What travel club would you recommend for a rising Freshman with college aspirations?

thavoice said:
If a kid plays for Midland for a few years does he have the same coach? Same teammates? I am asking because I don't know.
Maybe they don't see Midland as a main reason why they made it to where they are.

Programs like this want to take credit and in full belief that when kids are successful it is because of said program. Do they PRODUCE the great talent or does just top talent end up playing for them and don't see them as anything more than just a conduit of the success?
(You can substitute pretty much any travel organization who boast they produce a lot of big time DI and draftable talent)
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Everything you said. And the answer to your first question is that Midland has at least two 15u and 2 16u teams and IMPLY that they will pick the Midland Braves from these two teams. It kind of works that way. But there are kids form out of town on this team. the Midland Redskins are primarily made up of boys form out of town.
 
BASESWIMPARENT said:
Everything you said. And the answer to your first question is that Midland has at least two 15u and 2 16u teams and IMPLY that they will pick the Midland Braves from these two teams. It kind of works that way. But there are kids form out of town on this team. the Midland Redskins are primarily made up of boys form out of town.
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If none of their alumni come back to donate that just tells me that they just see the program as a conduit and not the reason. I presume the connection isn't there like your school or college is for many athletes. They provide a way for the kids to play against other top talent but apparently they don't feel that the development was from the coaches and programa
 
Keep in mind too that playing for an organization (especially the bigger ones) at 13U thru 15U doesn't necessarily mean you'll be playing for their "showcase" level teams at 16U and 17U. A lot of the programs list their college commitments on their websites, but a lot of those kids may have only played as little as 1 year (17U). Don't get me wrong, kids in those organizations get seen by the "right" people.....my son did it and it worked out great, but he only played full time for the organization for 1 season. By 15U, 16U and especially 17U, kids decide they are no longer interested in playing college baseball so they quit playing summer travel ball. Those orgs need to fill the teams....and the bigger ones can pick and choose who they want to play for them. If you want to be seen, a lot of kids will changes orgs after 15U to move on to one of the big boys
 
BlueDevil Backer said:
Interesting question.........

Let me start by stating no travel program gets a player recruited, its the player, his skills, and his projectability that gets a player recruited. The travel program and their connections, what tournaments they play in get the players in the right places to be seen.

With that being said, you need to first understand your son's baseball goals and what you as a parent would like to see for him. If your son wants to go out of state for school and play baseball then you need to connect with a team that travels out of town more frequently to play in high profile tournaments to get him that exposure to be seen by out of state schools. If, he wants to stay local, then opting for a travel program that tends to stay more local for their tournament more often will suffice.

You as a parent can help your kid been seen as well. Get him in front of colleges he would like to attend by attending their showcase camps. This gets him in front of the staff directly and often college coaches are exploring those fronts for recruits. PBR and Perfect game give you resources to get your kid on the radar as well and a validation service for statistics by attending one of their showcase events.

So while travel programs assist in the process and like to think they are the sole purpose of a player being recruited, it is a number of avenues that offer this exposure for players.

I would really suggest that you look at a program like others have stated in here that have a strong offseason program for development, have a tournament schedule that aligns with your son's baseball goals, do the extra things like hold their own showcases with college coaches in attendance that provide that extra exposure.

There are programs out their that offer a variety of this (i.e. Brownlee Lookouts, Lake Erie Warhawks, Bo Jackson Baseball, Ohio Elite, Release Baseball, TOPS Baseball, Ohio Longhorns, Diamond Boys, etc.)

You need to do your research and find the best fit for you son, his skill level, and his baseball goals. IMO there is no right or wrong answer here because it is really a case by case basis based on the player himself.
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Thank you Blue Devil for your response.
 
