Who Is The Best Travel Program In NJ?

Based on what criteria are you deciding "best"? Winning tournaments? Recruiting? Player development?

We have played for some and played against many on this list. I will send you a PM, but Tri State Arsenal was always the best. 

Baseball U, Farrah Builders, 9ers, and SJ Young Guns were always good teams as well. This might have changed, but these are the teams I'm still seeing down in Georgia, FL, etc. 

There are some regional teams with bigger rosters as well if your son is looking for more exposure, especially to bigger schools 

Unless something has occurred since I stopped paying close attention it’s always been Arsenal.

Initech posted:

Based on what criteria are you deciding "best"? Winning tournaments? Recruiting? Player development?

Use whatever you think makes someone the best.

There's no doubt that Arsenal is the top of the food chain.  

That said, here's a story: 

Two years ago, I met a guy whose kid was playing for the 9ers.  Kid was a pitcher.  The dad told me that he left Arsenal to go play for the 9ers.  And, further, it was a haul for him to go the 9ers.  It would take them hours to drive to the 9ers practices and workouts, etc.  Arsenal was much closer to them in terms of geography.

So, I had to ask "Why did you leave Arsenal?!?"  And, this was his answer:  "When he made the team, we went to all the practices and he worked out with those guys.  He was always there.  And, he worked hard.  Then, when it was time to play in a tournament, we had to travel all the way to wherever, get a hotel, etc., and then he never played the whole weekend.  Some kid who we never saw before would show up at the field, they would give him a shirt, and then he would pitch the game and leave as soon as he was done.  And, then we would never see him again.  Every tournament was the same deal.  Some ringers would fly in, pitch, while my kid who paid all the fees and was at every workout, sat and watched.  It happened all the time."

Personally, I get it.  You want to build a brand, then you do what you have to do, etc.  But, that's not what I would look for in a program.  Doesn't matter much if you're Mike Trout.  But, most are not Mike Trout.

Beating Arsenal on Saturday was not the same as beating them on Sunday when we played them from 13u to 16u. The faces would change on Sunday. My son disliked their arrogance so much he said he would rather play against them than for them.

My son pitched a great game against Arsenal in WWBA last year and they called the next week and wanted him to come play with them at no cost.  We had already committed and stayed with our commitment.  I understand why teams do this but it is frustrating to the players and families of the team plus the ones they pick up.  I understand it in big tournaments where they need pitching but in other tournaments it is just bad for everyone. I know it is big business but still tough.

My son currently plays 13U baseball in NJ - I can say for sure that most of the teams who win at his age level (and it's not always Arsenal anymore) are showing up stacked with guest pitchers. There are franchise teams moving into the tri-state region as well, like the Canes and US Elite. There aren't going to be enough baseball players to stock all of these teams! 

It's happening already.  My son was 14U this year.  We played in various level tournaments.  Baseball Heaven, MSI, Perfect Game, Diamond Nation, Richmond County, Tag'em, BSE, etc.  And, I lost count on how many times I saw a team playing where they had someone batting last and playing 2B or RF and the kid was a 12U or 11U player.   It was obvious that it was a younger kid and he was way smaller than anyone else on the field.  And, it was obvious that they were playing the younger kid because they couldn't enough 14U kids to play.  

Then, on the flip side, you had teams playing with kids who were too old.

We played a US Elite team in MSI.  Got crushed.  Later we heard that they had two kids thrown out of the tournament because they were 16U playing in a 14U.  The funny part was that the rest of the team was so good that they didn't need to have two 16Us to beat anyone.  

"Who Is The Best Travel Program"

Speaking from experience, this is generally the wrong question entirely.  It leads to parents and kids getting frustrated, and wasting money.

"How can I get my son to 90mph?" should be the question for pitchers.

"How can I get my son to 90mph exit speed and 30 deg launch angle?" should be the question for hitters.

