If this is a stupid question, then I apologize in advance. I'm new to all this and really don't understand a lot of it. I've read as many past postings as I can to see if this had been addressed before, but I don't have hours to sit here and keep looking.

I know some kids will play hs ball in spring and then play on a travel/showcase/select team, whatever they're called, in summer and/or fall. But if a kid plays on a team like that every season and doesn't play for the hs team at all, does that negatively effect getting into a good college ball program? In other words, do you HAVE to have hs ball on your resume when applying to these schools?

All i can say is that a highschool team is much much much more important than a travel team. Play in highschool please.

In our region you cannot play for any other teams, nor work out with other teams during the HS baseball season---I like the rule--it solves all the problems


You cannot even attend pro team workouts

I'd have to disagree with you paul5150. While in our area we do not have the "special" baseball programs playing in the spring, so everyone plays high school. But in my limited experiance, a quality travel/select program will get you in front of more scouts than just about all high school programs. In order to get a scout to a high school game, someone has to have a name to draw them, and very very few do that just with high school ball.

Yeah, I've heard about that before. Not that it was an actual rule, but that some hs coaches frowned upon kids who got involved with other teams. I can understand that. I was just wondering if a kid didn't make the hs team then played for one of these other teams and really liked it, if he should just stick with that or continue trying to make the hs team because of possible college ramifications.

OK, so recruiters don't care who you played for in hs, as long as you're good?

quote:

by 1-18: doesn't play for the hs team at all, does that negatively effect getting into a good college ball program?

imo it could be a negative

of importance is the reason you're not playing hs ball if you're getting good summer development.
a few reasons come to mind that wouldn't hurt ya much

a) you are a national class sprinter running track

b) your hs does not have baseball


I'll try to dig some other helpful stuff


added
re the Tribe's Pronk

"Maybe it's Hafner's small-town North Dakota roots that have cured him of any delusions of grandeur. He was all-region in basketball in high school. He finished third in the state in discus and triple jump. . . With no high school baseball team, Hafner settled for summer ball. There was no screen for the batting-practice pitcher, so hitters had to pull the ball for safety reasons."

To be blunt if a kid cannot make his HS team the odds are that he won't make a select/travel/showcase team---that is the reality of the situation

Thanks Bee

TR-

My son came very close to making it, without much effort, and now realizes that with some hard work he'll be even better. He's already been accepted on this travel team, so that is not in question. I know a lot of parents go around thinking and acting like their kid is the next Hank Aaron, but I'm not one of them.

I don't know of any elite travel teams that operate during HS season. I would suspect that any team that operates in season would be more recreational, designed as an outlet for guys who get cut from their school teams.

I agree that high level travel ball will do more for you recruiting wise than HS ball.

But you are expected to play HS ball, and if you don't, it raises a big fat red flag. Were you not good enough? Are you a behavior problem? Etc.

True players don't miss opportunities to play, and missing your HS season to me would indicate there was a problem there somewhere.

Thanks Mdad, that's exactly what I needed to hear. Now I know what direction to suggest he take. This particular travel team uses the spring season as training and they do not require the guys who are interested in summer/fall showcasing season to play the spring. I was just wondering that if my son got comfy with this travel team and wanted to play with them year round if it would be a bad thing in regards to college. That's a good point about it raising a red flag.

TRhit,

Here I go with one of the exception stories;

There was a kid playing in the AFLAC games either last year or the year before that didn't play high school ball. If I remember correctly, they said he was kicked off the team for something a family member had done, that's if I remember correctly.

Also, I have seen kids who attened large schools and couldn't make a team of 16 when 100 kids tryed out. What if you're the 3rd or 4th best SS on a team, you get cut for the #2 catcher even though you may be an over all better player Many of those kids could have started for some of the other smaller schools in the area. Were they pro material, no, were they D1 material, maybe, but they were good ball players and could have played college ball somewhere.

Just an FYI,
In some of the northern midwestern states, there is no spring season for HS, only summer. Consequently, there are spring travel teams, from what I understand, some quite good since the have the whole talent pool to draw from.

Along those lines, some players from states bordering the no spring HS states forego their HS in favor of playing out of state travel. Their reasons are varied and most have been covered here already.

I would definitely play high school ball rather than just travel ball.. Just my opinion I know all don't agree but you are only in high school one time..

I would say that if you can't make a high school team then you probably are not good enough for a travel team but then again there are the politics in making some teams and certainly in the playing time given..This is unfortunate but it happens. What I would tell a kid is good things happen to good people and if you don't make a team, then maybe seek out some type of travel team but keep working hard and even harder and have a great attitude..

My experience with high school coaches was positive and my son kept a good attitude and the coaches rewarded him for that in the end. He did not do a lot of showcases, camps, etc. I did not have the money for that and his coaches helped him get a scholarship to a Division I school. Keep working hard.