2019 Little League Thread

[pepper brooks 580]

MIght as well.  WULL has try outs on Saturday.  Seems early, but ready to get the kiddo back at it.  

[MAROON 445]

Froze my butt off on Wallin many a year during tryouts.  Fun Stuff!

[pepper brooks 580]

45 minutes ago, MAROON said:

Froze my butt off on Wallin many a year during tryouts.  Fun Stuff!

those days are over.  THey have moved them to break away speed and the hitting academy, so it's all indoors now.  

[MAROON 445]

19 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

those days are over.  THey have moved them to break away speed and the hitting academy, so it's all indoors now.  

we did that when it rained.  Had never even heard of The Hitting Academy - just looked it up.  Where the heck is everyone going to park for tryouts?  that place is tiny.

[Mez2 4025]

my son's finally playing this season - we're going the tee ball route to start, but looking forward to getting out there with him. we're in oaks dad's club - I know it's not "little league" but whatever, super pumped. I bought him an a marucci tee ball ash bat, lol. 

Sugar Land Little League, for life. 

[pepper brooks 580]

6 hours ago, MAROON said:

we did that when it rained.  Had never even heard of The Hitting Academy - just looked it up.  Where the heck is everyone going to park for tryouts?  that place is tiny.

There’s a big parking lot there that they share with Walgreens and the rest of the strip.  It’s not an issue. 

[Beau Vine 54435]

Wait, isn't it January???

[BrazilHorn 6634]

Have two boys at Western Hills. One in last year (majors) and one in first year of kid pitch. 

Tryouts last week went well. Hard to believe looking at weather everywhere else it’s already baseball season. 

Here’s to another year. 

[chitwood 155]

2 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

Have two boys at Western Hills. One in last year (majors) and one in first year of kid pitch. 

Tryouts last week went well. Hard to believe looking at weather everywhere else it’s already baseball season. 

Here’s to another year. 

Boooooo Western Hills.  Just kidding.  Son played at NWLL for 8 years and NW Pony for 2 years after that.  Hard to believe I've been done with baseball for two years.  Enjoy it while you can.

[wood 11268]

On 1/31/2019 at 10:42 AM, chitwood said:

Boooooo Western Hills.  Just kidding.  Son played at NWLL for 8 years and NW Pony for 2 years after that.  Hard to believe I've been done with baseball for two years.  Enjoy it while you can.

Yeah my youngest 'played up' in Manchaca Pony Fall ball, & now they've changed the cutoff, so he gets to play up this year in Pony again as a 12 yo, and then his normal 13 & 14 yo years in Pony as well. So I have 3 more years as an assistant coach for his team. It gets crazy busy, but I know I'll miss it when it's over.

Edited February 3, 2019 by wood

[jkates 316]

Though not true LL, evaluations for my son's league (SBMSA in Houston) run this Thursday-Sunday (2/7-10). We "get" to sit around and watch 400+ 9 and 10-year-olds take hacks, run, field, throw, and pitch. Then next week, we will draft them all into ~37 teams. Practices can start on 2/24. Ready or not, here it comes....

[pepper brooks 580]

18 hours ago, jkates said:

Though not true LL, evaluations for my son's league (SBMSA in Houston) run this Thursday-Sunday (2/7-10). We "get" to sit around and watch 400+ 9 and 10-year-olds take hacks, run, field, throw, and pitch. Then next week, we will draft them all into ~37 teams. Practices can start on 2/24. Ready or not, here it comes....

That’s a huge number. Good luck with all that. 

My soons to be 11 year old got drafted up to majors. We start practice this week. Doesn’t appear his team is going to be very good.  He will have to focus on simply getting better and staying ready for all-stars. 

[pepper brooks 580]

After tournament ball season we started hitting the USA bat yesterday, and my lord the difference is truly stunning.  He actually likes the USA bat this year.  He's hitting the USA version of the Demarini CF Zen.  That's also the USSSA bat he uses.  He says they actually feel the same and it doesn't vibrate the shit out of his hands.  That said, the exit velocity between the two bats is very noticeable.  He easily drives the ball out of the yard at Wallin (WULL field many will know), but has yet to do it with a USA bat.  He's hit the fence a couple of times on shots that easily would have gone out with another bat.  

