re: Kirk Herbstreit slams Travel Ball culture

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So, 38,850 NCAA baseball players and 100% of them are travel ball kids? Interesting...

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I’m not exactly sure what you consider travel ball? You talking about 8-12 year old pay your money stuff? But 100% of the players recruited by LSU from 14 years old on play on elite travel teams. You can easily look up their bio and see if you don’t believe that.

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Travel ball didn’t turn them into major leaguers. These were just the most talented kids, thus they were recruited for these travel ball teams.

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I've made fun of the travel ball culture but I played rec ball from 11-13. Our best player was picked to play travel ball our last year and he barely played with that team. This guy was striking everyone out and getting base hits every at bat in rec ball but couldn't even get on the field in travel ball. Goes to show you how good I was

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Specializing early gives you an advantage

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Not if doing so pushes out your ability to play other sports and develop other muscle groups. My boys specialized early is baseball because that’s what they liked. Fast forward a few years, and I’m taking them both to work twice a week at a training facility that is focused on agility: The place is FULL of baseball players who could have gotten to the exact same point if they had just played basketball growing up, too. They literally did the same basketball conditioning drills that I did in middle school. So they convinced parents to specialize young, so they can make more money. And then they make more money by selling the agility training that your kids would have gotten in the first place if they had just played multiple sports. $$$$ Genius. $$$$ Well, I might be a slow learner, but I do learn. My youngest isn’t picking a single sport until closer to middle school.

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I was told by a guy that really knows baseball prospects that it all boils down to if your kid has natural talent. If he does, he will get noticed. The cream always rises to the top.

No amount of travel ball will make a kid get better to make a difference.

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well of course they have to have talent but if you think hard work doesnt help


now there is a point where you need to access...what is your kids weakness? is it baseball IQ, live ABs, in game situations? if so play more games

if its bat speed, throwing velocity, speed, movement quality, mechanics etc....well dont play so many games, limit it to around 40 and train.


but brother if you think playing more doesnt help, then go watch a little league game and then go watch a majors division travel tournament.

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or worse they become selfish and entitled pricks that are only out there for their image and ego and become practically uncoachable dont get me started on the parents

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You already start seeing it in some 7th and 8th graders.

Maybe saying they are a joke a little harsh...but they are certainly just in it for the money and know how to pull the wool over families heads

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knights arent a joke but i dunno where you are getting they dont play fall ball or before march because that is wrong unless its a rule they are putting in this year.

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A rule since last year directly from the youth director directly from Jack himself

ETA: and that’s out of the main branch here in mandeville

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Not if doing so pushes out your ability to play other sports and develop other muscle groups. My boys specialized early is baseball because that’s what they liked. Fast forward a few years, and I’m taking them both to work twice a week at a training facility that is focused on agility: The place is FULL of baseball players who could have gotten to the exact same point if they had just played basketball growing up, too. They literally did the same basketball conditioning drills that I did in middle school. So they convinced parents to specialize young, so they can make more money. And then they make more money by selling the agility training that your kids would have gotten in the first place if they had just played multiple sports. $$$$ Genius. $$$$ Well, I might be a slow learner, but I do learn. My youngest isn’t picking a single sport until closer to middle school.

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so imo kids should 100% try other sports until at least middle school. like 4 or 5 sports because they have no clue wtf they really like, only what they have been introduced to

now in middle school I do think you kind of start putting yourself at a disadvantage when it comes to baseball if you are playing more than 2 sports, but its certainly doable.

now in HS, if your goal is to play college baseball...if you are an elite athlete like Aaron Judge, play wtf you want.....but for the everyday kid, playing football is not going to be better ROI than training for baseball all fall. Im not talking...i go hit 50 balls off the tee a day and lift weights 2x per week....im talking 2+ hours of skill work daily focusing on bat speed, bat path, throwing velo, command, glove work, running speed and then another 60-90 min 4x per week of lifting.

but if your goal is to have a great HS experience and you love other sports, then play them, but do so with the understanding you are not maximizing your personal ability in the 1 sport.

Go check out Will Clarks rants on Travel Ball on the TikTok. That dude goes off the rails. If this many major leaguers think its stupid, they probably aren't wrong. However my son still enjoys his travel team. It ain't so bad drinking beer out of a yetti and watching youth ball either...