.

Since money is an issue, and this coach has been loyal to you, is it possible to stay with him, and then attend a tourney or two with the other team?  This would maintain loyalty, save money, give opportunity for exposure, etc.

Tough position. Since your a Jr. U need to investigate schools you would be interested in playing for. Are there ones in your state? If so u don't need to go to expensive tourn. To be seen.  East Cobb and Ft. Myers sound exciting but I know of several players at big D1 schools who never went to those big tourn. It's hard to be discovered in that crowd. Have u been to a PG showcase or any local college camps? Are there local tourn in your area that have college coaches watching?  U may not have  to travel  so far to be seen by a good school. I had two guys tell me recently who played at big D1 schools(who r now in minors) that they r teammates with many guys in the Minors who came from little schools. They were surprised by that. Their advice-If you develop as a player in college you can make it to next level without ever attending a major school. 

You don't have to travel all over the country to be recruited. Chances are you will be recruited and attend college within a few hundred miles of home. Individual showcases you can attend are SelectFest in NJ, Atlantic 100 in Philadelphia and Head First on LI. Diamond Baseball in NJ also has showcases. I'm not sure if they are individual. You may not be able to attend all of them. But maybe a couple. You can also do local college prospect camps.It appears getting a part time job and saving some money for showcases might be a good idea.

 

Also, while someone may be putting together what appears to be a superteam, do they know and have relationships with college coaches? At showcases coaches watch games of teams known to have talent.

 

 

 

RJM- brings up a very good point and to add to that, it is not easy starting up a high end showcase team even if the manager is experienced. As mentioned before: it depends on what your obtainable goals are? Be realistic about your abilities, are they top tier D1 or D2 etc. Where do you realistically feel you can be recruited, we all would like Stanford etc but for most that is unrealistic. What schools in your area will fit your needs. Do you want to stay close to home or get the heck out of there. Most importantly what are your grades like. Last thought: if you put most of your energy into realistic options you are more likely to be successful and don't forget that Education should be #1 on your list.

Thanks everyone for your prompt answers, I will be putting everything said into consideration. 

My son had this decision to make when he was going into the same year as you. He was being pursued by "national showcase" level teams, but decided to stay with his "regional team" because he wanted to go to a college team in the Northeast. For him this was a great decision.

 

Your current team (which I am familiar with) may be the right decision if you want to stay local...

JoJo,

 

If finances are an issue for travel ball, they might also be an issue for college.  IMO, you should not look at travel baseball as an investment towards a college scholarship.  Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself.

 

At what level of college baseball do you see yourself succeeding?  Unless you see yourself at a top DI school, the exposure you're hoping for from the new travel team may not be the most efficient way to spend your limited budget.  If you see yourself playing at a SUNY or CUNY school, then you don't have to play in GA, FL, or CA to be seen by those schools.  Make sure you've defined your goals before developing your plan.

 

Good luck with your decision.

I hesitated to chime in here early because I didn't want to take the chance of side-tracking a question that deserves a range of answers. JoJo, I think you've gotten excellent advice here.  Beyond the semi-diversionary track I want to take this (which IS related to the question, but...), I would add that you should ABSOLUTELY talk with your current coach before moving on (if you choose to do so after considering the factors others have raised here).  You owe him that much.

 

