Which is better?

[jonriv]

Age old softball question:

Is is better to sit on the bench on a good team or star on a bad team?

Both travel and college

[PairOfAces]

That's a loaded question. For travel ball, if by sitting you mean NEVER playing, then I would say starring on the bad team. But bad teams almost never get seen. But if you are just not a starter on a great team, but do get some playing time, I think that would be the best situation. Then a college coach can see that you are a team player, and will to do what it takes to help her team win.

For college, I think being part of a great team would be the best situation, but that is certainly not for everyone.

[Sam]

That's a loaded question. For travel ball, if by sitting you mean NEVER playing, then I would say starring on the bad team. But bad teams almost never get seen. But if you are just not a starter on a great team, but do get some playing time, I think that would be the best situation. Then a college coach can see that you are a team player, and will to do what it takes to help her team win.

For college, I think being part of a great team would be the best situation, but that is certainly not for everyone.

Uh....they want players that can PLAY. Team player....blah blah blah is a way to weed out kids that can PLAY but have issues.

A great player on a bad team will be be seen by the coaches they take the time to contact. They might not go to Alabama or Florida, but they can still go to a D1 school.

[curveballerguy124]

Ahhhh, good question..... 12, 14 or 18 be a starter on a bad team 16 benchwarmer on a stud team! Reason 12 and 14's its about getting reps to get good. 16's is where you see the most coaches especially if your on a good team but if your on a bad team chances of seeing many coaches is slim to none if your at least on a good team coaches know you were good enough to make that squad. 18's assuming your already committed a team where your going to get reps and lots of at bats

[Hinky]

Agree with other posts.
But is reality more like
Some people like the
title/shwagg/bragging?
While others are in it for the
game/playing time?

[Chin Music]

Bad teams play good teams so college coaches will see them. At any level u want players that play.

[E Train Dad]

Being on a Top team is always a plus, however, It's much more about the player communicating with the coaches and making sure they are there to watch them perform.....if a coach is interested, they will show up! Then is the real challenge is to actually perform while the coach is there! Seperate subject! I'll never forget, DD particpated in 2 camps with a dream college, Coach shows up at her game that she started in Colorado.....and she sucked!! We've all been there, but that was a big dissapointment! It all worked out as DD is at the right school with the right team and coaches following her dream career.....things happen for a reason! Trust fate! For Reference.....team qualified for PGF Premiere every year!

[GIMNEPIWO]

What is the goal of (playing) being on a team ?

I believe only about 3% of HS age athletes ever play at any level beyond their HS years ... Is your goal to play beyond HS years ? I have players who get little playing time, but I always try to get them in the game if they've worked for it ... That way, their HS years memories are not getting splinters .... In college, this is your their last shot ... Are they there just to build character, cheer lead or contribute ? What many do not realize once they get to college is that EVERYONE on their team was the best on their travel or HS team .... But, I think for the most part all of them have a level of passion to play not sit ... In a few short years they'll be bouncing kids of their own on their knee ...

Yes, being a bench player is all part of being on a team and can be a valuable lesson ... But, is that the goal ?

Playing often is always better than sitting a lot.

My 2 cents.

[dusty]

I usually tried to find the best team my kid could play for that she would get significant playing time on but supply doesn't always meet demand when it comes to shopping for travel teams.

After dd's second year of 12u travel her 12u team blew up and there weren't a lot of choices for 14u travel teams without shopping 2 or 3 states away which we were unwilling to do. She tried out for the national team in my area that always draws a big crowd for their cattle call tryouts and didn't make it so we went with the only local 14u team we could find. This team had all the red flags going against it, didn't win many games, coach's dd was a pitcher like my dd and she would burst into tears if you looked at her wrong. Oh, and coach's wife was bat-shit crazy and openly hostile to players who she felt were insensitive to her overly sensitive dd.

That turned out to be the most important year for dd in her development as a pitcher. We did get some dumb luck in that the coach's dd had an injury that kept her out a big chunk of the year but I'll always remember it as the year she learned the riseball and got to develop it in game situations. My experience has been that every travel coach out there wants a good riseball pitcher but very few of them want to develop one. The more competitive teams don't want their catchers chasing balls to the backstop and giving up free bases until their pitcher overcompensates and throws a flat rise that gets hit out of the park. It took playing on a team with nothing to lose for my dd to develop a good riseball.

[CatcherDad99]

My DD is learning how to be a good bench player in college. I think its better to learn that a little at least in TB. Some kids have a very hard time adjusting. If the bench is managed correctly your kid will still get playing time and she will be driven to work harder to get that #1 spot. Nothing is better for development than healthy competition. Although 6 years ago I would have said go get that playing time.