playing for yourself

20dad, Good question. I look at it like this. Baseball is played for "a team" but not necessarily played for a "particular team". What I mean by this --- Starting early in rec ball "his team" is continually changing. The team you are on at 7-8 will not be the same team you're on at 8-9. Your coaches change and your teammates change. While playing for a "team" the player should be committed as a "team" player but when things change (for whatever reason) he will find himself having to play for and commit to "another" team. No big deal. If a player wants to do individual showcases and reduce his team commitment then that is their choice, just let the coach know ahead of time. Again no big deal --- people see this "game" differently. It's a purist game for some and a business for others. Personal satisfaction can be found in different venues of baseball from throwing a ball against a wall to playing MLB and everything in between. Personally I prefer the nine innings/teammate/competitive approach and winning/losing a ball game instead of scoring a 7.2 at a showcase. BUT even if you like my "game" approach and feel as if your son needs to do more individual activities to continue his career --- go for it. I'm sure there are other players willing to leave their team and fill the void created by his absence.
Fungo

I'm not sure I'm going to articulate this very well, but I'll give it a try...

I think baseball is both a "team sport" and an "individual sport." Within the team game, there are individual battles. Pitchers on hitters, hitters on pitcher. Ground ball up the middle, "I" have got to get to it. Stealing a base? Runner versus pitcher and catcher.

I think some of the most successful baseball players, break it down to the individual battles...yet love it when their individual 'victories' contribute to the team's success.

And then there are times when you "give yourself up for the team." Sac. bunt. Sac. fly.

Which brings me to...would a scout rather see you hit a sac. fly in a tournament or showcase...or would they rather see you line a sharp grounder up the middle? Not sure I know the answer to that question?

But 20dad, I think ?perhaps? the point of your question is when do you break off from your local team (LL, Pony, etc...) and do the "selfish thing" (as some would call it) to play for a travel team or an elite travel team? If that is your question, I think the timeline is different for nearly every kid.

I think you, your son and his mother should talk about the pros and cons of breaking out to a higher level of play. Cost? Skill (will he have to give up hitting to be on a travel type team? will he have to give up pitching?)? Leaving 'friends' behind (some will get angry at you and him)? Goals (and timing of reaching for those goals)?

I think if you talk about all of this for your situation, you will find the right answer. And remember, you (above anyone else) will always have your son's best interests at heart. Sometimes its a little tough to know whose interests are being served by someone else who is pulling you in one direction or another.

Good luck!

JBB very well put

My son is about to leave for community college baseball soon, He tried the expensive route only once, this past summer. More scouts but if he is not the top one or two on his team, little exposure, and not surprisingly the coaching is all about the money, they need guys to keep paying and playing because for some of these coaches, its a major part of their income.
The reality is if the kid loves baseball, he just wants to play, it was fun to see how well he stacked up against division 1 recruits, but he would have had as much fun playing with anybody against anybody.

I have a somewhat different perspective on the individual vs team thing.

First of all, baseball is a “team” sport. So I would agree with the team concept being most important. Individuals need to do what they have committed to do.

However, the opportunities are always better for the individual on that “team” that wants it the most. We always talk about the team during the season, but then notice that there might be one individual on that team that works his butt off all winter to become a better individual player for himself and that team.

Often people complain if a player misses a team event to do something as an individual, yet they never complain about those who are taking it easy while that one individual is working hard all by himself to become a better player.

Then in the end, all those players who have worked the hardest to become the best individual players they can, ends up playing on a team full of guys just like him. That is when “team” becomes a “team”!

Why should the hardest working individual owe anything to a team full of slackers, who don’t really care about anything until the individual who wants to better himself leaves the team? Who is the committed player?

All that said, no one should leave their team unless that team gives them their blessing to do so. It just isn’t the right thing to do. However, we’ve known many coaches who actually want their individual players to get every possible opportunity. Even outside the framework of the team.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
I have a somewhat different perspective on the individual vs team thing.

First of all, baseball is a “team” sport. So I would agree with the team concept being most important. Individuals need to do what they have committed to do.

However, the opportunities are always better for the individual on that “team” that wants it the most. We always talk about the team during the season, but then notice that there might be one individual on that team that works his butt off all winter to become a better individual player for himself and that team.

Often people complain if a player misses a team event to do something as an individual, yet they never complain about those who are taking it easy while that one individual is working hard all by himself to become a better player.

Then in the end, all those players who have worked the hardest to become the best individual players they can, ends up playing on a team full of guys just like him. That is when “team” becomes a “team”!

Why should the hardest working individual owe anything to a team full of slackers, who don’t really care about anything until the individual who wants to better himself leaves the team? Who is the committed player?

All that said, no one should leave their team unless that team gives them their blessing to do so. It just isn’t the right thing to do. However, we’ve known many coaches who actually want their individual players to get every possible opportunity. Even outside the framework of the team.

That is an outstanding post!

Teamwork in baseball is kind of a subtle thing sometimes because so many things do seem like they are accomplished by individuals. I used to think the team with the most talented players wins but that is often not the case. The best team ALWAYS wins. Fresno State personified this ideal. They developed an attitude on their team and eliminated the word "I" from their team. Each guy on that team watched the other kid's back. That to me is the ultimate expression of a team. If someone makes a mistake, there are mutliple guys there to pick that guy up. If someone does something to help the team win, the TEAM rather than the individual always gets the credit.