Question about travel baseball

[Only me]

My son is new to a 16u travel team. He played at other tournaments when he was younger but apparently rules are different for 16u. Only 10 can be on the roster at a time. The coach has a handful of kids he keeps in the whole game and then rotates the rest giving them each about half the game. The problem is that he gives the first kid innings 1 through 4 and then puts my son in 5th through 7th. The problem is that there is a time limit so often they will only play 6 innings and therefore my son only gets to play 2 innings. This weekend so far in 3 games my son only batted 4 times. He is playing now and dh says it's the 4th inning so ds isn't going in until 5th inning again.

 

The thing is none of the players are that great that they deserve to play every game the whole time. Almost all of them have made errors and a few have made several. Also even if he wants some players to play half the game why wouldn't he put one player in first through 3rd and the other in starting 4th since most games are cut short.

 

My son is one of the few new to the team. He hasn't been hitting well but then again it's hard when you only bat once per game. Honestly there are several kids who aren't hitting well. Ds is great in the field and hasn't made any errors. We paid a lot of money for this so not only is a disappointment for ds but a waste of money. Is this typical for a16 u team?

[Pink and Green Mom]

My baseball playing son is only 13.  My husband has been involved with youth baseball as a coach since 1993.  What you are describing - in terms of the 10 man roster and playing time for the remaining kids - is pretty standard in U12 baseball tournaments.  My neighbor's son is 16 and I hear from her often that her son gets 1 at bat and maybe one inning in the field in several tournaments.   

 

I think it is really hard to "break into" a new team.  When you have been with a coach for a while he is aware of your whole body of work and more apt to brush off fielding errors/a batting slump because he knows what you are capable of.  I'm not saying it is right, but I think it is just the way it is sometimes.

 

I also know that the mantra of many, many coaches is "do well at bat and I will find a spot for you in the starting lineup."  So it is more what is happening at the plate than out in the field that dictates who makes the starting lineup.  I know when my husband has to switch from little league's continuous roster (everyone bats) to the 9 man roster for tournaments, his decisions on who is in the starting lineup depend on hitting abilities (unless you are the starting pitcher or catcher).  If you can hit, he finds a spot for you in the field.  I totally understand what you are saying though because how does a kid get better at hitting if he gets one at bat per game. 

 

So knowing what I know, it is oftentimes performance at the plate that matters.  Can your son do some extra batting practices somewhere?  My husband likes to use a hit-a-way that attaches to a basketball pole or small tree for extra practice.  My husband also sets up a batting tee in the garage for my son to use, and he hits into a net that collects the balls (not sure how to explain it, it is basically a baggy net that stops the balls from going anywhere).  This way, my son can practice hitting without having to have anyone pitch to him.

 

Then there are just some coaches who are, quite frankly, idiots.  They have their favorites and those kids get to play all the time regardless of actual ability.  I hope that that isn't what you are dealing with.  I would also double check tournament rules (they should be posted somewhere online) to make sure your coach is working within the confines of the playing time rules.  Some are quite sneaky.  But, in tournaments I am familiar with, all that is guaranteed is one at bat and 3 continuous outs in the field (so one inning).

 

[rmtzc2009]

In my area that is normal. Especially when it's a travel team. My ds is 10 & plays with LL. In 4 seasons of playing he's only had 1 coach that made effort to rotate/play the kids fairly. This year his team is in first & they've advanced to the playoff. It's great to be on a winning team but the downside is the coaches play their key players (sometimes based on skill and sometimes based on relationship with child/parent). Last game my son sat one inning & played out field all the rest. Sometimes he sits two innings.

 

Did they suggest when you signed on that all kids would be played and developed? What your getting for travel at your sons age sounds normal to me. My guy is moving to majors next Spring & we naturally expect he'll get less play since he'll be in the youngest age group for majors. From friends we know with kids in travel- they (the coaches) are in it to win & it's not about developing all players well. It's about using their key players to get the win & everyone else just fills the rest of the spots.

