Guide to Post-12U Baseball Options for Young Players

Slide Note

Explore the diverse landscape of 13U+ baseball options after graduating from 12U. Consider costs, playing time, positions, friendships, travel, competitiveness, coaching, college aspirations, and school alignment. Discover non-tournament team choices like Connie Mack and Legion Ball for different seasons. Delve into questions to refine your selection and help young players find the right fit for their baseball journey.

zmarp Follow

Uploaded on Sep 16, 2024 | 0 Views

Download Presentation

Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.

The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

Proprietary 13U+ Baseball Options Rob deHaan Last updated: May 2024

Proprietary Author s Background Me: Central Perk Board Member 2009-2022, Travel coach CP 8U-12U Assistant coach at Complete Game of PA Fall 17-Summer 19 Connie Mack Coach 13U-16U, Co-Commissioner Son 1: (19U) CP Travel 8-12U Complete Game 13-14U Athletes Academy Canes 15U Spring City Legion 16-19u Connie Mack Spring and Fall 13-16U Spring-Ford Baseball 9th-12th grade, 1stteam all-conference pitcher Penn State Student Manager, anticipated Club Team tryout Fall 2024 Son 2: (19U) CP Travel 9-12U Connie Mack Spring and Fall 13-16U Now focused on Golf, Penn State student, Club Golf

Proprietary Purpose There is no playbook for where you go next after graduating 12U Baseball. The number of options for 13U+ baseball is far greater These options come with a wider range of costs, amount of baseball, and type of seasons Tryouts for select fall teams will often happen in July before 12U seasons end

Proprietary To Start: Answer these questions Answering these questions will help you narrow your choices How much do you want to pay? How much do you want your player to play? Do you care what position(s) your player plays? Does your player want to play with friends? How much do you want to travel? And how far? How much do you want to win? How competitive do you want to be? How much baseball do you want? Do you want Tournaments vs Single Games? How much do you want your player to be noticed? Do you want your player to be coached by a paid coach or a dad In the end: Does your player want to play baseball in college? Does the level of baseball match the type of school your son wants to attend?

Proprietary Non-Tournament Team options Primary Options: Connie Mack (Central Perk) Legion Ball (Spring City or Perk Valley) Others Not Covering Tonight: Phoenixville DeSanno in-house Babe-Ruth, ages 13-15

Proprietary Connie Mack at Central Perk Connie Mack by season: Spring ($175): more developmental in nature, mix of player abilities, 8-10 games, no playoffs, weekend games only; good compliment to school baseball Summer ($275): more competitive in nature, playoffs & standings, 16-24 games, weekdays & weeknights Fall ($80): more developmental in nature, mix of player abilities, 10-12 games, no playoffs, weekend games only Connie Mack by level: A: targeted for top-level 15-16 year olds, top level baseball (summer only) B1: targeted for high-level 14-16 year olds, play for district and state titles B: targeted for 14-15 year olds, summer playoffs C1: targeted for high-level 13-14 year olds, play for district and state titles C: targeted for 13-14 year olds, summer playoffs A, B1, C1 can have 20 players rostered. Some teams have a core then roster many others to pull in others as able Other Key Facts: Travel to teams within an hour of CP, all in Bucks and Montgomery counties No tournaments, 7 inning games, 2.5 hour time limit There are boundaries, but not 100% the same as CP s 8U-12U boundaries Ages are determined like Ripken as of May 1steach year Some teams play tournaments before/after Connie Mack season, get best of both worlds Connie Mack has defined pitch counts and days of rest for arm care

Proprietary Legion Ball Legion by Season: Tryouts are in early April Play a summer game schedule vs other areas (late May to late July) There are no tournaments, ~16-18 regular season games + playoffs Games are during the week and weekends Cost will be around $300-$350 Spring City s post is in Chester County Perk Valley s post is in Montgomery County Determines opponents Levels of Legion: Prep: 13-14U Sandlot: 14-15U note: most organizations DO NOT offer this, very limited Juniors: 15-16U Seniors: 17-19U Other Key Facts: Uses calendar year as the age cutoffs (1/1-12/31), not May 1st. The 12U player with a December birthday moves up to 14U and misses the whole 13U season Boundaries determine eligibility Wood bat league 14-18 player rosters, often not coached by a parent Enforces days of rest based on pitch counts

