Mid Atlantic Red Sox fall tryouts

Armor,

I was not at the tryouts but I have spoken to a few people that were. They felt that the try-outs were well run.

Allen Haines who runs the Red Sox is a first class gentlemen, who does do his homework on the players. He scouts them prior to inviting them. He will send an invite to someone who requests an invitation. The number of players out there are probably higher than normal but I know in the past he ran it 2 try outs.

In prior tryouts it was run like a showcase or pro try-out. I'll let Allen or others closer to the team fill you in better than I. I will say though that if a player doesn't have the arm strength, or 60 time, or velocity etc...he doesn't need to see them swing the bat very long to know if the player fits into his team. He is looking for D-1 caliber players.

FYI...the roster is now on the team website.

Also my daughter who is now in college for years attended acting auditions and paid a fee to tryout. 20 bucks for 30 parts with 250 trying out. There is a cost to rent the facility.

Last thing in regards to field conditions....read about the PG Tournament in Georgia some times field conditions due to rain etc... can't be controlled.

Armor,

I was at the tryout and thought, given the timeframe alotted (4 hours), it was very well run.

Let's all admit how hard it is to have a tryout on one field for 90 or whatever kids and have live hitting. Given these constraints I'd be interested in your thoughts on how it could be run more efficiently.

Did mr. haines have some returning players from last year - yes.

Did he have an idea about some of the players abilities he had seen - yes

Were their players he felt were likely to make the team based on having seen them perform - yes

Is this any different than any other scout team tryout -NO.

I know for a fact that at least one player who he had never seen play made the team. He is to be commended for giving "EVERY KID" who showed up without -being invited- a chance. My son's HS from Va. had 7 kids attend. I'm pretty sure only a few were invited.

In fairness I thought the choices were especially tough in some areas ...in order.

1. Middle infielders - I was astounded at the general level of talent.
2. Catchers - there were 15 catchers. One catcher threw out every base runner he faced (6)and these were the faster kids...but he didn't make it. Probably because he was a junior.

3. Corners - all very good -- didn't see a week arm at third. First was definately weaker than third. At least one kid that made it surprised me as I have seen him play and don't believe he is ready for high quality pitching.

4. Pitchers were next - not alot of distingquishable velocity except for maybe 3 or 4 so the rest would be tough to pick.

5. By far the weekest group was outfielders...as a group they were very weak in my opinion. Plus only 15 tried out for OF as opposed to 15 for catcher. Of course I don't know how many he ha returning from last year. I know at least one.

The one thing I would have done would to have considered some of the middle infielders for outfied. I have to believe there was probably a few middle infielders cut that would be better outfielders than those that tried out.



The one thing I

Please explain to me why Haines takes Freshmen and Sophomores on the Red Sox squad? I've been to numerous showcase games and the scouts/college coaches simply aren't interested. They file the youngsters in the "keep an eye on" file and move on to kids that are older which is the purpose that those people are there for to begin with. In my opinion, the younger kids are taking up roster spots and playing time from older kids who would benefit much more by getting the exposure they're expecting to get going into this setting. Interestingly, Haines has no problem taking their money though. Last year he had a kid who was an 8th grader who was going into 9th grade. In my opinion, that's pathetic.

I welcome feedback, maybe I'm missing something. Somehow I don't expect to see many Freshmen or Sophomores on the Orioleanders squad.

>I
Its a good question...I know he has taken 1 or 2 in the past for what purpose I don't know. Are there many on the roster?

The one young kid last year I believe had some ties to the team...he did not see much action if at all...I can say he did not impact the playing time of the Seniors. I know Allen is very good showcasing his players...

I would say that before critizing him and his program call him up or e-mail him and discuss it with him directly. He was always very open and available in the past.

It is always easy to take shot at someone or a program without knowing the facts from the horse's mouth.

If you look at the old website you will see plenty of former players and where they are playing...his team may not be responsible for all of their college placements but I know it was a factor in many.

Dad,
I can think of at least four Freshmen that he has taken in recent years. The kid he took last year was Danny Foit. Danny is the son of the TJ coach, Jim Foit. The elder Foit served as the third base coach - which smacks of nepotism. I went to several of their games last year and Danny played a lot of innings in each one I saw. Although he's talented for his age, he certainly wouldn't justify a roster spot yet - in my opinion. Foit was completely outclassed last year and it showed clearly. There are at least two rising sophomores ( players going into their sophomore year) on the roster this year. Foit and Frank Zier. Zier is also a very talented player for his age, but again - I think he's too young to be on the roster. If you're telling me that there aren't talented upper classmen who would be better served by being on that squad, then I'd say that's pretty sad.

I have no axes to grind here with Haines. I like him and respect him personally. I'm merely someone who has followed this team since it was formed. I personally think there should be a minimum age requirement to try out for the team. They have 33 players on the roster by my count. It's not like they're suffering a shortage. I think the younger players would be better served playing in a league with players closer to their own age where they'll be able to play more and get more reps. But I also think that it's an ego-stroke for the parents to tell everyone that their kid made the Red Sox squad at the tender age of only 14 or 15. It's an incredible expense for the families to endure all of the travel with all of the costs associated with it; plus the cost of playing for the team, and it's a waste of time for the scouts and coaches knowing that these kids aren't even going to be old enough for them to talk to for a couple more years. I just don't get it.

Fair Points >I

I agree that freshmen and sophomores seem to "defeat" the purpose of showcasing seniors for colleges -- and for the seniors.

When my older son played on a scout team like this one a few years ago there was a freshmen and a sophomore. Steve Johnson whose Dad I'm told had ties to the team and Nick Adenhart who was arguably the best pitcher on the team.

I think the reality of it is likely personal friendships etc. From talking to a few other Dads at the stadium they were pretty confident their kids would make it because they new the coaches. I know one of them did. It will always be this way -- tell me your not going to take the son (if remotely talented) of another coach or friend!

It may not be "fair" in the strictest since of the word but it is how it works on this and every other team.

The interesting part is by half way through they will struggle to field a team at certain positions. It happens every year because seniors either go on "visits" or already committ. All of a sudden having played non-stop since February they beg off those last couple of trips. But you know who continues to show up -- the underclass guys -- because they want to play next year. I know this team recruited mid-way through the fall last year and it will happen again this year with this and other teams.

My advice, unless a player makes another scout team write Mr. Haines a thank you email and say "should you need a (position) anytime or someone drops off please keep us in mind!

My how times have changed. Mr. Haines did not invite Nick Adenhart to his team as a rising sophomore, he wanted to keep the positions for upperclassmen. With 90+ kids at the tryouts, it sounds as if there was an overinvitation, which will naturally lead to these thoughts. MrMom's advice is right on, I have seen numerous kids added to rosters after the first weekend because of football, injuries and visits.