[wood 11268]

7 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

After tournament ball season we started hitting the USA bat yesterday, and my lord the difference is truly stunning.  He actually likes the USA bat this year.  He's hitting the USA version of the Demarini CF Zen.  That's also the USSSA bat he uses.  He says they actually feel the same and it doesn't vibrate the shit out of his hands.  That said, the exit velocity between the two bats is very noticeable.  He easily drives the ball out of the yard at Wallin (WULL field many will know), but has yet to do it with a USA bat.  He's hit the fence a couple of times on shots that easily would have gone out with another bat.  

Yep. Just wait til he moves to BBCOR for High School. That's a real wake up call.

[BrazilHorn 6634]

I am excited. WHLL has a round robin tournament starting the 25th to kick off the season and I am actually in town for once. I will be able to see some games whereas typically I miss any weekday ones.

LL games start soon!

 

Edited February 15, 2019 by BrazilHorn

[Mez2 4025]

just signed up to be a head coach for my son's teeball team this year. not sure what i signed up for but should be entertaining, in a manner of speaking

[Scooter Monzingo 821]

7 hours ago, Mez2 said:

just signed up to be a head coach for my son's teeball team this year. not sure what i signed up for but should be entertaining, in a manner of speaking

That is where I started. And continued to do it for 25 years. Trying to get a group of kids to Williamsport can be addictive. Getting there was one of my (very few)  accomplishments. 

To this day I run into kids around town who remember me. They are of course grown with families, now coaching their own kids.  

I still have everyone of my score books. It was my way of dealing with the stress of it all. I can’t even watch a baseball game without keeping score, even if I’m just noting it down on a napkin. But it is a hell of a way to spend your time.

[pepper brooks 580]

we are playing tonight.  gonna be a cold MOFO.  Hard to believe these kids are going to have any fun.  Luckily we played our first game already and my son isn't available to pitch tonight since he pitched that one.  

[wood 11268]

1 hour ago, pepper brooks said:

we are playing tonight.  gonna be a cold MOFO.  Hard to believe these kids are going to have any fun.  Luckily we played our first game already and my son isn't available to pitch tonight since he pitched that one.  

Yeah our games last night and tonight have been cancelled ...

[BrazilHorn 6634]

18 hours ago, wood said:

Yeah our games last night and tonight have been cancelled ...

My youngest son game last night canceled as well. He was devastated. 

Oldest is still on for tonight AFAIK

[Mez2 4025]

had our first practice last night, 4-6 year olds at TC Jester Park. most have never played, this'll be fun. the way i figure it they can only get better from yesterday moving forward. 

 

[pepper brooks 580]

10 minutes ago, Mez2 said:

had our first practice last night, 4-6 year olds at TC Jester Park. most have never played, this'll be fun. the way i figure it they can only get better from yesterday moving forward. 

 

if it makes you feel any better, our majors team of 11-12 year olds looks like most of them have never played before either.  I don't get how kids, most of whom have played baseball for since they were 5, can be so fucking terrible 6-7 years later.  

[BrazilHorn 6634]

22 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

if it makes you feel any better, our majors team of 11-12 year olds looks like most of them have never played before either.  I don't get how kids, most of whom have played baseball for since they were 5, can be so fucking terrible 6-7 years later.  

I have a kid on majors and seeing kids still "Ole" ground balls and not closing glove with off hand on pop flys 7 years into baseball drives me bananas. It'll drive you crazy if you let it.

[pepper brooks 580]

49 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

I have a kid on majors and seeing kids still "Ole" ground balls and not closing glove with off hand on pop flys 7 years into baseball drives me bananas. It'll drive you crazy if you let it.

hell most of ours don't even go for the ball.  Lazy fly ball to left last night.  Easy can of corn fly, but LF maybe would have had to move 10-15 feet.  He just kinda sat there eyeing it as though someone else should call it and catch it.  He finally decided he should maybe make his move, ran about 5 steps, stopped, and let the thing just hit the ground.  Unreal.  

