High school baseball is currently some of the best baseball that you will see played in that particular age group, so why is there even a question of whether or not you should play? With the increasing popularity of travel ball and recruiting camps high school baseball has been pushed to the back burner for many high school athletes. Most baseball players if you were to ask them would say they play high school baseball because there is no travel ball in the spring and they like to play in front of their friends.
Travel baseball has it's pro's and con's just like high school baseball, but there are elements to high school baseball that travel ball will never be able to emulate. In my mind there are at least 4 big reasons to play high school baseball; it is the closer to the college game then any other youth baseball, it forces players to be quality students, it allows for players from all economic backgrounds to participate, and it brings teaches life skills that can't be taught in any other environment. These are just a few reasons that high school baseball is important, I am not suggesting that travel ball be disbanded, but I do believe that there should be more emphasis on the high school grind.
The high school game is the closest that any youth player can come to the style and feel of the college game. There may be certain games in travel ball where the talent level is better, but in an overall view high school baseball matches some of the best teams against one another. In Florida class 8A district 2 we compete against some of the most talented players in the country, which could be said for many travel ball teams. The difference is the aspect in which the competition takes place, in high school baseball there is a build up to the big game, a set schedule that can be marked on the calendar with a scouting report, hundreds of fans, local news papers, and sometimes TV cameras. On top of this is the fact that it effects the district standings and the seeding for the end of the year tournament. These implication don't apply in the same manner to the travel games, the talent is usually as good and sometimes better, but the atmosphere is not the same. The random game in a city so far from home, with teammates who live in different cities does not allow for the college like environment. The since of community that comes from having the town you grew up in written across your chest, the old timers that stand along the fence and compare this team to "back in their day", and the school pride that is shown by the fellow students dawning the school colors proudly and supporting the team just because it's their school too. That is something that can not be copied or simulated in travel ball.
On top of the games, the 10 month grind that is school associated sports is what college is all about. Having experience in the college baseball game I can say with certainty that travel baseball is nothing like college baseball. Of course the game it self hasn't changed, but the grind of fall practices, the strength and conditioning, and the 3-4 month long grind of a season with the hopes of getting hot at the end is strictly associated with interscholastic sports. Travel baseball is currently based around tournament play, the longest being 7-8 days long. While there are multiple tournaments and the summer season especially in Florida is a grind in itself, it is different from the type of grind you face in college. In travel baseball it's like hitting the reset button after each tournament, which can be good and bad for players. The season long grind with practices and the roller coaster ups and downs is something that prepares players for life.
My second point may be the most important point; academics. High school baseball forces players to keep their grades up and prepares them for college. The demand of being in class all day then playing baseball requires the player to manage their time better to meet the classroom demands and field demands. Players are cut off from play when the grades are reported below a 2.0 GPA, forcing players to maintain at least a 'C' average. Academics are something that can be stressed by travel ball teams, and many teams do encourage and try to hold players to high standards, but it is nearly impossible to monitor their grades as they all attend different high schools.
The third point is one that is important to me personally because I know what it is like to struggle financially. Baseball has become a very expensive sport, what was once the sport that gave everyone a fair chance to make it big, has become the sport of the upper middle class families. Between the cost of equipment, uniforms, officials, and the cost of a baseball itself has removed this sport's impact from the lower income communities. There are a few organizations that attempt to bring baseball back to the lower income communities, such as MLB's RBI program, but it will take more than putting baseball gloves and bats in their hands. In order to truly make baseball the sport that the best athletes want to play it must be easily accessible and affordable to all. The best athlete will then have the option to play the game at a high level and will then pursue the game, leading to more popularity of the game.
The final reason that I believe high school baseball is so important is because of the life lessons that can be learned from it. At DeLand High where I coach, we have been blessed with very nice facilities and even the opportunity to play several home games at nearby Conrad Park, Home of the Stetson Hatters. Even though we have been so lucky some things that we stress with our players is that it takes work in order for these places to stay nice. Our players will put in work before and after practice to help keep the field looking good, from pulling weeds to emptying trash cans, you name it our kids do it. We believe that you must take pride in what is yours, no matter how good or bad it may be. A good friend of mine told me "make where you are the big time" meaning where ever you are, make the best of it, make others want to be apart of it. This only happens if you put in the work. Another lesson players learn in high school is how to balance and manage their life. Players deal with school, friends, girls, and baseball all at once.
Based on all of this I believe players need to be involved in high school baseball and that it should be a priority over other baseball leagues. I do not believe that it should be the only thing that they do, but in my mind it is of more importance that the other forms of baseball. I also believe that at a younger age players should play with players from their own city to build that idea of community and grow along side those players that they will be playing with when they get to high school. That though is another post.
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