My Oldest Son's HS Baseball Journey

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MAROON
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3:28p, 3/21/16
AG
played in the perfect game tournament over spring break in Georgia. We went 4-0 - competition wasn't all that great (except for two of the TN teams). Son pitched six innings, gave up one run and struck out 4.

If you ever get the chance to go play at the Lake Pointe Sports facility in Emerson, Ga, do it. Its fantastic.
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dog
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In reply to CinchAG97 • 12:44p, 3/22/16
AG
quote:
I'm starting this thread today because my oldest son, a 14 year old Freshman, has his first HS scrimmage today. I wanted to start this thread for a couple of reasons - one is the serve as a sort of blog to ramble on regarding youth baseball up until high school and the high school experience. The other is to get advice, maybe sometimes give advice, about our sons' experiences and learn from each other.

For me, I was a baseball ignoramus, and in a lot of ways I still am. I played two years of Little League growing up because that was all we had where I grew up. No tee ball, no machine pitch and nothing after LL - no HS baseball. The football coaches were allegedly concerned that starting a HS baseball team would interfere with track season (aka football offseason) and football offseason. We were a football school, and no baseball was going to interfere with that.

I passively watched a little baseball here and there growing up, but never appreciated the game because I didn't understand it. Throw ball, hit ball, catch ball, run bases isn't that exciting to a kid who doesn't understand the game. When I got to A&M, I really enjoyed going to A&M baseball games. Probably more because of the fun fan experience than the game itself. I loved the Raggies and yelling at the other team from the 2nd deck. Watching the Aggies win was always fun though, and one of my favorite all-time moments as an Aggie sports fan came when we beat Clemson in the Super Regional to go to the CWS. I still have a foul ball from that game and when Fossum closed the game out, we all went insane. I'll never forget it.

Then, I met my wife. She grew up in a baseball crazy house. Her Dad is and always has been a huge baseball fan. Her older brothers played baseball and she dated baseball players in HS and college. She understood the game and had that deeper appreciation than I never had. So, when we found out that our first child was a boy, he was going to play baseball. My father-in-law wouldn't have had it any other way.

My son started playing in the yard as soon as he could throw a ball or swing one of those fat plastic bats. He showed an early attraction to the game, but what kid doesn't enjoy playing outside with Mom and Dad - especially if it involves throwing things and hitting things. He wasn't some sort of prodigy or anything. He was just a normal kid whose parents played with him outside. He started tee ball at 6 - not at 3 or 4 like I see now days - and he was almost good. Definitely not the best kid on the team, but not the worst. The biggest difference in kids at a young age is how much time their parents spend with them just playing catch or playing "hit" in the yard.

He ended up really liking baseball, so we decided to put in more time at home to get him better, and he enjoyed it. I ended up being an assistant coach in his first year of machine pitch LL, and then ended up being the head coach on his last LL machine pitch team when he was 8. By that time, he had progressed to the point where he was really good compared to his peers. Not because he had been blessed with great genetics or athletic ability, but because he had fun playing baseball and enjoyed working on it at home. It was all still play to him, which is the point at a young age.

But, I noticed that I was taking things too seriously as a Dad / coach. I was nervous about every little thing, and I was harder on my son than I was the other boys on the team. I also was self-aware enough to know that my baseball knowledge was so rudimentary that any coaching I did after an 8 year old level was going to be detrimental to the kids. So, we made the decision to let him tryout for a tournament team which was 8U coach pitch, and turn him over to other coaches who knew what they were doing.

That move to tournament baseball started a 6 year journey from 8U through 14U which was great at times and trying at times. My son will tell you that his dream growing up, and to this day, is to play college baseball. I tried to focus on high school baseball. I hate to allow myself to dream too big because I think I would end up putting unfair pressure on my kid to fulfill my big dream. I told many people throughout the years that my goal was for him to have a good high school experience, and be a good high school player.

So, since this is ridiculously long already, I'll close out that I'm nervous as a cat about tonight. It's stupid because I don't think my son is nervous at all. But, dumb old Dad can't help it because this is all new to me, and I have no idea what to expect. Here's to a 4 year journey - a 4 year learning experience for me.
Wish him the best.
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CinchAG97
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10:18p, 3/22/16
I finally got to watch my son play again after missing the last six games due to work stuff. Four of the games, I was out of state for work, but the two games last week were scheduled for 11:00 AM so I had to miss them, too.

