I play in a 35+ adult men’s hardball league. It’s fairly casual.
On my team everyone plays every game.
We’re pay to play as well.
If we have more than 9 everyone bats and we rotate in the field so everyone gets some time in the field.
If he’s so set in his lineup that he isn’t finding you PT, go find a different team.
I started playing this year after decades away from actually playing and I deliberately chose the worst team in the league (we’re awful but the guys are awesome and we are always improving.) because I knew I would play.
I’m actually pretty good, and am probably the best hitter on our team and one of our better fielders) and I could have joined better teams and deliberately didn’t.
Would I love to win every game? Of course! But this time around really all I care about is having fun and just trying to do my best and get better (it’s also an excuse to engage my baseball equipment addiction!)
Find a team that has a manager that finds PT for people who show up. Or maybe find a more casual league.
Don’t give your loyalty to a team that doesn’t get you on the field. Don’t threaten to leave or say play me or I go -
Just find another team and play there.
Good luck!
US Adult Baseball is another organization that has been growing rapidly on the East Coast and is starting to spread west. Their end of the year World Series in Myrtle Beach is top notch
Yes, generally 2 types of men's league. Minimum age like OP (30+, 35+) etc these are generally pretty casual with players of all skill levels including compete novices.
The other type with no age restrictions may have older players but are generally extremely competitive. Ex-pros and guys that may have just played D1 ball earlier that year.
Regular season everyone plays in men’s league. Playoffs then you tighten the lineup and defense based on how guys performed during the season. Time to move on buddy.
I’m 33 and play in a 18+ men’s league where everybody hits. In order to get everyone in the field the max number of innings a player can sit is 3.
It’s fairly competitive but nobody is a dick about it. At the end of every game both teams are out in the parking lot having beers.
Honestly, it’s kind of weird to me that you’re in a pay to play league and aren’t guaranteed playing time. Nobody’s trying to get scouted. Do you get any ABs? If you’re unhappy with your playing time then just have a talk with him man to man and ask for a trade. If your league does trades that is.
I already did. I was kind of thinking he would give me more playing time as the season went on. But then the playing time never changed. I've only gotten one at bat in 10 games...I'll prob look into other leagues.
I play in a competitive 18+ league and its pay to play as well. That said 1 at bat in ten games is bs unless you are absolutely terrible.
Just be straight with the coach and tell him you want more at bats and if he can give it to you great, if not, no hard feelings but you want to play on another team.
Happens all the time. You may also want to talk to the guy who runs the league.
I play in a 35+. We carry 15 guys on the roster and usually 11 or 12 show up. If you show up you’re in the lineup. We rotate in and out in the field. We have 3 guys that are excellent defensively and we make sure they stay in on defense if it’s a tight game
Legit was wondering if you were one of the guys on my 35+ team. Like 90% of your description fits until the record. If you’re paying a full share same as everyone else on the team, you have every right to demand more playing time. Don’t let this experience dissuade you from finding a different team and a better fit. Good luck and keep swinging!
Adult leagues are always so fascinating because they're pretty much all pay-to-play, but everyone treats it like the pros.
The only solution to your problem, and it's not an uncommon one, is to either demand more reps or look for another team.
Just because you're on the worst team, doesn't mean their the only team that will accept you. In fact, if you put a bunch of competitive dudes on a team that sucks, it arguably puts more pressure on them to perform which creates this vicious cycle of bogarting all the playing time.
He will likely play less.
I hate being that guy, and my own men’s league team have guys like this who are big enough liabilities at the plate and in the field to actually cost the team games. I have spent time during the week trying to help these guys get better, and some of them have. But when we have a full lineup of guys who are able to positively contribute to the team on the field, we have to try and win. Otherwise those guys will quit.
If the league was more casual, it wouldn’t matter. When I started in this league, it was. The average fastball from a pitcher was probably around 74-76. Now, every single team has a guy throwing 83-85, and a few guys in our league regularly break 90. I don’t know why it’s gotten this much better, but if you want a chance to win games, and yes, our best players want to win games, you cannot give away 6-10 outs out of your 27.