Proprietary Tournament Team Options 2 main choices here: AAU or Facility Teams Form an independent team

Proprietary Overview of Tournaments Seasons: Use May 1 as the baseball age, kids often move up an age level post September 1 Most tournaments are Saturday and Sunday now, not during the week; means more pitching required, as can play 3-7 games on a weekend; try and get in 7 innings, but games have time limits so can be crunched Don t be surprised if you play 4-5 inning games given 1:45 time limits These tournaments are all for-profit: Schedules often come out Wednesday before your weekend Schedules often change as teams are added late, coaches complain Tournaments often don t owe refunds if you play 2 games The number of groups hosting tournaments greatly diminishes from 12U PA: BSE (SE PA), ECTB (Allentown), Big Show (Reading), In the Net (Palmyra, PA), FutureStarz, Rallycap NJ: Diamond Nation, USABL (NJ) DE/MD: Ripken, Sports at the Beach Elite: Perfect Game / Showcases, Prep Baseball Report

Proprietary AAU or Facility Teams Seasons: Fall: Tryouts for fall will be in July; September to early November schedule Summer: Tryouts for summer will be in November (typically); many don t play in the spring given school ball, May-early August schedule, but varies by team If offered a spot, you typically have 24 hours to commit on limited info Many are predominantly tournament ball, few scrimmages Costs will greatly vary, and need to see what you get for the money How much baseball do you get? Do you get facility access to practice? On your own? Winter Workouts? Paid coaches vs dads? Range can be $1500-$3500 for the baseball (no travel expenses included) depending on the team There s a misconception that AAU teams play more baseball than others. Typically its 5-6 tournaments in the summer

Proprietary AAU / Facility Team Options Sampling of teams in the area Complete Game in Royersford Diamond Baseball in King of Prussia Collegeville Spiders, Valley Forge Militia (independent team not all ages) PA Rebels All Star Baseball (teams in Warrington, Warminster, West Chester, Downingtown) Uncommon Baseball PA Shockers (Quakertown) Bell Ringers 3 Up 3 Down (Reading) West Chester Dragons Other Key Factors: A travel A team moving to the 13U level will not dominate. The better teams will take the top 3-4 kids from 3-4 programs to build their team Some facilities have 2 13U/14U teams, move players as needed on weekends, consolidate to 1 15U team after Teams are always out looking for talent, no spot is safe season to season One thing you may see kids play on multiple teams, and rosters not the same day to day; some facilities have multiple teams and move kids between as see fit, others bring in players if other team is off As you get older: Players get designated as Pitcher Only (no fielding or hitting!) Tournaments are Monday-Friday events, NOT weekends; season will run mid-June to mid-August to allow school seasons to complete Teams will play in VA/NC/SC/GA/FL You should be paying for showcases, don t care about winning a tournament, it s about exposure to college coaches. Question to ask: Is the showcase for a school you want to attend? Or would your $$ be better served attending individual showcases at schools you are interested in?

Proprietary What should you be getting with an AAU team? Development its about getting development from professionals, learning the right way to do things; just getting reps is not development, its about learning Exposure having people with connections to colleges and scouts. Will the scout take the call from the coach about a player? Showcases there is a lot of allure to a showcase tournament, but are the schools in attendance where you want to send your player? Many scouts are there looking for top notch pitchers and strong hitters. While they will see everyone there, reality is 1-2 kids on a team are actually getting showcased. Strong pitchers and strong pitchers! As advance in age, the role of the coach becomes really important Want a non-parent taking the call from a college coach to describe the player Want a connected coach/facility who will make a call on your player s behalf

Proprietary Can I create an independent tournament team? Absolutely! What you ll need: Players (start with a core of 5-6, consider tryouts) Fields to practice on Insurance Cost will be 35-50% of the cost of an academy team May not be paying for a coach Not paying for their facility Not paying for their profits What won t you get: Independence, especially with college scouts (if dad coached) Some will say professional instruction, but that will vary in terms of the delta between your team of coaches vs how vested the AAU coach is Good local examples: Collegeville Spiders, Valley Forge Militia, Spring-Ford baseball Club