[wood 11268]

Yeah it's pretty tough to watch some of these kids seemingly never progress at all, while my 12 & 15 yo have only played on teams for 3 years and were both among the best players on their teams within 1 season and have been all-stars ever since . Some kids clearly are only out there because mom or dad want them there, so they don't ever get better. Some think they're MLBers already & are basically uncoachable 'cause they know everything. Some rarely make it to practice, so they're clueless. Then you have the kids who've never played before but think at 13 it's a good time to start ... and as a coach you have to play 'em.

Edited March 6, 2019 by wood

[Spaulding Smails 1555]

My 11 YO son is playing select ball for the first time this year.  We resisted it for as long as possible, but there was just too much attrition from rec league.  We stopped by the 12U rec field last week when dropping off my daughter for practice.  It was pretty sad.  Any kid with a semblance of talent has migrated to select, so rec league is full of kids as described above who have never played before or struggle with the basics.  It's a damn shame, and I hated to get away from that communal atmosphere, but it was time for a change.

That being said, we had a tournament two weeks ago, and it exposed my biggest fears about the stereotypical aspects of select ball.  His team lost both games in pool play and the knock-out game Sunday.  Two of the three games were close and they lost both in the last inning.  Just not enough pitching to close games out.  Here's the gamut of stereotypes we encountered:

Game 1:  300-lb diabetic east-coast guido coach sitting at the end of the dugout barking orders at his assistants and belittling kids.  He called a pick-off play at second that caught one of our guys napping, and you would've thought he just cured cancer.

Game 2:  Played a 12U AAA team (son's team is a AA 11U).  They were slaughtered.  12-0 after the first.  Prick 12U coach kept swiping bags and moving runners up on passed balls even when it was 15-0.  Mercy rule after 3 innings, but infuriating to see a coach pile it on with total lack of respect for the game.

Game 3:  Encountered the forehead-vein bulging coach dressed with baseball pants and stirrups like he's going to suit up.  His kids had wristbands on for signals.  In baseball.  Wristbands.  Took 20-30 seconds between pitches to get the signal from the coach then glance down at the wristband before getting in the box.  No better when they were in the field.  Relaying signals to the catcher so he can signal the pitcher.  No discernible difference in pitches, so no clue if he was trying to call pitches or locations or what.  It was such a waste of time.  Then, he yanks a kid out of the game mid-inning for missing a grounder.  The dude was so over the top.  

I'm all for ramping up the coaching as kids get older, and I get it if that's your job, but the level of ass-hattedness confirmed all of my worst fears about select ball.  

[Mez2 4025]

yeah, i'm holding out on select ball for a couple more year until we have to migrate that way. i have a few friends I grew up with who are coaching these teams or in charge of these teams, so I'm familiar with their style and how they operate but the above is pretty much every stereotype of select ball imaginable. 

 

[wood 11268]

We haven't done select ball at all, and I think this shit is completely ruining all youth sports. That said, I'm considering putting my oldest (15) in select ball this fall. He just tried out for Bowie as a freshman. There were about 60 kids trying out for about 20 or so spots in JV2 (which is basically a freshman team). It went pretty much as I expected, as he's still relatively raw, having played only 3 years. There were 4 or 5 guys who stood out and you knew would make the team. There were about the same number who you knew wouldn't make it. And then there was a big group in the middle with very similar overall skillsets. He didn't make it, but I made sure he went to Coach later to find out why he didn't make it & what he needed to work on. Basically it was pretty much what I thought ... coach said he has all the tools, likes his arm, etc, and he was very close to making it but was edged out by guys with less physical ability but more experience on competitive teams. Coach said he should find a competitive team to play on and try again next year.