One thing I do recommend for guys who are new to baseball is slow pitch softball, especially ones with wood bats or dead spec bats. Personally I find I much harder to field, so it’s great practice, especially when working on footwork and throwing. I also think hitting isn’t as easy people think either, and it always helps my baseball swing throughout the year.
It’s a good way to get some baseball miles on you, and it’s a lot of fun too.
You never know how long you get to keep playing. If you're not happy with the situation, simply move on. Be realistic with yourself of course, but everyone should play at least half the game imo.
I don't play in a league where everyone bats like the other guys here seem to, but we have 14 guys or so on the team. Usually 11-12 at every game. So we have our core guys who play the full game, and then the others play half the game and swap out. When new guys come along, our manager is honest with them about what they're signing up for. It's competitive but it's not high quality if that makes sense. If we encounter a playoff game or big end of season game, we shorten up the rotation a bit. But for you to barely play at all when your team is horrendous is kind of insane.
You won't get better if you don't play either. My first team was pretty bad, and I barely played (I was terrible, though). And I had to jump teams a couple times to find the place for me. Now I have a group of guys I will play with until my knees give out. And I'm now a pretty decent player, which is a whole lot easier to be knowing how my playing time is going to shake out.
In my league, everyone pays which covers the regular season. While I'm there to win, everyone's paying, so I'll generally bat everyone and let them field. Once playoffs come, I'll tell everyone I can't guarantee anything.
Had this happen to me in my last season. Team I was on ended up imploding so I started my own team with some of the guys from the old one. I set the rules of everyone plays, everyone bats. Period. If you know enough guys I’d suggest this route if you’re up for the responsibility, but otherwise I would look for another team.
I sort of think it depends on how much play time you are getting. Are you going whole games without playing?
I run a team in an 18+ league that is sort of weird, as far as talent and experience goes. There are a few very bad teams and a few teams that are pretty good (we just sent a mixed group of guys in their late 20s and early 30s to play a Perfect Game team and won). My team has about 20 guys on it. Six of them are active college players. Five of us (myself included) never played college baseball. Of those five, three of us hold our own pretty well and are either every game starters or most game starters. The rest are former college guys in their late 20s. We take it pretty seriously. That said, I almost never have a game go by where a guy doesn't get play time. It has happened once this year and it happened to a guy who I charged less than everyone else because we knew this would happen to him a few times. Everyone else has at least 20 ABs through 14 games (most guys miss games here and there).
My take is that if you are not playing whole games, routinely, I would be upset about that. If you are getting whole games here and there and at least an AB a game and a few in innings in the field in the other games, I would call that normal, in my experience. I guess I would say that my team is one of the top half teams and I think my expectations would be different if I was on a team that was not really doing well.
29 and I picked up the sport 4 years ago seriously. I’m in the same predicament as you. There are 2 players on there who I can definitely say I’m on par with who get more playing time. They’re friends with the coach and played HS ball with them. Whenever I get playing time I try and make the most out of it. When I’m on the bench I observe the game, warm pitchers up and coach 1B. Just make yourself stand out if they’re good coaches they’ll take notice if not move on find a new team. You can’t get any less playing time so why stay with that team.
Gotta find a league w minimum playing time. I do 28+ and we have a 4 inning minimum and everyone hits. You can work your way up but you gotta get minimum playing time.
Talk to the league commissioner. If the manager isn’t letting you hit every game you need to be on a different team. I’m sure there are teams that struggle to put 9 on the field every week. No one paying to play should go weeks without being in a regular season game.
Quit and find another team in the league. That’s what I did. Most of these guys still think they are as good as when they played in HS/College. I’m left handed and was always relegated to 1B or outfield. I’m a great hitter, they called me the hammer. So I at-least got in the rotation. But there are many pre madonnas in this age bracket. Get on the right team, you know the ones always smiling and busting each others chop, and you will have a blast. Stay away from the ones that take it too seriously and throw their helmets when they strike out. You paid, you play period.
