Building the Perfect Travel Team Roster

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Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
I am curious what other coaches try to do regarding filling their roster; how many players do you carry on the roster?, do you look for particular attributes?, do you take the best player available?, do you recruit or have tryouts?, etc. I am not looking for answers to specifics questions and already have opinions concerning most of these items, but I am interested to see what others think about the process in general. I am hoping that this thread becomes an open discussion concerning all aspects of building a travel ball roster. Examples:

1) It is common advice on DFP that parents should look for the best quality team that their DD can be one of the top 9 players. As a parent I am not opposed to that thought process. In fact it is advice that I give to families that ask my opinion on the topic. However, as a coach, I realize that winning at travel ball will often require more than 9 players. Vacations, injuries, rest, etc provide opportunities for other players to get playing time, and sometimes important playing time. So, how do you build a roster of 11 or 12 players (or more) and still keep each player not only happy, but prepared and ready to contribute when they are needed?

2) It is also common advice that pitchers should look to be one of the top three on their team, and preferably one of the top two. At least in my area, it is not uncommon for teams to use 3 pitchers on Saturday (pool play), but then only use 2 on Sunday (bracket play). If you are not among the top 3, your opportunities will be very limited. If you are not among the top 2, your total innings will probably be significantly lower than the others. As a coach I realize that having more than 2 pitchers is essential. I have never coached a team with pitchers that did not have bad days. And I don't like to work pitchers excessively. So if you carry 3 or 4 pitchers on your roster, how do you keep them happy and get them innings?
 

KCM

Mar 8, 2012
331
0
South Carolina
I carry 11 players on roster and have 2 girls I can call about anytime to come play with us pick up when they not with their team. Playing time is not an issue because usually the ones sitting are my additional pitcher and catcher.


I am blessed with 3 pitchers - one in her (blazing speed)last year of 16U, mine (has movement) has 2 years left and another (not as fast as other 2 but has movement) that can play down 14U when needed. I also have 3 catchers - 2 right handed and 1 lefty. We rotate a lot especially with our blistering heat and humidity it helps. I would not say one pitcher is better than the other, it is they all have a purpose with the ability or skill they have.
 

ArkFastpitch

Dont' I know you?
Sep 20, 2013
351
18
IMHO to what kind of players you should look for. Obviously if you want a dominant TB club then you will need top knotch talent, but I would look for talent that is eager to learn and grow. The last thing you want is a player that knows it all and is uncoachable. Players like this are a cancer to your team and will be gone as fast as they came. Also, look at the parents. Having good parents is just as important as the talent on the field. I have passed on stud players that have hard to deal with parents. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Lastly, don't forget your responsibility in this venture. Be transparent, be structured, be enthusiastic, and be productive. TB parents and players want what they typically can't get from rec ball. They want that next level of training and competition. Its up to you to make sure that you and your ACs stay on top of that. Good luck and welcome to the madness...
 
Aug 1, 2014
73
6
I don't know the age group that you are asking about specifically but I can share my experience.
I have found success when the girls are:
1st: The same age. This way the girls could stay together from year to year. Some may come and go but the core of the team will stay together.
2nd: committed. Travel ball takes commitment from the player and parent. Participation in practice will be a good indication of their level of commitment. You may have to dismiss girls who have a different definition of commitment. It will set the expectation. It may seem harsh but rec ball is for participation travel is for competition.
3rd willing to learn. You can't coach the ones who already know more than you.
4th talented or full of potential. Especailly at the pitching and catching positions. Second base would be my next biggest concern. It's amazing how many balls are hit to second. Don't overlook it, we beat teams who do.

The order of these qualifications are intentionally in that order. I believe that you win with that formula and good instruction.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
I am not really looking for advice. I was just trying to create an open discussion to see how other coaches build their rosters. I started coaching travel ball at the 12u level and have worked up to 16u at the moment. I also help a friend with his 18u team (my DD plays both 16u and 18u).

One thing that I have found interesting is the apparent contradiction that I mentioned in the OP. From a parenting point of view, we should attempt to place our DD in a position that she is one of the top 9 players or one of the top 2 pitchers on her roster. However, as a coach, I personally find a great deal of value in players 10, 11, and 12 AND pitcher 3. So, as a coach, how do you manage your bench and bullpen in order to keep them happy, interested, and ready to play when needed? And yet not upset your top 9 players and top 2 pitchers?

My personal opinion is that while the top 4 or 5 players on your team may have more to do with your team's success on the field, how you manage the bottom 4 or 5 players will have a large impact on the amount of drama that surrounds your team off the field.
 
For me, it is talent, first and foremost. I want the very best players I can get, although they don't necessarily have to be that good right now, just capable of getting there with the right coaching.

I want coachability second. They have to want to learn and get better.

