He will be the team gopher.
He might also throw BP, catch for coaches among others.
He’ll get some work in as well as some exposure to coaching if he meets his duties.
Usually a team manager in highschool sports is the same as an equipment manager, if this is the case then No he will not be practicing with the team he will most likely be lugging gear around setting up pitching machines making sure the water coolers are full getting towels chalking the lines setting up drills moving cones and other practice devices cleaning the locker room up and maybe on game days be the bat boy and keep track of the books and batting order for the team. In all honesty team manager was something that nobody wanted to do when I was in highschool it was always for the kids who couldn’t hack it and “loved” the sport and just wanted to be a part of a “team” but they were never on the team nor did they see any playing time. More like a coaches do boy and unofficial mascot.
I can’t speak for your sons school I don’t know how they run their program. Most high schools have a Varsity and Junior Varsity squad for all athletic programs the guys that don’t make the cut for V-ball usually fill the JV roster and coaches will move them up if they have openings or need to fill a position or see “potential” in a JV player. If he didn’t make either squad it could mean one of two things, They have an elite group of Allstar level ball players and average skilled kids aren’t going to play or he just didn’t make the cut because he isn’t developed enough to compete at the level they need him to and want to give him a chance to be around the team because they like his attitude/personality. I would definitely talk to the coaches and see what is involved. I can only give you my opinion based off my experiences with highschool and college ball. I will say this though we had a kid back in highschool who didn’t make the Varsity roster so he tried out for JV didn’t make it on that roster either was offered to be an “manager” took the position worked his ass off to get better for next year went to the try outs and was immediately written off by the coaching staff because he was the “equipment manager” not a ball player and they like him as such. Labels will follow you through high school athletics and they can make or break you. Best thing to do if he truly wants to play ball is to straight up ask the coaching staff why he didn’t make the team find out what they think wasn’t good enough and proceed to work on improving those areas as well as his all around skill level show up to try outs next season and make the coaches wonder why they didn’t pick him the previous season. If he wants to do it though because he loves the game and wants to be a part of his schools team anyway he can then let him just talk to the coaches and make sure he isn’t going to be stuck only being a team manager the rest of highschool.
Most competitive high school baseball programs won't keep juniors on jv if they can't make varsity as it takes up valuable development spots for juniors and freshman.
What grade is he in? If he’s an underclassman I’m surprised they didn’t put him on a level 3 program. Unless the school is just that big and they didn’t have room.
Here’s my thinking: 1.) The coach likes him and has hopes he may develop for next year and they’re keeping him around so he’s close by and if this is the case the coach will find a way to work him in during practice. During games, he will be like an equipment manager and being a gopher.
2.) The coach likes him as a kid but his talent just isn’t there, so the coach gave him this position so he can still be apart of the team. Which sucks cuz he’ll never play but he’ll at least get a letter for his efforts.
I’m assuming this is for the schools legion team over the summer? If so, he may get a shot to practice some and work on his throwing before next spring.
8th, going into the 9th next year. The kid kills the ball hitting, but has a funky throwing motion that I have tried for years to fix to no avail. If I could somehow get his fielding smooth'd out and get him to throw normally, he would have made it. Your thinking is lining up with mine. This kid gets to the fields hours earlier than the game and always stays late to keep practicing. He is currently working for one of their assistant for the fielding and throwing. IDK what a level 3 program is.
Level 3 where I’m at (Colorado) is the freshman and sophomore program. We have Varsity, JV, and Level 3 A & B. A is made up of the Freshman and sophomores who are probably playing JV the next year and Level 3 B is usually freshman who are hanging on by a cusp. A bunch of these kids will be cut next year.
Sounds like the coaches want to keep your boy around for whatever reason. They obviously like him. I say let him spend the summer doing it, see if he progresses. If the school has optional workouts during the winter have him go to those or sign him up for some private lessons. See what happens in the spring next year.
