Legion Ball

I know we've covered a lot of this ground before but it sure is nice get some baseball posts going again. I was needing a fix real bad! I followed Caldwell through whole season last year. Its hard to go through the intensity of last years state tourny and then just drop all baseball cold turkey. If i get any news on Caldwell legion i will post it. I don't know a lot about other types of teams but i do know for sure that a lot of people live and die Caldwell legion baseball. Keep the post coming.


Drop the nineteen year olds, i thought it was a better product with the younger guys---just my opinion after following legion closely for 20 years

 

Ok, after reading the posts, I'll put my two cents worth in based on what I have observed. There are pockets of strong legion ball around NC, but, legion ball in my area is weak. I agree with NCBBallFan that I would like my son to have the experience of playing legion ball after his senior year in high school is complete. Hopefully by that time my son will, if he works his rear off and his goal still is to play college ball, have went through the process and found a school to play at. Since I worry about him having this opportunity - if he is good enough, I have talked to a variety of pro scouts and college recruiters, plus corresponded with representatives of several of the national & local showcases that run pro style individual workout showcases.

In summary what the scouts and recruiters and showcase representatives ALL told me was, if you go the traditional route of HS and legion ball and he is a GREAT player he will be seen. If he is only GOOD, he may not be seen, particularly if he doesn’t play a high level of baseball in the fall. The scouts and recruiters I talked to all gave me the same story, they generally do not scout legion games (they will on occasion if they are following or have information on a GREAT prospect). They scout High School games on a limited basis, primarily to follow a prospect they have an interest in or have heard about. They say this is not due to their disrespect of legion or HS ball but due to relatively recent recruiting constraints put on them by the NCAA and limitations in funds brought on by title IX or whichever it is. It is now simply more efficient to scout showcases with twenty teams and 350 boys participating, even if only 3 or 4 are truly quality teams, than it is to potentially drive hours in a rural area to watch two legion teams play.

Now about the perception that showcase ball is expensive and doesn’t develop players and have poor coaching staffs. It can be expensive and some may not be a good $ value, just like some legion teams are weak and have suspect coaching. I cannot comment about all showcase teams, but in our area the showcase teams are generally well coached and have had success, both at winning games and getting players “seen”. My son’s 18U team is coached by a College Coach that is an ex-minor leaguer. They practice at least once a week and play on weekends, usually 4 games. The 16U Showcase team, that is part of the same program, does not have a college coach but they do have an assistant high school coach managing the team and he has two ex-minor leaguers (not dads either) helping him run practices. The cost $400 to $500 per season (spring & fall seasons). If you don’t have the money, scholarships are available and there is at least one player on scholarship. If the parents want, they can also run fund raisers to help offset expenses.

As for the individual player showcases/workouts, some national venues like Perfect Game can be expensive but if you look around you can find local versions that give good exposure if your son is planning to play in the region and not at Stanford. Last weekend, South Carolina, held an individual 1 day showcase/workout that cost $30. All of USC’s baseball coaching staff were there plus 6-8 other college coaches. I am told that UNC-Charlotte held a similar one the same weekend. Sorry I don’t know the cost.

In short the parent and the son need to determine what their ultimate aspirations are and which avenue they are going to pursue. I see no need to run down legion ball or showcase ball. You pick and play but keep one thing in mind if the boy has aspirations of playing college baseball, he must be seen at some time.

 

It is great to hear about the strength of Legion Ball in the Western Part of the state!! Like I said earlier, the traditional quality programs have many positives working for them.

I like the idea of trying to find a way to better teach the game to younger players, although I feel like that doesn't always happen, but we can blame society for that, philospohically speaking. Maybe this needs to go to another thread, but what's the answer to that? If I knew that, you'd be bowing to me like a god (But we know that isn't the case)

I can look at it from the standpoint of the way things have happened here. We began a legion program here in Roxboro 4 years ago, because our players had to either go to South Boston, VA, or Hillsborough to play. This was not a good situation for our players, not because of the coaching at these places, but because of travel and they felt they really had no ownership in these programs and at times felt like outsiders. Starting a legion program has helped us because more of our players can play a more competitive brand of baseball after the high school season is over. We combined with Caswell County (Bartlett Yancey High) and it is a good relationship, I believe. The team is coached by Pete Tuck and Dave Kleine (my JV and Pitching coaches, respectively here at Person), and they ave done a good job working with these kids. It is also a great experience for them too.

