Our team is a local all-star team and three of the best players are playing on what I'd call select or at least very strong travel teams instead of playing with us. We call ourselves a tournament team and don't try to pass ourselves off as a select or even a travel team. We play against legitimate select teams on occasion and although the kids can hang with them when they are playing well they get slaughtered when they aren't.

I read this thread a little late...

But the proliferation of Travel teams in my area is ridiculous. Used to be if you could play travel ball you almost was sure to play HS ball. But NO MORE. When my older son was playing 12-13U there was 5 established CLUBs that had teams of all age brackets and then a few LL all-star teams would try and for a travel team. So maybe 10-15 teams in San Diego County.

Now there are 3-4 LEAGUES with anywhere from 10 teams to one with 26 teams... Maybe 60 or more teams... The nubmer of travel teams has has grown at least 5 times... Which really means the talent has diluted that much. But only one HS has been added in the last 10-12 years.

Just within a 5 mile radius there is now at least "8" 13 or 14U teams (that I'm aware of maybe more)to feed into THREE High schools, plus there are 6 LLs and 1 Pony leagues.... with All-star teams (although some kids particiapte in both) PLUS there are the local boys who traveled a bit further to be on the HIGH profile teams.

Typically there are not more that about 5-6 seniors starting on a single Varsity team. So I'd estimate there are at least 80-100 or more kids at each grade level participating on a travel team or all-stars.... in our local area and maybe 15-18 of them will play Varsity baseball.

It reminds me of a nearby team, where the coaches wanted to keep it all LOCAL, just the boys that would stay together from LL and eventually PLAY for one HS. They wanted them to grow together and have a powerhouse in HS. So from LL All-stars they tried to keep the team together. But that policy eventually changed as they couldn't remain competitive in travel ball competition, and they had to recruit "outside" players.

Anyway, now that all the boys are either Juniors or seniors in HS... Out of 12-15 kids(parents) that thought at 12yo they'd be playing Varsity now, there are only two players from that team that are actually on that particular HS team.

So the best laid plans of mice and men....

if they have 3 teams feeding directly to one school then they are not very select!unless it is a huge school(5,000) i can't see 35 freshman being what i call select players. in my area we have 3 -4 teams that feed to a school but they are not equal. the top team is not a feeder and has kids that go to many different schools. the second is the "true" feeder team that works directly the high school coaches. the third is a team made up for kids that couldn't make the top teams or couldn't afford the top teams. the final one is actually a feeder for the private school but they will take 25% of their team from other schools. if a kid plays the independent team he will make the team. if he plays for the school team he will probably make the team, only the very best players from the others have much of a chance to make it. as was said earlier if they are challenged, they are in the right place!

Our "select" program is run by a professional that gets paid for taeching our kids. Dads still coach the team but when the instructor is around (about 85% of the time) he runs the whole show. When he is not available he lets the dad coachs know what he expects for that game.
We have a very successful program at grooming players for H.S. and beyond.Eight players from the first team that played for our orginization have already signed a NLI to these schools
1-Texas 1-TEXAS A&M 2-RICE 2-Vanderbilt 1-St Edwards 1-Air Force.
Kids start as young as 7u with us and are taught fundementals from day 1.
IMO a "good" select program for non high school teams is the only way to go.

www.banditosbaseballclub.com

Go Hard or Go Home

Aren't select or travel teams being coached by "daddy" still Daddy Ball at the end of the day???
In our area, we have a huge growth of travel teams. In a 50 mile radius, there is probably 20+ teams in EACH age group and we are not a big city. High School Baseball has risen in stature also. More kids trying out for it than Football. At my 5A High School, sometimes 35-40 trying out for the Freshman Team and probably 80-90% of them have play some stage of travel ball.
At the end, travel or not, those that have worked on there fundamentals, foot speed, arm speed will make the team, regardless of their travel resume or whose local team uni they are wearing!!

Bandito, and boy does he run the "show".

I coached against him last year, he spent the his time in the 3rd base coaches box on his cell phone, just laughing and talking loud, while the game was going on. That lack of respect for us turned me off of the program.

Best of luck to your son, and when he gets there, Go Mustangs!

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."...Joe Jackson