travel baseball

 
And what are you looking for out of it ? Just games, or individual instruction, too ? Off-season stuff, too ?


There is a big difference between just playing summer games or a multi-position player getting cage work, a throwing velocity builder, strength-and-agility, cold-weather infield practice, and pitching instruction. Fall, winter, and summer, plus >50 summer games. $2.5k can be a bargain, $500 can be a rip-off.
 
cabezadecaballo said:
And what are you looking for out of it ? Just games, or individual instruction, too ? Off-season stuff, too ?


There is a big difference between just playing summer games or a multi-position player getting cage work, a throwing velocity builder, strength-and-agility, cold-weather infield practice, and pitching instruction. Fall, winter, and summer, plus >50 summer games. $2.5k can be a bargain, $500 can be a rip-off.
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+1

Make a list of what you're looking to get out of summer ball and then ask this question.
 
Most "expensive" 18 u travel teams most likely already have had their rosters set since last fall. So, at this point I would think if you could find any programs with openings, it would be for a utility, or PO type player. Often PO kids pay less. Otherwise, I would think the basic starters and core players of most teams are already set, with only an injury to one of those kids changing things.
 
What I have been seeing is more and more games, and less actual practice and instruction.

I believe if the number of games these kids are playing was scaled back and increased practice and individual instruction is better in the long run.....

But that isn't good for the moneyball these tournaments rack up.

A local team for 12 or 13 yr olds are going to ky or Tennessee for a full week this summer and of course they want all the players and families to go.

But......2 of coaches cannot go and take off a full week for it so some dads will help out.

Something wrong with that pictures
 
A good summer baseball program consists of a lot of travel to play the best national talent. This is expensive but well worth it for the exposure to college coaches. Good and cheap don't exist
 
The bottom line is once you reach the 16U and above level if you are not playing at a high level and have not been asked to play then I'm sorry...writing is on the wall...
 
My son is playing for a high level team down in SWO. His paid coach is a local high school varsity coach and his instruction is impressive. The team played fall ball and had about a dozen off season work outs. Out of 16 players on the roster, 13 are playing school ball. One is not playing due to injury. The team is going out of town five times and is playing I some very impressive tourneys. It is by far the most I have ever paid for a team not including the actual travel. It looks to be an exciting summer. The cost is substantial.
 
my son already has verbally committed he is a junior just looking for programs $1200 at most to do winter workouts and play a summer season without sacrificing level of competition is that possible?
 
You are within a few hundred of where Longhorns were at pricewise last time I heard. That was one day a week in the winter at a smallish but adequate facility and a respectable travel schedule. The Longhorns' 17u year will have the highest fee among all his age groups because it will have the most extensive tourney schedule.

Aaron DeBord is a great guy. He'll work hard for your kid to communicate with his future college coach or help him meet other coaches if your kid changes his mind on where he wants to get his education.

DeBord has a career outside of baseball. He's in baseball because he loves it. He doesn't appear to feel the need to wring every dime out of a family. But <$1200 - no.
 
Longhorns are solid if you are a D3 level player. They don’t attract the top talent in Ohio let alone NE Ohio. If you don’t want to pay a lot, get above average coaching and play in the joke that is the Diamond League sure go ahead. There are worse programs (Diamond Boys, Diamond Hit Club, Hurricanes). But the reality is if your son is an elite level player there are at least 4 maybe 5 other programs better suited (Warhawks, Lookouts, Ohio Elite, Release and probably even IVL). Sure they mean well but they aren’t equipped to serve the top players.
 
Wildcat, love your unbiased opinion about the Longhorns, and inclusion of Brownlee in the elite group of organizations. I certainly would agree with Release being a top group, and as always Ohio Elite. IVL has been an up and coming organization, with a bright future. But last time I checked over the past few seasons, the Longhorns 17/18 U group pretty much dominated the Lookouts at every turn, tournament and league play, yes league play in that weak Diamond League you speak of. More than a few kids from that group playing at D1/D2 level currently. I would think many of these teams would be a good choice for any aspiring ball player. Much of it comes down to costs for many.
 
Hit, unlike you I don’t have a son that played a couple years with the Longhorns (or any program for that matter). I just study the organizations and the proof is in the pudding. Sure the Longhorns might get lucky on occasion and send a kid 1 or 2, most of the time they inherit a kid already committed but they simply aren’t known for building that home grown player. Look around the college ranks - the programs I mentioned have the most kids not just on rosters but actually playing. If you want to win the Diamond League or some local tourneys that’s cool. But if I have an elite level player he’s not playing for the Longhorns. You bring up cost and yeah that’s a factor but every program out there will help a player in need.
This is beauty of opinions. We’ve all got them. At the end of the day it’s up to parents to do their research and make decision best for their son.
 