I look at an example that took place in a location very near to us (I would prefer not to name anybody on this). There were 2 legion teams in this town, then 1 of the teams split into 2 because players from one school believed the team was selected before tryouts ad their players were not being selected. This created 3 teams. 1 of the 2 original teams has since folded, but I am not sure this was good for legion ball in this town. You can take it where you want.

So you see I can see it both ways. I always try to know both sides of the story before I formulate an opinion but this is where my thought process on this subject comes from. I guess it is a potpourri of my baseball experience, and experiences from a short life so far, although some would laugh about the emerging gray on my beard.

BTW-- If I thought I could make a career and living teaching young kids to play ball, I would. They are like sponges when they know you care!!

 

Good thoughts MVaughn

 

Did not want to give the impression that Legion ball is not a passionate subject in Wilmington because it is.........the games are just as important to everyone as they have always been.I'm glad that there are more teams for the kids to be on and keep them playing and excited about baseball......The down side is the more teams in a small area like Wilmington,the less the talent on each team.It started same as in other areas,people did not feel all the kids were given a honest chance of making the local legion team,so more teams were developed...........still good baseball and good for the kids.......win,win for the kids.

 

While the numbers game makes it a no-brainer for scouting the showcases, you won't find a better brand of competitive baseball anywhere than legion baseball in Area 4 of North Carolina. Caldwell, Shelby, Cherryville, Hickory, Rutherford, ...............annually producing outstanding clubs that are mainstays of the community.

 

I know this is off subject a little bit,but if anyone hears of one day camps such as UNC-C or USC it would be nice if someone would post it ahead of time,unless this board feels like it would not be helpfull.........Thanks

 

leftydad....just keep checking in. In the past a lot of that kind of info surfaced here. I'm sure this year will be no exception.

 

Something else that happened this past spring that made deciding between Legion ball and a Showcase team even more difficult was that some of the Showcase teams wanted commitments from the players to play with the Showcase team in BOTH the summer and the fall. They would not guarantee a spot on the fall team if the player did not play with them in the summer.

Fortunately my son was asked to play on a fall Showcase team that did not have a summer team, so he was able to play Legion ball in the summer and Showcase in the fall.

He really wanted to play Legion ball because it is just like pro ball - you immerse yourself in the game for 6 to 8 weeks. You practice everyday and play everyday. Everything about the game becomes so much more comfortable because of the repetition. You just can't get that experience in any other form of baseball outside of professional ball.

And I think that because of this immersion in the game the kids really have a chance to improve their skills and baseball knowledge. To me that is the advantage Legion ball has over Showcase/tounament ball.

But in the fall, it's time to show off your talents to college coaches. And for that, Showcase ball is the way to go both on a Showcase team and in individual Showcase events.

 

CALDWELL COUNTY LEGION BASEBALL!

with regards to Caldwell County Legion...it is unmatched anywhere in the state...I play for them, and nothing can compare to the experience.....to wake up every morning (almost) in the summer and know that you'll be playing in front of usually a thousand people, in a game that can turn you into a community-hero....its unbelievable....we had a great run last year, but this year's team is poised and has the weapons to finish what we couldn't last year....Caldwell County is what you call "obsessive" about their legion program and I have never been more proud to tell people about my association with something... If you haven't ever been to a Caldwell 29ers game, or if you've never been heckled by our lovely fans...please come to a game or schedule one against us, i gurantee you'll never experience anything like it...

its a community that on game nights literally shuts down...every one is there, and the support follows us players throughout the days and seemingly everywhere we go...

hope that helps the posters in regards to their questions bout the program...if you have others just ask..