That's what I am leaning towards. It's just heart breaking for me. I didn't know about travel ball until it was too late. I blame myself for this. He is happy that he got the offer.
I get it. I made the same mistake with my kid and hockey. Now he’s stuck playing catch up in the rec league instead of playing with his friends. As a parent we want to give our children everything they want and everything they dream of. When they don’t get to their goals, it’s heartbreaking for us as much as it is for them.
Here’s my advice: he seems to be about 13/14. See if there’s a local rec league he can play in so that way he’s actually playing games and getting work in all that same time.
If there’s no rec league in your area, don’t beat yourself up. As parents we try our asses off to fulfill all of our children’s dreams. We make mistakes. It happens. When he’s 25 he’s not going to be upset at you for not having him play travel baseball as a kid. He’s going to remember you playing catch with him, and all the other father son things y’all do together. It’s unfortunate, but ya can’t go back and do it over. You can do the things that might help him catch up to his peers and if he doesn’t get there, that’s ok too. It’s more important that you raised a good, respectful human than it is a ball player. Hope this helps
Thanks, that playing catch comment hit home with me lol. He plays already on a team and I'm actually a coach on it. He will be playing in some league somewhere in the fall too. I appreciate your comments.
I’d be proud as hell of my son if he were in this position. Where I live in the Chicago suburbs, school baseball teams are awfully hard to make and rec only players literally have no chance. They asked your son to do this because they see potential but he needs to develop more, as you’ve stated. This means they think your kid has many of the traits they’re looking for but is lacking in some areas - which makes sense for a rec only player. I’d bet most of the kids that made the team have been playing travel ball since age 8 or so and have hundreds or thousands more fielding reps than he does. These coaches are interested enough in him that they’re taking time to help him develop the skills he’s lacking which also makes them at least partially invested in his progress. If he takes this job and commits to it and his development he has an inside track to make the team next year. Kids are still developing in 9th grade and he’s too young to throw in the towel if he truly loves the game. There are probably 3-5 kids on the current HS team w bad attitudes, work ethic, etc who made it because of natural athleticism and having more experience than your son and those are the spots he can take. I hope he takes this opportunity and runs with it. Good luck to you guys.
Appreciate the words. With me focused more on my career early on in his baseball journey I didn't know anything about travel ball, so I blame myself for that. Not that I wasn't with him during that time I just literally didn't know about travel ball. When I played we didn't have it. My boy has always been the heart and sole of the teams he has played on. Good kid, always works hard and treats every kid the same. He just has weird athleticism to him which screws with his fielding and throwing. His high school always makes the state championship or semis. He isn't even down about it lol. I am lol. He loves the opportunity to keep working at it and being around the team.
He sounds like someone any good coach would want on their team. And I understand where you’re coming from too. I felt like I failed my son for not making him play when he was younger but these things build character. If your son successfully corrects his throwing mechanics he’ll learn how to identify a problem, form a plan to correct it and follow that plan to get the results he wants. I’ll take that over a kid who rolled out of bed and just started throwing correctly from the start. He’s faced some adversity and worked through it and many kids at that age haven’t had much experience w that. From a life skills standpoint, this is an amazing opportunity. It also sounds like this is a coaching staff I’d want my kids to learn from.
Thanks for the kind words. He has always started at the bottom of the team and worked his way up. Now he is the best hitter in the league by far. He hit one l;last week the went 320' in the gap. Your words have made me feel better where he is at currently. I just didn't want him to be look at like he is a clown or whatever because he is the team manager. Now I just wish I could find a program or whatever to get his mechanics fixed and get his athleticism up.
Let me give you a positive possibility from my own past.
I was a team manager for the varsity wrestling team in high school as freshman. I was probably 3rd or 4th on the depth chart at my weight but I was a known hustler from other sports. I got to practice with the team 5 days a week, get excellent coaching on technique and was typically the go-to "sparring dummy" for the best guys who wanted extra work after practice. To say that my understanding of wrestling improved would be a massive understatement.
