Wonderful advice for TB Coaches

[Westwind]

Correct. The coaches that say this are coaches that only watch the absolute best teams playing the best competition.

They may or may not realize there is a “whole other world” of teams trying to find enough players on Saturdays.

 

[BT3100]

For the elite TB, or high tier teams loaded with college talent and 4 pitcher onlys that play 80 games a year, ok. High school ball, ok.

For the vast majority of C, B, local A "TB" teams that maybe if their lucky get to play 40 and have 0 or 1 low level college player potentially...just no.

12 player roster should be sufficient if set up properly.

Great points. Like most things it comes down to perspective. I just happen to think that many parents at too young of an age decide their kid is never gonna play at a high level in college and therefore refuse to place them in challenging situations.

 

[radness]

Great points. Like most things it comes down to perspective. I just happen to think that many parents at too young of an age that decide their kid is never gonna play at a high level in college and therefore refuse to place them in challenging situations.

Read this ☝ again!

If the suggestion to have larger roster sizes was not part of Coach Tarr (and any others who have said this)
It would just read
Teach players to compete!

If we look at the entire comment and read between the lines....it says....
'Not everyone is going to be a starter on college rosters!'

 

[schwabach]

It's also worth remembering that the great coaches are unique individuals who can drive their players hard and still be liked and respected. For every great coach, there are many more who drive their players hard and just make everybody miserable. And I am sure that coaches like Patty Gasso or Patrick Murphy could tell you that in some years, the team just has better chemistry than usual.

 

[Northball]

Coach Tarr was asked a question how to help her and she answered it.
From that moment on it's up to each TB coach to decide if it's their mission to provide her with players. If it is, they now know what to do.
I'm thinking this doesn't apply to a LOT of teams.

 

[clarity]

Well, crazy brainless tb coaches hear a one line slogan like this, start putting it on t-shirts and make a poor attempt to implement it.

I've already seen a handful of below average TB coaches take this quote and run with it, and can see that it's not going to go well.

 

[Strike2]

In many places, there are more teams than good players to fully round them out. While the average 14-18U can usually maintain a roster of 11-12 decent players, any TB team short of the top-tier is unlikely to hold more than that for very long. There are too many other teams that need another player.

If you want to play in college, then...yeah...you need to show that you can play effectively. Some can do that in school ball, and others need to do it travel. However, you aren't getting anyone's attention on the bench. Wherever you are, if you can't get on the field, it's stupid to sit there so the coach can talk about competition for playing time. Time is too short for that nonsense.

Further, you don't have to be on the best team that travels all over the country to play in college. I know this from personal experience. DD's team is decent, and can hang with most on a good day, but certainly isn't "top tier". Almost all are in a college program or headed there next fall. Those that aren't made a conscious choice. If a kid can play effectively on a decent 16/18U team, it's far more a matter of individual motivation than what the jersey says.

 

[wheresmycar]

Maybe Heather Tarr and the other college coaches should support High School ball more... that is where real competition for playing time can occur.

When I dropped my DD off at her freshman school tryout, I told her, this is the first time you are on a team I am not paying for you to play on... You have to earn your spot on the team during the tryout, and earn your playing time during practices and games...

You cannot have "real" competition for playing time on a travel team... It is too easy to jump teams, and your roster size will shrink until it hits an equilibrium, where everyone gets "enough" playing time.

 

[Rolling Hard]

High Schools should do themselves a favor and Add a frosh/soph team. Limit Varsity Team to 16 players tops. My DD 14u team has 14 players (looking to add 1 more pitcher to our current 3) There is plenty of competition for playing time. Anymore players would just be a money grab.

 

[erniekru]

You cannot have "real" competition for playing time on a travel team... It is too easy to jump teams, and your roster size will shrink until it hits an equilibrium, where everyone gets "enough" playing time.

Cannot is way too absolute ,sometimes seems more apt. If a player WANTS to be on a team and has been displaced, she will compete to get her position back. In my experience, it is mostly the parents that get frustrated with the playing time and short circuit the process by jumping teams.

Real competition is absolutely part of travel teams, in my experience. YMMV