Looking for some advice

I would not speak to the coach about playing time this late into the playoffs or the season.  Take that up after the season and that’s the first way of being part of the team concept.  Bringing that up now will alienate you even more than you feel now. 

 

How do you feel more part of your team today?  Be the best teammate you could be!  Don’t sit and sulk, not saying that you are.  But be the first out of the dugout in between innings to pat your teammates on the behind or give a high five.  When you get in to pinch run….Do that as well as you could…know that’s your role today to be part of a Championship run in the Elite 8 that many players will never experience.  You divert your attention away from that this late in the season and you will make a mental mistake on the base paths… Stay focused, while you may not be playing the part you want to play on this team…you are playing a part, an important part.

 

As for recruiting.  I have seen players on powerhouse HS teams that did not play a huge role on the team still play in college at very good schools.  So go and help your team win today, no matter the role, because in the end you may be able to call yourself a champion and because of your teams success have attention called to yourself for recruiters.

 

Good Luck

 

Thank you for the reply. I am glad to be on a team that can have success. You're right, not many people can be as fortunate as I am to experience this.

+1 on everything shortnquick said.  Please don't take this the wrong way, there are roles for players on every team.  Up until this point it seems that that you were content with and had accepted your "role" on the team.  This late in the season is definitely not the time to bring it up with the HC.  And as pointed out above, this does not necessarily affect your chances of playing college ball if you participate on a good summer team, just make sure it is a team where you DO get plenty of play time.  But, for now, enjoy the ride you team is on and be the best teammate you can and take full advantage of any opportunities that get presented to you, which means you need to remain mentally focused!

 

Sir,

I was by no means content with my role, I just thought it best to just keep quiet and keep working hard. I am trying to be the best teammate I can be and supporting my teammates in every way I can. Thank you for the reply.

Welcome to the site.  I read your profile that describes how important baseball is to you.  It's great that you have such a passion for the game.  I think we need to split your question into two parts - how to pursue opportunities to play in college and how to deal with your HS situation...

 

To play in college -

Most colleges will recruit via key showcases and events where the better summer travel programs attend.  It is more important to get aligned with the right summer travel team than worry about any exposure you may be missing because you are not currently on the field for your HS games.  Most importantly, you have to have or develop the desired skill level.  It looks like you have the speed aspect covered.  I can only guess, based on your PG rating and the fact that you are not currently playing much at HS, there is a lot of opportunity to improve.  You have to identify what areas to work on and get the best instructional help you can.  But doing the work is 100% up to you.  There is a ton of info here on this site that will further help direct you in your quest to play in college and beyond.  In addition to posting a question, you can also search any topic.

 

Your current HS situation - 

So much of this game is about attitude.  You can look at things in a negative manner or a positive one.  You say you feel alienated, that you haven't been given the opportunity, that you feel stuck.  You are with a winning team in the middle of a playoff run!  Enjoy that you are able to be part of that.  Be a positive influence on the team in every way you can.  And there are just as many ways to do so from the bench as there are in the field.  So much of a team's energy comes from the bench. It is so important for a coach to know he has players ready to jump in and help in any way possible.  On the other hand, there is little that gets a coach more upset than seeing guys on the bench not into the game and not firing up their teammates - especially in the middle of playoffs!  Realize that you do get opportunities to prove yourself every day at practice.  Realize that you are fortunate to be getting this exposure to high level V playoff games so that, next year, you will not be intimidated by the environment and will be mentally ready to jump in and contribute on the field.  Realize how lucky you are that you are not in the same situation as a senior with no chance of coming back as a better player next year.

 

Regarding talking to your coach, I agree with shortnquick.. as soon as the season is over, talk to your coach about what he thinks you need to work on for next year. 

 

You say there is nothing more important to you than playing college and pro baseball.  Again, it is great to have that passion for something.  Just keep in mind that, as we pursue our dreams, there is really nothing more important than our relationships with others.  Be sure to distinguish the difference between the importance of the game and the importance of the people we are close to - our family, teammates, classmates and other friends. 

 

Best of luck and keep working!

BHL15- Very well written post. You've received solid advice here already. A young man from my area growing up was cut all four years and never played an inning of varsity baseball. While playing for a local travel team he was noticed by an in-state community college. After a year of pitching at said community college, he was drafted, and is still pitching professionally.