Next, commitment. They can't get better if they aren't there. And although we don't have to travel to play the very best teams, we will eventually travel to showcase events and big national tourneys. I don't lose many players once they've been picked for my team, but the few who are lost are almost always lost for this reason.

I want pitching. Preferably, three starters. If one ends up being considerably better than the other two, it is nearly impossible to keep them all happy. If they are roughly equal, it is much easier. I will sometimes forego recruiting that awesome, ultra-dominant pitcher if I think I can get three very good ones, instead. I am simply not the type of coach who will ride a horse for six straight games.

I look for outfield talent. By the time girls think they are ready to try out for my team, they are already proven at very high levels and most of them are shortstops. I am a defensive coach at heart, and I want the best defense in the area every year. Since I start with a group of incoming 11 year olds, hardly any are outfielders. I have to change that if I want to be the best.

I look for talented catchers but I also look for talented players who can be converted. The best catchers I've ever produced came to me as shortstops or 3Bs.

I look for slap-hitting talent. The girl doesn't have to be left-handed .... just crazy-fast, smart and eager to learn. I'll flip 'em if I can find 'em.

I want a couple of kids who can hit the ball over the fence (yes, at 11). Nothing ruins your opponents day like a 3-run HR. :)

As far as assembling the talent, for the most part the girls tend to come to us but I also do a fair amount of recruiting from the lower levels, since I have found through the years that girls might be stuck in B ball for several different reasons and some of them aren't stuck there because of lack of talent.

I am adamant about not poaching from my competitors. I simply won't even talk to families who are attached to such.

Since my #1 goal is to develop talent, all my girls play/start regularly. Accordingly, I like to carry 12 girls. I find that 11 can present problems with injuries and 13 can present playing time issues. Like Goldilocks said, 12 seems to be just right.

I don't use pick up players. I have found that it gets too many people nervous and can poke holes in even the closest team's camaraderie.

I evaluate parents. If a parent has gotten into one of their previous coach's face a time or two, their DD gets sent down the road. No a**holes need apply. I don't have time for the BS.

I look for evidence of team jumping. At 11, if I see more than one team within the same level, a red flag goes up. If I see more than two teams in the same level, a black flag goes up. If I am adding a player or two to a 12, 13 or 14 year old team down the road, I do the same thing. Example: Not too terribly long ago, I got a call from a dad (a notorious one, no less) who told me that he was thinking of taking his DD from her current team and coming over to ours. His DD is a very good pitcher who would have easily slotted in as my #2 or even #1. However, my team would have been the third team she would've been on that year. It was all I could do to keep from laughing into my cell phone before I could compose myself and tell him that I only carry 12 girls and that I was filled up for the year.

EDIT: Adding that I coach 12U A and 14U A in an organization which has an overarching goal of securing D1 college scholarships for its players. My job is to deliver a dozen 14-year-old girls to our 16U Gold program who are fully-prepared for the challenge.
 
Last edited:
Oct 22, 2009
1,532
0
PA
For me, as a 14U A coach, I still consider this age group to be one where development is more important than wins since we ultimately want some of our players to be ready to play for our Gold team. Kids coming from 12U are making a tough transition. Weaker, less motivated players have fallen away and the more talented and motivated players remain. The girls need to learn how and what to practice on their own to master the skills we teach. They need to understand that raw athletic talent gets them on the team, but hard work and mastery of the skills, and consistency gets you on the field. If you are able to identify the kids that are highly motivated and love the sport, you can inspire them to work hard and be successful. IME, at 14U, you can take the most talented athletes but if they aren't motivated to put the work in, they will quickly fall off the curve and won;t be ready to move onto the next level.

With respect to pitching, it really depends on the age level as to what team a parent should look for with their child. At 10U and 12U, you need to be on a team where you will get innings, as this is more important in the long run. At 14U, we see a large increase in the number of TB teams compared to 12U, so chances are good you can find a team to pitch for, and you have to make the trade off between circle time and how your DD is being prepared to play at the next level by those coaches. At 16 and 18, if you are not one of the top two pitchers on a good team, you are probably not going to get much circle time. The number of teams decreases, so finding a team where your DD might be one of the top two pitchers is less likely unless that team is pretty weak. For pitchers, it's about weighing the trade-offs you and your DD are willing to make, and there's no one size fits all answer.
 
Jun 7, 2013
984
0
Years ago I had the pleasure of discussing the Minnesota Vikings glory years (yes, they did have some!) with Fred Cox, the kicker for those teams. He said that a lot of Bud Grant's success came from his ability to select the "marginal" players for the team and get something out of them. Anyone can pick out the Fran Tarkenton's, the Alan Page's, etc., he said, but it takes a genius to see a player's special talent and put it to use.
 
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