I have a 14 and 15yr old. Thinking of playing in the MSL next fall. I know MSL is or can be very beneficial for the 17 and 18 yr old but how about the U16 group? The cost I was told for the U16 group seems quite high for the number of games. If you played in the U16 league please let me know of pros and cons. Certainly don't mind paying the cost if those that played in it can give me some good feedback. Remember I will be paying double the cost for my two so please don't try to sell me if you don't have 1st hand experience. Thanks in advance for any advice.

I was skeptical at first due to the cost but I feel it has been a very positive experience. Where else can your son be seen by so many coaches/scouts over a 5 week period? Our reasoning was that if you added up the cost of 5 individual showcase camps it would be a comparable amount. My son just turned 15 and has enjoyed it very much (except the rainouts). Today was scout day at DBAT in Addison for the 15u/16u teams. We feel it is a great opportunity for our son to be seen early and hopefully followed over the next few years. It is better than playing in some generic league for $300-$400 and getting nothing out of it. We will definitely do it again next year. It seems Cade, Shayne, Jack and the others work very hard to make all of this possible. It gets a thumbs up from our family.
You should bring your boys out to watch a game. Unless rained out, the next 15u/16u game is Wednesday Oct 14th at 6pm. There is no charge to come and watch.

Hard to say yet for us....Rain isn't helping. Planned weekday makeups are cutting into HS fall ball. So many pitchers on our team. With capped play time on Sundays, my kid is not getting in his share of innings on the hill. However, this league is well run, with the best intentions. I believe MSL 16U is more about tracking and benchmarking a players' progress. From here, he can see where he stacks up and perhaps what personal challenges will need more focus for improvement. Regardless, most important to me to stay challenged and play against the best. DBAT/MSL has filled that need; however, there may be other opportunities. Next year, at 17/18, the scouts will come out and MSL has proven its worth from what I hear.

I think it is important to get your boys in a setting such as the MSL so they know what the typical showcase format is and what to expect. My son plays in the 18U group. The only time I have ever seen this many scouts in one venue in Texas was at the Area Code tryouts. It is expensive, but so is playing fall or summer baseball. Last fall, my son played on a so-called showcase team and we rarely saw much scouting going on...

MSL has proven that they will draw the scouts for the players. I don't know anywhere else that this happens week after week. Too bad for the rain this fall, but no one can control that.

I believe the MSL is worth the $$ and is well run. A fine experience for my son to begin to gain exposure, as well as to find out where he is in his development.

As a side note... another baseball lesson learned to pass along. (This point was/is also stressed by the entire MSL/DBAT staff)
Be sure to keep the arm/body in "baseball shape" as best you can in preparation for / during the MSL.
My son is big into FB which greatly reduced the available time for baseball activities.
As a result he encountered some elbow tightness, so, after consulting with Ortho specialist, we shut him down for the rest of the MSL season.

Still all in all, my son found it well worth the time/$$ due to the experiences gained which will be of benefit to him going forward in his "baseball journey"

Two kids for two seasons of MSL will set you back $2,700 to $3,000 depending on how they price it next year. I do have a kid playing in the MSL now and will have to see how the rain out / refund issue is handled to decide if it's been worth it. If I had to give an opinion right now then I'd say no, I don't feel like I've gotten my money's worth.

I know that no one can control the rain. But, we paid about the same amount as MSL, for no communication, no practices, no mention of refunds, no scouts. Any time in front or a couple of scouts is better than no time at all. At least MSL is trying to make up games. EFFORT speaks volumes.

Looking at MSL next fall for my son. How much was the 18U League?

LadsDad, cost this year was $675.

Your sons will have to be asked to play in MSL. This year for 16U coaches and scouts referred players, and then they had a try out for extra spots. MSL has been a great experience for my son. At the 16U level, there aren't as many scouts as there are at the 18U level, but that is understandable. The best experience for my son has been him knowing he is playing in front of scouts (no matter how many are actually there, he thinks many are there), and now next year when it really counts, he will have this experience under his belt and won't be anxious when it really counts. I appreciate the DBAT group working SOOO hard to make up the rain out games!!! We all want our boys to have "time" at their positions, but as for "share of innings on the hill", I would imagine a scout can tell what kind of pitcher a player is in the first few pitches, so the amount of time on the hill probably doesnt matter as much as the pitching mechanics, placing, etc. Just my thought!!

quote:

Originally posted by MustangMom:
...We all want our boys to have "time" at their positions, but as for "share of innings on the hill", I would imagine a scout can tell what kind of pitcher a player is in the first few pitches, so the amount of time on the hill probably doesnt matter as much as the pitching mechanics, placing, etc. Just my thought!!

Glad to see DBAT working 'hell or high water' to get the remaining games in... Since there are no PO's, as in 17/18 MSL, I"d like to see them make sure there's enough time alloted for 16U so they can give all the pitchers at least 2 innings per game. MSL 16u is about building some stats and marking progress.
If the scouts are out there, they must all be watching your player..........