Tonight was fun. He started against a district opponent and went 4 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB and 4 K's in 48 pitches. So for the year, he's leading the JV in innings pitched and is carrying a sub-1 ERA and sub-1 WHIP. I'm very proud of him.

It's been hit or miss if he gets to play in the field when he's not pitching, and he's DH'ed a few games. I wish he'd get more field time, especially at catcher, but I'm not too worried about it. He's hit the ball hard all year, but doesn't carry a gaudy average since he's hit the ball right at people many times. All of that will work itself out in time.

It's been a fun year, but I do regret having to miss so many of his games.
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wbt5845
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9:18a, 3/23/16
AG
Enjoy the HS time. When my son got to college, it became a job. Then a job he realized he wasn't going to advance in.

HS ball is as fun as it gets for most.
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MAROON
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In reply to wbt5845 • 9:23a, 3/23/16
AG
quote:
Enjoy the HS time. When my son got to college, it became a job. Then a job he realized he wasn't going to advance in.

HS ball is as fun as it gets for most.
we just had a visit with the baseball coach of a D3 school last week, about my son playing for them. Even at that level its work - basically painted a picture of 30 hours a week of practice/workouts in the fall semester with a ramp-up in the spring. Pretty sure my son is going to choose the girls and kegger route!
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HECUBUS
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8:16a, 3/24/16
AG
Surprisingly, our kid's grades haven't dipped and he hasn't given up friends, video games or goofing off. Seven classes, one AP, two pre AP. He is still on track for top ten percent. They spend about 25 hours a week on baseball, over 30 in tourney weekends. All the kids that don't play football have to get bull pen, batting practice and everything else on their own time.

I hear other parents limiting everything outside of school and baseball so they don't have to stay up until 2:00 am helping with homework.

College baseball sounds good in comparison.
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ContinentalAg
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7:17p, 4/6/16
Any updates?
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HECUBUS
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8:08p, 4/6/16
AG
0.0 ERA appearing in seven games, batting 500, on base 750. Settled into his own weight training program. He has been burning up the hill down the street and is making huge strides in pitching and batting working with a former MLB pitcher on Sundays. He's probably working out and practicing over 25 hours a week.

With a perfectionist, we worry about stress and overdoing it. At 14, he's been strict on diet, sleep and routine for years. He was the happiest person on the planet when the MLB fired back up. He's watching the game on ESPN2 at the moment.
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CinchAG97
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7:53a, 4/7/16
Hecubus - sounds like your son is having a great year. If there was one thing that I wish I could change about my son, I would inject him with a large dose of self-motivation. If he dedicated himself to getting better outside of practice, he could blossom even more as a player. I'm not going to force it on him at this age, and I hope that at some point in the next year or two, that the light will come on for him and he'll see the opportunity ahead of him - if he will just work hard at it.

My son is having a great year - he has remained on the upper JV team and still leading the team in innings pitched. Here's his pitching stat line so far:

15 2/3 IP - .447 ERA - .766 WHIP - 8 hits allowed, 1 ER, 4 walks and 19 K's.

I couldn't be any prouder of him, and he's exceeded my expectations on the mound.

At the plate, he's been very solid, but he's not getting as many AB's at this point in the season as he was earlier in the year. He's hitting .429 with a .940 OPS. He's been good, but there are some better hitters at his positions. Our leading hitter is hitting around .650 with a lot more power than my son.

I wish my son was getting more reps at catcher, which is his best defensive position, but I also think there are a couple of issues there. I'm not sure that the coaches like pitchers catching or catchers pitching - so they may be putting him at his best spot. Also, he doesn't really fit the catcher body profile that this school seems to prefer. My son is about 5'11" and kind of lanky, especially in his upper body. Most of the other catchers are shorter and thicker. He caught one scrimmage and was excellent, but we haven't seen him behind the plate since.
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HECUBUS
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In reply to CinchAG97 • 8:18a, 4/7/16
AG
Playing time is a lot less than we expected. They have a lot of projects they are trying to develop. A wise coach told us "trust the process and keep grinding".

