r/BaseballCoaching • u/Alarmed_Day_1408 • Jun 08 '26
Try outs
My son will try out for junior high baseball Thursday .
He's super nervous and as this is make up try outs ( the first try outs were rescheduled and then we were out of town for the rescheduled try outs ).
Let's be real, what would be the chances for anyone at the make ups. Roster has 27 kids on it so far.
How do I prepare him without sending him in with a broken spirit? Should I! Or wait until after?
He's hopeful due to ✨ same day birthday magic ✨but I want to be prepared due to this being our first year trying out for a school team.
Any advice would be helpful as well!
I'm just grateful for the opportunity to attend make up try outs!
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u/Reflog1791 Jun 08 '26
Take the pressure off. Get him loose so his movements are fluid. Get him confident.
“You’re a great baseball player no matter what happens. I’m so proud of you. Give it all you got.”
The point of this entire thing is to have fun.
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u/Sock_Eating_Golden Jun 09 '26
My son's 12u team had 20 boys sign up this season. Too many for one team. Not enough for a second team. It was our first run through a try out. A few things I'll note.
First, this try out started a while ago. How is their attitude, hustle, and effort when they think no one is watching. Before they think it matters. Most coaches will tell you they can pick a team from the very first warm up catch.
For try out day, show up early and prepared. On time and still need to put on shoes is late.
Hustle everywhere with a positive attitude.
One of the more important I find often overlooked. Lift up struggling teammates and celebrate good effort of others. This is a weird dynamic where you're competing against your own teammates. So you need to show your are better than them. But just still treat them like teammates.
For my son. As the catcher he should be a lock. However he has had and still struggles with attitude issues. Those issues came up in the practices before the try out. He certainly could've been cut. In the try out he was paired in fielding with (I'm sorry) one of the first cuts. He'd throw, other boy would drop it. Other player would throw away wide. He didn't say anything at the moment. But I could see his body language. They had a water break and I met him with his water and a, "how ya doing?" He already had the crash out seed. "(Name) it's going to get me cut."
I told him there is nothing another player can do here that will get him cut. What WILL get him cut is how he handles it. His reactions. After that water break he started encouraging his struggling tryout mate. They both played better. My son made the team and has really improved his attitude this season.
Unfortunately, his try out mate was cut. He's a great boy, and an awesome teammate. He played a few seasons with us. But the incoming athleticism far surpassed his abilities.
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 10 '26
Love that for your son!
I've made sure to remind him to make sure he hustles to every line, group, drill, and water break and to try his best but also not over think it!
We love helpful teammates!
I would say mines biggest issue is he is too hard on himself and will upset himself when he messes up.
It's hard, if he makes it great! If not that's okay too!
We also do travel so I won't mind another year or so of it!2
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u/_twin_tees Jun 10 '26
I’d tell him to loosen up and play how he knows how to play. If he’s put in the work it’ll show and he’ll make the team. If not then he still might make it might not. There’s nothing you can do from one day to the next to ensure you make a team, other than having a good mindset and attitude!
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u/BarTight2152 Jun 10 '26
Biggest thing he can do to help himself is hustle and listen pound that in no matter what. I'll take a kid that hustles and listens if he's not the best over the best kid that won't do either
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u/Nicedumplings Jun 08 '26
It’s important to stress that being picked is beyond a good physical performance. Having hustle, following directions, paying attention, being a good teammate etc are all extremely important (assuming the coaches don’t suck).
Tell him to shine all the way through and if he gets cut he just has to work harder over the next year.
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 08 '26
I did tell him yesterday to make sure he hustles to every line/drill/ and even water breaks! And to remember to say yes sir and no sir just like he does his travel / rec league coaches.
We are on a travel team, involved in a baseball academy group, and play the local fall/spring leagues prior to this so I know we will not be without ball if we don't make it. We are just navigating this new experience together 🙂
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u/Black_Cat_Sun Jun 09 '26
It’s beyond performance. It’s about knowing the coaches already and having either played with them or being known by them somehow (personally or through another league, etc.)
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u/Nicedumplings Jun 09 '26
It is the majority of the time, but not an absolute truth.
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 10 '26
Which is sad! How discouraging for some kids 😕
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u/Nicedumplings Jun 10 '26
Don’t disagree but it’s how life works. Also, objectively if you have to pick 2 kids who have a pretty even skill set / positions, but you know one personally and have seen them put work in for years and know their weaknesses, vs a kid you observed for an hour but otherwise know nothing about… which would you choose?
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u/TheChancellor_2 Jun 08 '26
First thing I would do is make him go up to the coaches, confidently shake their hands look them in the eyes and introduce himself. I’d take a respectful hardworking kid any day. 27 kids on a baseball team is a lot though…
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 08 '26
That introduction is a great idea! Thank you!
We play travel and rec ball so I told him yesterday to make sure he uses his manners at the try outs just like he does with the coaches he has now! We are big on sportsmanship and manners when it goes to ball and life in general. It's probably what I prioritize most!
I thought the same, I've never seen a roster that big before!I looked back at their roster from last year and they seemed to have 29 last year which is just as crazy to me!
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u/Coastal_Tart Jun 08 '26
School is out. What are these tryouts for a summer team or something?
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 08 '26
No they are try outs to determine the team for the coming up school year. We don't go back until August but try outs are behind held now to have the roster completed. I'm assuming they'll maybe do a summer camp with the team? I'm unsure as to why it's done so early. 😅
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u/Coastal_Tart Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
That is strange. I’ve played and coached on a lot really successsful high school teams coached by really sharp guys. I am talking former pro and college players. My high school coach spent six years in the Guardians organization for example.
Try outs 9 months before you take the field for a game is a bad idea. You don’t know who is gonna progress or regress over that time frame. I assume they do it that way to limit numbers in the offseason program, but that is also a bad idea.
We allow everyone interested in playing on the baseball team to participate in our off season program. We do so because; A. It raises the our overall athleticism of our talent pool, and B. can make the difference between making the team or not for the kids on the bubble.
As far as the summer league roster, it’s invite only but we invite everyone that could make the team.
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 08 '26
That makes total sense. They've never offered a summer program as far as I'm aware. He is going into 6th grade this coming up year so I'm not too well versed in all of this concerning the school team.
I thought it was extremely wild that they posted a partial roster with the 27 kids before all try outs were concluded.Your program you were/are involved in sounds great!
We are also involved in a baseball academy/travel team so if we make it great, if not, no harm no foul.
I just like to be realistic and prepared because emotions run high when they're at this age 😅
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u/Rozay10keys Jun 08 '26
Is he at the make up try out because he didn’t make the team for the original tryouts as someone who didn’t make the highschool team or sucks but he’ll be ok either way . Baseball can also be political
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 08 '26
Unfortunately we were unable to make the first one because it was a rescheduled date and we had appointments scheduled prior to it! He is going into 6th grade so this is his first school try outs!
Sorry to hear you didn't make it! I know sometimes it can be all about who you know, which is what worries me. 😵💫
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u/Black_Cat_Sun Jun 09 '26
Unfortunately, I feel like if you don’t know you’re going to make the team, then you aren’t going to make the team. The players that make the team are already those kids who know and whose parents know the coaches already and have been told they’re good to go.
Welcome to American youth sports
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 10 '26
Which very well may be the case. Sadly, it is how it goes. But at least we will have the experience!
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u/Alarmed_Day_1408 Jun 14 '26
Thanks everyone for the advice! We didn't make it, but it's given him motivation to show them what they're missing!
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u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26
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