 

 

BHL ... When my son was a junior they won their first conference title in over twenty years on a walk off hit. Watching the video online I noticed the first player to get to the runner who scored was the backup catcher. He got to the plate from the bullpen before the guys from the dugout. I'm telling you this for two reasons. He was a backup. He had more team spirit than anyone on the team. He was seen as a leader for this reason. He was also a senior. He was stuck on JV for two years behind talent. He was the backup catcher on varsity junior year. He figured senior year was his turn for glory. He was beat out by a player coming up from JV who is now playing D1. This backup catcher never lost his enthusiasm for the game. He was the best bullpen catcher and cheerleader he could be. He walked on and started at a D3 after never being the #1 catcher in high school.

Your perception of how the team feels about you could be coming from your perception that you don't contribute or have not contributed to the teams success. But that is just a matter of how you choose to see yourself. Its funny but when we choose to see value in ourselves others tend to as well. When we see ourselves as a guy who is just going to go out every day and do what he can do to make his team better and himself better vs a guy who feels that he simply has not gotten a chance things start to change. You might not get a single at bat or inning in the field. But your mentality will change. Your perception of how others see you will change. And yes others will see the difference.

 

More importantly you will enjoy the ride more. You will stay positive and be ready to take advantage of opportunities that come. Instead of waiting for an opportunity you will be preparing for an opportunity. There are many HS players that play on very good teams behind very good players who go on to have very good college careers. And they were not the guys who waited for an opportunity and developed a perception of themselves that they were not worthy or not contributing. They were and are the guys who simply prepared for their opportunity and did what they had to do each day to get better.

 

You have total control of how you view yourself. And that translates to how others view you. Your either a scrub who is just along for the ride who no one respects as a player. Or a stud who just happens to be playing on a jacked team who is just one pitch away from breaking on to the scene and showing everyone he is a stud. Good luck

 

 

Are you sure this is the reason you feel alienated?  You are part of a very large program and I am guessing that many (most?) of the players don't play much.  So I would doubt that the team would alienate you for lack of contribution to the success.  Perhaps there is something coming across in your attitude?  Are you upbeat and engaged with the guys, a fun guy to be with?  Are you excited for the team's success?  Can the guys see this?  Make sure you are the teammate you'd want them to be.

I will tell you what I told my own son, who is in a situation quite similar to yours. You need to do three things.  Be completely honesty about both your strengths and your weaknesses. Work like heck to fully exploit your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses. With your speed, for example, you have the potential to be a true weapon on the bases. Have you worked hard enough to refine your running game? Speed is just the start. But it's a strength that you can learn to exploit.  Exploit it to the fullest.  From reading another thread of yours I suspect your swing mechanics may be a weakness rather than a strength. Find yourself a good one-on-one hitting coach,  if you don't already have one and  go to work refining that weight transfer.  It takes a LOT of reps and lot of guidance to alter swing mechanics.  

As for getting through to your coach, you need to flat out play and out hustle the guys in front of you. You need to force the coach's hand by your work on and off the field.  Make it so that it would be an embarrassment for the coach to sit you.  If you think you have out hustled the guys ahead of you and they are still ahead of you, then turn it up to a higher gear.

As for feeling alienated or feeling sorry for yourself, these are perfectly understandable emotions. Many players in your situation feel them.  Nobody goes into baseball and works as hard as you must have worked to get where you are just to be a cheerleader for other guys.  But the fact that your feelings are understandable and natural doesn't make them useful.  In fact, they can be an impediment to pulling off what you want to pull off, if you let them be. You have try really hard to focus on what you can control and  to master your own feelings and emotions, rather than letting them be the masters of you,  so that they contribute to your success rather than standing in your way.  I know that is easier said than done. You can't just wish away negative thoughts and feelings.  But the first step to mastering them is to recognize them as the impediments they are and to not wallow in them.

I'm not suggesting that you can really do that this in a way that will get you more PT this year  of course.  So  consider that advice for the summer and beyond. 
As for talking to the coach, after the season, I would approach him, but with not even a hint of the subtly challenging and bitter tone I "hear" in your voice.  Rather,  I would present myself to the coach as proactively seeking to improve my game and as trying to enlist him as an ally and mentor.  "Coach, it's been a tough year for me, but  here are the things I think I need to work on to get better and earn  more playing time next year. What do you think?"  Most important thing is  to represent yourself as being (and in fact be) honest about your weaknesses. You want him on your side ultimately. You want him to want to be your partner in trying to get better.  Only by being honest with yourself can that happen.