r/Homeplate

Hoping for some insight here. My son is new 8U and is a solid baseball player. He made All Stars at 6U and 7U and most of that team turned into a travel ball team for fall at 8U that is run ruling every single opponent except two. We aren't even making it to the last inning because the talent is so lopsided at this age. This is a wonderful group of parents on travel ball. My son bats in top of lineup and is usually placed at pitcher and this is coach pitch. Objectively I feel he is a solid part of the team but probably 4th or 5th in talent in the field.

My issue is that our Rec league has 7&8 year olds together in coach pitch. In years past, the talented 8 year olds have left to just do travel which makes the league full of 7 year olds and low on talent. Our 7 year olds far exceeded any 8 yr old last spring because of this.

Now travel ball is putting ultimatum on parents asking us to choose: Rec or travel. I am very torn. I feel if we all leave, we're repeating the bad trend of pulling 8 yr old talented kids out of Rec and foregoing all stars. But is it worth being on a superior travel team that is run ruling everyone in the region? Wouldn't this talent even out by kid pitch next year and be more worth it? I also have choice to play my kid up in Rec League at 9u kid pitch. I'm just so frustrated that parents are giving up on Rec so fast. These kids are only 8 years old! Most parents plan to dip out on rec but I see value in my son getting to play diff positions and being the leader and all star again. Also, I don't like this amount of specializing so young; my child plays multiple sports and would love to play soccer this spring. I would appreciate insight into the lopsided talent at 8u travel ball, rec vs travel for talented children, and what can be done to level playing field. Thank you

A new travel team was formed in our area recently. Intrigued our son tried out and made the team.

I like a lot about what the coaches have to say. Because it’s a younger age group, they want to cycle the players with relatively equal playing time so they can figure out what each kid is actually good at with the goal of taking them through 17U as a cohort. The cost is high, $10K but they are offering 10 hours of practice a week plus one private session per week. They really want to focus on fundamentals and they said that they loved my son’s coachable attitude and dog mentality.

I’m really tempted because I wanted to play baseball as a kid but my parents couldn’t afford it so I’d like to give this to my son as long as it’s not a money pit. My son is already really excited when heard about it. He’s worked really hard taking grounders and fly balls every day. We already ordered him a Hype Fire and ICON bat so he can rotate between cage sessions and in-game play. A2K custom is already on the way.

They’re planning on a roster of 12 kids for their 3U team. I figure that this gives them 14 years to really develop as a squad and is a good chance to meet other 2 year olds that have his intensity.

What do you guys think?

I never played baseball growing up so it is a new world for me. I'm curious how much being above average at the 6u age group is indicative of their ability as they get older.

Right now my son is one of the few that can catch everything you throw at him, as well as consistently hit off coach pitch into the outfield. It seems like he was gifted with great hand-eye coordination.

Before anyone says it, yes i know fun is #1. And believe me, he cant get enough. First thing in the morning every single day he drags me into the yard to play catch.

Is there an age where his peers will catch up quickly? Because right now most of them are kind of hopeless on both sides of the ball. How do I help him maintain his edge as he gets older? Just keeping lots of fun rep? At what age is appropriate to start getting into more of the technical instruction.

Thanks.

My son pitched for the first time in the Fall after turning 9 in the summer. He did great! But wondering what to do or not do between Fall and Spring.

I have seen two schools of thought: (1) take several months off and do other sports, (2) keep pitching and keep the momentum going, maybe only a few weeks off.

What is the right offszn approach…any recommendations? My kid loves to pitch and would do whatever/asks to keep throwing.

Hey there. Im currently looking into buying a bbcor, and would appreciate any advice you cab give, Alloy or composite.

My budget range is in the $150 range. I have to deal with import costs so I dont want to go to far over if I can help it.

For reference I used to play baseball for a long time from elementary to highschool but I've been getting back into it now with a friend recreationally. The plan is to use it for batting cages or hitting balls at the field.

Id like to avoid sting as much as possible and I'd assume the weight shouldn't be a problem? I would like for it to be an easy swing though. Id prefer to avoid wood as well considering my budget. Id be worried about having an unlucky grain or something but maybe that's not warranted?

Some bats ive been considering:

1. Louisville Slugger dynasty
2. Rawlings clout AI 2025
3. Easton alpha alx
4. Marucci F5 4th gen

I wasn't able to find composite bats in that range but im unsure if I just have a poor search criteria.

But that's where I am at the moment. I appreciate any advice you guys can give me!

edit: I feel I should mention that I recently moved abroad to the eu and there's absolutely 0 opportunity for me to be able to go and test these bats out so im at the mercy of reviews and your expert opinions. : )

I know this will sound like a dumb or sarcastic question but I'm a parent who spends a lot of energy going to get balls hit by kids and the question is real.

In many "look at my new bat" and "what a great pitching machine" video on this sub, somebody is in a field or on a farm somewhere cranking 200 ft+ hits out into nowhere. Are they throwing away the balls? Are they spending two hours picking them up? Do they have a vehicle? A drone? A ball-seeking dog?

Sincerely curious. If there's any easier way to do this, I want to know.

