It might sound a bit crazy to baseball parents who are new to the scene, but a comprehensive pre-season meeting for parents and players should absolutely be part of the equation. Even for a 7u rec team.

Here’s why: Setting clear expectations is crucial to team chemistry and viability, regardless of age.

Yes, baseball coaches do play favorites. Sometimes for the RIGHT reasons.

Here’s the thing about college baseball.

If you want to play and you have some level of talent, there’s almost always a school out there somewhere that’s a match for you.

An increasing number of “national” teams are going to these high end tournaments, and tend to carry lots of pitchers on their rosters. But should you pigeon hole your child to a PO role at an early age, just to play on a high caliber team?

We’ve talked about how private baseball lessons are an investment. We’ve talked about how to maximize your budget to ensure lessons are part of the overall training plan. Now let’s talk about how to protect that investment.

It’s hard to find a downside to private baseball instruction…aside from the cost. So let’s get into it and find ways to help make that less of a burden. The reality is that private instruction is an investment that pays dividends in multiple ways.

Depending on where you live, the age of your player, and the level of competitiveness of your team, baseball team fees can vary greatly. We break it down in the blog so you can be well educated on what’s really included when it’s time for you to pick a new program.

Today I watched a player throw 118 pitches in a playoff game. And before you say…”well…it’s a playoff game…” let me also tell you that this same player threw 63 pitches in yesterday’s pool play game. And if that isn’t bad enough, let me also tell you that this player is only 10 years old.

I’ve seen too much of this lately, so I’m calling it out.

Here’s what’s happening far too often: organizations with multiple teams at each age level basically swapping rosters between their A team and B team just to get tournament bids. At 10u. And I’m not talking about 1 or 2 fill in players because kids are on vacation. I’m talking about deliberate roster manipulation.

Yes. There is a giant 8th grader somewhere throwing 87 mph. But what those leaderboards don’t tell you is the REST of the story.

That 8th grader is big. He throws hard. But maybe he re-classed and is a 15 year old 8th grader. Maybe he also has trouble locating his spots. Maybe he walks or hits batters. A lot. Leaderboards and radar guns won’t tell you that part of his story.

Sure, they love baseball. But how do you know if they’re in it for the long haul? Here are 5 ways to tell.

The truth is, most kids recognize the problems in the game, even their own, on their own. You don’t need to shove it down their throats immediately afterwards by saying things like, “what were you thinking swinging at that pitch!!” There’s a time and a place to review and discuss. The car ride home isn’t always the best idea.

This is not a post about the trendy bats, gloves and gear available for 2023. Yes, there are a lot of cool things out for next year and if you need any help picking out the perfect, tangible gift, contact my friends Roy and Max at Closeoutbats.com (they ship nationwide).

This is about the other gifts, often overlooked, that will set your player up for a successful 2023 and beyond. Consider putting these things under your tree this Christmas in addition to a new glove:

Sit the bench on the “A” team or get playing time and exposure on the “B” team. Which do you choose when you have a player on the bubble? It’s not always a simple decision, but here are some things to consider.

I have found that it’s always best to nip things in the bud. More often than not, your coach is willing to sit down and have a conversation about what’s concerning you. And if you have that conversation before your frustration builds to the point of an explosion, it’s better for everyone involved, including your child.

 There is purpose in practice, and it’s often overlooked by parents who don’t necessarily understand, or who have been in organizations previously where practices have been lazy, not thought out, or even non-existent. 

Sometimes awful things happen to good people, and we will never understand why. But when strangers and communities rally around families during time of immense grief, it reminds us that we are all connected in one way or another.

Baseball life mimics real life. You may lose a job (get cut), you may move to a new town and need to make new friends (move to a new team), you’re 4th in line for that promotion at work (other kids play more often than you), the teacher doesn’t like you (the coach always puts his own son at short)…they’re all learning opportunities. Do you. Find the right fit for you. Baseball is supposed to be fun. Learn from it, enjoy the journey, and look for the organization that best matches your endgame.

We see it all the time. Kids make a commitment to one team and then all of a sudden they aren’t around for practices, but these same kids never seem to miss a game. Then we find out they’ve been missing practice to guest play for other teams. Besides the obvious commitment issue discussion that will need to take place with that family, there is another concern. Arm care.

Gift ideas for team moms, coaches, everyone on your list!