 

You could attempt to talk to the coach. We've tried it a few times unsuccessfully. We've decided our best option is to make sure ds is practicing daily. As his skills improve (he's good but had fine tuning to do) we hope his coaches will notice & he'll get more play. Sorry, I know how frustrating this can be!

[Only me]

Ironically my ds was doing great hitting. He did a 20 week winter/spring clinic with former Major League Baseball players. They used some kind of computer analyzing to measure his bat speed etc. he did great. The coaches there were very impressed with him and I don't think they were trying to just be nice since the analysis backed up what they said. I think it is more of a confidence issue with my son. He has always had to prove himself to new coaches. They start him off at the end of the batting order and end up moving him to the heart of the order and then he ends up on the all star team. He has always been one of the smallest kids on the team and tends to have to prove himself even more. He is now 5-10 but skinny although he is muscular and fast. Also he has always played short or 2nd and occasionally outfield if they need him. When he tried out for this team they offered him a position as middle infield. Now he is playing outfield. He doesn't necessarily mind but it's frustrating when the infield keeps on making errors and some of them stay in the whole game.

 

I realize that coaches are looking for hitters but only half of the kids on this team can really hit. I'm being honest when I say that my son is probably one of the few if not the only one to not make any errors. Even in practice or warmup he always catches the ball or makes the plays.

 

It's just so frustrating to pay that much money and spend so much time to watch him sit and of course it doesn't help with his ego. I would even be happy if they played him half the game but in the past 12 innings he batted twice and was in the field 3 times.

[RanchGirl]

The playing time issue is typical for my son's baseball travel teams as well. He is playing 14U right now. It could be that this coach is a biased jerk who would rather lose with his favorite players on the field than win with a new kid. I do know of one coach like that, though my son (thankfully) hasn't played for him. Two strong players actually quit that coach's team mid-season this year!

 

But it is also possible that your son hasn't proved himself yet. There is a player on my son's team whose mother would (and does) say exactly what you do. But an unbiased observer could point out to her that (a) her son doesn't have the throwing ability of the other players, so when he is in the outfield, although he is not making obvious errors (e.g. he's not dropping the ball), he is missing opportunities to throw out runners because he can't throw the ball where he should. He's not as fast as he should be when it comes to backing up other positions. He's also not having success at the plate. And if he does get on base, he usually gets thrown out because he is slow. He can't steal bases. So he doesn't get as much playing time as others, because this is not rec league where even playing time happens.

 

If your son really loves travel baseball and wants to play more and is willing to work for it (some kids aren't, they are just happy to ride the bench and be on the team), I would suggest he talk to the coach. He should simply ask the coach what he needs to work on to improve. (obviously he should not say "I have no errors in the field like Jim and Jack, I deserve more playing time, so why don't you play me more").

 

I have no idea if this is the case for your son, but I know if this player on my son's team asked the coach what to do, the answer would be:

 

- Improve your hitting. Get a private hitting coaching session, go to the batting cages daily. Get his confidence back up!

- Running speed is important and that is something you can work on.

- Work on your throwing form. Practice throwing from left field to first base or home plate.

- Work on your core strength and flexibility as they affect all of the above.

 

And finally, make sure it's not attitude. Some coaches will punish a strong player with a bad attitude by benching him. This includes things like missing practices or games, showing up late, not working hard, and things he says to other players that get reported back through the grape vine.

 

Good luck to him!

[Only me]

Truthfully the only area I think he is struggling is hitting. He did a 20 week clinic with a professional baseball player and did great and also did private lessons. He was doing great until his first game with this team so I think it may be a confidence issue

 

As far as his fielding his current coach has even praised him about it. He is excellent at backing up plays etc. His game IQ is very good. He has a strong arm with accurate throws. He is a good runner and follows signs and steals bases. He has a good attitude. He did miss one practice but it was for my moms funeral and the coach knew.

 

I think that it must be a combination of the coach playing kids who were already on the team and his hitting slump. I would understand less play due to his slump but he definitely isn't the only one . He wants to give it one more week and then will politely talk to the coach if things remain the same.

