OK... Now we have heard it all. In our area a coach is starting a "13U scout team". He is not a scout. I thought it was pretty funny because I am pretty sure that college and pro scouts aren't too concerned about 13 year olds.
Anybody else seeing this in their areas or is the term "scout" taking over for the term "select" which is more elite than "travel"?

Doesnt surprise me a bit. This summer they were popping up all over the place at the 16-18 ages. Its only natural for the younger teams to start using the same names. It really is ridiculous. I bet they have a great turnout for tryouts if they have them. Everyone is going to want to be on a "Scout Team" right!

Played on a scout team when I was 10 or 11,

Team stunk and so did my Pine Wood Derby car!!

Some of the Showcase/Scouting Tournaments are starting to field a 14U bracket. I think the motivation for it is capitalistic but that is not to say there are not scouts/recruiters out there who will take interest. It has been happening in Basketball for a while now.

In our area we have an 18U elite team that just had 20 kids sign commitment letters for school. They are holding tryouts for their 1st 14U team. Would you go?

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Some of the Showcase/Scouting Tournaments are starting to field a 14U bracket.

Ole PT Barnham was right. The only 14U players who will get noticed are oversized early bloomers who would get noticed at 16U anyway.

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In our area we have an 18U elite team that just had 20 kids sign commitment letters for school. They are holding tryouts for their 1st 14U team. Would you go?

We have an 18U team in our area placing all their players in college ball. They have teams down to 10U. I enjoy going over to the 10U games when we have breaks in our tournament schedule. It's funny how many 10U parents think their kid is going to play college ball because they're in the program at 10U. These parents are spending 3K a year for a 10 year old to chase the dream. Go get 'em PT. There's one born every minute.

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Originally posted by RJM:

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Some of the Showcase/Scouting Tournaments are starting to field a 14U bracket.

Ole PT Barnham was right. The only 14U players who will get noticed are oversized early bloomers who would get noticed at 16U anyway.

Are you saying don't send your 14 year old to the tryout?

Yeah...I coach a 14U team. Plenty of parents are concerned with taking their sons to showcases, etc. My comment to our parents is that they need to be concerned wih a showcase as soon as their son starts to contribute on Varsity.

BTW, we played a 15u "scout" team his fall and 10 runned them both games. Their "scout" must no get many kids drafted.

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In our area we have an 18U elite team that just had 20 kids sign commitment letters for school. They are holding tryouts for their 1st 14U team. Would you go?

Depends on how much they would pay my son to play.
It's legal until HS.

My sarcastic last post got me to thiking about the tax liability that some of the players may incur.

I think that the IRS would be able to place a tax burden on players and players families for things like air fare, meals, hotel stays, equipment and other services that some of the elite teams give to players. At Cooperstown last year a couple of teams flew in pitchers. I would bet that the families of some of them got a free ride also.

If it happens at 12U, it has got to happen at the higher levels. If someone gave my child a lot of money and gifts it would effect my taxes. (Plus I would put a restraining order on whoever did it.)Why not the stuff kids recieve for free for playing on some of the teams?

A 13&U Scout team is an absolute joke. I've been running a prominent program since 1992 and the changes I have seen disgust me. We need to get back to teaching and development. Too many adults chasing $10 trophies whoring out kids.

13U Scout Team.

Don't you get it?

They play ball then immediately go to their Scout meeting. It's the new fad on the west coast. Parents are saving mucho dollars in gas!

You guys can laugh if you want, but 12 yrs ago we took a small local 13u travel team to a tourney where the field was on a campground. We set up tents about 300' from the field and had the greatest time camping and playing baseball. The boys fished and went swimming, played in the woods, and then instead of bird watching they did babe watching. So if you think about, it was almost like a boy scout team!
The field was beautiful and had lights! And they were kind enough to leave the lights on for several hrs so the moms and dads could play well into the night! (baseball) SO much fun!
So yeah, I guess that was as close as any of my kids got as far as being on a scout team...

IB-Sounds like a blast. I would do that in a heartbeat. I think too many people are too serious at such young ages and forget that they are kids and need to just go out and have fun. I bet it was one of the most fun times those kids had and they will remember it for a long time.

I debated with myself whether to post on this topic since I'm apparently going against the grain. However, USA Baseball, governing body of amatuer baseball and the ones who select all National Teams representing the U.S. in International competition, has a program for 14:U division. It's called their "Champions" program and the U.S. team just took home gold beating the Cubans and Venezuelans. For more info, here is the website: http://mlb.mlb.com/usa_baseball/index.jsp
Look under the 14:U program towards the bottom. In a nutshell, they host Tournaments throughout the country each year and teams enter and compete. During the tournaments, USA personnel scout the kids and send invitations to tryout at their new USA Baseball facility in Cary, NC.

Now, I understand and even agree with what everyone has posted here, but if your country (and MLB) puts an emphasis on that age group, I don't see what the tumult is all about.

Just my 2 cents.

I agree with you. Took my son to his tryouts last weekend and had a conversation with one of the parents. My stand was there is no need to have 13U players travel 5+ states away to play baseball. If these are 16 or 17 year olds going to a showcase then that is one thing.

This parent didn't agree which is fine. I just don't see the need to have kids playing baseball halfway across the country. There is plenty of great competition in our area.

Lesterclan- I know the Champion's program very well. We had three players on that team that were all-tournament. The program has actually changed. There will be a west coast and east coast 14 yr. old Junior Olympic tournament to be held in conjunction with the 16's.

The difference is that USA Baseball is using this as a development program and not for scouting and exposure. MLB puts an emphasis on helping USA Baseball but is in NO WAY identifying 14 yr. olds for professional purposes.

Here's the bottom line- No real scout has a 14 yr. old scout team. They are naming it a scout team to market themselves for good players. That's very sleazy!

NC Ball,
You're right. Development and "scouting" are 2 different things. I guess I didn't take the original post and subsequent messages as "scouting" or "exposure" but rather negative comments on 14:U or 13:U or even younger playing competitive baseball. My bad!

I'm just poking fun at the term "scout team" for 13yr old boys. We've played our fair share of travel ball over the years and wouldn't take anything for the experience and the good folks we met along the way.

It's just funny how the name "travel ball" has evolved over the past few years. It went from "travel team" to "Select team" to "Elite" to "Prep" now "Scout team".

What's left?

The proliferation of this form of youth ball is doing more harm to the game of baseball than it does to help. There is so much information out there on the physical and emotional dangers of young kids playing too much organized ball I am constantly amazed at the over-zealous parents and uneducated coaches pushing this form of ball. At the end of the day none of it matters until your son reaches HS.