As competition for limited spots on the top elite 12-U travel teams in the area increases, are you looking for a team that can provide your child ample playing time, training and exposure but at a cost structure thousands of dollars less than other teams in the area while still playing in many of the same high-level tournaments?
MUST READ: The Pros and Cons of Youth Travel Teams
The 12U Bowie Bulldogs lead by Coach Washington might be a great fit for your child. When the team fits the player, there’s incredible progress that is difficult to achieve otherwise. But picking the wrong team can make a negative impact as well.
Pick wisely. You may determine that our team isn’t right for your child at all. Do your research on these teams to find the right fit for your child. Here’s a list of things to consider before joining our team or any other travel baseball team.
- Is the player stuck at one position on his current team? Is the
player delegated to a position that they will play for the majority of their experience with the team? Teams can have every intention of rotating players but most teams do not have the strength to move players around and still win. It is not realistic to expect a team to give another player the chance to play first base while they are holding on to a two-run lead. To limit any athlete to this approach when the player is 5-12 years old is a huge mistake. We find it crucial at this stage of development to have players learn virtually every position on the field. If your son can play 2nd base, he probably can play 3B, LF or RF too. He needs to learn those spots, why? What if there is an opportunity for him to start on Varsity as a sophomore in RF and the coach says, “Can you play right?!” the answer better be, “YES!” or else we have not done right by your son. It’s about experiences, the more your child learns about the game, the more they take with them level after level.
- Does the team bringing in ringers for tournaments? Some teams will happily collect your money and drill the player at practices, but come tournament time, you see a few new players who get lots of playing time because they’re great players, while the existing player sits on the bench. These new players never show up at practice but they show up at some tournaments to displace fee-paying practice players. You want to avoid situations like that. We don’t believe in bringing in new players and throwing existing players under the bus. Commitment is a two way street.
- Is the team multi-sports friendly? In some ways, playing baseball all-year around (ages 5-12) can lead to imbalanced physical development and in many cases career ending injuries before the age of 18. We believe that participating in other sports besides baseball help promote more balanced physical development. In other words, the best way to get a player’s body in good enough condition to play baseball is to use his body for sports or other physical activities that aren’t baseball.
- How big is the roster and will it grow? Large rosters mean many players sitting on the bench at tournaments. We believe that getting at-bats against live kid pitch is perhaps the most important experience a player needs in order to develop and grow as a ball player. That won’t happen much on large rosters unless the player happens to already be a top hitter. In our opinion, 12 is the ideal roster size for younger players, though 13 is often acceptable.
- Is the player dealing with the worst kind of “Daddy Ball” team? Does the coach son gets lots of playing time and position assignments that may not be commensurate with skill level? In some cases, the coaching will be poor, playing time for those who aren’t coaches sons will be minimal, and the team will not get better throughout the season. You want to avoid situations like that. The trouble usually begins when one or more coaches sons happen to be of a skill level that is average or below for the team.
- Did the team initially tell the parent that their primary focus is on player development, rather than winning? At first, all was going well. No pressure, just teaching solid mechanics and giving equal playing time. As the months went by, the coach begins putting more emphasis on ….ie winning. The better performing kids begun seeing more playing time, while kids who haven’t progressed as quickly are riding the pine. Let’s be clear up front — we always try to win! Winning, or having a good chance at winning, is an outcome of good player development. There’s nothing wrong with winning. It’s winning at any cost that is a problem.
Which Team is Best For Your Son?
I
t is so important to consider these questions before committing to a team. If your son has a skill set that will attract the top private high school coaches in the area, you might want to consider an Exposure/showcase team. This might be the 6th, 7th or 8th grader who is showing some serious high caliber performance. If your son knows he wants to play for a top private high school coach, but does not quite have the skill set yet to attract those coaches, then a Hybrid Exposure-Development team such as ours would be the best fit for him. Hybrid Exposure-Development teams are often advertised and rarely deliver. It’s difficult to find a team that practices consistently and plays in tournaments on the weekend. If you find this, then you’ve struck gold.
Player Development
Now is the time to join a team with a focus on player development and exposure. Our developmental process is different for every player, which is why every player receives a yearly IDP (Individual Development Plan). The plan focuses on improving the weakest areas of each player’s skill set.
Competitive Schedule
Great care and thought is given to create a schedule that makes sense for our team. We understand that high level players want to play against high level competition. And, our teams do that regularly. However, not every player is ready to play a elite level schedule. With this in mind, the goal of of our team is to play a schedule that both challenges our players, but affords them the opportunity to have some success. Our goal is not just to win trophies and boast of a record like 50-5. We want our players to develop and get better. The best way for them to do that is to play equal, if not better talent. We want to challenge our athletes in many ways. We purposely put them in places where they must raise their level just to compete. The result is players thrive on the challenge and they get better.
Process vs. Results
The Maryland Baseball Rankings reports are nice. But, regardless of the goal, or the situation, our team will always play hard, and demonstrate the effort to win every game. However, in the grand scheme of things, the single most important goal for our program is helping our players get better.
Our players are constantly drilled on mastering the process, not the results. This is a huge distinction. For this reason, players get better. They mature and become the player they were destined to be. Specifically, they dramatically improve their skills because there is a focus in our program on skill set development. They also develop a better understanding of the game (baseball IQ). Focusing on the process teaches players to be confident versus focusing on results, which can lead to frustration and a lack of confidence.
Maximum Exposure
Long before the actual exposure comes lots of hard work and true development. The result of all that hard work is a player who is ready for exposure. When the time is right, we have the credibility and relationships to get any player on the team exposure from the top private high school coaches that line up with his ability.
Prospect Form
If you feel your child is the right fit for the 12U Bowie Bulldogs, then please complete the Prospect form below.