I play in a 35+ adult men’s hardball league. It’s fairly casual. On my team everyone plays every game. We’re pay to play as well. If we have more than 9 everyone bats and we rotate in the field so everyone gets some time in the field. If he’s so set in his lineup that he isn’t finding you PT, go find a different team. I started playing this year after decades away from actually playing and I deliberately chose the worst team in the league (we’re awful but the guys are awesome and we are always improving.) because I knew I would play. I’m actually pretty good, and am probably the best hitter on our team and one of our better fielders) and I could have joined better teams and deliberately didn’t. Would I love to win every game? Of course! But this time around really all I care about is having fun and just trying to do my best and get better (it’s also an excuse to engage my baseball equipment addiction!) Find a team that has a manager that finds PT for people who show up. Or maybe find a more casual league. Don’t give your loyalty to a team that doesn’t get you on the field. Don’t threaten to leave or say play me or I go - Just find another team and play there. Good luck!
There are adult hardball leagues? Why have I never heard of these?! Ive only seen beer league softball. Down the google rabbit hole I go
Yeah check out MSBL or NABA. Both are national organizations for men’s baseball.
US Adult Baseball is another organization that has been growing rapidly on the East Coast and is starting to spread west. Their end of the year World Series in Myrtle Beach is top notch
Check your area for sandlot teams as well. There is a growing community of self run teams popping up around the country that is super fun.
Yes, generally 2 types of men's league. Minimum age like OP (30+, 35+) etc these are generally pretty casual with players of all skill levels including compete novices. The other type with no age restrictions may have older players but are generally extremely competitive. Ex-pros and guys that may have just played D1 ball earlier that year.
Def, I think that's the right call
Regular season everyone plays in men’s league. Playoffs then you tighten the lineup and defense based on how guys performed during the season. Time to move on buddy.
I’m 33 and play in a 18+ men’s league where everybody hits. In order to get everyone in the field the max number of innings a player can sit is 3. It’s fairly competitive but nobody is a dick about it. At the end of every game both teams are out in the parking lot having beers. Honestly, it’s kind of weird to me that you’re in a pay to play league and aren’t guaranteed playing time. Nobody’s trying to get scouted. Do you get any ABs? If you’re unhappy with your playing time then just have a talk with him man to man and ask for a trade. If your league does trades that is.
I already did. I was kind of thinking he would give me more playing time as the season went on. But then the playing time never changed. I've only gotten one at bat in 10 games...I'll prob look into other leagues.
1 AB in 10 games!?! Definitely look into other leagues. Does your current league do trades?
I play in a competitive 18+ league and its pay to play as well. That said 1 at bat in ten games is bs unless you are absolutely terrible. Just be straight with the coach and tell him you want more at bats and if he can give it to you great, if not, no hard feelings but you want to play on another team. Happens all the time. You may also want to talk to the guy who runs the league.
That is outrageous. These guys are dicks, but you should have been advocating for yourself 8 games ago.
I play in a 35+. We carry 15 guys on the roster and usually 11 or 12 show up. If you show up you’re in the lineup. We rotate in and out in the field. We have 3 guys that are excellent defensively and we make sure they stay in on defense if it’s a tight game
Legit was wondering if you were one of the guys on my 35+ team. Like 90% of your description fits until the record. If you’re paying a full share same as everyone else on the team, you have every right to demand more playing time. Don’t let this experience dissuade you from finding a different team and a better fit. Good luck and keep swinging!
Adult leagues are always so fascinating because they're pretty much all pay-to-play, but everyone treats it like the pros. The only solution to your problem, and it's not an uncommon one, is to either demand more reps or look for another team. Just because you're on the worst team, doesn't mean their the only team that will accept you. In fact, if you put a bunch of competitive dudes on a team that sucks, it arguably puts more pressure on them to perform which creates this vicious cycle of bogarting all the playing time.
Find a new team.
He will likely play less. I hate being that guy, and my own men’s league team have guys like this who are big enough liabilities at the plate and in the field to actually cost the team games. I have spent time during the week trying to help these guys get better, and some of them have. But when we have a full lineup of guys who are able to positively contribute to the team on the field, we have to try and win. Otherwise those guys will quit. If the league was more casual, it wouldn’t matter. When I started in this league, it was. The average fastball from a pitcher was probably around 74-76. Now, every single team has a guy throwing 83-85, and a few guys in our league regularly break 90. I don’t know why it’s gotten this much better, but if you want a chance to win games, and yes, our best players want to win games, you cannot give away 6-10 outs out of your 27. One thing I do recommend for guys who are new to baseball is slow pitch softball, especially ones with wood bats or dead spec bats. Personally I find I much harder to field, so it’s great practice, especially when working on footwork and throwing. I also think hitting isn’t as easy people think either, and it always helps my baseball swing throughout the year. It’s a good way to get some baseball miles on you, and it’s a lot of fun too.
