Travel ball or not?

All I can tell you is we had a travel team that had varying levels of talent. We had the top 4 or 5 guys who would make HS no matter what. The other guys would not have been stars even at the Rec level. But, they played with and against the best and with out even realizing it they uped thier game. All these guys are now Sophs - 5 are starting on V and all the others are starting on JV.

Did it make a difference - I think so.

I agree with Catcher09. Is it needed for the HS team no, does it help yes. The kids see some better competition and have more opportunities to improve their game. Again there is no guarantee but I know that the kids that have played Travel ball may be better equipped for competing for a position on a HS Team.

I agree playing travel ball helps a lot with making the H.S freshman team. My son’s freshman team is composed of mostly travel ball kids including my son. In fact four starters are from one travel team in the area, but that is an item for another post. If you can find a good travel ball team that is not daddy ball run do not walk to that team for a tryout.

951Dad

Travel ball will help you improve your game but it is NOT necessary to make the HS varsity team---travel ball not only improves your game skills but it gives you confidence to perform

There are rec league kids out there who are doing all the right things and working hard and were blessed with a gift who will excell at the high school level and beyond.
There are also a lot of physically gifted kids who will get cut in high school because some average kid worked hard and played travel ball and is just more advanced in baseball skills. When my older son played high school ball there were very few starters who did not play travel ball. All the starters from his grade played travel, actually from his age group none of the non-travel boys made it to the varsity level.
So if your child is vastly superior physically, he can probably do it. Neither of mine fall into that category so I wasn't taking chances. The older one can dunk with either hand at 6' so he's still pretty athletic. But he worked for everything he accomplished, I think he worked harder because he faced better competition, when you see how many amazing athletes are out there working their tails off, you understand what it takes to compete.

Thanks.... Looks like I better start looking for a travel ball team. I was told about one called Anderson's Arsenal. Is anyone in the Southern Cal, Orange County area familiar with this team?

Check to see if Anderson's Arsenal were the west coast shockers last year 13 year old major team, if so jump on that team. Their Manger was Jim. I know that there are a few Anderson teams but the one that was West Coast Shockers is a really good team with a great coach. That team was the only one of the teams that beat the national champions So Cal Redwings last year. Sluggers baseball club, OC stars are also good teams. If you are looking for an AAA team the Yorba Linda Venom baseball club is looking for players. That team has two really good coaches and they work out at CSFU twice a month and workout three to four times a week.

Good luck

951 Dad

In our area the rules are a bit different for rec and travel. So the boys who have been playing with open bases for example have more confidence and try out better for MS teams. I think another issue is endurance. Son's team regularly plays 4 games a week end, as opposed to one or two 5 innings games on Sunday if on a rec select team plus the one or two during the week. MS ball in our area is not the same quality as travel.

I don't know why you would want to be on several teams though. Son played one weekend for a team with sick kids, but it was at the end of the season. We play about every other weekend. Many teams play more.

It also allows the parents to empty out their saving account earlier.

should probably clarfy, HS coaches won't look at kids who don't play MS ball. Not seen as team players.

whatever. the general agreement in a three county is MS ball is a joke. whatever. have to play by their rules. Son is having fun. but the coach has not even gone over signals, "I'll just signal when I want you to do something." Like the other team won't pick up on that!

What's interesting about our rec ball/Little League team is that several of the players also play travel ball, and the rules for my son's Junior Little League team are just like the mlb (90' bases etc.) so it's somewhat competitive, but I am sure travel will give my son even more of a competitive advantage.

951dad, I will try to find out more about whether or not Anderson's Arsenal was the West Coast Shockers.

That's funny 55mom. I've been told that travel ball can get very expensive. I've heard of people paying anywhere from $150-$300 per month for travel ball.

I think this is a very good post. Like most things there is more than one way to look at this. I had one son that didn’t play travel baseball (no one asked him to play) and never played high school baseball (couldn’t make the roster). I have another son that did play travel ball, high school baseball, college baseball and professional baseball so I have references (2) to back up my opinion.
We all know it is a player’s TALENT that determines the level at which he can play not the name of the team he played on last year. So the answer is ---- NO, the player DOES NOT have to play on a travel team to make the high school team. On the other hand, we have to understand how real life works! Talented players that obviously have the talent to play high school baseball are sought out, recruited, wined, dined, coerced, pleaded with, and sometimes even “adopted” by the coaches of the travel teams to join their roster. Therefore to the uneducated parent venturing into youth baseball, it appears the travel team “produces” the better players and these players have a distinct advantage when it comes to playing high school baseball but I think this is misleading. Calsportsmom, look at a top travel team comprised of talented players and ask yourself this question; does the good team make the players talented? --- or ---- is it the talented players that makes the team good?
As the parent of a talented player I knew the best thing for my son was to take the “proven path” and play for the best teams available. Since this is the route he took, he has become a statistic proving the best way to the high school team is through the travel ranks. There is no doubt that PLAYING at the higher level is beneficial in developing one’s talent, Sitting on the bench at the higher level has little or no benefit and might even slow his progress.
Fungo

Wow Fungo, great food for thought. I have decided to look into a travel team for my son. He is naturally talented in baseball (as well as basketball), however, from the opinions/info on this post, travel ball will be advantageous for him. Thanks

When my guy was 16 he played for a high profile travel team that had three frosh college outfielders on the roster ahead of him---he knew it going in but was willing to bide his time--as it turned out he broke into the starting lineup in a matter of a few games and learned a tremendous amount baseballwise---the college guys took him under their wing and educated him

Again it has to do with talent and ability and presenting yourself at the right time right place

Fungo and TR, great posts!!!!! You old guys are pretty wise (lol)

catcher09

I cannot speak for Fungo but it is my kids, sons and players, who make me , as you say, wise.