Proprietary Bringing this together Connie Mack Legion AAU/Facility Independent Team Cost $175 | $275 | $80 $325-$350 $2000-3000+ $750-$1000 Amount of Baseball 10-12 games Spring/Fall 16-25 games Summer 20+ Games Summer Varies, 5-6 tourneys You set the schedule Spring: April-mid May Summer: Late May-July Fall: Sept-Oct Spring: limited Summer: May-Aug Fall: Sept-early Nov Spring: varies Summer: May-Aug Fall: Sept-Oct Seasons Late May-July Bucks and Montgomery Counties (< 1 hour) Less than < 1 hour until regionals / states Travel Varies by team Varies by team Spring/Fall development Summer competitive Often highly competitive Philosophy Competitive Competitive Individual Games Summer Standings & Playoffs Tournaments vs Games Individual Games, Standings, Playoffs Largely Tournaments Largely Tournaments Varies by Team; Perfect Game, Showcases Coach can signup for showcase events same as AAU Limited; recently added a showcase tournament Perceived to be more than CM Visibility Coach Dad Often Independent Varies Varies Bat Type BBCOR (-3) or Wood Wood BBCOR (-3) or Wood BBCOR (-3) or Wood

Proprietary What you often see Many 13-14U players go to AAU, it has the bright lights, lot of promise, sounds cool , perception of higher-level baseball Then things adjust: Some players start to see leave after 14U Parents don t see the value for the $$. Coaches are sometimes younger kids, turnover year to year; practices are shortened / tough to get field space; can t get in facilities when you want or additional charges for winter usage; games aren t 7 innings Players don t want to play in college; start to get grounded in where they stack up vs other players; not happy with positions/playing time; friends leave Junior Legion or Connie Mack B1 or A become an interest; CP Connie Mack A often has 16U Ripken / 17U Legion Players as a tweener year since older kids may play Legion (comment below) If Senior Legion, see a lot of 18U players post senior year of high school join legion since they have their college placement; competition can be really good You don t need to go to AAU to get recruited; coaches will find you if you are good (high school, individual camps, PBR events, etc.); Once you make contact, coaches will come to your games / email them when & where One-time: when you know they are coming, how do you perform One-time: when you don t know they are coming, how do you behave

Proprietary Why Connie Mack Benefits of Connie Mack: 7 inning games, 2.5 hr time limits Significantly cheaper cost Defined schedule in advance Vested interest to play everyone Travel within an hour You can still play tournaments (before / after season) Perceived Downside of CM: Its rec ball Lesser overall talent No visibility to scouts/coaches Dad coached / avoid daddy ball Does it sound cool with friends around the school lunch table? Does it sound cool for dad to mention to his friends?

Proprietary College Recruiting Student Size # Pitching Velocity Scholarships Notes Colleges Division 1 Often large schools, but not always 299 87-90+ 11.7 Scholarships split over 27 players Division 2 50% < 2,500 Up to 15,000 PSAC schools here 274 83-85+ 9 Better sports academics balance Division 3 Small Schools (1000-5000) Often Liberal Arts 389 80+ 0 80% often offset with merit Focus on academics Junior Colleges Often 2 year schools 80-85+ Often folks hoping to develop to get recruited after Soph year by other levels NAIA 12 Less regulated Club Baseball Varies based on school attended Many, not all Varies None Its not rec/intramural baseball, its highly competitive

Proprietary Who is Prep Baseball Report They are a marketing service they are there to promote the players, especially via Social Media What they look for metrics! Often not game play Hitting: Exit Velo (will promote often top velo, not consistent velo) Running: 60 times Pitching: Fastball, Curveball, Change-up velocities Catching: Pop-times, Throwing Velocity Fielding: Infield and Outfield Throwing Velo Goal is to attend PA State games Have to be invited there, but can do so via attending an individual workout day in the area (Complete Game has one, believe open to non-CG players) Often 3-4 games in July, pitchers get 2 innings on mound Heavily scouted event Dubois, PA is home location