OK, can we talk turkey? "Open Workouts," "All Positions are Open," and such

[CMMom1740]

Getting on the phone ahead of time is essential in my opinion. Let the coach know who your DD is and be honest about her abilities. If it is a stretch that your DD will make the team and she doesn't do anything that will make her stand out at tryouts (fast pitcher, fast runner, really good arm, CRUSHES the ball, etc...) some communication ahead of time can help. I have been a part of tryouts (sometimes the cattle-call type) for many years and if you know a certain player is coming and have talked to mom or dad ahead of time you will watch for that player. Then, if the kid performs as advertised, it can help. I have always been honest with folks who call and let them know that in reality we have 8 of 12 girls returning, so we are really looking for 4 players. One dad a few years ago told me his DD was a decent catcher who was a little bit rough on blocking, with decent speed, a good arm and also played outfield and middle infield. She was a 1st year 14U moving up to "A" ball from a "C" team. He said they had been to 5 tryouts and she couldn't find a team. He apologized for calling and just asked us to give her a look, because she really wanted to play ball at a higher level.

She was that girl who would not have made it past us guys with the clipboards. She had good speed and a good arm, but was rough behind the plate, and was not very smooth in the infield. She struggled hitting off the machine. I talked to the HC about her and he watched her closely. He loved her glove behind the plate. She did look pretty good when we banged fly-balls at her. He took her aside and worked with her for a few minutes on blocking and some infield technique and she looked like a whole different kid. He liked her because she took instruction well and could immediately apply it. After some discussion among coaches he invited her back to a practice but did not give her an offer on the spot. She worked with the team for two hours and by the end of practice she had her offer. She worked hard over the winter and ended up being the #1 CF and split time at catcher. She played 2B once in awhile as well and ended up with the second best BA and best OBP on the team.

I typed all that because it was dad's phone call and honest assessment of her that made us take an extra close look at her even though she was basically a rec player and didn't do much to get herself noticed at the tryout. That kid ended up playing for a very good D3 school and played on some good TB teams with a lot of good players.

Great story! Thanks for that. I am watching the local ads closely and have reached out to a couple of coaches already. Have texted them a few videos and have already caught one guy's interest who has practically given her an offer sight unseen. There are a couple of reasons to be wary. HC's daughter is also a catcher; found that out on the phone, plus the team is a mix of 03s and 04s. DD will have to move up to 16U the following year and he may or may not want to. But point is, you never know what reaching out can accomplish.

 

[CMMom1740]

That's a great story. My daughter is like that. Her strengths are blocking and receiving, she can really crush the ball but she is streaky with her hitting. Goes on a several game hot streak then goes on a several game slump. Then back on a hot streak, and so on. So she might hit good at tryouts...but maybe not. The thing I think that is holding her off an A team is her arm. It's average, ok, but not a killer cannon. That sometimes turns evaluators off. However in a game she always seems to somehow intimidate runners because she's big and aggressive looking behind the plate. You don't see that in tryouts. Her arm and pop time is something she is really doing some extra work to try and improve. And it is getting better, it just seems to be a slow pace. One thing she has going for her is she is very coachable. I hope tryouts go easier for her this year.


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Your DD and mine could be twins! Although passed balls has been a bit of a bugaboo for her this spring, especially at the end of one of those marathon, 15 hour Saturday tournaments. But same situation with hitting streaks and slumps.

 

[Top_Notch]

After having gone through tryouts prior and everything that comes with them (Will the current team be back, etc...) I was excited that this year would be stress free. Of course, things never go to plan.

Another coach reached out to us a while ago and asked to recruit my DD to go to his new team within a much better org. So now we are deciding between staying on a very good team within a smaller org. or going to an unknown team of a better org. We might be going from an A team in a B org to a B team in an A org. We've been debating this pretty much all summer and we are coming to crunch time very quickly! Ahhhh!

 

[CMMom1740]

After having gone through tryouts prior and everything that comes with them (Will the current team be back, etc...) I was excited that this year would be stress free. Of course, things never go to plan.

Another coach reached out to us a while ago and asked to recruit my DD to go to his new team within a much better org. So now we are deciding between staying on a very good team within a smaller org. or going to an unknown team of a better org. We might be going from an A team in a B org to a B team in an A org. We've been debating this pretty much all summer and we are coming to crunch time very quickly! Ahhhh!

Sometimes taking a leap of faith is super scary. I'm a believer in going with your gut even if it may not appear logical from the outside. Sometimes our heads interfere too much. I also have learned that I need to filter out coaches' "smack talk" about each other. It surprises me how willing some of them are to do that. I recall seeing someone on this board post that if your DD is playing less than 60% of the time (especially for pitchers/catchers), you're on the wrong team. I'm really trying to go with that axiom as opposed to being lured in by team/org names. But, it's not easy!

 

[let it be fun]

To me that's what coaching is all about! How many coaches miss out on really excellent players because they don't see the talent that's hidden under the surface? And it's not their fault necessarily, like you said: what would catch your eye if she hadn't been brought to your attention? Great story

The really good teams and organizations really don't need to take chances on players and I don't blame them. So many good players show up for the tryout and they have so many good players returning that they can take the best of the best. If an average player who is a good athlete shows up she will probably not get selected. If she gets on with another team and works hard maybe she can make it the next year. A player has to be good to make the good teams. The next tier down at 14u are the teams that I think can take some chances on good athletes.

