12u Fall tryouts-Who are favorites & sleepers going forward?

[jbl1465]

I still think the top four are the same but maybe the order is a little different. Foothill Gold beat the Breeze 8-0 in the championship game this weekend. Both teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat and the final game was closer than the score indicates. It sounds like OBS won their tournament and LTG was idle. LTG has beat both the Gold and OBS in tournament play so they should be #1 on the list. Gold and OBS are a toss up and Breeze are right there in the mix. Bookend unless the out of the top 5 team your referring to did something exceptional this weekend I dont see the top 5 moving much.

[Old man softball]

I was a little surprised at Stewarts early exit on Sunday. But everything else went as expected

[jbl1465]

Old Man Softball I agree with you. I was hoping to see Mizuno play Breeze on Sunday. Mizuno had a tough weekend losing one in pool play on Sat and then checking out early on Sunday. I still think they are a good team just need to work a few bugs out but to inconsistent to be considered a top 5 team at this point.

[Black&Red00]

Think Louie's Top 5 is the same. Those teams are gonna battle back and forth all season. Pitching is solid with solid defense behind them and these teams can hit the ball. I think it is just a matter of opinion which one is #1 and that can change on any given weekend. Would be nice to see top 5 all in one tourney but don't think it is gonna happen. I really think the bottom 5 are a mix. Don't think there are any sleepers out there. Think we will see the same teams win week after week.

[Old man softball]

TC and mizuno both had rough weekends but mizuno has proven they can beat the good teams.

[POP Time]

I was a little surprised at Stewarts early exit on Sunday. But everything else went as expected

After hearing all of this Mizuno talk I started asking about the friendlies they played and looked back at the tournament results where they have played and it leaves me wondering why you would be surprised that Stewart's team went out early on a Sunday. Historically this team has always been on the bottom end of the 01 teams and to date this fall the team has yet to beat a solid team.

Look at the teams they have beat at any of the 3 tourneys they have been in or the firendlies. They have yet to beat any one that I would say is a good team. Take this weekend for example, they beat AASA Virchis who was 0 n 4 on the weekend being out scored by a combined 16 runs in the 4 games and Panther Elite who squeaked out a win and a tie but still managed to be out scored by 23 runs in their 4 games. When having to play actual 12u A Ball teams they lost to Sting 5 3 then only managed to put up 1 run on the Smackers in a 6 to 1 loss. In 2 games Mizuno was outscored by 7 runs. Any team considered to be a strong team has to be able to do better then that.

[Old man softball]

I wasn't at ybarras last tournament the got rained out but I heard mizuno did well against the better teams

[texmex45]

I wasn't at ybarras last tournament the got rained out but I heard mizuno did well against the better teams

I believe that they beat LTG on that Saturday before the rain came in, but what you do on Saturday is far less important than Sunday, as you know. I think the issue with Mizuno, and the Heat prior to that, was that they have not lived up to their potential based on the talent that has been there. They have lost some real studs, but make no mistake, they still have plenty of talent. Then they come out and lose to the Smackers yesterday. There are reasons that teams don't play up to their level of talent. I won't speculate on what is going on there, sounds like folks already have their own opinions, some of which may be correct.

[linedrivelouie]

I am no longer in 12u so someone else will have to take over rankings if you all want them to continue. A bit of advice below to anyone who is wanting to take a stab at this.

1. Take the team name out of things. The big name does not always deserve the top spot.

2. Really look at who teams are playing. If you continually play ducks in your schedule and only see a challenge once or twice in a weekend you are playing a soft schedule. Keep in mind this is not the teams fault, sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. At the same time if a team is always playing the top teams in pool play they are going to lose some. You no longer have the option to pitch 1 against the best 2 against the next and so on.

3. With out a doubt look at Saturday, Sunday and friendly play. This forces teams to show the depth they have. It is easy to rank a teams top 9 but how are they 1 through 12.

4. Don't buy into the BS that oh it was just a friendly and everyone was moving girls around and trying things. This goes to my point above it forces teams to show the depth they have.

5. Keep your personal opinion of a coach an org etc... out of things it will only make you sound one sided when you rank teams. Trust me I ranked teams for the last year who I really didn't like whether it be the coach the org or just some ass parents. Keep in mind this should be about recognizing the players achievements.

6. Really think about where you are placing teams. Just because a team had an off weekend or played bad in a game shouldn't throw them all over the map. A true body of work is how teams should be ranked.

7. Don't listen to the BS trash talk that goes on right here on the Bucket. To many 1 or 2 time posters trying to pump up their team or knock one down.

8. Most important thing to remember these are 11 and 12 yr old girls you are talking about keep it classy when talking about what a team needs to climb the ladder.

[POP Time]

I wasn't at ybarras last tournament the got rained out but I heard mizuno did well against the better teams

I believe that they beat LTG on that Saturday before the rain came in, but what you do on Saturday is far less important than Sunday, as you know. I think the issue with Mizuno, and the Heat prior to that, was that they have not lived up to their potential based on the talent that has been there. They have lost some real studs, but make no mistake, they still have plenty of talent. Then they come out and lose to the Smackers yesterday. There are reasons that teams don't play up to their level of talent. I won't speculate on what is going on there, sounds like folks already have their own opinions, some of which may be correct.

The statement above goes right along with what Louie said in his post about not letting one game throw a team to the top or the bottom. Keep in mind I watched TC pound LTG in Modesto while waiting for my daughters team to play, I think the final was 12 1 or something like that. No way would I put TC on the top teams based on that or throw LTG to the bottom either. It was A GAME!!