Select Baseball

[rockyraider]

My son is 11yo. I've helped coach his team for the past year and I'm afraid its about time to call it quits. We played rec. All-Stars last year and formed a "tournament" team and played last fall and this spring. Its been fun, but we have a few too many kids who just aren't competitive enough and a few who have attitude problems. Its been frustrating and fun at the same time. I can't believe how baseball has changed from the time I was kid playing youth baseball up through high school. These days select baseball is insane. I've about made my mind up he needs to get involved with a legit select organization where playing time is earned and those who don't want to put forth the effort are weeded out. Anyway, I'd like to hear about everyone's experience with playing legit select style baseball vs. daddy ball. I know it'll be a big monetary commitment and such, but I feel that my time would be better devoted to working with my son and not wasted on kids who aren't really that serious. I hate to step away from the kids as I feel I still have a lot to offer, but at some point I know I need to step back and let things fall into place. I guess I'm rambling at this point, let me know what ya'lls experiences have been making the transition. Thank you in advance.

[Medina19]

I played little leauge up till about kid pitch and my dad threw me in select ball when I was about.14 he had me play 18u select ball it was hard to.adjust being so.young but once I did it helped me alot with getting on and excelling in high school.ball.select ball is the way to.go it is pricey though

[cwill]

My oldest son plays for an organization and we have really enjoyed it over little league. My main suggestion would be to research the teams/organizations very well and go watch some games, scrimmages, practices before you commit. There are a lot of select/elite/premier teams that are still "daddy" coached and run. Some are good and some are not. If your boy is serious about baseball then a good organization will certainly help him reach his full potential. It's very hard for kids to excel while playing with others who don't demonstrate similar passion/work ethics towards the game. You can go to the Nations baseball website and see what teams are in your area and also see who is having try-outs etc. Also "select" baseball does not have to be expensive, but it certainly can be depending on the route you guys take. Best of luck and I hope this helps.

[Masmak]

I helped coach my son through little league, all stars, and started playing true select ball in 6th grade. Warning - you will never get away from daddy ball / baseball politics. You just have to find a team that has 80% of the kids & parents you want to spend your weekends with. Also, if your kid pitches - make sure you find a team / organization that has lots of pitchers. If not, your kid will get over pitched and then hurt. Been there done that. Be prepared to drop a car note or more per month to play select ball. My boy loved it up until 9th grade. That's when it really gets political. Everybody trying to get their kid recruited for high school ball / travel teams. Most Coaches want the kids to be one sport at that point. Mine quit baseball at that point. Says it wasn't fun anymore.

[Billy Bad Bass]

My son started playing rec ball at 7. I never coached or pretended to be one but I saw many cases of coaches putting their kids ahead of other kids with greater skills. At age 10 he started select ball. There was still politics but the boy's skills carried much more weight. It was expensive but professional coaches are a huge advantage. He graduated in May and was selected District MVP, AABCA All Stars, and All Centex First Baseman 2nd Team. This fall he is playing for a JUCO. There is no doubt in my mind that select ball was the right choice.

[hogslayer78]

I helped coach my son through little league, all stars, and started playing true select ball in 6th grade. Warning - you will never get away from daddy ball / baseball politics. You just have to find a team that has 80% of the kids & parents you want to spend your weekends with. Also, if your kid pitches - make sure you find a team / organization that has lots of pitchers. If not, your kid will get over pitched and then hurt. Been there done that. Be prepared to drop a car note or more per month to play select ball. My boy loved it up until 9th grade. That's when it really gets political. Everybody trying to get their kid recruited for high school ball / travel teams. Most Coaches want the kids to be one sport at that point. Mine quit baseball at that point. Says it wasn't fun anymore.

This guy is exactly right. I do believe select ball can be great if your with the right organization. My son is going to be a junior in highschool this year and you still see politics. Who kisses the most arse, and who's parents donate the most to the booster club will get the playing time.

[Texas8point]

My son is 11yo. I've helped coach his team for the past year and I'm afraid its about time to call it quits. We played rec. All-Stars last year and formed a "tournament" team and played last fall and this spring. Its been fun, but we have a few too many kids who just aren't competitive enough and a few who have attitude problems. Its been frustrating and fun at the same time. I can't believe how baseball has changed from the time I was kid playing youth baseball up through high school. These days select baseball is insane. I've about made my mind up he needs to get involved with a legit select organization where playing time is earned and those who don't want to put forth the effort are weeded out. Anyway, I'd like to hear about everyone's experience with playing legit select style baseball vs. daddy ball. I know it'll be a big monetary commitment and such, but I feel that my time would be better devoted to working with my son and not wasted on kids who aren't really that serious. I hate to step away from the kids as I feel I still have a lot to offer, but at some point I know I need to step back and let things fall into place. I guess I'm rambling at this point, let me know what ya'lls experiences have been making the transition. Thank you in advance.