Thank you for all the great information in this sub, btw.

ETA: If the answers are all "we just walk around and get them", that's fine. I just thought there was something clever I was missing. Finding balls in tall grass is no walk in the park.

I’m curious what actually carries over to games. Tee work, throwing, footwork, or something else? Always interesting to hear what’s worked for different families.

my son is wanting me to join the coaching team next year. He is in 7u and this is his first season loves playing and his team. I know nothing about baseball other than watching MLB games and learning some hitting that I’ve done at home with him.

my question is: Whats the best way to learn? I am familiar with strength training but at that age it’s more about the fun of baseball

any suggestions welcomed!

I realize questions like this get asked so much on this sub but would appreciate any input/advice yall are willing to provide. My son is 10U, has been playing baseball since he was 5 and has two options for travel this coming spring. As his dad, I’m really struggling to figure out what’s best for him.

Team A: This is the team my son has played on since he started travel at 8U. It’s coached by three dads. It’s a AAA team that wins ~75% of their games and my son typically plays 3 innings at C and 3 innings in LF each game. He’ll also play 2B maybe 1-3 innings over the course of a weekend tournament, but he never plays any other positions besides those three. He typically bats anywhere between 5-7, and there are 11 kids on the team. They play 4 tournaments in the fall and 9 in the spring. My biggest concerns with this team are 1) my son doesn’t pitch at all (and he really wants to pitch - although admittedly he needs to improve at pitching and they don’t really work on this during practice), 2) they practice twice a week while in season but the practices are pretty poorly run from a development perspective - they mostly just scrimmage/do situational things in the positions each kid plays and no fundamentals. There’s really no stand out player on this team but the whole team top to bottom is very good and they play well together as a team because there has been almost no turnover since 8U. Also think it’s worth noting that our two primary MIFs are the coaches’ sons and they are, objectively, the two slowest/least athletic kids on the team, although they are good baseball players with very strong arms. Truthfully I always anticipated that my son would play on this team through 12U, at which time everyone would go their separate ways to paid-coach teams.

Team B: This will be a newly formed AA team being formed by the coach who my son takes hitting lessons from. This coach played MLB (albeit in a limited role) and runs a travel organization. My son’s hitting/swing mechanics have improved significantly since starting lessons with this coach last spring. Historically his org only had teams 12U and older but this spring they decided to have an 11U team and 10U team and he asked my son if he wants to be on the 10U team. My son genuinely loves this hitting coach and thinks very highly of him. While he wont be the coach of the 10U team, as the owner of the org, he sets the culture and team standards, which as explained to me, are heavily development focused and detailed (2 practices each week, with detailed, down to the minute, stations ranging from long toss, fielding ground balls at 1B, 2B, SS and 3B shot from a jugs machine, outfield drills, BP and conditioning). The team will have 11 players and two non-dad paid coaches. They will practice on the same field and at the same time as this organization’s 11U and 12U teams (although all teams have their own coaches). They will have a very similar tournament schedule to Team A, except they will be playing in AA tournaments rather than AAA. I anticipate (based on what I was told), that my son will play mostly C, 2B and CF on this team. He will also get to pitch. My biggest concerns with this team are 1) I’m very aware that I’m an easy “mark” for salesmen because I make very good money and I didn’t play baseball growing up and I’m figuring things out as I go. I’m therefore cautious with things like this because I don’t know what I don’t know. I also typically don’t believe coaches when they say very positive things about my son, because again, I have no context, but this coach does seem to think highly of my son and his track record with his older teams seems legitimate (the kids who played on his 17U team this past spring are going to lower level D1, D2, D3 and Juco schools to play ball when they graduate). As my son is getting older I’m also realizing that he is legitimately athletic, but his biggest issue as it pertains to baseball is that he is lacking a lot of the fundamental skills the other kids have (for context, my son also plays football (safety/WR), basketball and wrestles and does very well in all of these sports. His PE teacher at school also told me he is in the top 10 of the most athletic kids he has taught in his 15 years of teaching PE and his PE tests for his age are “exceptional” - 8 continuous pull ups, 40 continuous push ups, 100 continuous sit ups, 73 laps on the pacer test. 2) I’m worried about this being a step back in competition (going from AAA to AA) for my son, and if this doesn’t work, the bridge with Team A will be burned and he’s going to be stuck. Basically worried about this being a “grass isn’t greenier” type of deal.

Would love to know what yall think between these two options.

Hi everyone, planning on getting my son a new bat for Christmas. Currently he swings a 30” -10. He just turned 11 and 5’1” and approx 85 lbs. Slim build and a contact hitter. This bat would be for next season starting in the spring and I don’t anticipate more than a single season out of it (will be a composite bat.) Should I stick with current size or move him up to a 31” -8? I don’t want to get something that’s too big that will be detrimental to his swing mechanics. Thanks in advance.

Looking for recommendations on baseball clothing for an 11-year-old who's getting more into the sport. Mainly looking for everyday stuff like shirts, shorts, and hoodies. What brands are popular with kids that age? Looking for something with cool designs that's also good quality and reasonably priced.

