Won't get any predictions from me...but I'll comment on the league aspect.
DBAT 18 will carry 10 or more quality pitchers and have two to three more that pitch in high school but don't normally pitch for us during the summer...but they can if needed. We spread the innings around well and have had six or seven pitchers end up with a similar number of innings pitched each of the past four seasons.
I've always found league play to be important as should any game. In 50+ years BBI has had just four teams go undefeated at the 18U level and I was associated with three of those teams (Dallas Knights) and the other was my good friend Rusty Hill's LH Wildcats last year. It can be quite difficult to keep players focused during some of the more mundane league games during the summer heat and aside from players moving on in their baseball careers, I am most proud of the accomplishments of those three teams. Playing hard and getting better every day was important to them and it mattered that they play well in every game not just in the obvious big games.
This year BBI has added the Premier Divisions for its 18U and 16U leagues which make play even more competitive. Every week, every game we are facing the Wildcats 18, Tigers 18, Tigers 17, FW Cats 18, Patriots 18, Panthers 18, Blackhawks 18 or our younger brothers on the DBAT 17. There's no room for letdown and not a single gimme game on the schedule in which to throw a marginal pitcher. Depending on pitching depth, it would not be surprising to see any of these teams finish below .500 in league play. But will even the last place team from this division be a better team for it when the post season rolls around? Yes, and they will get great exposure for their kids along the way as well.
Do we pitch our best and try to win every game? Sure, as schedule allows. One week we may be competing in the AABC World Series Qualifier or the AABC Regional Qualifier and logic dictates that we align our pitching rotation to put us in the best position to win those tournaments. That might leave us a little short on the following Tuesday in a league double header but every team goes through similar situations. That's why we carry 10 or more pitchers.
Now for some perspective. Someone put on a current thread that Lonestar has 19 teams at 18U and 25 teams at 16U. This year BBI has 30 teams at 18U and 37 at 16U. Throw in teams from the smaller leagues and you have over 150 teams competing in the DFW at 16 and 18 levels. Most of those teams carry at least 15 players so we're talking about 2,250 ballplayers at those levels. It's good to see summer baseball thriving and I sincerely hope that one day all of the "elite" teams will play in just one league. The BBI Premier Divisions are a big step in that direction and you just never know....
Now let's do the math at 2,250 players x $5000 apiece..... JK