My kid is a 15 yo 6' 3" freshman, still growing, and a hard thrower. He throws strikes and has overpowered 14u 'select' teams that our rec team played, even when he was  13. They couldn't hit him, and the few they got a bat on him were way late. They knew what was coming, too. He was throwing exclusively gas. But he's definitely raw and just needs a lot of reps and better pitching coaching than I can give. He's also good at 1B for a righty. He's very long and can make the shorthops, but he needs work on his footwork. And he's good in the outfield. He can hit hard but needs more contact. As is often the case with really tall guys, he has a long swing and shortening it up has been a major challenge. 

I really feel like he could make the team just on his pitching if he develops a good change and a serviceable slider or curve. His slider moves a lot. He just needs to polish it. The coach I assist on my younger boy's team now also umpires and has ump'd several Bowie JV2 games this year. He's also caught my older boy a few times and says none of the Bowie JV2 boys throw as hard, but they're all more experienced and have 3 pitches they can throw in the game.

Would y'all pony up the $$ for a select team in this situation?

Disclaimer: I am NOT the guy who thinks his kid is the next Nolan Ryan. I'd just like for him to have a decent shot at making the HS team if that's what he wants.

Edited March 6, 2019 by wood

[pacman 7371]

Quote

He's also caught my older boy a few times and says none of the Bowie JV2 boys throw as hard, but they're all more experienced and have 3 pitches they can throw in the game.

Sounds like he just needs work and experience tossing/locating the ball with his pitches. If you can catch or buy a net, you will get more value out of reps and maybe a specific pitching coach for mechanics.

Let's be honest about "select" teams across all sports. 90% of the time you are just paying for being placed with other, more talented players but you get little to nothing out of the coaching. Most of "select sports" is match.com for young athletes.

 

You might be lucky and have a really good club around you but those are way too few. You would have to really research the history of development for the pitchers of the club to get anything of value imo.

[htownjd 43]

how old were your kids when y'all first started playing catch etc? i got a 14 month old who's walking around. thinking ahead to when the fun starts.

[wood 11268]

7 minutes ago, pacman said:

Sounds like he just needs work and experience tossing/locating the ball with his pitches. If you can catch or buy a net, you will get more value out of reps and maybe a specific pitching coach for mechanics.

Let's be honest about "select" teams across all sports. 90% of the time you are just paying for being placed with other, more talented players but you get little to nothing out of the coaching. Most of "select sports" is match.com for young athletes.

 

You might be lucky and have a really good club around you but those are way too few. You would have to really research the history of development for the pitchers of the club to get anything of value imo.

Thanks. Yeah I've considered this kind of route as well. I really am hoping he can just get his foot in the door because he's still growing, getting stronger, etc. He hasn't even really learned how to pitch yet and already throws good stuff that most kids can't catch up with. I think in the right environment he could really take off and has tremendous upside. Gotta get him there tho...

We have a net that he & his brother throw and hit into, and I can catch him. I think I wanna get a mask tho for that. He's throwing hard enough now that I'd better not take any chances at my age.

Edited March 6, 2019 by wood

[pacman 7371]

More recent locals can correct me but Huston always spoke highly of David Smart, who worked with him on pitching. He is still around I believe, might be worth a google and a conversation.

[wood 11268]

4 minutes ago, pacman said:

More recent locals can correct me but Huston always spoke highly of David Smart, who worked with him on pitching. He is still around I believe, might be worth a google and a conversation.

Are you hacking my laptop? I literally just came back here from looking at that website and watching Etier's video lol...

Yeah I'm gonna look into them some more, for both my boys. 

[pepper brooks 580]

3 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

My 11 YO son is playing select ball for the first time this year.  We resisted it for as long as possible, but there was just too much attrition from rec league.  We stopped by the 12U rec field last week when dropping off my daughter for practice.  It was pretty sad.  Any kid with a semblance of talent has migrated to select, so rec league is full of kids as described above who have never played before or struggle with the basics.  It's a damn shame, and I hated to get away from that communal atmosphere, but it was time for a change.