We have an infielder hitting over 700, golden glove type who watches a sixteen year old freshman play his position because his relative donated the scoreboard. He just keeps working harder and getting better. All the football politics and corruption have entered the world of baseball in high school. Repeat coaches advice above.

I think ours is a little nuts, but he's always been that way about everything.
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HECUBUS
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In reply to HECUBUS • 9:32p, 4/7/16
AG
That infielder who doesn't get to play gets up at 4:30 every morning and takes batting practice for 2.5 hours. He might be more nuts than my kid.
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TMartin
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9:21a, 4/8/16
All you need to know about high school coaches is they are VERY political animals and parents can be very much the same way. You can sprinkle in some faculty as well. Every kid (and parent) at a good high school program KNOWS their kid is going to scholarship. Many parents who get very involved don't know crap about baseball but they'll do ANYTHING to suck up to the head coach. Often times the mothers are the worst. If your kid is good get him so outside coaching to find out how good. Most of all keep a good prospective and balance for you kid.
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HECUBUS
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In reply to TMartin • 12:00p, 4/8/16
AG
Yes.
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FC12
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1:06p, 4/8/16
I'm posting this because I think it will help everyone see the big picture approach. I was fortunate enough to get drafted out of college in 2007....Here is my story condensed.

Up to age 12 I was above the other talent in my small town. At age 12 I moved to select ball in DFW and was immediately behind the curve...too small and not strong enough. I battled size and strength all through high school as my growth spurt didn't hit until college. Sure, I had my share of HS accolades, but I wasn't where I wanted to be. When I saw my peers getting D1 offers, it wasn't much fun. I was getting nibbles but it was to small D3 schools. I took the first non-scholarship offer to a private D2 school. Those first two years were way up and then way down. I was a pitcher and I was very inconsistent. I'll add I entered my Freshman year of college with a fastball sitting at 84mph. I wasn't a "prospect". Due to various reasons, after 2 years, I transferred to one of the original D3 schools that had recruited me out of HS due to coach being a fantastic individual. I made the transfer decision without ever visiting the school or the town. I was playing summer ball in another state and couldn't make the trip, so my parents secured my apartment for me and I "walked-on" in the Fall of 2005 to the D3 school.

Junior year started off great. Fastball was now 89-90mph but I again battled inconsistency. I was getting letters from MLB scouts but by the end of the season, my #'s had dropped off and it was clear I wasn't getting drafted. I went away that summer to play again and the pieces started falling into place. Back to my Senior season and my fastball was now at 92-94. I ended my senior season with a 0.00 ERA and was striking out 2 out of every 3 batters. I was the closer so my innings pitched wasn't extremely high and probably helped with my #'s. In June, my name was called by the Jays and I was finally going to get paid to play. 2 years later, my shoulder imploded and it was over from there.

I post this because if anyone knew me in HS or the first 2 years of college, NOBODY outside of my family thought I had a shot to play professionally. That is a fact. Heck, I may not have believed it but I was dang sure working towards it. It is a magical feeling when you realize your arm can throw lasers or your bat can hit bombs. But the pieces still need to be put into place.

I battled all of the HS politics both in school and in the select organization. Looking back, the politic issues were simply I wasn't as good as my peers. There are some legitimate politics but in most cases, it's a talent issue. I'll tell anyone your Son will not make the pros or a college team at age 9-12. Remember that and allow them to learn the game.

I guess my final point is, if I can do, someone else sure can. I won't say anyone can because that isn't reality. We are not all born with dynamic athletic ability. Even if I wouldn't have gotten hurt, I still had a major mountain to climb within the pros because let me tell you, the other pitchers in my group had movement on their ball I had never seen...or a change-up that stopped at the plate, etc. There are a few Mike Trouts or Bryce Harpers and then there are the hundreds of other Colby Lewis type guys...and then there are the ones that will never make it. So sit back, enjoy the ride with your Son, and make sure your dream is not being lived through their eyes. If they want it, they will get it!
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Wabs
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1:43p, 4/8/16
AG
Thanks for the story FC12.

My son is 13 (and playing 13U) this spring. He has always been undersized, but over the past year or two the size difference has even increased - basically most others have hit their growth spurt and my son hasn't. I can tell it's a little frustrating for him. He's always been one of the best players on his team, but that is starting to slide a little bit just because of the difference in size and strength.

