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Started By
Message
Rec League was much more competitive than Travel Ball
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:16 am
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:16 am
I live in a little league area. The rec teams were more competitive than Travel ball.
Why? Pitching.
Our area competes for the Little League World Series. The very best pitchers/players in the area join Rec for Little League World Series. They also are all on the same travel team but split up pitchers on different Rec teams.
The Mounds are 46 feet back. The pitching speeds from 3 pitchers topped in the 68-70mph range. The other 3 are, for some reason, throwing crazy curveballs and sliders. Full command.
You see nothing like it in 90% of travel games.
My son, who now plays varsity, says this is the first time some pitchers are as hard to hit as Little League. The 46 foot mound is insane when hitting near 70mph compared to 60ft mounds for teenagers.
Put your kids in rec if they have a setup like this. They'll see the best pitchers at the shortest distance mounds. Crazy reaction time is needed and will put travel ball in "easy mode".
TL;DR: I have 2 boys - 24 total 12u rec games and 250 travel games (9u to 16u). The elite 12u, 46ft mounds rec pitchers, were the hardest pitches to hit until varsity baseball.
Why? Pitching.
Our area competes for the Little League World Series. The very best pitchers/players in the area join Rec for Little League World Series. They also are all on the same travel team but split up pitchers on different Rec teams.
The Mounds are 46 feet back. The pitching speeds from 3 pitchers topped in the 68-70mph range. The other 3 are, for some reason, throwing crazy curveballs and sliders. Full command.
You see nothing like it in 90% of travel games.
My son, who now plays varsity, says this is the first time some pitchers are as hard to hit as Little League. The 46 foot mound is insane when hitting near 70mph compared to 60ft mounds for teenagers.
Put your kids in rec if they have a setup like this. They'll see the best pitchers at the shortest distance mounds. Crazy reaction time is needed and will put travel ball in "easy mode".
TL;DR: I have 2 boys - 24 total 12u rec games and 250 travel games (9u to 16u). The elite 12u, 46ft mounds rec pitchers, were the hardest pitches to hit until varsity baseball.
This post was edited on 4/28/26 at 10:44 am
18
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:25 am to gobuxgo5
K. Please keep us posted.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:28 am to gobuxgo5
quote:
join Rec for Little League World Series. They also are all on the same travel team
this is not a norm. Its an unusual situation for pretend kids trying to go play on espn being forced through a rec system in order to be eligible.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:29 am to gobuxgo5
quote:
e very best pitchers/players in the area join Rec for Little League World Series. They also are all on the same travel team but split up pitchers on different Rec teams.
You do realize that this travel ball team joined the Rec little league so they could all make the all-star team and get a chance to go to cooperstown right? This happens all over the country.
Those pitchers are still playing travel ball, so how can you say the pitching in rec ball is more competitive when the kids who are pitching good all play travel ball?
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:31 am to TeddyPadillac
quote:
Those pitchers are still playing travel ball, so how can you say the pitching in rec ball is more competitive when the kids who are pitching good all play travel
Because between 2 boys and 250+ travel ball games they never seen pitching like that in more than 10% of their travel games where the pitcher delivered the same pitching speed at 50 or 54 ft than they did at 46ft. Do you know how distance works? Travel ball don’t play at 46 feet mounds baw.
In fact, we’d face the same exact kids in travel but throwing from 50 was a bit easier than 46. Stil elite pitchers but 46 is insane.
This post was edited on 4/28/26 at 10:34 am
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:38 am to gobuxgo5
Travel Ball >>> Rec Ball once again.
11u and 12u baseball players have no business pitching at 46 feet these days. Thats retarded and benefits nobody.
11u and 12u baseball players have no business pitching at 46 feet these days. Thats retarded and benefits nobody.
This post was edited on 4/28/26 at 10:39 am
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:43 am to TeddyPadillac
He's not entirely wrong.
In our old youth league setup, 10 pretty good pitchers might be spread out over 8 different teams. You played twice a week, and you were seeing a decent pitcher every game.
Travel ball ends up being so tiered that you end up with one team in an area that is just stacked with the best talent, a pretty decent dropoff to the next best team, and then it falls off a cliff. It's like that everywhere there's travel ball. So these stacked teams inevitably end up playing shite teams every weekend in pool play
In our old youth league setup, 10 pretty good pitchers might be spread out over 8 different teams. You played twice a week, and you were seeing a decent pitcher every game.
Travel ball ends up being so tiered that you end up with one team in an area that is just stacked with the best talent, a pretty decent dropoff to the next best team, and then it falls off a cliff. It's like that everywhere there's travel ball. So these stacked teams inevitably end up playing shite teams every weekend in pool play
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:45 am to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
You played twice a week, and you were seeing a decent pitcher every game.
