Baseball Development AMA

[Anonymous]

Parents of older kids tell me that by junior/senior year, maybe only one or two players are taking honors or AP courses in our FCPS publics. Not sure if that’s more true of the sport or sports in general today. The implication was that the better HS athletes don’t have time to focus on academics these days. They either drop the classes or leave the team. I was surprised, as it was t that way when I played in HS.

Anecdotally I was coaching a rec team in another sport. The league had a kid who wanted to coach but preferred to pair him up with an adult, so I said he could coach with me. Turns out his parents made him drop varsity basketball, so he could focus on academics (he was an A student (senior) in honors/APs).

Is this really what it’s like around here? Or maybe it’s just the people I know.

[Anonymous]

This depends on your goal.

If you seriously think your child could play D1 baseball for the likes of UVA or Alabama, then he is going to spend a lot time traveling to showcases in FL, GA, NC, NJ, etc., trying to attract the attention of college coaches. Of course, if your child is really going to play for UVA or Alabama, you would probably already know this by the end of sophomore year. Look at the commits for classes of 2023 and 2024 at Virginia Stars or Bethesda Big Train. Your son's time commitment after getting the college offer is to keep up his skills and avoid blowing out his arm.

However, if your goal is an Ivy/high academic DIII like Swarthmore, then there is less of a time commitment. Programs like Bradley Baseball Academy that focus on this market are not traveling across the country, and there are fewer showcases like Head First that focus on this market. DIII doesn't give scholarships (but they do give tuition discounts), but if you look at the college section of this forum you will see the real value of getting a DIII baseball offer from the likes of Johns Hopkins or Williams: you don't have to suffer through the trauma of the application process in senior year!

That said, virtually all of the baseball boys we have met over the years have excellent time management skills and have been able to balance AP and honors classes with their baseball commitments. It helps that baseball is a more cerebral sport than the reactive sports of soccer, basketball, etc. Of course AP science courses are more difficult time-wise to reconcile with baseball, but this true of all sports.

[Anonymous]

Regarding DIII, here is a real life story.

We know of a boy from a Hawaii private school (Punahou?) who didn't make his varsity team as a junior. He went with his HI-based travel team to play in tournaments in VA and CA last summer.

After the trip, he got an offer to play at Grinnell College in Iowa, which US News ranks #13 for LACs. The boy is 5'7", 160 lbs, and plays OF.

The point is that if you keep trying and you aim properly, you can hit your target!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regarding DIII, here is a real life story.

We know of a boy from a Hawaii private school (Punahou?) who didn't make his varsity team as a junior. He went with his HI-based travel team to play in tournaments in VA and CA last summer.

After the trip, he got an offer to play at Grinnell College in Iowa, which US News ranks #13 for LACs. The boy is 5'7", 160 lbs, and plays OF.

The point is that if you keep trying and you aim properly, you can hit your target!

Very true. My cousin was a D3 outfielder that was converted to a pitcher. He was drafted and played in the majors for a few years. It’s not where you start it’s how you finish!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This depends on your goal.

If you seriously think your child could play D1 baseball for the likes of UVA or Alabama, then he is going to spend a lot time traveling to showcases in FL, GA, NC, NJ, etc., trying to attract the attention of college coaches. Of course, if your child is really going to play for UVA or Alabama, you would probably already know this by the end of sophomore year. Look at the commits for classes of 2023 and 2024 at Virginia Stars or Bethesda Big Train. Your son's time commitment after getting the college offer is to keep up his skills and avoid blowing out his arm.

However, if your goal is an Ivy/high academic DIII like Swarthmore, then there is less of a time commitment. Programs like Bradley Baseball Academy that focus on this market are not traveling across the country, and there are fewer showcases like Head First that focus on this market. DIII doesn't give scholarships (but they do give tuition discounts), but if you look at the college section of this forum you will see the real value of getting a DIII baseball offer from the likes of Johns Hopkins or Williams: you don't have to suffer through the trauma of the application process in senior year!

That said, virtually all of the baseball boys we have met over the years have excellent time management skills and have been able to balance AP and honors classes with their baseball commitments. It helps that baseball is a more cerebral sport than the reactive sports of soccer, basketball, etc. Of course AP science courses are more difficult time-wise to reconcile with baseball, but this true of all sports.

