When I moved to Kentucky in 1991 I was convinced that I was moving to a basketball and bourbon state. Well I was right about the bourbon but I couldn't have been more wrong about the baseball. Wow! From the youth baseball through college baseball, Kentucky has some great baseball players, past and present. Since today is the official start of high school baseball, I wanted to talk about tryouts.
Well all your hard work over the off season gets to be shown off over the next three days. Thank you for the beautiful weather. Heaven knows that baseball is a spring/summer sport so the warmer weather is very welcome. This blog is for all the baseball players and their parents. I tweeted earlier today about the best way for you to make your high school team is to prove to the coach in your three day tryout that you can help him win. Remember that High School coaches are paid to win baseball games. This is not rec ball, summer ball, or a pick-up league. This is the very competitive world of High School Baseball. If you are unsure what I am talking about then you have never been to an 11th region baseball game.
High School coaches only have one thing in mind during the tryout process. How can this player help me win? This is not a decision of personality, but of ability. If the coach keeps you or cuts you it is not personal. Most coaches don't like cutting players but it is a necessary evil. Making a baseball team at the higher levels is difficult. Lets face it the game is difficult. Baseball is the toughest team sport to play. Throwing a round ball to a player with a round bat and hitting it squarely. My three best suggestions for players going through the tryout process over the next three days. 1. Energy and Effort - It takes zero talent to hustle. It takes zero talent to have a lot of energy. Coaches like players that hustle. When the coach tells you to go somewhere be the first guy there. 2. Keep a even temperament. Don't get too proud when things are going well and don't get too down when things aren't. Skip Hudgins my head coach in High School would say this all the time. Do not get too high and do not get too low. Coaches can read body language. If you have bad body language when things aren't going well, the way you present yourself is magnified 100 times. This mentality has proved to be successful on and off the field. Lastly, this one is going to bite a bit...be good. If you aren't a good player in baseball you can't fake it. Pick the positions that you are best at and put on a good show in the field or on the mound or at the plate. Prove that you belong. If you can't do any of these then you won't make it. I mean you have to be very good at one or more of these. Doing it and doing it well are completely different.
The last thing I want to say is that ability is key. Here is where coaches see the difference between baseball players and guys that play baseball. Just because you play the game doesn't make you a baseball player. Kind of like me playing golf... it definitely doesn't make me a golfer. Some players have been told by their #1 fans (mom and dad) that they are great players. Unfortunately, your mom or dads opinion in this matter means nothing. Cream always rises to the top...in everything. Coaches will pick their 20 or so varsity players, their 18 or so JV players and if they have enough 9th graders maybe another 15 or so for a 9th grade team. If you go to a school that has 100 players trying out you can see that there isn't room for everyone. If you get cut you have two choices. 1. Quit 2. Get better and tryout next year. If you are truly a baseball player then #1 isn't an option.
I have seen the shirts that reads Hard Work beats Talent when Talent doesn't Work Hard. This is mostly true. However, it does not mean you have a free pass to make the team because you worked hard all winter. You still have to win your spot.
Good luck to the players. Good luck to the coaches. I am really looking forward to this years high school season.
Coach Bale