That being said, we had a tournament two weeks ago, and it exposed my biggest fears about the stereotypical aspects of select ball.  His team lost both games in pool play and the knock-out game Sunday.  Two of the three games were close and they lost both in the last inning.  Just not enough pitching to close games out.  Here's the gamut of stereotypes we encountered:

Game 1:  300-lb diabetic east-coast guido coach sitting at the end of the dugout barking orders at his assistants and belittling kids.  He called a pick-off play at second that caught one of our guys napping, and you would've thought he just cured cancer.

Game 2:  Played a 12U AAA team (son's team is a AA 11U).  They were slaughtered.  12-0 after the first.  Prick 12U coach kept swiping bags and moving runners up on passed balls even when it was 15-0.  Mercy rule after 3 innings, but infuriating to see a coach pile it on with total lack of respect for the game.

Game 3:  Encountered the forehead-vein bulging coach dressed with baseball pants and stirrups like he's going to suit up.  His kids had wristbands on for signals.  In baseball.  Wristbands.  Took 20-30 seconds between pitches to get the signal from the coach then glance down at the wristband before getting in the box.  No better when they were in the field.  Relaying signals to the catcher so he can signal the pitcher.  No discernible difference in pitches, so no clue if he was trying to call pitches or locations or what.  It was such a waste of time.  Then, he yanks a kid out of the game mid-inning for missing a grounder.  The dude was so over the top.  

I'm all for ramping up the coaching as kids get older, and I get it if that's your job, but the level of ass-hattedness confirmed all of my worst fears about select ball.  

we play select ball in the fall (my son is 11 and plays on an 11AAA team, and a 12U AA team), and Little League in the spring to keep a balance.  Our Little League is such a huge part of our neighborhood you pretty much have to play because all the kids from the tournament team play Little League.  Our Little League is one of, if not the largest in the country despite a relatively small neighborhood. 

I've seen all of what you described above.  It's unreal.  you always know when "baseball" guy is there.  He has the requisite 55 pounds of beer gut, 100% has a goatee and some form of Oakley style shades to go along with his surly attitude and no fewer than 3 tattoos.  They're usually pretty friendly after the game if they have won.  If you get to where you can beat them, and our team beats those kinds of teams regularly, they absolutely disparage, belittle, and chastise everyone around them.  Out at BBUSA in Houston what I have just described is the RULE and not the exception.  It's even worse down south at Big League Dreams where you combine an even more league City redneck version of "baseball guy" with a full bar.  We won't even play down there anymore.  

 

I once saw a dude give a kid (happened to be his son) a steal sign.  Kid takes off to 2nd, batter hits a smashed line drive to the 1B who catches it basically standing on the bag to double the kid off.  Keep in mind they're up on us by 6-8 runs.  This is a team my son plays on so he can play up in age, not his normal team.  anyway, dude absolutely goes batshit, ballistic bonkers on the kid to the point where after berating him all the way back to the dug and into the dug out, he took the kids bag out of the dug out, threw the kid against the fence, and made him sit outside and think about his mistake.  What the mistake was, I have no idea.  It's called baseball, and the coach is the dumbass that had a hit and run on, up big IN A SEED GAME.   Here he is.  For those who are not aware this is the ultimate "baseball guy".

Edited March 6, 2019 by pepper brooks

[pepper brooks 580]

2 hours ago, wood said:

We haven't done select ball at all, and I think this shit is completely ruining all youth sports. That said, I'm considering putting my oldest (15) in select ball this fall. He just tried out for Bowie as a freshman. There were about 60 kids trying out for about 20 or so spots in JV2 (which is basically a freshman team). It went pretty much as I expected, as he's still relatively raw, having played only 3 years. There were 4 or 5 guys who stood out and you knew would make the team. There were about the same number who you knew wouldn't make it. And then there was a big group in the middle with very similar overall skillsets. He didn't make it, but I made sure he went to Coach later to find out why he didn't make it & what he needed to work on. Basically it was pretty much what I thought ... coach said he has all the tools, likes his arm, etc, and he was very close to making it but was edged out by guys with less physical ability but more experience on competitive teams. Coach said he should find a competitive team to play on and try again next year.