Re the bolded - what in the world are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This depends on your goal.

If you seriously think your child could play D1 baseball for the likes of UVA or Alabama, then he is going to spend a lot time traveling to showcases in FL, GA, NC, NJ, etc., trying to attract the attention of college coaches. Of course, if your child is really going to play for UVA or Alabama, you would probably already know this by the end of sophomore year. Look at the commits for classes of 2023 and 2024 at Virginia Stars or Bethesda Big Train. Your son's time commitment after getting the college offer is to keep up his skills and avoid blowing out his arm.

However, if your goal is an Ivy/high academic DIII like Swarthmore, then there is less of a time commitment. Programs like Bradley Baseball Academy that focus on this market are not traveling across the country, and there are fewer showcases like Head First that focus on this market. DIII doesn't give scholarships (but they do give tuition discounts), but if you look at the college section of this forum you will see the real value of getting a DIII baseball offer from the likes of Johns Hopkins or Williams: you don't have to suffer through the trauma of the application process in senior year!

That said, virtually all of the baseball boys we have met over the years have excellent time management skills and have been able to balance AP and honors classes with their baseball commitments. It helps that baseball is a more cerebral sport than the reactive sports of soccer, basketball, etc. Of course AP science courses are more difficult time-wise to reconcile with baseball, but this true of all sports.

Re the bolded - what in the world are you talking about?

I’m not pp, but I assume what they’re referring to is that being a recruited athlete gives you earlier notification and a better chance of admission. If your goal is to attend a top tier college, being recruited to play a sport there makes the admissions cycle much less stressful.

[Anonymous]

You seriously think that a C student, non-rigorous courses, ie no APs and lousy SATs are going to get you into HA schools? Maybe if you're a phenom............but then why would you target those schools vs getting into the draft pool? P

[Anonymous]

OP (and a few others who have been chiming in), thanks for your wisdom and perspective. It’s a refreshing change from anxiety-riddled daddyball gossip. (Even when those dads are no longer coaching, they still manage to suck the oxygen out of a room. Assuming we still all stood around in rooms together.)

Do you have any opinions/info on summer baseball options for high schoolers? We’re in NoVa but can drive a bit for a good program. How do the tryouts work, and when? Should I just be checking NVTBL listings, or are there other sources of info? I’m assuming our kid’s HS coach will field a team again, but curious about other possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Stay away from the Stars organization if you can help it. Not well managed, and little to no help with recruiting. If your kid is interested in playing in college, you can do better going to camps/showcases while playing on a travel team that doesn't cost nearly as much. Make a connection at the camp/showcase/via email and then let the RC know where your team is playing. Esp before junior year attending camps like ShowBall, etc. is where you can make some contacts if you aren't focused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from the Stars organization if you can help it. Not well managed, and little to no help with recruiting. If your kid is interested in playing in college, you can do better going to camps/showcases while playing on a travel team that doesn't cost nearly as much. Make a connection at the camp/showcase/via email and then let the RC know where your team is playing. Esp before junior year attending camps like ShowBall, etc. is where you can make some contacts if you aren't focused.

How much does Stars cost for a season? My kid is playing in another organization that costs $1800/season. Trying to see how that stacks up against others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from the Stars organization if you can help it. Not well managed, and little to no help with recruiting. If your kid is interested in playing in college, you can do better going to camps/showcases while playing on a travel team that doesn't cost nearly as much. Make a connection at the camp/showcase/via email and then let the RC know where your team is playing. Esp before junior year attending camps like ShowBall, etc. is where you can make some contacts if you aren't focused.

How much does Stars cost for a season? My kid is playing in another organization that costs $1800/season. Trying to see how that stacks up against others.

We are paying $2000 total for the year. This includes uniforms (pants, four jerseys, two hats, two fleece pullovers), practice 2x a week and over 25 games in Fall including three tournaments, strength training twice a week along with 1x a week of specific baseball training in November and December, indoor baseball training 2x a week January and February, practice 3x a week starting this week through the end of July, doubleheaders or tournaments every weekend until the end of July. We considered it good value, and our son has received top notch coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This depends on your goal.