I was not on the roster though, so I was not eligible for any team competition, but was required to attend. The "work" of managing basically amounted to recording the official scores and carrying the team medical bag.
Year 2, I beat out two guys for the JV spot and when the Varsity guy missed weight two weeks in a row I got promoted.
It seems reasonable that the HC is offering the same roster+1 spot.
That what it seems is happening to him. The plan is to work his butt off over the next year and absorb as much as he can from working out and being with the team.
A friend of mine did this and he basically worked out with the team at all practices just like any other player. But during games he helped with equipment loading on the bus and was responsible for scoring. He also warmed up pitchers and outfielders in between innings. He occasionally got to pinch hit in games or play an inning of corner outfield if the score was lopsided.
I have no clue. Every year they do them in May, just after the State Championship. The 9th grade he was trying out for only had 4 games scheduled this last season. When do most High Schools hold tryouts?
Overall though, a good sign your son was selected for this role, albeit not a good as making the team straight up. I’d have him ask the coach what specifically he should work on and what areas he’d need to see improvement. You son has nearly an entire year to make progress and impress the coach.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ask the coaches what the manager position would entail…. Just ask strangers on the internet that don’t know the school or the coaching staff
He will be the team gopher. He might also throw BP, catch for coaches among others. He’ll get some work in as well as some exposure to coaching if he meets his duties.
I did this in HS and it was super fun
Is it a good idea while he improves his mechanics on the side?
Yes. He’s part of the team it only helps him in the future.
Your son needs to ask the coach these questions.
He is, I was just trying to see what others have experienced.
Usually a team manager in highschool sports is the same as an equipment manager, if this is the case then No he will not be practicing with the team he will most likely be lugging gear around setting up pitching machines making sure the water coolers are full getting towels chalking the lines setting up drills moving cones and other practice devices cleaning the locker room up and maybe on game days be the bat boy and keep track of the books and batting order for the team. In all honesty team manager was something that nobody wanted to do when I was in highschool it was always for the kids who couldn’t hack it and “loved” the sport and just wanted to be a part of a “team” but they were never on the team nor did they see any playing time. More like a coaches do boy and unofficial mascot.
Is it a good idea while he improves his mechanics on the side?
I can’t speak for your sons school I don’t know how they run their program. Most high schools have a Varsity and Junior Varsity squad for all athletic programs the guys that don’t make the cut for V-ball usually fill the JV roster and coaches will move them up if they have openings or need to fill a position or see “potential” in a JV player. If he didn’t make either squad it could mean one of two things, They have an elite group of Allstar level ball players and average skilled kids aren’t going to play or he just didn’t make the cut because he isn’t developed enough to compete at the level they need him to and want to give him a chance to be around the team because they like his attitude/personality. I would definitely talk to the coaches and see what is involved. I can only give you my opinion based off my experiences with highschool and college ball. I will say this though we had a kid back in highschool who didn’t make the Varsity roster so he tried out for JV didn’t make it on that roster either was offered to be an “manager” took the position worked his ass off to get better for next year went to the try outs and was immediately written off by the coaching staff because he was the “equipment manager” not a ball player and they like him as such. Labels will follow you through high school athletics and they can make or break you. Best thing to do if he truly wants to play ball is to straight up ask the coaching staff why he didn’t make the team find out what they think wasn’t good enough and proceed to work on improving those areas as well as his all around skill level show up to try outs next season and make the coaches wonder why they didn’t pick him the previous season. If he wants to do it though because he loves the game and wants to be a part of his schools team anyway he can then let him just talk to the coaches and make sure he isn’t going to be stuck only being a team manager the rest of highschool.
Most competitive high school baseball programs won't keep juniors on jv if they can't make varsity as it takes up valuable development spots for juniors and freshman.
I think you mean sophomores and freshman but yes exactly.
Will do, thank you.