2 games a week.
Same 2 kids are throwing 95% of games.
Lot of kids not getting opportunities to pitch.
Very little hitting reps.
Sounds awful.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:47 am to Chad504boy
quote:
2 games a week. Same 2 kids are throwing 95% of games. Lot of kids not getting opportunities to pitch. Very little hitting reps. Sounds awful.
Yea if you are concerned your son is going to afraid to bat you need to get him in travel. Much more often it’s dreadful pitching and farther back mounds. Be careful entering rec man. It’s elite,
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:48 am to gobuxgo5
Moms can't get drunk and frick around at the local ball park..
Travel ball rules
Travel ball rules
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:48 am to Chad504boy
Well we played football in the fall and basketball in the winter instead of baseball year round. We had a great time. None of us were under delusions of making it to the big leagues, but some did anyway.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:50 am to gobuxgo5
quote:
Much more often it’s dreadful pitching and farther back mounds. Be careful entering rec man. It’s elite,
pretty sad a man sitting here bragging about other parent's 12 year olds pitching at 46 feet THAT STILL PLAY TRAVEL BALL, using the rec system to con away the opportunity to go play in little league bullshite cause it gets to tv.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:51 am to Chad504boy
quote:
pretty sad a man sitting here bragging about other parent's 12 year olds pitching at 46 feet THAT STILL PLAY TRAVEL BALL, using the rec system to con away the opportunity to go play in little league bullshite cause it gets to
My claim is pitching is more competitive and it prepares hitters well - better than travel. For $150 instead of $1500
This post was edited on 4/28/26 at 10:53 am
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:53 am to gobuxgo5
quote:
My claim is pitching is more competitive
you got a small group of kids hogging all the rec reps. congrats. batters hitting at 46 feet and 4-5 live at bats a week are not getting prepared well.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:54 am to gobuxgo5
quote:
My claim is pitching is more competitive and it prepares hitters well - better than travel.
Your point to your area is valid, you point to how it was 20 years ago is valid...your point doesn't apply in general though.
In a lot of areas, particularly in the southeast, rec ball has gone to complete shite and you've got kids that truly don't even know how to play, much less possess a modicum of athleticism or baseball potential. Travel ball has killed rec ball in a lot of places. Good to see it's still alive and well in others though
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:58 am to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
In a lot of areas, particularly in the southeast, rec ball has gone to complete shite and you've got kids that truly don't even know how to play, much less possess a modicum of athleticism or baseball potential. Travel ball has killed rec ball in a lot of places. Good to see it's still alive and well in others though
I never said the other kids could play :). A few but it’s pretty dreadful in other areas. To your point. Great experience though with that pitching.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 10:58 am to Riseupfromtherubble
quote:
Your point to your area is valid,
His point is still trash.
This group of kids is using the rec league to only get to the league league world series team. They still play travel. In all honesty, not one of these kids should be using their arms for rec league when they are likely mixing in or about to be mixing in travel ball too.
But i'm sure you still have retard dad's trying to win a rec league on the backs of travel ball arms.
Posted on 4/28/26 at 12:25 pm to gobuxgo5
thats awesome its like that in your area, its not in most but seeing 70+ at 12u is very common in travel at the majors level but yea it is at 50'
but we saw 80+ quite a few times and at pgi pretty much every one through 72+ that pitched and yes its pretty much hardest they will see until varisty
now brayden nims from florida did hit 90 at the 13u PG nit in march which is insane. was sitting 85+. but thats also 60'6"
but we saw 80+ quite a few times and at pgi pretty much every one through 72+ that pitched and yes its pretty much hardest they will see until varisty
now brayden nims from florida did hit 90 at the 13u PG nit in march which is insane. was sitting 85+. but thats also 60'6"
Posted on 4/28/26 at 12:29 pm to gobuxgo5
quote:
My claim is pitching is more competitive and it prepares hitters well - better than travel. For $150 instead of $1500
but this isnt the case 99% of the time
and even your 68-70...pretty much every bracket pitcher on sunday throws that at 68 in majors, much more at the big tournaments
and they are only throwing that hard because they play travel and are around better kids
i mean i think its awesome but your general point is
-we have travel kids come back at 12 so my kid is seeing normal travel level pitching for majors level.
cool, the majors level kids see that every tournament and at 13u routinely see 75-82 and soime times more
and not to mention you have to play by LL rules which are terrible and so is the field size
Posted on 4/28/26 at 12:31 pm to gobuxgo5
Please, Braxxtyy’n would take John yard every time.
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