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I would say you have not seen enough varsity teams play -- no comparison.quote:Originally posted by Aleebaba:
I've watched my son play top level select ball (major, D1, National, etc . . . ) through the years and he is now playing for High School. Since he is a freshman I only have a small sample to choose from, but it seems that (other than a few phenomenal pitchers and hitters that are few and far between), high school varsity ball is comparable to 14U top select ball. Whay say those of you that have more experience in both arenas?
quote:I'm sure the top teams in the area are much better, but the average team?
quote:Originally posted by Allen Wranglers:
Here's another way to look at it... how many 14U Major players START on their 4A-5A HS varsity teams as Freshmen (as a 15U player)?
Toss out the potential political issues and be honest. The answer is that very few do (and the ones who do are the guys who are the top 1-2%ers on their 14-15U Majors teams... one young man from Plano West comes to my mind...he's a 10th grader now).
Having coached 14U at a high level, I can tell you our school JV team (which is comprised of a lot of boys who played 14U Majors, but who are now 16U) would wipe out a 14U Majors team. Why? It's quite simple... these same kids are 2 years more mature, and if for no other reason, that makes them better.
Then again, there are some (not all) smaller schools where you will have kids starting on varsity that could not play for that 14U Majors team, even as a 16-18U player. But even those schools typically have enough "majors-level" kids who are older that the team, as a whole, would still beat a 14U Majors team rather easily...even if you had 3 automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup, the top half would score 3-4 runs every time they went through the order.
And not all 4A-5A schools are created equal, either, so there is some disparity. I don't know enough about your school/district to comment. We have 5500 students 9-12th grade (and several schools in our district are close or have more), so in theory there should always be some high-end talent. Then again, there is a 3A school down the street that is a legitimate state contender this year, and would beat plenty of 5A schools with an enrollment of under 850, I believe.
I do agree with TX Leaguer about Freshman vs. 14U Majors. In some instances (depending on your school/district) Freshman is actually a step down from 14U Majors. Just depends on the school coach's philosophy on player development and what he does with his best Freshmen, the needs of his JV/Varsity teams, etc.
quote:Aleebaba, were you drinking when you sat down in front of the computer?
quote:Originally posted by monkeyboy:quote:Aleebaba, were you drinking when you sat down in front of the computer?
Nahhh on the back 9.
quote:Originally posted by monkeyboy:quote:Aleebaba, were you drinking when you sat down in front of the computer?
Nahhh on the back 9.
quote:Originally posted by Aleebaba:
First of all, if post sent at night thern of course I was drinking. Second of all, our Fall select team,(now Freshmen), played a few lower level 5A high school teams and beat them by double digits. I look at the talent on these average high school varsity teams and the errors and baseball decisions (throwing, running, etc . . .) are lacking. It's obviously because they have not played as many games, or been coached in enough games for these fundamentals to sink in yet.
Of course, many of the top level high school teams have all top select players, (who have both significant select experience and physical/mental maturity that comes from being older), but I think most schools do not fit in that catagory. I agree that older boys = stronger, but games played account for something as well.
As for Freshmen playing for varsity, it clearly is a question of coaching decisions and talent above.