[unsinkable]

It sounds normal, unfortunately.

 

If he is new to the coach, the coach might not be so quick to overlook mistakes. But it hard to make it out of a hitting slump if you don't bat.

 

(Funny story...I'm not saying you're doing this...this one mom claimed her son got a "hit every time he bats." What she didn't understand was that things like ground-outs, fly-outs, fielder's choices, etc. were not "hits." She thought a hit was anytime he connected with the ball. )

[RanchGirl]

hbmom, any update on this?  I hope things have improved!

[rmtzc2009]

hbmom, any update on this?  I hope things have improved!

 

I was wondering the same thing!

 

I feel for your situation.  We just had to quit our team because we had a coach that was willing to win/loose with only his perceived top players.  And we are NOT in a travel league but a recreational league.  I hope your sons situation has improved!

[Only me]

Well with all the rain we had last weekend he didn't get much of a chance to play. He only played a few innings on Thursday and was put in the end of the game. We were getting crushed. Ds had a great at bat with not a lot to hit and fouled off a lot of pitches. He ended up walking and eventually scoring on a past ball to break the shut out. Saturday they actually started him the first 3 innings and he walked again. (This time the pitcher wouldn't pitch to him.). He was one of the few who made it on base. Then they took him out after the 3rd inning to put in the other players but it started raining and the game was called after 4. His games were cancelled on Sunday. So it's hard to tell what they would have had him play.

 

I don't mind if he gets to play half the innings but I will not be happy if we go on this tournament 90 min away and only gets bat and field once or twice a game.

[teachermom2834]

My son plays a high level if 16u travel ball. There are definitely no rules that require all the kids to play and I am surprised to hear of that at any travel tournament. I guess we live in a very competitive area.

 

My son's team really doesn't have any extra players besides pitchers. He is the shortstop. There is no back up shortstop. If he was injured someone would fill in but there is no expectation of sharing time or anyone else getting a chance. This has been the case since probably 12u or so. Coaches here seem to manage this by not having extra players. We have had only 9 or 10 since 10 year old year. We ended up having to find a kid to pick up if someone had to miss and sometimes play with 8 if someone got hurt. Not ideal but it was the cost of not dealing with playing time issues with kids sitting out.

 

His 16u team has 13 players but they travel to week long tournaments and need lits of pitchers.

 

I am sorry you and your son are dealing with this. I've spent alot of hours at the ballfield and the teams with too many players always have unhappy people. I think playing time in baseball is very hard to manage once you move out of rec ball. When my son would try out for a team the first question we would always ask was how many players they would carry.

 

I realize that doesn't help you. Just giving another perspective on how playing time is managed. Sorry. It stinks to be on an bad travel ball situation. The time, money, travel, etc.

[Only me]

Yes it seems to be a bit of a weird set up. When he was on a 14u team they could bat the roster and all the teams did this but there were fewer players. We were also under the impression when he started this team that the extras were mostly pitchers. They ended up with 14 on the roster and the pitchers do more than pitch. Its strange since its not like they necessarily have starters and then just substitute when someone is hurt. Three or four of the kids seem to play all game then the other 10 are basicallly given half of the playing time. The problem is the coach has the 2nd half go in the 5th inning and they often dont get through 7 innings. This means those kids only get one or two at bats. We would have preferred a smaller roster.

[teachermom2834]

That would be extremely frustrating. Hitting is so much about confidence and working through slumps that not getting plenty of at bats during a tournament makes it hard to work through. If you only get one chance a game it is going to be hard to shake it off if you don't get a hit.

 

Sorry you are in that situation. Wish I had some advice. My kids have played alot of sports and baseball has been the most frustrating for this sort of thing.

 

Keep us updated as the sesson goes. I hope it improves soon.

[catz]

This sounds totally typical for competitive, high school levels here. If he really wanted to work on batting skills, I would try and get him to a batting cage. The strongest kids are often working outside practice on their own.