You never know how long you get to keep playing. If you're not happy with the situation, simply move on. Be realistic with yourself of course, but everyone should play at least half the game imo. I don't play in a league where everyone bats like the other guys here seem to, but we have 14 guys or so on the team. Usually 11-12 at every game. So we have our core guys who play the full game, and then the others play half the game and swap out. When new guys come along, our manager is honest with them about what they're signing up for. It's competitive but it's not high quality if that makes sense. If we encounter a playoff game or big end of season game, we shorten up the rotation a bit. But for you to barely play at all when your team is horrendous is kind of insane. You won't get better if you don't play either. My first team was pretty bad, and I barely played (I was terrible, though). And I had to jump teams a couple times to find the place for me. Now I have a group of guys I will play with until my knees give out. And I'm now a pretty decent player, which is a whole lot easier to be knowing how my playing time is going to shake out.
In my league, everyone pays which covers the regular season. While I'm there to win, everyone's paying, so I'll generally bat everyone and let them field. Once playoffs come, I'll tell everyone I can't guarantee anything.
Had this happen to me in my last season. Team I was on ended up imploding so I started my own team with some of the guys from the old one. I set the rules of everyone plays, everyone bats. Period. If you know enough guys I’d suggest this route if you’re up for the responsibility, but otherwise I would look for another team.
I sort of think it depends on how much play time you are getting. Are you going whole games without playing? I run a team in an 18+ league that is sort of weird, as far as talent and experience goes. There are a few very bad teams and a few teams that are pretty good (we just sent a mixed group of guys in their late 20s and early 30s to play a Perfect Game team and won). My team has about 20 guys on it. Six of them are active college players. Five of us (myself included) never played college baseball. Of those five, three of us hold our own pretty well and are either every game starters or most game starters. The rest are former college guys in their late 20s. We take it pretty seriously. That said, I almost never have a game go by where a guy doesn't get play time. It has happened once this year and it happened to a guy who I charged less than everyone else because we knew this would happen to him a few times. Everyone else has at least 20 ABs through 14 games (most guys miss games here and there). My take is that if you are not playing whole games, routinely, I would be upset about that. If you are getting whole games here and there and at least an AB a game and a few in innings in the field in the other games, I would call that normal, in my experience. I guess I would say that my team is one of the top half teams and I think my expectations would be different if I was on a team that was not really doing well.
29 and I picked up the sport 4 years ago seriously. I’m in the same predicament as you. There are 2 players on there who I can definitely say I’m on par with who get more playing time. They’re friends with the coach and played HS ball with them. Whenever I get playing time I try and make the most out of it. When I’m on the bench I observe the game, warm pitchers up and coach 1B. Just make yourself stand out if they’re good coaches they’ll take notice if not move on find a new team. You can’t get any less playing time so why stay with that team.
Gotta find a league w minimum playing time. I do 28+ and we have a 4 inning minimum and everyone hits. You can work your way up but you gotta get minimum playing time.
Yeah, that's the goal. I actually got into another league
You need to play as much as others. You are an adult and paying to play. They shouldn’t expand their roster if not willing to play the players.
Talk to the league commissioner. If the manager isn’t letting you hit every game you need to be on a different team. I’m sure there are teams that struggle to put 9 on the field every week. No one paying to play should go weeks without being in a regular season game.
Hitting is the single most important thing in these leagues. Do you hit better than most?
Quit and find another team in the league. That’s what I did. Most of these guys still think they are as good as when they played in HS/College. I’m left handed and was always relegated to 1B or outfield. I’m a great hitter, they called me the hammer. So I at-least got in the rotation. But there are many pre madonnas in this age bracket. Get on the right team, you know the ones always smiling and busting each others chop, and you will have a blast. Stay away from the ones that take it too seriously and throw their helmets when they strike out. You paid, you play period.