I'd say he's still in the top half of the best players on his current team. He's playing SS and catches every once in a while. He's a grinder at the plate - good ABs, good OBP, but very little power.

I've talked to him several times about being patient with the size thing. It will come around. I tell him that alot of kids at this age (12-13) hit their growth spurt early and succeed primarily because of their size and strength. My son has to do all of the other things better to compete - like think on the field, focus, know the situation, etc.
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HECUBUS
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In reply to FC12 • 2:16p, 4/8/16
AG
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like coach, "trust the process".

Sorry about your shoulder, I hear that same ending to too many baseball careers.

You got way down that road though. Do you still do anything with baseball?
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FC12
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3:18p, 4/8/16
I coached 11-12 year olds for a couple of years and did lessons with DBat a couple of more years. If anyone did enough research, they could figure out who I am which doesn't bother me at all. Now, with 3 kids 4 and under, I just don't have time. I did thoroughly enjoy it!

The process I Would say to trust the most is skill and physical development. It's something that takes time. But that inner desire to get to a certain level must also exist. Plenty of awesome players desired to do no better than HS or 1-2 years of college.

Looking back, there is no doubt the realization I could have done WAY more to prepare myself both during HS and college. Heck, there was more I could have done during pro ball. However, we don't realize that until after the fact.
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CinchAG97
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9:53p, 4/8/16
FC12, thank you very much for posting your story. I'd love for this thread to be filled with stories like yours over the next few years. There are a handful of us with kids the same age. Some of our boys are going to flame out early...some of us may have a college player...some may have a pro player. The cool thing is that we don't know right now.

I'm hoping to enjoy the journey and have something to look back on in 3-4 years and relish the memories.
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HECUBUS
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11:21p, 4/14/16
AG
Still a 0.0 ERA appearing in 8 games. Stuff hit the fan today. Several of the behavioral problems were put on notice. Hopefully it gets better. The new head coach is doing his part. I have no idea what went down or how, but it was very broken. It can only get better.

The freshman baseball coach is gone.

Saw one kid get his first district action tonight and his curveball was filthy. Kid was much better than any middle reliever they've thrown this season.

The team has really come together, kids are having fun, they just beat Lake Travis and the new coach is a good guy. This might work out. To bad the changes came so late in the season.
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wbt5845
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8:53a, 4/15/16
AG
To those reading this:

Make sure your kids enjoy what they're doing to the fullest. Expose them to a lot of stuff at a young age so they can figure out what they want to do, not what you want them to do.

I mentioned above the son who went to college on an athletic scholarship and found the work was too much. I personally think he stayed with sports because that was the "upper crust" elites at his high school. He was good at it, but the passion for it dwindled away within a year of college. Hence, I don't think he had the deep, inner desire that the OP's son seems to have for baseball.

Our youngest explored lots of things and has become - don't laugh - an excellent tuba player. He is a senior this year and was close to being the first chair All State tuba player in Texas the last two years. He's been offered and has accepted a full ride scholarship to UNT as a performance major. He had sizable offers to attend several other excellent music schools as well. (p.s. - I didn't know demand for good tubas was so high!)

(p.s. - OP - next time you complain about cost of a bat or mitt - my son's horn cost $7000 and the new one he wants is about $14,000 - enjoy baseball!)

I think the key of seeing what your kid is passionate about (that I wish someone had suggested when I was younger) - look for the activities you NEVER have to tell him to practice. My youngest practices about 6-8 hours a day every single day - that's 40-50 hours a week. He's been this way since about 7th grade, so he's well on his way to the 10,000 rule. And I cannot recall telling him to practice even once.
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CinchAG97
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10:40p, 4/16/16
I have to make a quick post so that I can look back on today and remember it. My son has been playing tournament ball since he was 8U, and he had never hit an over-the-fence HR until today. He's still young enough to play 14U tournaments, so when the HS schedule accommodates, we've been playing some tournaments with a local team.

