If you had a choice

A. 

 

Find a spring team that you can play regularly with to keep strong in field and at plate. Work hard on winning as much playing time as possible. 

Keep your head up and cheer on your teammates even though you may get frustrated when you are on the bench. 

Show your coaches that you are a team player and willing to do anything to help the team. 

 

And last...good luck. 

B.  your not going to improve your skills sitting on the bench being a cheerleader.

First, I'll answer the question as stated...

There are advantages to all three options and it really depends on the type of player.  If you are a junior and not cracking the V lineup largely due to lack of game experience, playing at JV can be most beneficial.  If you've played plenty of games but need skill refinement, more reps at a higher game speed, etc., practicing with V every day can be the best option.  If playing both is something the coach offers, this can be the best of both worlds and give you the best shot at earning playing time next year.

 

Now, all that said, it is most important to realize that you DON'T have a choice.  That decision is up to the coaches.  The best you can do is work hard on your game and your conditioning between now and the start of practice/tryouts and then give your best every day.  Determine what your goals are and map out a plan to reach them.  Whichever way the coach decides, use it as an opportunity to take the next step toward playing regularly as a senior (if that's the goal).  Be sure to play and continue working on your game between junior and senior year.

 

This year, our HS program will likely have two seniors earn significant V playing time.  One took route A as a junior and one took route B.  Both were determined and made the best of their situation.    

 

You should want to be on varsity to have an opportunity to impress the varsity coach. One clutch pinch hit might earn you a start. You have your summer team to play on a regular basis and improve. Summer ball is a longer season.

Thank you for your replies. Keep them coming please!

There is well accepted research that says you have to practice your craft over and over...and over and over...and over to get good at it.  Doesn't matter what it is, but you gotta have as many chances to put it to use as you can.

 

That would mostly point to option B, maybe C.

 

I think at many HS's that a player can get promoted to varsity mid-year by have a really good start to a JV year.  But there are other factors in this decision too...great coaches at varsity but not at JV?  Your son is a freshman?  Or sophomore?  (I'd generally say freshman should stay down on a situation like this).

 

And I think you gotta ask yourself if playing on varsity is more about the 'proud papa/proud son' feelings or about giving him the best baseball experience with the best development opportunity?  Please don't take that the wrong way...I do remember some of those feelings myself.  In retrospect, they weren't that important.

 

Good luck!  Its not an easy choice as you can already see differing views of it.  But it is a "better" problem to have than many others that come to this website.  

My friend's son is in this exact situation heading into next spring.  He's a junior...and will definitely have a starting spot as a senior the following year.

 

We both agree that his best option is B.  It will allow him to 1) keep working at his position....and 2) get him the most possible AB's...albeit against somewhat inferior JV pitching. 

 

Coaches will likely offer him option A, but I think that would be a huge mistake.  He's the kind of kid that doesn't take well to watching...and if he is sitting in the dugout, he'll want to play.  Every day he doesn't, he'll be more and more discouraged....and also be missing out on a lot of playing time that he could be getting on JV.

 

I think option C is likely just an extension of option B....especially at smaller schools.  We have kids who play both JV and Varsity....though they usually are pitchers or lower level position players. I don't think you can "choose" option C...it will either be there or it won't.

B. then find the best Summer team that will take you.  If you improve through starting JV the coach will surely tell Varsity coach and u may get to go w them during post season.

B. then find the best Summer team that will take you.  If you improve through starting JV the coach will surely tell Varsity coach and u may get to go w them during post season.

Thing is, Ive always "heard" its frowned upon to play in JV as a Junior that a player should be at Varsitt by his junior year. Accurate? A lot of different angles but helpful.

Why would it be frowned upon?....and by who?   A lot of bigger schools here in Ohio may have 20 seniors on their team.  If they also have 20 juniors....they have 1 choice, either cut 15 juniors....or have them play JV and move up to varsity next year. 

Probably true.  Mostly by peers I think?  But it depends on the goal I guess?  My oldest son was thrilled to make a JV team at his HS as a junior.  It was far better than the alternative to him.

 

One of our next son's teammates at Stanford played JV as a junior at a very competitive HS and then was all-league as a senior varsity pitcher and got a preferred walkon spot at his dream school.

 

But I believe that is likely a rare exception.

I think Buckeye 2015 was partially right. I think it depends on the school your son is atending and how good they are in baseball. Another factor is simply how good th classes in front of him are as a group. There are certainly a number of teams in Ohio just as Buckey described and they are in all sizes of schools. There is one small school here (Defiance) that seems to be loaded every year. They have had a 1 or 2 players each year for quite some time go to major D1 schools. Many other larger ones are jus not that good for whatever reason. My son's HS (larege school in Ohio)  is generally good, not great, not probably going to win the state but are very competitive. However a few years ago when he was a freshman, they seemed to have a drought of talent. One freshman was started year on varsity, my son and another ended up there about 5 games into the season. History at this school says 1 to 3 in each class will goi on to play in college at some level every year. His frosh year, none, soph 1, junior year none to college. his senior year there are 5 or 6. So many of his class mates have played since sophomore year. 6 of 8 starters and 4 of 5 top pitchers are seniors. There wil be juniors playing JV this year and they are good as a class. So I think it depends on the classes above mostly on whether juniors should play on JV and more importantly if there is a stigma

Yes, I know several coaches who use that guideline as a general rule of thumb (I used to be one of them but have largely converted).  But it is very circumstantial.  School size, player turnout, talent waves, late developers, marginal players with great character, good role players, etc. can all be factors. 

The player needs to just focus his own skills and abilities and making those decisions easier for those have to make them.

I'm going to assume the school has a Freshman team, JV and Varsity.  In our region (central Virginia) the schools only have JV and Varsity.  No Freshman teams.  Some schools have a middle school team (usually just 8th graders), but not all.  If there is no MS team, then 8th graders are permitted to tryout for JV.  My son has since graduated (2012), but it was common for the JV team to consist of 8th graders, freshman and sophomores.  Varsity is mostly Juniors/Seniors and depending on  ability some sophomores.  At our local HS, if you don't make the Varsity as a Junior, you don't have the option of falling back to JV.  If a Junior is cut from varsity, he's not playing - period.

 

I agree with cabbagedad - it's not the player's choice.  Normally if a coach wants a player on varsity, he sees something in him or has plans on how to utilize him if he's not quite good enough to be a starter.

 

 My son (graduated 2012 - now playing at a D2 JUCO) always played "up" and more often than not rose to the challenge. 

So many variables to truly get an answer but there is a lot of food for thought.  Basically I like what cabbagedad said but I'm just going to add - what's best for the team?  Do they need that runner / bunter guy?  If so and you're the only one who can do it then you need to be on varsity to help them win.  Then everyday in practice work hard to get better and you may get that chance and Senior year hopefully get the starting job.  So realistically what's best for the team and individual is to play both JV and varsity.

 

I totally agree that it's best to be on the field getting those reps but let's face it - somebody has to sit on the bench.  But once on the bench then it's up to the player as to what he does to help himself get off the bench.  Sadly I'm seeing more and more players (in all sports - male / female) who do more griping and complaining rather than working and improving.