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This is a no brainer ..... just to name a few spots in southern region Florida, Texas and Southern California are consistently loaded with talent. All you have to do is look at the number of MLB scouts assigned to cover those areas.

The reasons are large population centers with year round great weather and bingo you get lots of great baseball players
Talent is talent. It doesn't matter where you live.
Many boys here in the Midwest get pulled towards other sports due to the short baseball season. We still have talent, we just don't have the opportunity to develop that talent year round. They're still good athletes and might have been strong baseball players, they just don't have the chance to play or the exposure of the southern and western states.
You gotta love baseball to be on the field here in Kansas in about 8 weeks. Our varsity team actually has team parkas like the football teams wear. Believe me, we'll need them during March and even April. Maybe the players that survive baseball in Kansas end up tougher?
I believe it does, Coach Merc Wink.

When we moved here, I was duly appalled by the schools. A friend in Boston told me it was a Northern plot...if the South got educated, they might rise up again!

Fine weather and athletics seem to go together; academics and (shall we say) changeable weather do. (With the obvious exception noted in That Wonderful Speech in 'The Third Man').
Rsctt83:

quote:
...with year round great weather and bingo you get lots of great baseball players


Being up here in the cold, chilly Chicago area I'll concede to you that Florida, Texas, and Southern California have the better year-round great weather....but when it comes to bingo, all bets are off...we've got a lock on the game...possibly South Florida could give us a run...but my money is still on us!

B-12....BINGO!
Last edited by gotwood4sale
I believe talent exists everywhere. However, in warm weather states there are more opportunities to play more often to improve your game, in any sport.

There are many players here that leave the state to play in northern schools. Part of the reason being for education. A player that can't get into one of our larger D1 baseball or football schools, will head north for a chance to play and receive a better education than in some of the smaller D1 schools here in FL. For most of our kids, it's about playing in college, not after.
I've read many good comments here. Remember to be fair, in florida almost 17 million pop., in texas around 19 million and california nearly 34 millon. Talent yes, opportunity yes, and definitely great coaches and trainers have gravitated to these places because of the weather and the opportunities. There are good players from all over, I just see more of them here in florida. As for academics, I've been in florida for 18 years, lived in the northeast for 30, the public schools are no better anywhere in the country. There are good and poor in all areas, there does seem to be more quality private institutions up north. The areas are more established. Here and in many growing areas, the growth itself strains the system as the need for educators and money is always on the increase. Until you've lived in an area thats growing this fast, you have no idea. A couple of examples are in 1988 when I got here, the population was 9.5 million, now approaching 17 millon. Local L.L where I coached had 400 kids, now over 1200. There were 11 high schools around Orlando and in my county there were 2, now there are 30+ around Orlando and 5 in my county. Travel teams are way too many to mention. This is all relevant to the talent in the area. A lot of mediocre players are gone by age 13 as the competition is so strong.

Coachric
For all who want to claim "cold weather",... take a gander at all of the Texas parents wrapped in blankets, sleeping bags, hunting clothes and many other odd get-ups while attending scrimmages and games in Feb, Mar and even April!! Of course there is usually no need to shovel snow off of the bleachers, but often you can hear somebody cussing Oklahoma for forgetting to close the door, thus letting all the cold air into Texas! Razz

Of course, there are also just a LOT of good athletes in the South!

OPP
Sorry...gotta stick up for the Big10 football programs who's rosters are loaded with northern players. Top football programs of PSU (1 player from Fl, 0 from Texas), Ohio State (4 players from FL, 3 from TX) and Michigan (2 players from Fl, 1 from TX). I give the obvious nod to the south when it comes to baseball, but not football. Big10 football is one of the top football conferences in the country. Football is HUGE in our area at the high school level...(not saying it compares to Texas high school football...I don't know if ANYONE can compare there! Smile)...but PA and Ohio have loads of football talent. Cold weather doesn't matter in football and I believe the playing field between north and south is more level when it comes to football...baseball is a completely different story however.
Last edited by luvbb
OnePlayersPop:

quote:
For all who want to claim "cold weather",... take a gander at all of the Texas parents wrapped in blankets, sleeping bags, hunting clothes and many other odd get-ups while attending scrimmages and games in Feb, Mar and even April!!