My kid is a 15 yo 6' 3" freshman, still growing, and a hard thrower. He throws strikes and has overpowered 14u 'select' teams that our rec team played, even when he was  13. They couldn't hit him, and the few they got a bat on him were way late. They knew what was coming, too. He was throwing exclusively gas. But he's definitely raw and just needs a lot of reps and better pitching coaching than I can give. He's also good at 1B for a righty. He's very long and can make the shorthops, but he needs work on his footwork. And he's good in the outfield. He can hit hard but needs more contact. As is often the case with really tall guys, he has a long swing and shortening it up has been a major challenge. 

I really feel like he could make the team just on his pitching if he develops a good change and a serviceable slider or curve. His slider moves a lot. He just needs to polish it. The coach I assist on my younger boy's team now also umpires and has ump'd several Bowie JV2 games this year. He's also caught my older boy a few times and says none of the Bowie JV2 boys throw as hard, but they're all more experienced and have 3 pitches they can throw in the game.

Would y'all pony up the $$ for a select team in this situation?

Disclaimer: I am NOT the guy who thinks his kid is the next Nolan Ryan. I'd just like for him to have a decent shot at making the HS team if that's what he wants.

I'd pony up for some pitching lessons to teach him the proper mechanics to preserve his power arm, and instruct him how to throw a curve and change up properly if he really wants to do it.  I would then find a select team that won't blow up his arm.  There are many different ways these things are run.  

 

Our 11U AAA team we have "Saturday" pitchers and "sunday" pitchers.  we don't really care about what happens in the seed games so we have our back end guys throw those games.  If we are the 8 seed playing the one Sunday morning we are fine playing the 1 seed early, using our best arm for that game, and then cruising as the games get easier since the 1 seed is gone.  It has served us well, but we make sure everyone pitches.  We have a paid coach who is given a directive on the goals of the team and given guidelines on how it should run.  There is an oversight committee that makes sure the principles are being followed.  we don't let kids get over thrown.  We only take 11 to tournaments, nobody sits more than one consecutive inning, everyone plays an infield position for some time on Saturday, we only roster bat (never only bat 9 with subs), and then tighten things up on sunday where the best kids at positions play them pretty exclusively, and then outfielders rotate in and out.  Everyone always bats on sundays too.  It's reasonably well done.  Parents don't bitch about playing time nor positions and a team atmosphere is fostered.  It works.  I have also seen it done really really poorly.  Just find a good atmosphere and program if you're going to go the tournament team route and your kid is a pitcher.  

[troph 24911]

well last year I made the half-assed comment I'd like to be a coach.  one of you, can't remember told me to just do it.  well, my 12 year old's coach caught me on the first day of practice and asked me what I wanted my son to learn from this season of baseball and I went on this mini-rant about grit, determination, follow-through, seeing progress after hard work and he stopped me, noticed I was fairly athletic and asked if I knew anything about baseball.  I said, "well, yeah, I know the game, it's the best game ever played." and he asked me to coach.  first game tomorrow.  last practice I was teaching the boys cover responsibility on second base depending on where the ball was hit.  not the most difficult technique or concepts but there I was on the field pointing and talking and the kiddos with eyes on me listening.  It was fucking glorious.  so I guess tomorrow's the big day.

[torre 1286]

10 hours ago, troph said:

well last year I made the half-assed comment I'd like to be a coach.  one of you, can't remember told me to just do it.  well, my 12 year old's coach caught me on the first day of practice and asked me what I wanted my son to learn from this season of baseball and I went on this mini-rant about grit, determination, follow-through, seeing progress after hard work and he stopped me, noticed I was fairly athletic and asked if I knew anything about baseball.  I said, "well, yeah, I know the game, it's the best game ever played." and he asked me to coach.  first game tomorrow.  last practice I was teaching the boys cover responsibility on second base depending on where the ball was hit.  not the most difficult technique or concepts but there I was on the field pointing and talking and the kiddos with eyes on me listening.  It was fucking glorious.  so I guess tomorrow's the big day.

