Being a Free Agent

My DD is a great pitcher. She gets asked all the time to guest. The forums are asking for pitchers regularly, so there isn’t any shortage of opportunities to play.
It has given me some thoughts about whether or not my DD stays with a team.
Anyone do this? What are the benefits and negatives of being a free agent?

Benefits-
-Avoid the high cost of team payment
-Able to choose tournaments and teams
-Can take a weekend off, if needed
-Experience in networking with people
-Avoiding team “politics”

Negatives-
-Connecting with a team, friends/bonding
-Network and support
-Risk of no game time/benched
-No connectivity with catcher/other team

Others?

Findlay said:

My DD is a great pitcher. She gets asked all the time to guest. The forums are asking for pitchers regularly, so there isn’t any shortage of opportunities to play.
It has given me some thoughts about whether or not my DD stays with a team.
Anyone do this? What are the benefits and negatives of being a free agent?

Benefits-
-Avoid the high cost of team payment
-Able to choose tournaments and teams
-Can take a weekend off, if needed
-Experience in networking with people
-Avoiding team “politics”

Negatives-
-Connecting with a team, friends/bonding
-Network and support
-Risk of no game time/benched
-No connectivity with catcher/other team

Others?

Click to expand...

Impressive!

Perhaps an individual sport, rather than team sport may be more valuable to her over the long run. Additionally, it wouldn't be a bad omen to consider how former pitchers such as Cat Osterman, Michelle Smith and Lisa Fernandez approached team travel ball. Maybe her future college coach may even be able to provide some valuable input.

Have you talked with Tony of the Firecrackers?

Of course, I'm being sarcastic. You may wish to re-think this one.

Chris

"Avoid the high cost of team payment."

Well, I see this as unimpressive. Why? Because I think all who participate should contribute equally if team costs are not covered entirely by sponsors. I think it's far more respectful to offer to pay your share (rather than simply avoid).

My player wouldn't enjoy that at all. She used to guest a lot (she's also a pitcher) but she got tired of it. The last time she guest played was over a year ago now. I think it gets tiring, new girls, new coaches, unfamiliar drama, new pitching signs, etc.

Biggest negative I can see would be practice time if she is just playing on weekends. Is she is a "pitch and sit" or does she play another position? Does she bat?

Findlay said:

Negatives-
-Connecting with a team, friends/bonding
-Network and support
-Risk of no game time/benched
-No connectivity with catcher/other team

Others?

Click to expand...

Everyone hates you and often your DD as well. No one likes the hired gun or the ringer. Often not even the team they are playing on. You avoided team politics by ensuring no one likes you, people speak behind your back all the time and at a long-term cost of your reputation. I really don't care about what other people think of me, but being hated everywhere you go doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun for a teenager.

You probably will have to travel further and further to find teams to play for and guess which teams need guest pitching a lot - the not very good ones or the nasty teams who are out to win at all costs and will replace a player for any reason.

It wont be well looked at by colleges either. Most of those coaches are all in to 'team' (or at least 'their' team').

It is OK being a free agent out there looking for the team with the right fit. Or guesting on off weekends to help out. It is not a great long term strategy though. If it is a primarily financial issue you are concerned about, there are plenty of teams that have adjusted costs for the best talent

Oh and the other thing - you wont be able to play in the competitive 'qualifiers' because of roster restrictions. That will probably close out a lot of the better tournaments to you.

I have met some of the baseball pitchers that do this and one of the people who heads up a travel team/org that bring in these stud pitchers lives across from me (he told me that he spends $250,000 on his team each year). The adults are all ego-driven A****** and everyone hates them. The kids are either little versions of their parents or are just the quietest, most subdued kid you will ever meet.

"Guess who Sally is playing for now" "I thought Sally was playing for ..." "Wait, I just saw Sally wearing XyZ uniform last weekend and now she is playing for..." Don't be that family. No one talks positively about the "team hopper/hired gun" among parents and coaches. In fact, yesterday we were talking about a certain pitcher and dad(who called pitches from the stands!) that played for so many teams that they had picked up that reputation. Find the right team for your family and stick with them as long as possible. Loyalty becomes more valuable the older your DD gets.

DD occasionally picks up for another Team but she has a Team and knows someone on Team she picks up for.

2 years ago got hard sell for DD, answer was no. Yell no. She was more worried about her Team then other Team.


We have had quest players, I can be really annoyed about it.

Freshman year DD is wondering HS, 4500 kids. Her older teammates would talk to her.

Guest playing can be fun from time-to-time....Helped D get over her shyness. But, we know she will play where they need her...not necessarily pitching. We guest played for teams that you knew before they did they were not going to last...just by hearing the gossip from parents and reading the body language of the team. In this case, it sucks being the outsider who literally walked into drama galore. It is nice to play with a team that has chemistry...something she may or may experience solely on guest playing.


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Doug Romrell said:

"Avoid the high cost of team payment."

Well, I see this as unimpressive. Why? Because I think all who participate should contribute equally if team costs are not covered entirely by sponsors. I think it's far more respectful to offer to pay your share (rather than simply avoid).

Click to expand...

Top club team in our area gives their top pitchers a free ride. The notion is to secure top pitching ... and that will attract other talented players that will gladly pony up to pay the bills. The strategy has worked well and has kept the top team on top for several years.