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My son is looking for a Southern California team going to the USA 17U West Championship (formerly known as the JO) in June. He is a strong pitcher and can play infield positions as well. He bats/throws right Please contact me via my email;ynotsalsa2000@yahoo.com for a tryout/interview. We are situated in the SGV and can commute to the IE, and OC. Thank you
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I would check with the SGV Arsenal, and the So Cal Bombers as a first step. Those are two high quality clubs near you. Both are very reasonably priced, and have stellar reputations.

You will likely have to commit to either program as it is unlikely that they will just pick up a player for a single event. (which will be a good thing)

Good luck.
I would not worry about this. I would call Mike and Ed and talk to them about what you are looking for. Getting on a high quality connected team is as important as anything IMO. They both run multiple teams and they are always looking to add extra talent. If they don’t have a spot they can refer you to another team.

As a fill in on any team for one event you will be at the bottom of the rotation and I would not expect too much playing time given this scenario. I would question any team looking to add a fill in committing much playing time as they are either a) A new or a daddy ball team who will not attract much attention at the event. b) Charlatan looking to take your money.

Others include, Okeiki, Play Vista Orioles, Trombly Braves, and the Pasadena Saints. ABD of course has a ton of teams, but will cost you.

Good luck!
BOF...Thanks for the leads and advise. Some of the teams you have listed are well known and established in SCal. They tend to establish their rosters early too. However, some of the organizations require lengthy commitments; which would be cost prohibitive for us. We will keep an open mind, and cross our fingers for finding a mutually fitting team. I know initial rosters have to be submitted soon and I believe finalized by June 1st.
Ynot,

The team your are currently could ask some teams for you and they could be a reference for your son. The better programs are going to have rosters established early. I would too have reservations of jumping on a team late as your son would be a fill in guy and not much playing time given is a strong possibility. Since a coach has nothing invested from the player the coach would not feel the need to promote a player over long time players.

You mentioned joining a program with commitment requirement could be cost prohibitive. If this would be the case I would pass on the JO's and spend the money elsewhere. If you are looking for exposure at the JO's it might not happen as an add on a team. Take the $1500 which most likely be spent at the JO's and "invest" long term in a program. Also attend a Trosky College Camp and/or the SoCal Cup I host in July which is $125. You could possible do all this for the total cost of the JO's. Just a thought.
Last edited by sgvbaseball
Ynot,

Don’t assume anything until you pick up the phone and talk to some of the coaches. All of the names I mentioned, except one, run very reasonably priced programs. My son played for the Bombers very late in his HS experience. I think he started playing for them at 17 and played for just two seasons for Ed after playing for another team. BTW the Bomber team my son played for was one of the best in recent years for the Bombers and nearly every kid on that team is playing in college and Ed worked him in more and more as he proved himself. He got more than adequate playing time, especially considering the talent on the team he was on.

I would agree with SGV in that if you are just trying to get to the JO on a pick up basis then save your money. The So Cal Cup, next to area code is the single best event my son went to, and I also highly recommend Trotsky.
SGV, BOF...Well points taken. I appreciate your insight and advise. I usually try to keep up with baseball events thru other internet sources...ie...like baseballresources, and the like. But, they appear to have stopped updating since the beginning of the year. Thus, finding this sight, and forumn is much appreciated. Thus, my late posting in trying to find a team in need of a player for the JO's, or as they are now known as the USA 17U Championship. We won't go just for the sake of going, but my post has generated an interest from a couple of teams. Albait, these teams are going to East version of the event. As to the "cost prohibitive" statement, I rather meant, our budget is such that, I take a Billy Bean approach, and try to maximize my son's exposure for our dollar. Since, my pockets are rather shallow in todays economy. This is the summer of my son's junior year, we're both working hard in putting him in the best possible position, within our budget, in meeting his goal of playing college ball. In addition, some local teams have contacted us on tryout dates and playing in a summer wood bat league. SGV, please keep us in mind when you do have a definitive date for your SCal Cup. We would definitley be interested in coming out to your event; a real value in todays baseball world. Thus, this forumn and knowledgeable members like yourselves has already paid dividend. Thank you.
The Dates for the SGV SoCal Cup will be July 28/29. I wish someone could take over the BR site and get that going again. I will be posting information soon. I know what you mean the the Beane approach but that could be costly too. Do your homework on selecting a team. Just because a team is playing in a tournament doesn't make it a benefit. Will the schools come watch that team play. One thing to remember...most of the better travel teams know all the local colleges....We all do. So if a team tries to sell you with "we know all the colleges coaches" or the one that drive me nuts is "School A or school B wont recruit you if you don't play for our team". Look for turnover rate on players. If a 18U team is looking for a bunch of players the question to be asked is what happened to the players in the program especially if they have younger teams. It tells you a lot of player left. Ask what the plan is for the next few years or how ever long your son will be in the program. They should be able to tell you. We know what our freshman are going to do until they graduate. The best thing to do is ask other parents about the programs they know.

If you would like you could give me a call and would be happy to help with some questions.

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