Well, he finally hit one out. He's come close many times, but today he finally had the right trajectory and it was an absolute no doubter on 300' fences. He was thrilled.
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HECUBUS
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3:49p, 4/26/16
AG
Well, we survived. It turns out it's more than politics. They only like to play kids in major sports that have been through their strength training. They build a team in the fall and play those guys all spring. If your good, you get to play some. It would be nice if they communicated that in 8th grade or at any time.

The kid ended up doing weekly lessons with a former MLB pitcher who played in college, got his degree and is great with kids. When he finally got to pitch a few innings together, it was awesome. He got ten kids in a row on thirty pitches, 6 three pitch K's, 4 desperation infield pop ups on breaking balls with an 0-2 count. It was as nice a piece of pitching as I've ever seen. The strike out curve was tight with good velocity and looked like a fastball down the middle until it took a turn for the catchers outside shoe. The two seamer was sinking and tailing in, making the four seamer a strikeout pitch. He didn't throw the change up in the game, but I saw him throwing it in warm ups. It was nasty.

He's got a grueling three week pitching camp, followed by a grueling four week strength camp, that overlaps the school's strength training by one week. He's grueling May through July. Plus, he starts summer ball next week. If it don't kill him...
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MAROON
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4:10p, 4/26/16
AG
you guys enjoy the high school years, they go by quickly. Last night we had senior night so it might be the last time I see my son pitch in high school - we have a conference championship tourney this weekend in DFW so there still might be a shot for another appearance.

He decided a few weeks back to play baseball in college at the D3 level so we'll see how that works out. He will be on a weight training and throwing program this summer. His soon to be new head coach told him he had to have a good change-up when he showed up in the fall. He throws a fb, curve, cutter, and slider right now, so I guess another pitch can't hurt....ha!
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HECUBUS
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In reply to MAROON • 4:59p, 4/26/16
AG
Yep. I remember LL lasting forever, then poof.

A kid's dad on the select team is a playwright/professor and he always quotes the last line in his favorite baseball play when the select ball season is over, "what do we do now"?
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Aggieangler93
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In reply to CinchAG97 • 12:03p, 4/29/16
AG
This is awesome. My son hit his first kid pitch homerun today also, in 12U select ball. He has also come close a few times in the last season, but he rocked this one. It was great to see his hard work with our hitting coach pay off.
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Aggieangler93
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In reply to HECUBUS • 12:08p, 4/29/16
AG
I know our teams in the RRISD almost all have summer league teams that play, not coached by the head coach, but usually by some Seniors or someone. Multiple folks have told us that after 8th grade, you need to get into their summer strength/conditioning camp and make that team, so that you will get a shot at the HS team.

I just love watching him and his buddies play. They really enjoy it. I emphasize with the playwright comment above. I have often felt this way when each baseball season ends. At least when College Ball ends, I can look at MLB. When MLB ends, we have very few Select weekends left, and then it is like hell waiting until Feb.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
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CinchAG97
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10:45p, 4/30/16
Well, my son's freshman season is over. Our game on Friday was cancelled, so officially, the game on Tuesday was our last game of the year.

It was a successful season with many ups, and very few downs. I want to remember this season through a positive lens, and remember that he led the JV in innings pitched, and had a 2.00 ERA and a 1.190 WHIP. His last couple of outings raised his ERA - the next to last outing was against a good non-district opponent, and the last outing he had his worst control of the season, but only allowed 1 ER.

His hitting was good, but I wish he would've hit more. I wish he would've caught more. Next year will be interesting to see where the coaches place him.

He's a very young freshman with a late summer birthday. He won't turn 15 until late July, so I'm proud of how he competed against older kids. He was able to play some 14U tournament ball, and hit his first home run of his life. And, he added 2 more in the same tournament for a 3 HR weekend. It was pretty special.

We will jump straight into tournament ball with his 14U group, and they will play a couple more 14U events, and several 16U events to get some experience against older kids. It should be a fun summer.

I hope we can bump this thread next spring so I can chronicle his sophomore year.
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MAROON
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10:02a, 5/1/16
AG
Son got his final inning on the mound for his high school career yesterday. Struck out the last two batters he faced as his curve and slider were really working. Cool way to end the high school career. College ball here we come
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94chem
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2:26p, 5/2/16
So what's the deal with the whole "you have to be in our program's x/y/z since 7th grade or you can't play varsity ball" schtick? Are coaches simply not able to evaluate players in fall workouts? Is it because the dads on the booster club decide if the coach gets fired?