Wildcat, do you see any reason why we could expect the original poster to be happy about throwing $2k at Brownlees while still being expected to participate in the extra fundraisers ?

If you are a true believer, fine, but there was a set of parameters he cited that probably disqualify Brownlee for him.



If you recall, the kid is committed already and we're talking 18u, where scouts these days are fewer and most elite kids are already committed.
 
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WildcatBall123 said:
Hit, unlike you I don’t have a son that played a couple years with the Longhorns (or any program for that matter). I just study the organizations and the proof is in the pudding. Sure the Longhorns might get lucky on occasion and send a kid 1 or 2, most of the time they inherit a kid already committed but they simply aren’t known for building that home grown player. Look around the college ranks - the programs I mentioned have the most kids not just on rosters but actually playing. If you want to win the Diamond League or some local tourneys that’s cool. But if I have an elite level player he’s not playing for the Longhorns. You bring up cost and yeah that’s a factor but every program out there will help a player in need.
This is beauty of opinions. We’ve all got them. At the end of the day it’s up to parents to do their research and make decision best for their son.
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And by the way, who does this^?
 
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Would anyone else in here place Lookouts on the same level with Ohio Elite or Warhawks, as Wildcat did ? I would not.

Release seemed to have become more prominent after the Pelicans imploded. You can't argue with their recent results.

I'd expect IVL's results to become stronger now that they seem more focused on putting teams together. Who's a better pitching coach in NEO than John Ventura ? Inglett is pretty impressive if you watch and listen to him work with kids on hitting or infield, or running a game.

I've wandered in and been a fly on the wall at off-season workouts for every team I've named in this post. My sons have opposed all of those teams and played on a few. I'd place all of them above Brownlee's, myself. As far as the leaders of each club potentially advocating for my player and representing him to a college coach, I'd personally place Longhorn's DeBord right along side any of the other clubs.
 
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Have you ever had a son play for Debord? Sure he’s a great guy and means very well. But don’t act like he works harder than any of the other guys running other clubs. Harsh reality is college coaches don’t tie themselves to just nice guys. They go where talent is. When they get it once, they go back. So again yes he tries hard but doesn’t hold the same weight with decision makers that OE LE BL etc.
 
123, if your son is a Jr and committted verbally I find it hard to believe you dont know the 18 u organizations out there. Congratulations to your son. I’m not sure why a Jr would play on an 18u team this summer instead of a real good 17U team with similar D1 recruits. In NEO there is LE, Brownlee’s and everyone else at the 17U level. The numbers dont lie. OE, 1 committed 2019, IVL 0, LE at least 8, Brownlee at least 8, Longhorns 0 and Release 0, I have heard Release and OE pretty good at 2020 class/teams same with LE. Release had nothing to do with Pelicans after that program fell apart. Release first team and the team good old Rosy keeps tweeting about was a established team he inherited. That team as much as he likes to romance it did not have as many D1 players as OE Mc Nurn or LE. I’m sure IVL has some good guys and same with AD at Longhorns but if this post which I dont think was intended as 123 wrote was to really tout organizations these are the facts not opinions
 
I used to run one of the prominent travel baseball teams in Indiana. We used to charge so much and make promises of professional help. It is a great way to supplement your income in the summer months. One of the best kept secrets is to make your flyers with a Nike letterhead. Parents runt themselves when they think you are a Nike sponsored program. That letterhead itself is like a $500 payday per kid.
 
WildcatBall123 said:
Have you ever had a son play for Debord? Sure he’s a great guy and means very well. But don’t act like he works harder than any of the other guys running other clubs. Harsh reality is college coaches don’t tie themselves to just nice guys. They go where talent is. When they get it once, they go back. So again yes he tries hard but doesn’t hold the same weight with decision makers that OE LE BL etc.
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I've not had a kid play for DeBord. I know some that have. I've in no way claimed that he works harder than any of these other guys. You are inventing an argument to have with yourself. He and a few others always conduct themselves respectably, however.

I have had a couple sons recruited repeatedly by Brownlee. I've seen Paul in action for years and recently have witnessed the Simon spectacle.
 
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Another option, though not around Cleveland, would be to look at the Youngstown Class B league. Lots of good competition at the 18U level. There are teams always looking to pick up college caliber players.
 
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