The State of Baseball

[cocheese]

I thought it would be interesting to discuss the state of the modern youth game. The game has changed greatly since I was a youth playing in the summer heat. Travel ball has taken over Little League, Dixie Youth, etc. in most places. Kids play more months out of the year than I could've ever imagined as a kid. I've talked to parents who's lives seem to be centered around their child's softball/baseball schedule. Talk to a parent about this time last year who was heading out for Cincinatti on Friday, come back on Sunday, Monday thru Wednesday had games with the high school's summer team, then gone to Atlanta on Thursday, come back Saturday, off on Sunday, more summer team games the first of the week and then off to Jackson and straight to some other out of town tournament the first of the following week. The son was not on the high school team this spring. I then heard he quit because he was sick of it. I see this as one problem with all these travel teams. Travel ball is expensive and requires the parents to have a flexible schedule to be able to get the kids to these tournaments. Not all parents can do this. Travel ball is great in that it allows kids to see a wide range of talent. I've noticed a lot of travel teams are formed at a young age and the kids stick together right up to the high school level and most of the time the high school team is made up of those same kids. Are we eliminating possible great talent from reaching their potential? Are these less fortunate kids being overlooked because they didn't play with the what is consider the elite for that town/county/area. Travel ball has a lot of pros, I know, but it is not possible for a lot of kids. Travel ball is expensive, you parents already know this, some parents can only afford to put their kids in the local summer rec. league, like Little League/Dixie Youth. The talent is these rec. leagues is not what it use to be in a lot of towns. These kids don't get to see good talent and then are at a disadvantage when school ball rolls around. Your thoughts?

[marshiebaby]

My two cents is too much baseball even for the kids who are special at the sport including my own. I fear injuries which have become way too common with young baseball players at the high school and following levels - especially with the highly talented who naturally are relied upon to pitch more and more because of their ability to win games. I made decision to slow it down and require my son to take more of a break (against his will and his 15 year old "superior wisdom"...) and am requiring him to participate in other sports as well, which is becomming a true rarity once you get to the high school level (even though his goals are grades and baseball related...) We shall see maybe I am wrong but however special a player he is - he is not going top have the chance to benefit or maximize his opportunities if he ends up with overuse injuries from continuing to throw and hit everyday - which he always is aching to do...

 

Also I think a real good baseball talent probably still has a chance at tryouts if he is good enough btw... I hope I am not wrong on that...

[davidlimbaugh]

My 2 cents....

 

Baseball in Tennessee has never been better. Look around at MLB and MILB rosters and Tennessee kids are scattered all over the place, from Matt Cain, David Price, and RA Dickey to Brian Morris, Michael McHenry, Zack Cozart and a lot more... I have had the great fortune to see almost all of them play high school ball over the years.

 

In my humble opinion, work ethic is the common thread of all of these kids. One of the pitchers listed above used to take a bucket of baseballs, throw them over a building to the other side, then walk around the building and put all the balls back in the bucket. Then he would throw them back over to the other side, and repeated that for hours at a time.... No travel ball needed for that.....

 

What I have seen happening in the past couple of decades is more parents 'using' their sons' and daughters' ball playing as a social 'status'. It is the 'in' thing to have a son or daughter playing travel ball. Most of them are hoping to one day brag to their friends about their son or daughter signing a college scholarship. The odds of that happening are small,

 

http://www.active.com/recruiting/articles/Crunching_the_Numbers__Baseball_Scholarships

 

For all the money a lot of parents spend on their sons or daughters pitching lessons or hitting lessons they could start a pretty good college fund.

 

Please don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good people giving great advice and coaching out there. But there are others who are pretty good at hitting little Johnny's bat and telling his mom and dad he has great potential (until the checks stop clearing the bank).

 

Growing up around the ballfield and playing with and against some pretty good baseball players growing up, in my opinion great baseball players are born, not made. A hitting instructor or a pitching coach may help a kid with their mechanics and help make a marginal player a better one, but a great one is a great one because of genes, not lessons. They pass the eye test at an early age.

 

For most kids, attending a summer camp at a local college or high school will give them some pretty good advice on their mechanics and exposure to some great people who care about the game,

 

Every kids and parent is different. No one answer fits everyone. I think if parents' expectations are tempered by the realization very few 10 year old phenoms make their high school team, much less get a college scholarship, and just take the game of baseball for what it is, a game, to be played and enjoyed, while it lasts, then everyone is better off, mom, dad, and the kids.

 

Every baseball and softball player takes his or her cleats off for the last time, sometime. It is how much fun they had wearing them that is the most important thing.

 

What frustrates me more than anything is watching a travel ball game and the coach gives the kid the bunt sign and the dad yells "I didn't pay $xxx for my son to bunt!" Baseball isn't about little Johnny 'getting his'. It is about winning a game by scoring more runs than the other team does. And years from now no one is going to remember who won or loss most of the games being played. Over the years it seems the kids are realizing this more than some of their parents are.....