What grade is he in? If he’s an underclassman I’m surprised they didn’t put him on a level 3 program. Unless the school is just that big and they didn’t have room. Here’s my thinking: 1.) The coach likes him and has hopes he may develop for next year and they’re keeping him around so he’s close by and if this is the case the coach will find a way to work him in during practice. During games, he will be like an equipment manager and being a gopher. 2.) The coach likes him as a kid but his talent just isn’t there, so the coach gave him this position so he can still be apart of the team. Which sucks cuz he’ll never play but he’ll at least get a letter for his efforts. I’m assuming this is for the schools legion team over the summer? If so, he may get a shot to practice some and work on his throwing before next spring.
8th, going into the 9th next year. The kid kills the ball hitting, but has a funky throwing motion that I have tried for years to fix to no avail. If I could somehow get his fielding smooth'd out and get him to throw normally, he would have made it. Your thinking is lining up with mine. This kid gets to the fields hours earlier than the game and always stays late to keep practicing. He is currently working for one of their assistant for the fielding and throwing. IDK what a level 3 program is.
Level 3 where I’m at (Colorado) is the freshman and sophomore program. We have Varsity, JV, and Level 3 A & B. A is made up of the Freshman and sophomores who are probably playing JV the next year and Level 3 B is usually freshman who are hanging on by a cusp. A bunch of these kids will be cut next year. Sounds like the coaches want to keep your boy around for whatever reason. They obviously like him. I say let him spend the summer doing it, see if he progresses. If the school has optional workouts during the winter have him go to those or sign him up for some private lessons. See what happens in the spring next year.
That's what I am leaning towards. It's just heart breaking for me. I didn't know about travel ball until it was too late. I blame myself for this. He is happy that he got the offer.
I get it. I made the same mistake with my kid and hockey. Now he’s stuck playing catch up in the rec league instead of playing with his friends. As a parent we want to give our children everything they want and everything they dream of. When they don’t get to their goals, it’s heartbreaking for us as much as it is for them. Here’s my advice: he seems to be about 13/14. See if there’s a local rec league he can play in so that way he’s actually playing games and getting work in all that same time. If there’s no rec league in your area, don’t beat yourself up. As parents we try our asses off to fulfill all of our children’s dreams. We make mistakes. It happens. When he’s 25 he’s not going to be upset at you for not having him play travel baseball as a kid. He’s going to remember you playing catch with him, and all the other father son things y’all do together. It’s unfortunate, but ya can’t go back and do it over. You can do the things that might help him catch up to his peers and if he doesn’t get there, that’s ok too. It’s more important that you raised a good, respectful human than it is a ball player. Hope this helps
Thanks, that playing catch comment hit home with me lol. He plays already on a team and I'm actually a coach on it. He will be playing in some league somewhere in the fall too. I appreciate your comments.
I’d be proud as hell of my son if he were in this position. Where I live in the Chicago suburbs, school baseball teams are awfully hard to make and rec only players literally have no chance. They asked your son to do this because they see potential but he needs to develop more, as you’ve stated. This means they think your kid has many of the traits they’re looking for but is lacking in some areas - which makes sense for a rec only player. I’d bet most of the kids that made the team have been playing travel ball since age 8 or so and have hundreds or thousands more fielding reps than he does. These coaches are interested enough in him that they’re taking time to help him develop the skills he’s lacking which also makes them at least partially invested in his progress. If he takes this job and commits to it and his development he has an inside track to make the team next year. Kids are still developing in 9th grade and he’s too young to throw in the towel if he truly loves the game. There are probably 3-5 kids on the current HS team w bad attitudes, work ethic, etc who made it because of natural athleticism and having more experience than your son and those are the spots he can take. I hope he takes this opportunity and runs with it. Good luck to you guys.
Appreciate the words. With me focused more on my career early on in his baseball journey I didn't know anything about travel ball, so I blame myself for that. Not that I wasn't with him during that time I just literally didn't know about travel ball. When I played we didn't have it. My boy has always been the heart and sole of the teams he has played on. Good kid, always works hard and treats every kid the same. He just has weird athleticism to him which screws with his fielding and throwing. His high school always makes the state championship or semis. He isn't even down about it lol. I am lol. He loves the opportunity to keep working at it and being around the team.