Seems to be a great coach.    That is a great question and a great reply from you.    Good luck this year !

btw everyone,  this is a great thread.  Takes me back to yesteryear.   😊

[F250 28823]

On 2/6/2019 at 5:01 PM, wood said:

Yep. Just wait til he moves to BBCOR for High School. That's a real wake up call.

Truth. My eldest son had an Easton XL1 -5 Power Brigade for 14U when the bats first came out. He passed it on to my other son that used it for 13U/14U a couple of years later. By the time the second son got the bat, it was broken in and had a big pop to it which made the thing a rocket launcher.

In 8th grade he also played Middle School baseball for school which follows UIL rules so BBCOR only. With the drop 5 he was hitting home runs on high school fields and with the BBCOR he was hitting doubles. Huge difference in performance. He ended switching to BBCOR for both 14U and school baseball because it was time to lose the training wheels. He was 16 by the time he hit a "real" homerun with a BBCOR.

 

[F250 28823]

On 3/6/2019 at 11:51 AM, wood said:

Would y'all pony up the $$ for a select team in this situation?

Most definitely! It is necessary. At this age it isn't select baseball anymore, it's summer baseball and works a lot differently than the standard youth baseball tournaments. 17/18 U is just Show Case ball but even though 16U doesn't do real show cases it works the same way. No Saturday pool play with elimination games on Sunday. These are usually spread out over 3 to 4 days. There is a lot of rotating players so different guys can demonstrate their stuff or work on improving certain aspects of their game. Summer baseball is absolutely necessary for development.

Most programs hold tryouts in December for Summer slots.

Also, Fall Baseball is a must too but that is less intense. A decent wood bat league in the fall will do fine. A lot of high schools have fall teams which are really cheap and usually made up of the previous years freshman team and a volunteer coach. Not the best but better than nothing.

As far as a 15U team in the Spring? It's not a must have but Summer is a must. For the most part 15U baseball isn't very good and there are not very many teams out there. Hire an instructor for the Spring.

 

[F250 28823]

Today was opening day in our league. My daughter 8 is playing machine pitch. We decided to skip softball for the season. She hit 3 doubles and an infield home run. Caught a flyball and threw out several runners when she was playing SS. Great day of baseball.

 

[torre 1286]

Posted here also in case you guys don't read the other threads.     Weather not promising,  59 degree high, 13mph North wind, 50% chance of showers.      https://texassports.com/news/2019/3/26/baseball-hosts-free-youth-clinic-sunday-march-31.aspx

 

Texas Athletics and the Texas Baseball staff and student-athletes invite you and your little ones to take part in the Longhorns Kids Clinic following Sunday's game against Xavier.

The clinic is open to boys and girls (kindergarten through 8th grade), begins approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the game, and lasts an hour. The clinic focuses on defensive skills and base running techniques.

Clinic Information
• Texas coaches and student-athletes will instruct young Longhorns (K-8) during the clinic session.
• Parents are encouraged to pre-register participants by emailing name, age and grade to matthew.hay@athletics.utexas.edu.
• Dress in athletics wear with appropriate shoes. (No metal spikes, please.)
• Please bring a baseball glove. All other equipment is provided by Texas Baseball.

Fans are invited to bring their children and enjoy the fun and excitement before, during and after the game and support the Longhorns.

Participants and chaperones are required to have a ticket to the game.

Please note that due to the clinic, there will be no base running or playing catch in the outfield after the game.

Stay tuned to TexasSports.com and Twitter (@TexasBaseball) for any changes regarding weather.

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Texas Athletics will not take custodial responsibility of minors while participating in Texas Baseball youth clinics. Custodial responsibility remains with teachers, parents, legal guardians, and chaperones.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by torre

[F250 28823]

Why do so many coaches use verbal cues during games without ever having explained their meaning to the players?