[ksgovols]

Amen Brother Limbaugh. There are pros and cons as you stated. What I like about youth leagues are things like pitch counts and the coaches having to answer to a board at some level. Not as much chance at getting a rogue coach or a sore armed kid. A lot more chest thumping and trash talking on the travel ball circuit in my experiences. Gotta beat that competition for a half scholarship to a Jr. College. The things I like about travel ball is tougher competition typically and when a group of kids stay together for 2 or 3 seasons they form some lifelong friendships. Areas with strong youth leagues usually have strong leadership in those leagues. It used to be Little League, Babe Ruth, American Legion ball where I grew up and the LL and BR all star teams got plenty of travel ball going to tournaments after the regular season and winning state was really winning state. American Legion baseball was really good baseball in those days with teams usually comprised of the high school team or a combination of the best players from 2 or 3 schools. I think it's relative. Kids today have more resources and training aids. I hit driveway rocks with a tobacco stick.

Edited June 3, 2013 by ksgovols

[horse]

The recruiters are not coming to the high schools and watching the players like they used to. They are going to the travel ball turnaments and the showcases. And that hurts the kids that don't play travel ball.

[REDSMAN]

I think the college coaches are still coming to high schools as well. 14 different schools I saw or spoke with at our games this year, and we are a Class A school. The coaches go to the summer tourneys to see players in quantity. They still want to see the kid play for their schools when they can.

As far as travel ball, no question it has taken over...

[davidlimbaugh]

I think the college coaches are still coming to high schools as well. 14 different schools I saw or spoke with at our games this year, and we are a Class A school. The coaches go to the summer tourneys to see players in quantity. They still want to see the kid play for their schools when they can.

As far as travel ball, no question it has taken over...

 

You are absolutely right. People who say recruiters only come to travel games are sadly mistaken. This season alone I saw coaches from Maryville to Memphis, from UAB to Western Kentucky, Belmont to Trevecca, Austin Peay to MTSU, Alabama to Tennessee Tech. Not to mention our state's great Juco programs. Our annual Warrior Spring Classic has college coaches come from near and far. I know this because they come up to me to say hi!

 

What most parents do not understand is that it isn't what a coach sees on the field that does the most work. It is the 'network' of 'bird dogs' and high school coaches that help the recruiting process the most. A kid may run a ground ball out if he sees a certain shirt in the crowd. It is what he does when that shirt isn't there that counts the most. College coaches watch a game for the little things, like how a player handles some adversity. How he interacts with his teammates and coaches and the other team. Does he run out popups? Does he take a 2-strike approach? Does he take a pitch if his team is down late in the game?

 

College coaches talk with each other. An SEC school may not have a spot for a kid but may mention him to another D-1 school. A D-1 coach may mention someone to a D-2, NAIA or Juco coach. A parent may not see all of this taking place, but trust me, it does. On almost a daily basis.....

[davidlimbaugh]

Amen Brother Limbaugh. ...I hit driveway rocks with a tobacco stick.

 

I hit back-alley rocks with a broom stick. I also threw a tennis ball against my brick porch for ground balls hours and hours at a time, practicing my backhand and other moves.... We used to sneak into Huntsville Park where the local adult independent team and high schools played and play there until someone came and ran us out....

[FootballFan51]

I heard John Smoltz speak a few months ago. He said he doesn't know any major league players that played travel ball as kids. He said he would not let his kids do it. He was definitely against young kids doing it.

 

If a player is good enough, colleges & scouts will find them. Many kids getting burned out way before high school.

[cocheese]

I agree with the "social status" paragraph Mr. Limbaugh. I also agree that Tennessee baseball is hitting an all time high in terms of talent output. I do disagree with your statment that players are born and not made. I think that may be more true in other sports, but not with baseball. You see a lot of guys that are no where near athletic, but can compete with the best because of their knowledge of the game. I don't have a child old enough to play any sport, just 7 months old, but I have experienced travel ball as a player, fan, coach and umpire and have never heard a more true statement than the one about the "social status".

 

It sounds like I'm the only that thinks travel ball may be limiting the oppurtunities of kids that come from less fortunate homes, or homes where the parents simply can't have their schedules revolve around the baseball team's. While travel ball be, in part, responsible for the talent boom, could it not also possibly blind us to some unseen talent at the local park?

 

All have made great points, keep it up. That post about Smoltz is very interesting.

[EyesWideOpen]

The game itself has not changed. The rules on how to play are pretty much the same. Now, the attitudes around youth sports in general are different, usually driven by delusions of fame & fortune. Baseball used to be a sport that anyone as kid could play (fat, skinny, tall, short...) and it was relatively inexpensive to do but with the advent of "select/travel" teams it's quickly becoming a game for the affluent. These "select/travel" teams are not good for the game overall....it's for parents that want the trophy OR are vicariously attempting to re-live their "glory" days. I have my kids participate for the physical activity and if by chance some friendly competition errupts from that...great! Your kids are not you but how they behave, reflects greatly upon you as a parent.

[marshiebaby]

I think there is something to the born not made statement, of course not in every case, but I am sure I have observed this in more then enough cases to agree at times there may be something to it. The difference becomes personal interest and love of the sport and drive to improve the little things which in the end game makes the difference of course. I do beleive a kid who excells in high school ball will get noticed whether he plays travel or not, I also think travel may get you a little more noticed but not sure how much that affects the possibility of getting recruited. My opinion is intensive nearly year long baseball cant be good for young growing right or left arm! Interesting subject for a discussion...