Lefty Baseball Mom said:
Thank you Blue Devil for your response.
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Blue Devil is biased!!. Surprising!! You fail to mention a program that has beaten all of these programs. DHC record at all ages is better than all of these programs. Look at the records!! Check Diamond Hit Club for tryout information. A great place to play in H.S and beyond!
 
seetheball2 said:
Blue Devil is biased!!. Surprising!! You fail to mention a program that has beaten all of these programs. DHC record at all ages is better than all of these programs. Look at the records!! Check Diamond Hit Club for tryout information. A great place to play in H.S and beyond!
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He said “etc”. I think that covers it. Jeez.
 
seetheball2 said:
Blue Devil is biased!!. Surprising!! You fail to mention a program that has beaten all of these programs. DHC record at all ages is better than all of these programs. Look at the records!! Check Diamond Hit Club for tryout information. A great place to play in H.S and beyond!
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Obviously there are too many travel programs to list and once again I reiterate you need to find the right fit for your own kid based on what his baseball goals are and being realistic of his abilities. Whatever travel program that may be is up to the player and the parent. Didn't think my post was being biased in anyway. Records are irrelevant in the equation of what is being asked. It's about playing a competitive schedule, developing your players, and getting them the right exposure to help them achieve their baseball goals. The fact that you clearly focus on wins demonstrates what your focus is on.
 
In response to seetheball2 and others who feel their program is the best, I suggest a simple internet search. Simply go to anyone of these of these travel organizations sites, where they typically have a list of their college recruited players & the school they committed to. Now, understand that many org like to list any kid who may have only played even but one season with them, among other travel teams. As an example, the DHC has approximately 45 plus players & their colleges listed. A little research checking these schools baseball rosters, and the years these kids committed, finds that more than half of those kids are not on those respective rosters during the years listed. I imagine they could have quit, transferred, been cut, etc. As with other organizations, some of these kids never even make it to the school they committed to, let alone to the baseball program. The vast majority of the kids were D3, Juco, or what appears to be NAIA. Few if any D1 recruits. Now, playing any level of college baseball is a fine accomplishment, but don't go bragging how you are the best in helping kids get recruited by colleges and beyond. Those claims simply aren't true. Really, beyond college ball to pro ball? How many professional baseball graduates from the DHC are there? Organizations such as Ohio Elite, Release, Ohio Longhorns, Brownlee, have had success in getting kids recruited to quality college programs. In fact, I believe Ohio Elite was able to get every kid from their 2016 class recruited. The numbers don't lie, so just do a little research on your own.
 
Hitnrun you are mistaken!! There are many players on each one of the clubs you mentioned that had "zero" impact on getting them into college!! Do your homework before you make those outlandish claims!! DHC has done more in a shorter period time than most! Diamond Hit Club "Powered by Adidas" will be hosting tryouts and the times are listed on this page. Come join an organization that works hard to do it the right way!
 
seetheball2 said:
Hitnrun you are mistaken!! There are many players on each one of the clubs you mentioned that had "zero" impact on getting them into college!! Do your homework before you make those outlandish claims!! DHC has done more in a shorter period time than most! Diamond Hit Club "Powered by Adidas" will be hosting tryouts and the times are listed on this page. Come join an organization that works hard to do it the right way!
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You are drunk. Go away. Your posts are literally the worst. Tom is it hard to go back and forth between this account and the actual DHC account?
 
The question has to be what are your goals. If your son wants to play at the college level, wins and losses simply do not matter whatsoever at the high school level in travel baseball. It may be important to win in life, but it is at the bottom of the list of priorities when it comes to accomplishing a players goals. Skill development, playing against the best competition possible, physical growth, and empowering kids to lead and take charge are all more important.

Do your homework about how these programs operate and what they prioritize, do not simply read twitter. Do they play a schedule that will push their players, or do they play mostly local, easy to win tournaments to brag about records? For the biggest commitments in their program, were the kids committed before they ever got there, or did the organization help them develop and market them to the college staff? Does the organization simply claim they 'develop players', or do they have a plan for their players that is laid out and communicated? Do they have a home base and put a stress on physical and skill development in the offseason, or do they start workouts a month or two before the high school season?

All of these are questions you must ask and receive answers to. Figure out what your priorities are, figure out which organization is going to do the most to empower your son, and align him with them! Remember, travel organizations do not get your son offers, your son earns himself offers. It is up to him to work for it, there is no magic potion. Any organization that claims they can 'get your son offers', run the other way as fast as you can. All that these organizations can do is open doors and give your son direction and guidance. It is up to him to pursue it. Happy hunting. Also, Diamond Hit Club is just a bad joke...lol.
 