My biggest pet peeve is when coaches fire off these verbal cues at kids in the middle of a game and the poor kid just ends up confused and distracted.

Verbal cues are great if they are explained and used often in practice. They serve as a type of shorthand for quick communication. But if they are not used to reinforce what has been previously taught, you might as well be giving instructions in Mandarin.

 

 

[Mez2 4025]

Man. We're not good at all. How do you discipline players to not hit each other and keep their hands to themselves? 

I feel like butter maker right now.  Fml

[Mez2 4025]

I can't threaten to not play them because most of them don't want to play. Is it possible to coach the uncoachable?

I have 11 kids,  8 have never played before 

[troph 24911]

Start with progressive throwing and don’t do anything other than throw and catch. Add context of throw to first, outfield to second (with a cut off) and second to home and call it a season. Fly balls just keep in front of you, don’t try to catch.

 

If they don’t want to for real.... ugh. Ain’t got nothing.

 

 

[F250 28823]

12 hours ago, Mez2 said:

I can't threaten to not play them because most of them don't want to play. Is it possible to coach the uncoachable?

I have 11 kids,  8 have never played before 

What age group? Does your league have a draft?

Having inexperienced players isn't a bad thing. Some of my favorite experiences were taking a team of inexperienced players and developing them into a team that could compete with everyone else in the league.

Now having kids that don't want to be there is another story. I imagine you only have a couple of these kids. I've never seen more than two on a team before. In my experience the older kids 12/13 like this just can't be coaxed. The younger ones often are just really afraid of getting hit by the ball or laughed at or some other fear.

 

 

[Hanrahan 1306]

Start with progressive throwing and don’t do anything other than throw and catch. Add context of throw to first, outfield to second (with a cut off) and second to home and call it a season. Fly balls just keep in front of you, don’t try to catch.
 
If they don’t want to for real.... ugh. Ain’t got nothing.
 
 

Dude, you can’t tell the poor schlubs parked in the outfield to not even try to make the only good play they can possibly make, even if they’re just as likely to catch it with their faces. Let them try to catch the ball.

[Mez2 4025]

1 hour ago, F250 said:

What age group? Does your league have a draft?

Having inexperienced players isn't a bad thing. Some of my favorite experiences were taking a team of inexperienced players and developing them into a team that could compete with everyone else in the league.

Now having kids that don't want to be there is another story. I imagine you only have a couple of these kids. I've never seen more than two on a team before. In my experience the older kids 12/13 like this just can't be coaxed. The younger ones often are just really afraid of getting hit by the ball or laughed at or some other fear.

 

 

4,5, 6 which makes it even more difficult. I have no qualms about teaching them the fundamentals and just understanding the basics of baseball, or close to what it should be at that age. I get it. I guess my frustration is more to do with the behavior of these kids, fighting pushing each other. I would pop my kid there if he pulled any of this, I guess it's more to do with just general parenting than game play. 

[F250 28823]

55 minutes ago, Mez2 said:

4,5, 6 which makes it even more difficult. I have no qualms about teaching them the fundamentals and just understanding the basics of baseball, or close to what it should be at that age. I get it. I guess my frustration is more to do with the behavior of these kids, fighting pushing each other. I would pop my kid there if he pulled any of this, I guess it's more to do with just general parenting than game play. 

Oh, that's probably just an age issue. Kids that age work best in small groups. Have you tried breaking up practice into 4 or 5 stations? The smaller groups prevent players from standing around getting bored and causing trouble.

How many coaches do you have for games and practice? It's been my experience that anything less than 4 with that age makes it impossible to control their behavior.

[torre 1286]

15 hours ago, Mez2 said:

Man. We're not good at all. How do you discipline players to not hit each other and keep their hands to themselves? 

I feel like butter maker right now.  Fml

How is the parent support ?     Are parents interested in them playing/learning ?    

 

Have a practice where you don't play baseball.    Serve some pizza and show them some videos.   Also,  instructional videos. Many available on YouTube, etc.   But if you don't have parent support...

(I never have been a coach,  but played the game alot)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by torre