OPP


Those wouldn't be woolen blankets, sleeping bags, and hunting clothes ordered from mail-order catalogues...would they?


Wink
Last edited by gotwood4sale
With 60 million people living in those 3 states they darn sure better produce talent.

TPM. The spring, summer and fall seasons in Chicagoland HS,s has closed the gap with regard to playing time. These players in HS have no trouble playing 100 games per year, give or take a few. On top of that the indoor facilities are both numerous and are loaded with big time instructors. The "3 season" approach is still only 4-5 years old and gaining momemtum. Give this trend about 5 years and the gap in major metropolitan area's will be closed!

Don't get me wrong, playing baseball on a soggy cold field in March is absurd but by the 1st-15th of April conditions are about normal. The Chicago/Illinois players that want to attend D1 programs in the south are growing in number...and many of these players are having good success in the top D1 conferences.
BD,

Clearly - total number of quality players - South and West.

Keep in mind that "The South" has a population of about 110 million people - and "The West" has a population of about 70 million. Total of about 180 million.

"The Northeast" has about 57 million and the Midwest has about 68 million. Total of about 125 million.

So - right off the start - the South and West have a population that is about 44% larger than the Northeast and the Midwest.

Wink
quote:
Originally posted by OnePlayer'sPop:
For all who want to claim "cold weather",... take a gander at all of the Texas parents wrapped in blankets, sleeping bags, hunting clothes and many other odd get-ups while attending scrimmages and games in Feb, Mar and even April!! Of course there is usually no need to shovel snow off of the bleachers, but often you can hear somebody cussing Oklahoma for forgetting to close the door, thus letting all the cold air into Texas! Razz

Of course, there are also just a LOT of good athletes in the South!

OPP


OPP - In Ohio, you're lucky to find a field that's not located 3 inches under snow in February much less think about a scrimmage. And as far as the "bundled parents" go, you probably think 55 and partly cloudy is frigid. Wink
This time of year is tough on northern kids if they want to go to camps and showcases. Most have been shut down and/or in weight programs since November and timing and feel get rusty. But in the spring, summer and fall when all things are equal in terms of weather, kids in the North do all right for themselves. I do acknowledge that there are more high level guys from the south and west. Numbers prove that.

55 is balmy! walk
Last edited by Baseballdad1228
Generally speaking and for the obvious reasons already stated, population and weather, it certainly is a no-brainer where to look for the greatest number of top players.

However if you are strictly looking for the top individuals, as PG has noted, they could be from anywhere.

When I went to school, I was a northern player who headed to a Florida program. My observation back then was that my northern teammates were hungrier than many of the locals. In addition we were much more raw and therefore often saw the biggest improvement in our game.

I’m biased but I’ll take a high level northern player and put him under the sun and watch him blossom.

One problem I see in my area is that some of the best potential baseball talent is being squandered playing summer basketball. In addition the pitching is so bad that it does not lend itself well for developing high level hitters.
I am originally from Illinois, although a military brat that travelled the world. I went to College at NIU in Dekalb, where it was -38 degrees BELOW zero one morning that I had to walk to class (In early Feburary)

Last February, my son was playing in a scrimmage at Flower Mound HS, and I froze my behind off. I had a blanket under me and on top of me with a winter coat and a stocking cap. I drank hot chocolate like it was going out of style.

When I got back in my truck, the temperature read 49 degrees Eek

I have officially turned into a wuss.
49 degrees is t-shirt weather in northern new york. i've played in hs ball in northern states and legion in virginia. there seems to be a better overall knowledge of the game in the southern states. it comes from being able to play baseball 8 or 9 months out of the year. granted we do have players that go d1, but they are far and few between.to all the parents out there, if you ever get teh chance to send your son to another state to play baseball do it. it was one of the best experiences i've ever had. it definitely helped me to prepare for life away from home after college.

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