The other part that bugs me a little - not necessarily about JoJo's situation in particular, but it definitely raises the issue - is that too few players show much loyalty these days, or consider the consequences of showing little or none In a community that ABSOLUTELY talks with one another about things like this.  In JoJo's case it is a little different because one team looks like it will offer (or at least he perceives that it will offer) exposure opportunities the other may not.  I'm really referring to players who leave teams - often very late, as late as a week before BIG tournaments (like Jupiter) - to go to another team that will be going to the same big tournament.  Often, the "recruiting" team is very well known and recruits nationally, and they have very long rosters.  In most cases, the player is leaving a team and a coach who has months or years of building up a kid's reputation, successfully, only to see a national team swoop in at a big event like Area Codes and convince the kid it is in his best interests to turn his back on those that helped him to that point to play with new-found "friends."  In some cases, I've seen players leave teams that have paid some or most of their costs, sometimes for several years, only to spurn that team with not a word mentioned about re-payment, or how their leaving will affect the team he is leaving or his former teammates' experience. I think this is BS, and shows a lack of loyalty and even character that, if I were a recruiter or scout, I would surely consider - and which, when that former coach is asked, he will very likely (and truthfully) mention to those folks.  Loyalty is the right thing, just for its own sake, but also because the alternative rarely achieves all that is promised or expected, anyway.  The grass ain't always greener on the other side of the fence.

 

Too often, too, when a parent calls to report the decision (most often the player knows he is being disloyal and will not make the call themselves), the parent says it was the kid's decision, what are you going to do, etc., etc.  I know we want our kids to take responsibility for their own recruiting, but that does NOT mean we should abdicate good parenting and discussing with our kids the wisdom (actually lack thereof) of burning bridges in search of greater perceived glory.  

 

Anyway, I'm tired of that behavior from players, parents, and most of all the big programs that enable ALL of it by cherry picking top players from existing teams without the slightest care of what that does to those teams.

 

Sorry for the rant....  It seems to me like a related issue, though. JoJo, if you feel at all disloyal for even considering this, PLEASE at least do your current coach the courtesy of speaking with him personally.  In your case, since the teams pursue different priorities, I am NOT saying there is no way you should consider the move, just to make sure that the move will actually provide the benefits you think it will, that it jibes with your own goals, talents, and aspirations, and that you address the issue directly with your coach.

Ok to answer a few questions, I do believe I can play D1 Ball. I feel I have D1 Skills whether it be as a P or an IF. I have talked to a D1 Coach in the region about playing for their school & he says once this years school ball season starts he'll be talking with me and so will other coaches. I don't know if that's true or not but man, I would love that. And its not so true that you have to be these great things to be a D1 ballplayer those things are needed for the big college guys.

Me & Parents have decided to stay where we're at because it's a good fit for us in all reasons. We remain loyal to the people that have done so much for us & also we will be going to good tournaments this summer so it'll be interesting. Maybe I can guest play here & there for the new team but for right now we're staying with Tigers. Because I know I'm going to get seen whether it be local or anywhere else.

Thanks everyone again

JoJo - it sounds like you made a well thought out decision. Kudos to you...

At whatever college or level of ball you investigate there's more to it than having the potential to be rostered there. You need to look into can you get on the field. You have to consider returning players and what class they're in plus the program will be recruiting 8-10 players just as good or better than you.

JoJo, I commend you for doing a lot of things right in making this decision - consulting with and giving your parents a say in this decision, seeking the advice of the many good people on HSBBWeb, and just making a considered decision based on the right factors, INCLUDING loyalty.  Good luck to you.  

YES.  Never forget what others have done for you to get you where you are.  Baseball is full of kids and parents who have sold out their historic coaches, the ones who helped them understand the game, in pursuit of travel team glory.  That same road is littered with burned out kids and disappointed parents....

Agree RJM.  And while I know the whole Travel Ball thing has its merits, it's an industry based on overzealous and overbearing coaches and parents.  Industry is one of the key words, business people who's first call is to make money on the love kids and parents have of baseball.  Of the half dozen kids I've lost to travel ball in the last few years, most are no longer playing or their arms will never grow into the top HS or College pitcher they could have been because no governs their pitch count or arm health.  Their coaches are in it to win it, they'll replace those kids in a heart beat if their arm gives out or batting average dips too low.  That's fine at the MLB, college, or even HS level, not OK for youth sports in my mind.  I will always remember one very promising 9 year old kid throw 250 pitches one tournament day as his coach tried to pick up a win.  The kid stayed within the innings pitched regulations of the tournament, but between the walks, hits, full count at bats I don't know how his arm didn't fall off.  One day like that can cause permanent damage and yet I was the only parent saying something.  On that day, I had been away from managing teams and was trying to not get back into coaching.  That day changed it.  I've managed my kids teams ever since, and vowed no player of mine will ever be in that position.  I realize not everyone feels this way or has had these experiences, and some travel ball coaches are different, but in my experience the majority have this same mentality.

