plus, you can save your money for clothes!

Don't mention shoes... My kid can't fit into size 13's anymore.  Getting a bit tough to find shoes locally.

What's comical to me is that he is only 5'8 - has giant feet, and hands big enough to palm a basketball. I'm 6'3 and his hands are bigger than mine.  I figure there is a growth spurt somewhere in his future that will even everything out.

Thanks for the workout advice.  I came up with an off season workout for him (alternating even days & odd days... lower body/upper body) with push ups, sit ups, running, long toss, batting cage (in our garage soft toss cage), etc.  Nice idea about the pull up bar and medicine ball!

My 2014 almost though the recruiting process and as I look back at the last 4 years my input would be to find a team that focuses on developing their players , that instruction is part of every practice , and that plays in a few high profile tournaments every year like Perfect Game. A lot can be gleaned from their web site, do they celebrate the trophy from last weekend or the number of players placed in college programs? That said he will likely have to compete for playing time, in our case a player was guaranteed 50% playing time until the last two high profile tournaments where there was a clear starting lineup.

A lot happens in the high school years some studs fall out, other boys grow and through hard work pass them.My son was 5'4 115 lbs after Freshman year, and is a High school Senior now 6"2" 185.  From parents who are 5'7 so go figure!

I will say the best judge of whether the program is right will be your son. Does he love going to practice and willingly put in the extra work?  If so and they play good competition and he has a real chance to secure a starting position than it most likely is a good fit. If not I would continue to ask ?'s like you are.

Enjoy the ride lots of ups and downs but it is worth it.

High school Senior now 6"2" 185.  From parents who are 5'7 so go figure!

How tall is the mailman?

not the first to use that line

Oh, and it will change even more

And don't worry if they look at your kid and he's small. My son was the smallest Fresh, Soph. & Junior year. He'd stand on the mound and they were all taller. But we knew from his older brother, the growth spurt was coming, but late. Senior year, he passed them all. He worked hard~~left hs only throwing 87-88. Kept working out hard in college. Now he's the only boy from hs playing in the minors and he now throws 92-95!! We have late bloomers. Our 3rd son was recruited by a juco just because they know his brother bloomed late (and got drafted.)

I've been coaching a long time and I always dread how some parents have kids playing 70-80 games a year in their 10-15 yr old years.  I realize most people on these boards are die hards and they do these tourneys and teams for a living...but kids need to be kids and have fun.  I've seen so many kids burn out from the constant travel schedule and so many young arms burned through because the tournament pitching rules favor winning over arm health.  I keep my teams to 30-35 games a year tops, if we don't play the biggest world beater teams every week or prove we're the best in the state/region/nation... that's ok.  I've coached many a kid who has gone on to college ball and the pros (AAA highest level attained by a few, no shows yet).  I encourage all the kids and parents not to sacrafice their youth and burn themselves out.  In many aspects we've turned this kids game into a big business and expect all of our kids to treat it that way because the adults do, and in many ways, that's not fair to them.  Not saying don't work hard, don't position your kids for success, just try and keep it in balance.