Been there done that. I stick with little league ball now. Its way more fun for the kids and the coaches (I've coached for 4 yrs now).

[mjhaverkamp]

Select ball is a lot of fun if your kid is all in and can't get enough baseball, I have seen some kids burn out at an early age and not even play high school ball, oh and there is still some politics in select ball, be ready to travel and fork out some cash as well, good luck.

[jer_james]

Select ball is a lot of fun if your kid is all in and can't get enough baseball, I have seen some kids burn out at an early age and not even play high school ball, oh and there is still some politics in select ball, be ready to travel and fork out some cash as well, good luck.

I think that's the main issue I see with city league for the younger kids. My kiddo is all in and loves playing. The others, not so much.

We are looking at setting him up for select, and a coach has inquired about him after being involved with the McKinney All-Stars. Still not sure we are ready to commit that much time yet. His Sister also plays volleyball, so the schedules are crazy. Especially for a single Dad.

[txwhitetail]

I would make sure the kid is all in like a lot of the parents are. I have been around select quite a bit and some of the parents are definitely the ones "into it" not the kids.

[easeup]

ever post above is spot on.
What I will add to consider if it effects your decision is that everyone sees your son differently and they see baseball talent differently. sometimes riding the pine is part of the deal too. this will be very difficult for you if it occurs and you have been paying big bucks for the opportunity to play.

Two things that dominate my observations about the boys and the process is that they all come from families with a little coin or they would not be there and most are just a little spoiled as are their parents; the other is that the daily push of playing ball takes its toll on all in involved and after awhile baseball and the true love for the game is lost.

[aclark0495]

My Personal Opinion is "Select Ball" is not for the Kids but for the so called Professional Coaches and Parents that never realized their dream of playing college or professional sports. Someone is def. making some serious money off of these kids and parents and from what I've seen and heard, most of the kids either get tired of it and quit before High School (When Colleges actually start recruiting) or get injured because they play to much. I think there is still something special about City League, Rec, Little League baseball where the so called "Stars" can shine bright. My sons team went 0-10 this year but he had fun and that's all that matters to my wife and I. Does he have a future in baseball? I highly doubt it, but he's going to love the sport regardless and he's going to play other sports as well.

[M16]

My Personal Opinion is "Select Ball" is not for the Kids but for the so called Professional Coaches and Parents that never realized their dream of playing college or professional sports. Someone is def. making some serious money off of these kids and parents and from what I've seen and heard, most of the kids either get tired of it and quit before High School (When Colleges actually start recruiting) or get injured because they play to much. I think there is still something special about City League, Rec, Little League baseball where the so called "Stars" can shine bright. My sons team went 0-10 this year but he had fun and that's all that matters to my wife and I. Does he have a future in baseball? I highly doubt it, but he's going to love the sport regardless and he's going to play other sports as well.

I can't believe you said that. But it's 100% true. The game hasn't changed only the people involved.

[bubba1]

We started my step-son in little league at 7. At 8 he was on a select team. At 12 he was back to little league, but he made the Waller county all star team 2 years in a row as a pitcher. He quit playing his sophomore year because of politics and bullying. He was an outstanding pitcher and probably could have gotten a scholarship somewhere. My advice would be to check out several select teams and watch their practices and games before you decide to invest the large amount of time and money. Select team practice A LOT, and travel A LOT. You will never get away from the daddy ball and politics though. Beware of a team with 4 coaches who all have a son on the team. Guess who will be playing the infield and pitching and starting all the games? You need to remember it's about the kids and them having a fun time playing the sport they love.

[jer_james]

My Personal Opinion is "Select Ball" is not for the Kids but for the so called Professional Coaches and Parents that never realized their dream of playing college or professional sports. Someone is def. making some serious money off of these kids and parents and from what I've seen and heard, most of the kids either get tired of it and quit before High School (When Colleges actually start recruiting) or get injured because they play to much. I think there is still something special about City League, Rec, Little League baseball where the so called "Stars" can shine bright. My sons team went 0-10 this year but he had fun and that's all that matters to my wife and I. Does he have a future in baseball? I highly doubt it, but he's going to love the sport regardless and he's going to play other sports as well.

I agree with this 90% of the time. If you saw my 8 yr old play, or spent the day with him, I think you would see there are exceptions to the rule. He loves playing, watching and even reading about anything sports. He was raised with me obviously, and thats just what we do. We dont do video games (except wii) and we watch all sports, all the time. Even when we are watching sports, we have stuffed footballs and baseballs to throw around the house. He will watch an hour straight of a baseball game that involves the Rangers, and LOVES it.

There are exceptions.

We have also already experienced some of that negativity though. Coaches have already came up to myself and his Mom asking about plans and teams and nonsense. There's a fine line, but some kids enjoy the challenge, because they are doing what they enjoy.