LTC ... Where my kids grew up (I've moved since youngest headed for college) LL and Ripken are still popular for preteens. At nine and ten summer travel was community based. We played in five LL and Ripken invitationals. At even and twelve I formed a Sunday doubleheader travel ream comprised of the fiftenkids from the LL most likely to make all stars. Most of the league were teams doing the same thing.

 

At 13u I formed a travel teams with three other coaches who also played college ball. We targeted 20 kids from our LL district and got thirteen of them. The goal was to teach and be competitive. We achieved both. We played about 50 games over ten tournament. Nobody was over pitched. We taught everyone how to play outfield in case they had a shot at varsity freshman or soph year.

 

No one burned out. We had very little turnover over three years. All went on to play high school ball. Ten are playing college ball. The other three could have played D3 but chose major universities for financial and/or academic reasons.

 

My daughter started playing travel at 12u (age eleven). Girls physically mature sooner. She played about 50 ASA travel games per year through high school and played in college. I don't remember anyone burning out. I remember a couple using it as an excuse when they became more interested in boys than softball.

 

I never looked at their playing travel as an avenue to anything until they started playing on teams that did College showcases. I have encountered crazy parents who think because their ten year old is on a travel team in a program that has college showcase teams their child is going to play college ball.

 

When my son was twelve he was invited to join a very prestigious soccer program. Their U18 team is one of the best in the country. They told me all their players get D1 rides for soccer. I left the recruiter with his mouth open when I asked, "How many U13 players are still around playing on the U18 team?" There was no way he would have joined the program. He would had to quit baseball and basketball to play soccer year round. One of his friends did it. His dad was a World Cup soccer player. The kid quit after one year. He was tired from traveling all over the country (at age 13) almost every weekend.

 

 

7-8 years ago someone did an analysis of the kids who pitched in the LLWS tourney and analyzed how many were still pitching in HS or college.  The number was staggering low.  Those kids were of course the kids who were mostly pushed into travel ball and playing a pitching a crazy amount at a very young age.  Mentally or physically the stats show most burn out.  I'm not saying every travel ball coach is like that, they aren't.  But you'd have a hard time convincing me that they typical coach isn't like that because it's what I see all the time. 

I know not everyone is like that.  My major point to people, and kids who are really good...just don't forget these are the years you get to grow up with your friends, enjoy your summers and having fun with friends.  Make baseball a part of it, don't make it the only thing.

Of the two primary pitchers on our LL all star team one is pitching in college. One wasn't talented enough once on the 60/90 field. The two secondary pitchers pitched in high school. One is a position player in college.

 

The team my son's team lost to went to the LLWS. The stud pitcher washed out in middle school when he didn't grow. The #2 is pitching in college. The #3 is a position player in college. 

 

The top rival in our district top two all star pitchers are now position players in college. Another rival's top pitcher, whose dad is on this board is pitching in college.

 

From my son's eleven year old season the top three pitchers from our league are playing college ball. Two are pitchers.

 

The physical and mental burnout thing isn't going on everywhere in the country. I never played keep up with the Jones. My kids played a different sport every season. They played multiple sports in high school even though baseball and softball became year round efforts either playing, practicing or conditioning by that point.

It can only take a few years to get to the burn out stage.  

My son started travel ball at 12 and played until the first 3 tournaments into 14U when he told me he wasn't having fun anymore.  And the team was winning tournaments while he was seeing the majority of playing time.  

The mental aspect of dealing with bad performance or playing at a high level every week can be brutal on a young kid.  

Now imagine the discipline and fortitude necessary to play ball at college level and beyond?