To be quite honest, many teams boast coaches 'with college experience' and to be honest that doesn't mean a whole lot to me. A lot of kids go onto play college baseball and don't have a clue on how to teach the mechanics of the game. Unless one is a teacher of the game of baseball, then it doesn't resonate a whole lot with me.

Ive seen teams who boast their coach is a former college pitcher. Great. Can he teach and effectively pass along the mechanics, techniques of the game? Some can, many cannot and I have found oftentimes they are out of touch with the rest of the game in terms of INF, OF, baserunning and hitting as often times they are in their own little pitching world with the rest of the hurlers. I would look at his coaching experience over his playing experience

As others have said, seek a team who will face stout competition, and the most important thing is HE GETS TO PLAY! I would rather be a starter and play every day on a .250 club than an utility guy, spot starter on a .750 team.
 
seetheball2, some questions:

What is the DHC team fee for 17u in the coming year, training and game/tourney play ? What about the 14u fee ?

How many position and/or two way players on each roster ?

Are players asked to sign a contract ?

Are players discouraged/forbidden from also playing on other teams ?

Are there any extra fundraisers required over and above the fee that is paid ?

What is the winter training schedule ?

Who is the lead pitching coach ? who is the lead hitting coach ?

Is there a club facility at which team members may work on their own beyond the scheduled training sessions ?

Are there team practices during the summer season ? If so, how many anticipated ?



seetheball, let's see if we can see you as having any ____. Put the facts out there.
 
DHC then is posting inaccurate info on their site regarding their success in placing players in college baseball programs? Oh, the horror. It doesn't take a genius to debunk these ridiculous claims and related info, especially it's right there on their website, listing the kids and the schools they apparently played for. The listings aren't close to being accurate. So quit claiming them to be so. Ridiculous.
 
cabezadecaballo said:
seetheball2, some questions:

What is the DHC team fee for 17u in the coming year, training and game/tourney play ? What about the 14u fee ?

How many position and/or two way players on each roster ?

Are players asked to sign a contract ?

Are players discouraged/forbidden from also playing on other teams ?

Are there any extra fundraisers required over and above the fee that is paid ?

What is the winter training schedule ?

Who is the lead pitching coach ? who is the lead hitting coach ?

Is there a club facility at which team members may work on their own beyond the scheduled training sessions ?

Are there team practices during the summer season ? If so, how many anticipated ?



seetheball, let's see if we can see you as having any ____. Put the facts out there.
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Good questions to ask any organization you are interested in
 
Hitnrun said:
DHC then is posting inaccurate info on their site regarding their success in placing players in college baseball programs? Oh, the horror. It doesn't take a genius to debunk these ridiculous claims and related info, especially it's right there on their website, listing the kids and the schools they apparently played for. The listings aren't close to being accurate. So quit claiming them to be so. Ridiculous.
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As far as claims about having kids move onto the next level, how does one really quantify that? Is it just someone who played in that organization for one year and you can put that on the organization bio?
Hell, I ve coached a number of kids who went onto play in college, a couple drafted, and while it is cool it isn't something I use to sell myself when I coach and such. I find it more like they make it to where they are on their talent!
 
Maybe things aren’t so bad? ?‍♀️
Also, 15u is apparently a good age to play for Midland.
www.perfectgame.org

Midland carries proud legacy

Aaron Blum and the Midland Tribe cruised through pool play at the WWBA 15u National Championship with a pristine 7-0 record. Part of a proud organization, now they get a crack at history.
www.perfectgame.org www.perfectgame.org
 
Baseballmom13 said:
Maybe things aren’t so bad? ?‍♀️
Also, 15u is apparently a good age to play for Midland.
www.perfectgame.org

Midland carries proud legacy

Aaron Blum and the Midland Tribe cruised through pool play at the WWBA 15u National Championship with a pristine 7-0 record. Part of a proud organization, now they get a crack at history.
www.perfectgame.org www.perfectgame.org
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and got run ruled in their 1st bracket game. Different models down South. Most Cincy area teams lose in their first bracket game. Must be very deep. Probably would be better off they combined both teams for that tourney especially for pitchers
 