Hello! My son's batting coaches are recommending we pick him up a wood bat to use in practice.

He's 11, 4'10", 76 lbs. recently switched his game bat from a 29 -8 Icon to a 30 -10 Supra.

Coach said to look for a 30 -5 or -8. Can you suggest a bat or tell me which ones to stay away from? What about the type of wood?

*just a regular baseball mom here

My son is 6 turning 7 in a couple weeks. Currently, due to the odd fall ball setup at our park, he was only eligible to play 8u with a lot of older kids.

He has a great stance and his swing is strong and even, unlike many of the other kids his age who tend to have an uppercut in their swing. I've noticed that he tends to step towards first base rather than stepping towards the pitcher when he swings which is causing him to pull his head up and take his eyes off the ball. Is there some sort of trick or tool I can use to help him practice his front foot movement when he is hitting?

He will be in this 8u league for next Spring and Fall so I want to make sure he's prepared and doesn't get discouraged with himself. He has asked me to help him get better and is making tons of progress elsewhere so I'm trying to iron out the obvious things I'm seeing.

For 12u LL Majors, is it more important for development to play on an "A" team that's going to be stacked with good players that my son has to beat out at practices, which he may not, to get to play the spots he wants (SS, P, CF) or to be on our leagues "B" team (primarily kids moving up from Minors) but get the in-game reps at those positions every game. My kid could play on either team. One team is going to get more wins than the other.

Both sets of coaches are knowledgeable and work well with the kids. The "A" coach is more technical and competitive and the "B" coach is more about building confidence and camaraderie.

Would love to hear opinions.

We just shut our 11 year old down following some elbow pain and I am trying to understand the injury and what comes next a little better. The pain emerged over the course of a few weeks, started out in the upper arm, went away with some rest, then, after two practices, came back as sharp pain on the inside of the elbow. He will get an MRI, regardless of what it shows he is done throwing until next year. I understand this to be a growth plate injury, which is a function of overuse. He has only pitched in one game this fall, threw less than 50 pitches, does not play catcher. He did move up to 75’ bases and often plays on the left side of the infield so has been making more longer throws than usual in practice, in between innings, etc. I guess ipso facto if his elbow hurts he threw more than his body can handle, but it doesn’t feel like he has thrown a lot. I’m trying to learn more about where to go from here in terms of what other than rest he can do to avoid this happening again. Id love to hear about others’ experiences or things I can read to understand this better. The doctor he saw was not very helpful beyond telling us to shut it down, which seems obvious.

Since i started playing when i was a little kid, I always imitated my dad who loved baseball. I threw with my left out of my instinct since I write with my left hand, I noticed my dad threw with his right and tried to copy him but couldn’t. He told me to keep throwing with my left since that’s rare. The weird thing is since my dad taught me how to play, I never knew how to bat on the left side since I just copied what he did. I don’t know why he didn’t try to correct me but it’s whatever. When I finally joined the team and was batting during tryouts one of the coaches told me I was batting on the wrong side and I was confused. I told him that’s how I always batted and he just seemed a bit shocked. Although I have always batted on the right i can still bat on the left and actually hit hard but can’t really control my swing. I’ve been considering trying to learn to bat left handed and was wondering if any lefties had any advice or if anyone has experienced this.

This is just a post to say how much I love baseball.

I am a guy who has just hit his mid 30s and I’ve only just discovered baseball. I’ve only been playing for the last 24 months and I can’t believe how much I’ve been sucked into the world of hitting and fielding.

There’s times where I would just go to the park with a tee and hit and I would do it upwards for about 2 hours. Goddamn it’s frustrating but it’s so goddamn satisfying.

I’ve ordered the art of hitting by Ted Williams. I’ve now started to learn the pitchers strategy so I can hit for my pitch.

I should also ask is there any other resources worth reading or watching?

I love the depth of the game and that it’s never ending.

Looking to get a rebound net for kid to use in the driveway. Low rebound angles, sturdy enough it doesn't need to be readjusted every 2 throws. Anyone have one they love? Or one they hate?

Question for the parents who have a kid either currently in MS or HS/beyond that have already been through this.

My 12U kid is aging out of little league and we're getting into that spot between LL age and high school where he hits puberty soon. I'd like him to be in a position to compete for a spot on the freshman team if he wants to keep chasing the rabbit, but more importantly I want to instill lifelong habits that will keep him strong, fit, and mobile.

We introduced the concept of a short workout maybe 15 minutes a week. I guess it's called plyometrics? Idk, I always thought it was called calisthenics, but apparently it's a lot of the same stuff plus box jumps.

Next fall though, I'm trying to strike the right balance between games/training/practices while still having time for friends and school. So my question is, what balance did you find that worked best? Like how many workouts per week, practices per week, games per year? What was less than ideal? My initial thought was ~15 fall/~25 spring games total, 2 practices (2h/ea) per week during fall/spring seasons, and 2 workout sessions per week (.5h/ea).

No idea what we should do in the winter/summer though. Maybe just chill tf out and go have fun doing other active things while working out and building strength/agility?