Switching teams

There may be a lot of team switching but sometimes it's not as serious as you might think. We have had kids from other teams come and fill in for us if we had a kid on vacation or something, and we've had some of our players help out other teams if we weren't playing at that time. It may not be a permanent switch, but just a "loan" in some cases.

Eric,

On average, we have lost 1 kid per year due to the transient nature of our area. We have only lost 1 kid to another team and I was happy to let him go.

There is one kid in our area who has played on every team here (15 or so in our age group) but ours and I can guarantee you we will not have him.

I would have a hard time comprehending a coach's motive to take a kid or different kids all the time and what the parents of that team must feel like if their kid has been a longtime player on that team. I suppose collectively the team must know it may happen and if they do not approve then find somewhere else to play. Even if each team may lose 1-2 players and pick up 1-2 new every year I think if that is all that happened it would certainly level the playing field so to speak for the teams that do not pick up kids on a whim. It seems obvious that most of these teams that do it do for one reason only to WIN.

Eric - I hear you loud and clear and to a degree I agree with you. But I've seen a couple different situations firsthand. I won't mention team names but my son was invited by a team to play in some Super NITs and Elite 24. I declined because we were already committed to a team and it would've been a direct conflict. They were looking to add pitching depth. I guess it's pretty obvious us midwestern teams lack pitching depth and they were trying to overcome that.

Another team recently e-mailed me to "borrow" my son for a big tournament because one of their everyday players will not be available. They know my son and my son knows the coaches & players so it would be a nice fit. I don't think they're trying to necessarily stack the team, merely keep things the same.

Sometimes players move simply for a better fit, which means more playing time. I have had a couple of kids leave because there wasn't a spot on our roster that would give them enough time on the field. I even helped place a few kids on teams where they would benefit the most.

I know some coaches that seem to constantly "upgrade" their team with new players forcing existing players to look elsewhere. I hate that and I feel bad for the boys that get bumped.

My philosophy was to be loyal to the players and work to develop them. I think because of that our player retention was very high. We didn't start out having the best talent available, but our boys improved greatly from season to season and are now considered to be pretty solid ball players.

(NC) USSSA allowed an open roster this past fall. This was due to a large number of football players, thus allowing teams to continue playing. This meant that some teams might have more than 20 players on the roster, but some of those only played one game! Our team roster didn't change at all, but we played some who might have only 4 - 5 who played both Sat and Sun.

made for an interesting season... but allowed kids to play ball when they might not have a chance otherwise.

Several of you have mentioned valid reasons for some kids switching teams. My son has played some games here and there for some other teams when they needed an extra body but he has chosen to stay with the team that invited him to play in the first place.

I know of an "elite" player (the type I thought of in the first place when Eric started the thread) that my son has played against and seen at several tournaments. He usually was the talk of those tournaments. I am aware of him playing for the SoCal ********, Southern Nevada ********, ******** Yankees (AZ), Rocky Mountain ***** (CO), and now he is listed on one of those "youth baseball ranking sites" as having been picked up by the Oklahoma *****. All of these teams have won or regularly place high in some of the top tournaments.

How one manages that kind of team and state hopping I don't know.

Parents with gobs of money and time on their hands!!!! That is the only way I could explain it.

Sometimes switching teams is for the better of player. For, a better team, better schedule, or better coaches.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric G:
Parents with gobs of money and time on their hands!!!!

OR you're the parent of the player Bkecks mentioned and it's absolutely NO COST to you.

Most of the time it's the attraction to the better team so they can qualify for this tnmt. or that tnmt.

Another huge reason is playing time. Why spend hundreds, in some cases, thousands of dollars to have your kid sit the bench. I know most kids would rather finish 3d in a tnmt and get to play than win it all and sit the bench. Games are supposed to be fun and sitting is not fun.

I get what pfbear is saying on the PT, yet these are kids that are superior talent amongst their age group, no PT in question at all.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric G:
I get what pfbear is saying on the PT, yet these are kids that are superior talent amongst their age group, no PT in question at all.

They probably do it for the attention.

Some people buy a new car every year, nothing wrong with the old one, they just want a new one!
They do it because they can, often on good terms. If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. (not the same as a marriage)
Some people live in the same house their whole lives, others move every several years. Some date one person in a lifetime, some fifty.

Innocent, by the way who is your son playing with this year? Last I saw you was in Dublin for the MWSL Tourney (keys locked in the car!) So who are you guys with this year?