If you seriously think your child could play D1 baseball for the likes of UVA or Alabama, then he is going to spend a lot time traveling to showcases in FL, GA, NC, NJ, etc., trying to attract the attention of college coaches. Of course, if your child is really going to play for UVA or Alabama, you would probably already know this by the end of sophomore year. Look at the commits for classes of 2023 and 2024 at Virginia Stars or Bethesda Big Train. Your son's time commitment after getting the college offer is to keep up his skills and avoid blowing out his arm.

However, if your goal is an Ivy/high academic DIII like Swarthmore, then there is less of a time commitment. Programs like Bradley Baseball Academy that focus on this market are not traveling across the country, and there are fewer showcases like Head First that focus on this market. DIII doesn't give scholarships (but they do give tuition discounts), but if you look at the college section of this forum you will see the real value of getting a DIII baseball offer from the likes of Johns Hopkins or Williams: you don't have to suffer through the trauma of the application process in senior year!

That said, virtually all of the baseball boys we have met over the years have excellent time management skills and have been able to balance AP and honors classes with their baseball commitments. It helps that baseball is a more cerebral sport than the reactive sports of soccer, basketball, etc. Of course AP science courses are more difficult time-wise to reconcile with baseball, but this true of all sports.

Re the bolded - what in the world are you talking about?

I’m not pp, but I assume what they’re referring to is that being a recruited athlete gives you earlier notification and a better chance of admission. If your goal is to attend a top tier college, being recruited to play a sport there makes the admissions cycle much less stressful.

I am PP. Yes, this is exactly what I am talking about. If your goal is to get into a SLAC like Swarthmore or Amherst, then getting a baseball offer from these schools is well worth all of the hard work.

Of course, your child still has to have the grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You seriously think that a C student, non-rigorous courses, ie no APs and lousy SATs are going to get you into HA schools? Maybe if you're a phenom............but then why would you target those schools vs getting into the draft pool? P

Baseball is not going to help that kind of student get into a SLAC or Ivy. However, if they have the talent they are going to D1 or even pros (although from NOVA getting to majors is extremely rare).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from the Stars organization if you can help it. Not well managed, and little to no help with recruiting. If your kid is interested in playing in college, you can do better going to camps/showcases while playing on a travel team that doesn't cost nearly as much. Make a connection at the camp/showcase/via email and then let the RC know where your team is playing. Esp before junior year attending camps like ShowBall, etc. is where you can make some contacts if you aren't focused.

There are other programs in this area like Canes or Big Train that have contacts and exposure comparable to Stars.

I agree that if you make the contacts directly, you can get D1 interest, but a lot depends on your kid. If your kid is not already over 6 foot tall as a 15 year old and throwing in high 80s, then you need the professional help from these guys. The showcases are to expose your kid to 90+ mph pitching and 90+ exit velocity hitting, and to present your kid to D1 coaches.

For DIII, I think it is easier to go it alone. I spoke with one dad who put his kid through Bradley and Stars. He said those programs were useful but the best investment was a weekend at HeadFirst. His son got spotted and became a pitcher at a LAC in Ohio. Nevertheless, I think having the advice from a professional coach is worth the money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from the Stars organization if you can help it. Not well managed, and little to no help with recruiting. If your kid is interested in playing in college, you can do better going to camps/showcases while playing on a travel team that doesn't cost nearly as much. Make a connection at the camp/showcase/via email and then let the RC know where your team is playing. Esp before junior year attending camps like ShowBall, etc. is where you can make some contacts if you aren't focused.

How much does Stars cost for a season? My kid is playing in another organization that costs $1800/season. Trying to see how that stacks up against others.

We are on a Stars team that costs $ 1500 per season. Hotel and travel, of course, is extra. You also have to factor in the drive time to Manassas or Woodbridge for practices, as well driving to tournaments. Some teams are going to Perfect Game tournaments Louisiana and Florida, others only as far as Atlanta, and some only going as far south as VA Beach area. This will depend on your kid's perceived talent level. If your kid is rated higher, he is going to be put on a team that travels further to play against better teams.