 

[Top_Notch]

Sometimes taking a leap of faith is super scary. I'm a believer in going with your gut even if it may not appear logical from the outside. Sometimes our heads interfere too much. I also have learned that I need to filter out coaches' "smack talk" about each other. It surprises me how willing some of them are to do that. I recall seeing someone on this board post that if your DD is playing less than 60% of the time (especially for pitchers/catchers), you're on the wrong team. I'm really trying to go with that axiom as opposed to being lured in by team/org names. But, it's not easy!

You comment about smacktalk is interesting. If we decide to leave, the new coach of the new team is coming from another org (that's a done deal already). However, when questioned he refused to talk negatively about the .org he is leaving. And the issues are pretty well known but I found it interesting his lack of negative response.

As far as gut trusting...I've watched the team play, talked personally with the coach, the org president, and even have my daughter attending an upcoming practice before Nationals. After all that surely there will be something concrete to make a decision! If so, why is it still so difficult? I guess it demonstrates how much we like our current team, but also how much we value new opportunity.

 

[marriard]

Going to talk about this from our org perspective (from out last board meeting). These are our issues:

1) We don't want to formally finalize teams until schools starts and miss someone coming back
2) We are a growing org - so # of teams is a hard call
3) Everyone is going all over for tryouts
4) We are the #2 org (now) in the area, so some players are going to want to go to #1 whether it is the right decision or not.

We have an open workout a couple of weeks before school to show off our coaches and org and start to get a feel for how many teams and coaches we are going to really need. We already have our 'best' coaches selected for the top two teams in each age group, so if someone they REALLY want shows, they can make offers right then. We have a shared spreadsheet for all players and all teams and who they have committed, who they have offered and who they are unsure of at the moment so all coaches can see and communicate about who they want - for example this allows our 12U-B coach to clear with the 12U-A coach a player he is offering and other such items... This allows us to offer and commit a strong B player who is not ready for A early in the tryout process and other advantages.

We then have 3 formal tryouts by age division. Mid-week/Weekend/Mid-week.
We then have a last tryout the Monday school starts
We appoint coaches as necessary based on show - coaches we have already approved move into AC jobs if they don't get a team (sometimes they have a kid, sometimes not).
Once you are a head coach you can make offers when ever you want... but for the general tryout participants, we let them know the final day of offers will be the day after the last tryout.

Seems to work out fine.
Sometimes we lose out on players.. but who doesn't. Since we have built up to a strong #2 organization and threatening #1, we don't lose many we really wanted to keep.

Your mileage may differ.

 

[Cannonball]

Ok, since we are talking about the different facets of these tryouts, don't forget the players and their mindset. I gave hitting lessons to two gifted players this morning. Both will be second year 12U. One, for sure, would do well at 14U but will stay at 12U. Anyway, both are already nervous about tryouts. They are trying out for the teams they already play on. I did my best to explain to both of them that they are already in the top 5 on the team and the one is probably #1. Still, they hear this and that from all of their friends and so tryouts are a trying time for them.

 

[MNDad]

Sometimes taking a leap of faith is super scary. I'm a believer in going with your gut even if it may not appear logical from the outside. Sometimes our heads interfere too much. I also have learned that I need to filter out coaches' "smack talk" about each other. It surprises me how willing some of them are to do that. I recall seeing someone on this board post that if your DD is playing less than 60% of the time (especially for pitchers/catchers), you're on the wrong team. I'm really trying to go with that axiom as opposed to being lured in by team/org names. But, it's not easy!

The first thing you need to do are determine her goals. If she’s highly competitive, excluding teams based on playing time could backfire. In every area there’s organizations with proven records of preparing kids to play at the next level. That could mean going from B to A, JV to varsity or playing in college. I’m not talking about just the big name orgs. There are all kinds of fantastic training programs. If she wants to improve and be surrounded by girls with similar drive and desire you don’t want to miss out because you’re stuck on a percentage of playing time. Girls improve by having quality coaching and practicing. Game experience is important, but seeing as little as 25% of the innings won’t hold a player back who’s doing what it takes off the field. If she just wants to play and have a good time then by all means make playing time the first consideration. The biggest thing is do your homework. Ask around enough and you’ll be able to get a good idea what programs you want to learn more about or cross off the list.

Best of luck through this stressful time and hope you find the perfect program for your DD.

 

[Eric F]

And "all positions are open," "spots are earned on the field," etc... I don't believe that in most cases other than with brand new teams. I generally only respond to ads that specifically mention needing a catcher anyway, but can we read between the lines here? Does it mean "we've already got girls in those spots, but we might consider bumping them if your kid is a super-stud?"

Pretty much.

At the beginning of a new season, with a team that has a majority of returning players, I would be looking for players to fill the remaining roster spots. Exactly how the defensive puzzle fits together might change from how it was last season depending on what pieces I have to work with. With the exception of a specialty position like P or C, I'm not necessarily looking for someone to play a particular position. I'm looking for good ballplayers that can help the team. When it comes time to sort out positions, I know what I have with the returning players. If there is someone new who is clearly a better choice than the player who payed that position last season, they will get the nod. That said, I'm looking for an upgrade, not a lateral move. Replacing a proven SS with another player of a similar skill level isn't likely to happen. If you want that spot, you need to proved that you're better. Maybe LOT better.