The fall baseball season is over, winter workouts are starting for those who go to lessons, and the tryout season is finished or will be finished soon for the “travel programs” in Indiana. If they aren’t finished or don’t hold tryouts (invite only), they will be working the high school circuit this spring, looking for and following the talent. Either way, in motion, are the gears that run travel baseball here in Indiana even before anyone knows what the spring holds.
I wrote here the last time about my personal experiences and what they meant for me and my career. I tried to help anyone out there who may have been or will be in a situation similar to mine. I attempted to give some insight using prior experience. This entry is sort of the same, yet in some respects, quite different. I am going to talk about all age levels here. I think things are wrong in some places and right in others. I think some programs are good and some are bad. I think that certain age kids need to do certain things to further their careers. I just want to let some people know that they need to choose wisely when choosing their travel program and at what age that it truly becomes an issue.
When I grew up, travel ball was very minimal. A player might get a call from one travel club (no names needed here, I don’t want to turn this into a message board) if he happened to be of that caliber, but I personally, don’t remember another program that was out recruiting at that point. This call would be as a freshman, sophomore, or junior year in high school. Travel programs were just getting started at that point themselves. I played Legion ball. So did a lot of other top recruits and pro prospects who were my age. College coaches came to games, yet, we didn’t travel very far. I remember playing in Ohio but not outside the Midwest. That obviously limited our exposure. We didn’t have South Alabama, LSU, or Cal State Fullerton at our games, but we had some college coaches and area scouts who followed. We also didn’t have an Adam Lind or Ken Griffey Jr. on our team! Haha. For some reason, those types of schools came to games when those types of players played.
How different the times are now!!! Everywhere you turn, someone has a “travel baseball” team where it takes $600, $800, or $1,000 or more to play a spring/summer. At what age should this start? At what age is the money worth what you are doing? How much is spent in hotels, gas, and food beyond the typical player fees? How much instruction is given for the money that you are spending? Better question: how much proper or quality instruction is given over the course of the season? How much batting practice or defensive work does a player get for the money?
I think too many times in this day and age of baseball, kids are playing in a program for a reason that is false…. EXPOSURE! A ton of parents that you talk to are getting their son “exposure” by playing in a program that advertises this as a recruiting tool. Let’s talk about exposure for a minute. Exposure is something that I have an issue with, especially with travel baseball programs under the age of 16. I would like to say that I have a problem with the word exposure, even at the age of 16, but sometimes you have to be in a program at 16 years old to be eligible for the year that matters, 17 years old. If you have a coach or organization telling you that your son will be getting exposure at the age of 8-15 years old, and that is a reason why you should be playing in their program, I think you are being misled. College coaches and pro scouts have too much to do with the incoming seniors in high school to be messing with tournaments of younger aged players. A college coach has a 60 game spring schedule and the current year’s recruiting class to worry about. Sure, they have a recruiting board, one that dates back a couple of years with guys that they have their eye on, but they aren’t bearing down on those guys until they are 17. I had a couple of phone conversations this summer with parents of younger (13/14) players who were worried about what their son should do next year and where they should play. My answer to those questions was simple… play in the program that can make your kid better. Where will they get quality instruction? Where will they be able to take infield and fungos the majority of the time? That is where my kid would play.
At 17, all bets are off. I am looking for the program that can give a kid the best opportunity to display his skills in front of as many people in Indiana and across the country as he can. That is the name of the game at 17 years old. Until then, I just don’t think it matters that much to play every tournament across the country that you can find.
Furthermore, what about those little league players? How should this dilemma be approached? Do I play in my local little league which in some cases doesn’t meet the expectations of parents who are “in the know”? Do we spend the money to travel everywhere in the nation? I think it has to be somewhere in between. Not every town has a person with quality baseball knowledge to teach the kids the game and put in the work to make them better daily. It comes down to personal preference at this stage, but I think it has to work somewhere in between travelling all over the country and playing in a poor little league system. I also agree with a very knowledgeable baseball man who says that little leaguers should play all applicable positions on the field. Not every shortstop at age 10 stays at shortstop. Who says he isn’t a centerfielder because he runs well? Who says your best shortstop at age 10 couldn’t be the best catching prospect in the state by age 18? I think it is more about learning the game, learning to play multiple positions, and becoming fast, strong, baseball athletes in the early ages. A program based on win/loss record at age 8, 10, or 12 can be worrisome if things weren’t run properly. I want to win as much as the next guy, but at this age, doesn’t development of the player mean more than the win/loss record? Don’t get me wrong, I hate the “everybody gets a trophy” idea, but what I am saying here is that kids in little league, in my opinion, should move around the field, learn to play multiple positions, and learn the game. That is number one priority for me. You do that the right way and work, work, and work some more, and you will see a productive win/loss record, regardless of the name of the program on your jersey.
The bottom line and point to this blog is to get a point across that “exposure” is a word that is thrown around much too often in today’s travel baseball world. Camps, showcases, and tryouts can gain you the exposure you need to put your name on the map. A 12, 13, or 14 year old travel team isn’t going to put your name on the map of the college or professional baseball world. It all comes down to one major point… work, work, work! At ages 8-15, this is the magic potion that everyone is looking for. The answer is work folks! Unless you are mega talented, nobody is coming to see you play at 12, 13, 14, or even 15 years old. You have to put in the proper work to make yourself into a major player in today’s pro and college game. The name of your team at those ages doesn’t attract attention or get you a scholarship. Granted, I will agree that at 17 years old, it does matter who you play for and who that program plays in front of. Exposure occurs at 17. Until then, find the combination that works for you, but I wouldn’t let exposure be the reason to play for someone until then.
So next time you are approached by or tryout for a travel program at ages 8-15 and they throw that magic word at you, ask that coach a big question in any way you would like. Ask him, how many college coaches were at his games last year. If he gives you a number higher than zero, more than likely it was a friend of a dad, a dad of a player on the team, or the team played a tournament on a college field. Otherwise, it is unlikely that a team under the age of 16 played in front of a college coach or pro scout many times throughout the summer. Just my guess and like I said in the opening… What do I know?