Just one take on Travel Ball

      Everybody has an opinion on travel baseball, and its importance for making the high school or college teams in the future.  My experience with travel baseball is personal and may not be the same as somebody else.  I had two sons play travel baseball and one son who preferred recreation baseball.  All three of my boys played high school varsity baseball and one played in college.  One of my sons had a few small colleges offer, but he chose to go to a large university instead.  I would love others feedback and experiences in this area.

     The one characteristic I liked most about travel baseball was that every kid playing seemed to really want to be there.  I imagine the high cost made parents really make sure their child wanted to play.  Because of this, I believe the talent level and competition was much more stringent. Which was perfect for my oldest and youngest sons. In contrast to my other son's rec teams where some kids just had parents that wanted their kid to get some exercise, so they signed them up.  I should state however; that I somewhat expected that and totally believe little league should be for everybody. The rec baseball atmosphere was perfect for my middle son where he could play with his friends and enjoy baseball.

   Try-outs at the high school level can be very competitive at some schools and less at others.  My sons all played at small high schools, so making the high school team was not difficult.  Travel baseball's biggest strength is that most teams at the high school age train in the offseason (winter).  Over a period of a few years that can really help with skill development.  A rec league player would likely need to find a way to develop skills, especially arm strength and bat speed, as he aged to keep up.  

     I would suggest that if your son plans to play travel ball there are a few things I caution.  It is not always best to be on the best teams when you are young.  Many teams carry 15 or 16 players, and some kids sit the bench more than they play. Also some coaches play to win the tournaments, so some kids only play one position all year.  If your on a team and you only play catcher for 4 years, you will likely only learn to catch.  What happens if you get to high school try-outs and the other catcher in your grade is better?  All the trophies you win as a little guy really won't help you as a player later.  Be sure you are playing and really experiencing the whole baseball experience.  My travel teams only carried an eleven man roster, and players had to be flexible.  A few times we made the championship game, but I always ran out of pitching and often had to pitch kids with no pitching experience.  It made for some funny times.  

     If your son plays for the same coach every year I would also suggest you let him play on a different team in the fall.  I always put my sons on teams in the fall that would allow them a different experience and I could just be dad in the crowd.  My oldest was a shortstop and second baseman on his spring travel teams and high school teams.  In the fall he was lucky enough to play centerfield.  When he went to college, he was not the best shortstop on his team.  He went to the coach and said he could play in the outfield.  For the next four years, he started almost every game in the outfield.  Starting in the outfield is way better than sitting the bench.  That experience made him a valuable player.  If your son says he wants to play football or soccer in the fall, I suggest letting him.  Experiencing other coaches and developing other skills is awesome.  Plus, you only get four years.  Let them experience the most things they can. Some of my children's best sport memories are in football, wrestling, basketball, and volleyball. 

     The final point of travel ball is it is very expensive.  99.9% of kids that play travel ball will not receive a scholarship in college that totals the cost of one season of travel ball.  There is way more money in academics than baseball in college.  I suggest playing travel ball to develop and maximize your abilities if your son truly loves the game, but don't make it about the scholarship. If your son is elite and you get one, great.  I still believe the most valuable aspect of travel ball was the actual time spent in the car talking with my sons.  Very rarely about baseball.