Travel ball, if you can afford the time and money is great for developing skill and confidence.
If not that try to find a rec league that does more than just the LL allstar format. Many play a "travel ball" format out of season or have extended tournament schedules for the motivated.
Rollerman

We live in Ontario, Canada and my son has just turned eleven. At the same time, in the past eight months, my son has trained and played with kids from all over the place and at a number of different levels and ages.

Last year, he played for a nearby travel team. In the fall, he played Fall Ball in Lewiston, NY (2 hours from home) with the Little League there. He played with kids in Baltimore during a Try Out with The Boys of Baesball. He played with that team in Gainesville, FL in December with kids from five different States in the US (NY,MD,FL,PA,AB). We saw some tremendous players and teams at that tourney, particularly The Viper Baseball Academy from Alabama. My son played in an indoor tourney in November at Depew, NY with kids from the Buffalo area. This year he is with the same local travel team, given friendships he made last year. In addition, he trains with an older team - primarily due to the indoor sessions provided by the coach with 30 years of experience. As well, he is working out with an older 12U team that will likely play in Buffalo on weekends this summer. A few weeks back, we attended Bucky Dent Camp at Del Ray, FL during the March Break - had a wonderful time with friends there and again, met players from all over the place in the USA.

At the end of last summer, my wife had a conference in Boston, which allowed us to get some Visual Mechanics training at the Frozen Ropes in Franklin, MA. As a result of a call to find if there were any baseball camps at Harvard, my son got to shag balls for the Harvard High School Try Outs - the kindsnes of the coach. We normally train at two different facilities in Ontario from time to time.

My son played for not one but, two coaches who are MLB Scouts and he is not gifted with the body of a natural athlete. He's currently 5'2" and 140 pounds. His feet pronate and his run from the plate to 1B is 4.6 seconds (65')- this will improve but, for now ,it's what we have. I am here to say that quality COACHES and TRAINERS and WORKING ON THE RIGHT THINGS make a big difference. I have been to Try Outs where most of our preparation was for the running part. Thinking about his start, moving his hands, and turning his feet while he is running, allowed my son to finish in the BOTTOM 25% as a runner in Try Outs. The BOTTOM 25% is a huge accomplishment for him right now. He hits a ton, pitches well and has learned the footwork of 1B and is an passable Catcher. Further, the other four or five guys that put in a lesser effort should all be able to outrun him.

My recommendation is to find a good quality coach in your area and go there - no matter what the level of the team. I know of one in Rec Ball who has an older son in Travel and Elite. His Rec Ball practises are amazing and they are attended all year long. Another still, has taken a small obscure centre Travel Team from last to first in a season. Another took a 13U Tier 2 team to a higher place finish than that centres Tier 1 team with only one player that had played baseball before. I know that some of these coaches I would pay an hourly rate just to go to their pre-season sessions. At the same time I have seen the other end of the spectrum and would say that where we live good coaches are about a 1 in 3 possibility - so look hard and ask questions.

If there is a lot of low-lying fruit (your son needs to work on some basic things), camps can help. If he is more advanced then private or small group (3) lessons at Training Centres end up being more useful. The thing is - there is no magic bullet here. We typically have tuneups about every two weeks. Think about it, in many cases a coach cant get enough time with a kid to really get to the bottom of many problems. The chances are that if your kid has his mechanics developed by a trainer that the coach will see it. I am a coach and I can tell immediately when a kid hasnt got the basics. Good athletes can sometimes overcome this but, their future is likely limited. Up here, a lot of Rep Hockey Players become Rep Baseball Players. If you were athletic enough to play Rep Hockey and you're either at the rink or dry land training every day all winter, you can make up a lot of ground in a spring Try Out. There's another advantage with training - you tend to learn and accept what a coach is saying better. With good mechanics, you can make good adjustments, etc.

Work on the right things. Look at the way things will likely shake out. If the high school team has two great Catchers, start looking at what else you can develop. My son caught one game last year and it didnt really matter to him - he worked at 1B almost all summer. This year though, although he is probably the best Catcher, he will probably move between 1B, RHP and Catcher. He has a lot of training and experience as a Catcher and this gives him a lot of flexibility when he is trying out for teams.

First off though - find that coach!

Cheers

Calsportsmom

check out this link http://www.cabawest.com
click on 2007 So-Cal Leagues & Schedules then click on 14u Schedules. there you will find the names and numbers for teams in your area. Team Anderson is listed, the one that is really well coached.

951dad

Here's another resource for baseball in Southern California.


Baseball Resource

There are so many teams down there I'm sure you'll be able to find something. Here is one more resource.

California Competitive Youth Baseball

You could become the best player, And never set foot on a field.
The best thrower.
Best hitter.
Best runner.
Best pitcher.

You could do all that without playing the game??

Now what FUN would that be?

It comes with playing the best competition you can possibly play with and against.
That will give you the confidence to play at the next level.
And there are many, Many next levels.
EH