The next question should be "Who measures those results with radar, instead of making me/kid feel good or get to meet former pros/college players?"

My last child, after I knew better, never played summer "travel" in HS. (Of course, if your kid is a top draft pick, that's a different situation, he will have to do top travel/showcases, etc. to improve his draft number). He played D1.

Time is your enemy.

(Most of you won't heed this advice. Print this out and tuck it away.)

I would disagree. But I'm curious as to why. 

What would you recommend instead of summer travel ball? 

In our area Legion was bottom of the lineup varsity and  JV ball. Good players played travel.

Francis7 posted:

Who is the best travel baseball organization in the state of New Jersey?

9ers Baseball Club

All Out Baseball

Apreda DiChiaro

Atlantic County Outlaws

Baseball Warehouse

BaseballU

Buchman Baseball Academy

Bullets Baseball Academy

Carteret Nighthawks

CK's Cardinals

Combat/Scanzano Sports

Diamond Jacks

Elite Squad

Faigin Select

First Move

FTB Tuccu Northeast

Full Count Baseball

Gallagher Sportika Frazier

Hamilton A's

Hit & Run Outlaws

In The Zone

Intensity Baseball

Jersey Giants

Jersey Seminoles

Jersey Shore Prospects

Langan Baseball

Legends Baseball

Locked In Expos

Lumberkings

Mid-Atlantic Red Sox

Mid-Atlantic Show

NJ Axemen

NJ Marlins

Nj Renegades

NJ Select

North Atlantic Evoshield Canes

Pro Skills Baseball Academy

SJ Elite

Tristate Arsenal

Wladyka Baseball

Zoned Redhawks

All Out Baseball is top notch...I've seen them publicize their players consistently and they've partnered with PBR i think.  Their teams are always competitive, but won't have teams A thru Z like Arsenal.  Pro Skills has one of the best coaches I've ever seen run their 17U program...

Francis7 posted:

There's no doubt that Arsenal is the top of the food chain.  

That said, here's a story: 

...So, I had to ask "Why did you leave Arsenal?!?"  And, this was his answer:  "When he made the team, we went to all the practices and he worked out with those guys.  He was always there.  And, he worked hard.  Then, when it was time to play in a tournament, we had to travel all the way to wherever, get a hotel, etc., and then he never played the whole weekend.  Some kid who we never saw before would show up at the field, they would give him a shirt, and then he would pitch the game and leave as soon as he was done.  And, then we would never see him again.  Every tournament was the same deal.  Some ringers would fly in, pitch, while my kid who paid all the fees and was at every workout, sat and watched.  It happened all the time."

... But, that's not what I would look for in a program.  ... 

 

... and so, brings up a very important part of the equation.  Whatever program you get your son involved in, make sure you ask all the questions up front and have a clear understanding of what to expect.

phillyinNJ posted:

 Pro Skills has one of the best coaches I've ever seen run their 17U program...

Coaching doesn't matter much on the travel circuit. They're pretty much there to make pitching changes and set the lineup. It is much more important for a coach to have college connections than to teach proper footwork or hitting mechanics. A coach can be great, but if he can't pick up a phone and have colleges my kid is interested in show up - it doesn't do me much good

If the kid doesn't have the fundamentals to make him worthy of picking up the phone to make that call to a college connection, it's a moot point. Find a coach who can/will be capable of both.

A friend of my son played for the Arsenal 17u B team. They did next to nothing for his recruiting. He wasn’t a stiff. He became a D3 All American. 

SultanofSwat posted:

 

"How can I get my son to 90mph exit speed and 30 deg launch angle?" should be the question for hitters.

Better pull that one. Distance will be about 333' with no wind.   

Understand this before writing that check..my son has played on a NJ travel team for the last 3 years...a mostly positive experience as he started as a catcher..but if you're not an outright starter chances are you will be viewed as a cash cow or a mark to finance lots of players that will be brought in to play for free while your boy rides the pine..