It's like I asked over in the AAU thread on the basketball board. When does winning actually matter? Apparently not in HS...
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HECUBUS
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In reply to 94chem • 7:54p, 5/2/16
AG
Where we are, you need to:

1) Be in a solid select program and be a good player.

2) Sign up for the summer school strength program between 8th and 9th grade and every summer after.

3) Keep a good select coach for bull pens and batting practices during the season. When you do get playing time, you must produce. There are too many kids and too few coaches for select like practice and development. After being in a good select program, it's difficult to stay sharp without that level of work.

4) Be patient and stay positive.
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94chem
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10:39a, 5/3/16
It's a bit ironic...I never wanted a kid playing football. We're not big people, and we've all been ballplayers. But I've got 6 kids, and this generation is getting off the crazy cycle. Youth sports just isn't for big families. It's a shame, because I think there were 18 kids in Michael Irvin's family - I hope he went to the right summer camps, lol.

Which brings me to football - as much as I loathe the thought of supporting it, I have a rising 9th grader who's never played sports before, but who got called out of 8th grade PE by the HS football coach because he weighs 160 and benches 190. It's funny because as stupid as football is, and as obsessed as Texans are about it, it might be the one sport that doesn't require selling your soul to play it. The very violence that it contains puts a natural barrier up against the absurdity of year round play.

So we'll see where that goes...

Anecdotally, I look at Boomer White and Michael Barash, and I see the benefits of taking time off from competition. Of course kids want to play 4 games every weekend, and college kids want to go to Cape Cod or Fairbanks for the summer...that's what kids do.

I appreciate this thread - it has educated me a bit on just how different things have become over the past 25 years. Oh, and America still sucks at soccer...

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HECUBUS
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In reply to 94chem • 3:52p, 5/3/16
AG
Ha. Football is year round here. The football kids were working out at seven am and got out of baseball practice at seven pm with a last period football class. One kid missed the last double header rainout makeup games because full contact practices started and he got injured in his throwing shoulder on day one.

They have more camps and much more insanity than baseball. The only difference is every kid makes the team in football. All "major" sports require the summer strength training class. Basketball kids do more traveling and tournaments than baseball.

Here, baseball is the least crazy. It's still crazy.
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94chem
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12:39p, 5/5/16
I had a third grade girl who really enjoyed gymnastics and was pretty good at it. Then it was time to go to 14 hours a week training, line the pockets of the gym owner with $5K/year, and we just had to say no. One day you wake up, remind yourself that it's a 9 year old, and re-orient your life.

When I wonder what's driving all the insanity across so many activities, I suppose there is a small group of parents who just have more money and less fulfillment than they can handle. They ratchet up the tension level for an entire community, and you have to either play the game their way or not at all.

Each community must be different. A friend of mine mentioned that when his suburban school HS would play some of the urban schools in football, there would be virtually nobody in the stands for the urban school. You can't tell me that kids whose parents don't even go to the games are forced into 24/7/365 competition.
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AustinCountyAg
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In reply to 94chem • 2:23p, 5/5/16
quote:
I had a third grade girl who really enjoyed gymnastics and was pretty good at it. Then it was time to go to 14 hours a week training, line the pockets of the gym owner with $5K/year, and we just had to say no. One day you wake up, remind yourself that it's a 9 year old, and re-orient your life.

When I wonder what's driving all the insanity across so many activities, I suppose there is a small group of parents who just have more money and less fulfillment than they can handle. They ratchet up the tension level for an entire community, and you have to either play the game their way or not at all.

that's what it is all about, $.....as a former TX high school baseball/football coach I can tell you that my son WILL NOT play travel/select baseball until he is 12/13. KIDS need to have their body's develop and mature first before they start playing year around. Not to mention the more sports they play, the more their motor skills develop.
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HECUBUS
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4:41p, 5/5/16
AG
Yes, schools are different. Our school is rated highly in the state and the country. Everything is insanely competitive. I hope we are the worst case.

They win in golf, tennis, track, softball, rugby, lacrosse, wrestling, basketball, football, soccer, cheerleading, etc., etc. there is lots of pressure on the underperforming baseball program.
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