BASESWIMPARENT said:
and got run ruled in their 1st bracket game. Different models down South. Most Cincy area teams lose in their first bracket game. Must be very deep. Probably would be better off they combined both teams for that tourney especially for pitchers
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BASESWIMPARENT said:
and got run ruled in their 1st bracket game. Different models down South. Most Cincy area teams lose in their first bracket game. Must be very deep. Probably would be better off they combined both teams for that tourney especially for pitchers
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Nah, you dance with who you brought to the party.
 
BASESWIMPARENT said:
and got run ruled in their 1st bracket game. Different models down South. Most Cincy area teams lose in their first bracket game. Must be very deep. Probably would be better off they combined both teams for that tourney especially for pitchers
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My point is not about winning, per se. The fact is, they were at a very good event. They did compete. And believe me, they know how to handle their pitchers. When it comes time for the big stage, any worthy pitcher in the org will be ready to go.
 
can we turn the page here? We get it lady, your son played 1 year at Midland. it was awesome. woo hoo. reality is Midland is not for everyone. the original question was about travel baseball in NE OHIO. If this kid was good enough for Midland, they'd know about him and she would not be asking this question.
 
WildcatBall123 said:
can we turn the page here? We get it lady, your son played 1 year at Midland. it was awesome. woo hoo. reality is Midland is not for everyone. the original question was about travel baseball in NE OHIO. If this kid was good enough for Midland, they'd know about him and she would not be asking this question.
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I think the OP asked about northern Ohio teams. Midland is south. But still an option due to the fact that kids can stay with a host family. So this is an option for any kid no matter where they live is my point. There are pros and cons to playing for Midland as for any org. Isn’t that what this thread is about? Edit to add: I don’t know why I even waste my time responding to you, especially when you failed to respond to my last question to you. Troll.
 
thePITman said:
I feel like travel baseball is turning into AAU basketball; not just with the quickly increasing quantity of teams but also the bickering among fans. ROFL
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Also quickly decreasing quality of the product on display in both areas.
 
I agree many programs are diluted! Clubs or so called organizations have multiple teams and it is a money grab. DHC does it differently!!. If you are tired of the drama & not sure if your on the A or B or C team?? Come join the Diamond Hit Club Organization!!. DHC is the official team of Adidas.
 
Of course it is a money grab. For many, it is a business. I can name three or programs that have franchised themselves. You have to have multiple teams to compete at the highest of the highest level or you will not have enough pitching on Sunday. What somebody needs to ask themselves is what do they want out of program, prioritize and find that organization that matches your priorities.. After being involved with multiple orgs as a parent and a coach, I can say that that priority changes depending what age group you are in. In high school, get away from parents being involved and find a program that has a meaningful individual development program. Some orgs help with recruiting. Some orgs don't. But the least important is an orgs record. It simply does not matter in the long run
 
If your son/daughter has the skills that college recruiters are looking for, it's just not true any longer saying that they will be discovered no matter where or who they play for. All of these tournaments can be a grind for parents and players. But if your child truly has the potential & skill to play at a mid to high level of college baseball, it's important that their team be competitive enough to advance thru the meaningless mid week pool play games, and guarantee them a spot among the final weekend participants. Otherwise, most teams end up going home before the weekend after playing their guaranteed 3/4 games. The majority of these recruiters show up on the weekend, because they know the best team and players are participating. Now, if your goal isn't so much going after a higher level college roster spot, then there are many other options available among many similar organizations. At the D3 level, there are no athletic scholarships and it's not uncommon for teams to keep up to 50 kids on the roster. D3 coaches can add, subtract players at will w/out any consequences. Kids can also freely transfer from one D3 program to another w/out any consequences. Thus, that means more opportunities for kids not able to play at a higher level. Guess it all depends what you and your child are looking for. Not every travel baseball player is going to play college baseball, even though so many of these organizations want you as parents to believe that is a real possibility. It's just not true for many kids.
 
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