Ask The Coach: What to Expect for Time and Expense of Baseball Training

ASK THE COACH: Q: We recently started a travel ball team for my 11 year old son, What should we expect from a time and expense standpoint?

A: There are usually two or three options as far as making a schedule are concerned, one is a double Header Sunday which is usually a league that has a number of teams, they hold a meeting to divide the schedule and teams meet and play in accordance with that schedule. The second is tournament play, the coach navigates through the various sanctioning bodies and selects tournaments that he feels suite the needs of his players, the tournament schedule may vary according to available dates and budgets. The third option was formerly known as barnstorming, which is when a coach either not having the budget for tournament play or the commitment for league play decides on a pick up schedule, he relies on his connections to make contact with other teams to devise a schedule that is a combination of pick up games and a select tournament when possible. The financial aspects vary from team to team depending on sponsorship, the independent wealth of the team, the quality of the uniforms and the commitment to a schedule. Roughly speaking a ball park number for each player on a travel team is usually between $400 dollars on the low end to $2,000 dollars for a quality showcase team.