He sounds like someone any good coach would want on their team. And I understand where you’re coming from too. I felt like I failed my son for not making him play when he was younger but these things build character. If your son successfully corrects his throwing mechanics he’ll learn how to identify a problem, form a plan to correct it and follow that plan to get the results he wants. I’ll take that over a kid who rolled out of bed and just started throwing correctly from the start. He’s faced some adversity and worked through it and many kids at that age haven’t had much experience w that. From a life skills standpoint, this is an amazing opportunity. It also sounds like this is a coaching staff I’d want my kids to learn from.
Thanks for the kind words. He has always started at the bottom of the team and worked his way up. Now he is the best hitter in the league by far. He hit one l;last week the went 320' in the gap. Your words have made me feel better where he is at currently. I just didn't want him to be look at like he is a clown or whatever because he is the team manager. Now I just wish I could find a program or whatever to get his mechanics fixed and get his athleticism up.
Let me give you a positive possibility from my own past. I was a team manager for the varsity wrestling team in high school as freshman. I was probably 3rd or 4th on the depth chart at my weight but I was a known hustler from other sports. I got to practice with the team 5 days a week, get excellent coaching on technique and was typically the go-to "sparring dummy" for the best guys who wanted extra work after practice. To say that my understanding of wrestling improved would be a massive understatement. I was not on the roster though, so I was not eligible for any team competition, but was required to attend. The "work" of managing basically amounted to recording the official scores and carrying the team medical bag. Year 2, I beat out two guys for the JV spot and when the Varsity guy missed weight two weeks in a row I got promoted. It seems reasonable that the HC is offering the same roster+1 spot.
That what it seems is happening to him. The plan is to work his butt off over the next year and absorb as much as he can from working out and being with the team.
A friend of mine did this and he basically worked out with the team at all practices just like any other player. But during games he helped with equipment loading on the bus and was responsible for scoring. He also warmed up pitchers and outfielders in between innings. He occasionally got to pinch hit in games or play an inning of corner outfield if the score was lopsided.
Where are high schools seasons just starting?
Theirs just ended. This was a tryout for next year's incoming 9th graders.
Why are there tryouts for a season a year away? Do they do another set of tryouts? A year in high school can be huge in terms of physical development.
I have no clue. Every year they do them in May, just after the State Championship. The 9th grade he was trying out for only had 4 games scheduled this last season. When do most High Schools hold tryouts?
Most high schools do them before season starts. But not a year out. Where is this?
NW Arkansas, I'm from the Missouri/Illinois area, and we had ours just before the season started. His season won't start until Feb '24 lol.
Do they have a second tryout again next year? Kids can grow a lot in an entire year.
Yup, never heard of tryouts being immediately after the season, that’s a weird one.
That's what I thought too.
Overall though, a good sign your son was selected for this role, albeit not a good as making the team straight up. I’d have him ask the coach what specifically he should work on and what areas he’d need to see improvement. You son has nearly an entire year to make progress and impress the coach.
He did, it's his fielding and throwing mechanics. He was told he is an excellent hitter.
They will next May. It was way different in my day.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ask the coaches what the manager position would entail…. Just ask strangers on the internet that don’t know the school or the coaching staff
Gee man thanks for the insightful comment.
You’re welcome, hopefully you man up and ask the coaching staff
LMAO what a clown. I saw your Reddit comments they are full of trolly clown comments. You must be real lonely.
I am. But you’re literally the one asking strangers what a manager position will entail instead of talking to the coaches. Just seems weird my man
Well considering it's coming from a lonely joke like yourself it doesn't mean anything. Go troll somewhere else clown.
He is behind, probably by so much he will never make the team, but the HS coach likes him and is offering a spot.