The Scam of Travel Baseball: How to Actually Get Recruited | 'The Show' w/ Dan & Joe | Episode 2

[@dfboiler]

For 90% of Travel ball players you’d be 100 times better off taking that money and buying an indoor facility membership, joining a gym, buying private lessons from a qualified coach and then playing legion ball.. and still come out with money in your pocket. You’ll get much more personal attention and still have people to be good references for college coaches. Most travel programs have one maybe 2 top coaches and the rest are whatever college kid has time, and then want you to pay for lessons to get any position specific training- that’s above and beyond the 4K you are paying.

[@DSARM]

Totally agree💯

[@johndowning9447]

Having coaches to vouch for you in your travel organization is extremely important to getting recruited and ultimately committing to a school. Yes I was able to reach out and get feedback by myself with emails and videos, but to ultimately get offers, I think you need to have trustworthy coaches from travel ball to talk to college coaches for you and to help you out. That’s how I got my offers

[@uhhcoolstory5627]

Yes sirrr

[@DSARM]

Very good point!!

[@theCranesUS]

Coaches want to know all they can in any sport!

[@cameronmachado1774]

Will a travel coach's letter of recommendation or a high school coach's, who is also your AP teacher, letter of recommendation hold more weight with a college?

[@CharlesFlo305]

@@Elovebaseball EXACTLY High school and beyond is what matters… don’t get hustled guys.

[@ImAirbear]

extremely underrated baseball podcast

[@DSARM]

Thank you bro!!

[@josesanabria6414]

This information is still so relevant 2 years later.

[@Daniel-36]

So I’ve been working as a travel ball coach (basically an internship to see if I like it) and I will definitely say it is a crap ton of money, especially when you factor in hotels, gas, food, all the time driving. I’m so glad I did not have to pay that and neither did my parents when I played. It’s a huge investment for parents for their kids. The kids will see better players than what they will if they played recreation baseball. But you do not need to play travel baseball to get seen by college coaches. My advice would be to attend college camps if they have it, and make recruiting videos with your stats and gpa in it. They will work with you if you can show you’re able to hold up your end of the student athlete role.

[@tfrankw]

So I guess my take on travel baseball is regional based. In the Midwest…the term travel baseball is so dang watered down. Everyone and their momma and daddy has a travel baseball team. I was lucky enough to coach my step son in a travel baseball and we had way more fun than high school ball. In high school ball it was more coach oriented meaning there was no development of players. Just focused on wins. With the travel ball team I coached we developed, taught baseball skills, and then worried about wins. I can honestly say in my area(Chicagoland area) it’s so much talent out here, there are travel teams for every skill level. I can understand your point of view because that would frustrate me as a parent but it’s way different out this way.

[@DSARM]

That’s good to know!!

[@drizzle452]

I live in the Chicagoland area too…it matters more in the 5th to 8th grade years. But high school travel? Just find a roving team and get your reps (it could be argued that position players benefit waaay more). If you’re a p.o., you could throw bullies or you can find any old low budget team to get a start once a week, iron out pitches/control, work out, take care of the arm, work a job, get ahead on school credits. If you’re a dude pitcher, it’s easy for college coaches to evaluate or have access to video. Hitters are much harder to properly evaluate.

[@classless_goat1833]

Currently playing travel ball at 14 (I’m 15 in 8th grade) and I’m going to be done after this year. However, the team I play for is one of the best teams in the state of Tennessee we have been to the beach 5 times and won each one. We don’t have any monthly fee and we do fundraisers. A lot of us use 5-8 year old bats and we hardly ever lose and I have never had a coach as passionate about the game than my coach rn. He coached a team with his son when he was our age and had Ty Simpson (Alabama QB) and a kid going D1 now. The only reason why I won’t play this next year is that we play every weekend and with football (where I play with Ty’s brother graham who has offers from Oregon and Akron) I am going to continue playing school ball we made it to the regional finals last year and now we are going to go to state and win. I hope that in high school I can be noticed by any school. Some of the guys that graduated last year went to good juco teams and I hope that the scouts remember the school but in middle school I topped out at 79 in game but idrk if that’s that good or not… I think it is but we’ll see.

[@hmcdowell2139]

Great podcast. I appreciate your being willing to say what many are afraid to say. I heard a coach say that high school baseball is over. Recruiters and Scouts only look at the numbers generated from playing in PG etc tournaments. I hope this is not the future of youth baseball where we are only interested in stats.

[@gil8967]

holy shit bro this is such a good podcast and ion even watch podcasts this is awesome man keep it up

[@seannym95]

Bruh I don’t even play baseball but I randomly came across your channel and podcast. And I just enjoy listening to y’all talking about the stuff and I like your attitude and positivity. Interesting conversations.

[@DSARM]

Yoo thanks man that means a lot! Glad you like it

[@quinntaylor7260]

I love the insight. There’s some things I totally agree with and stuff I do not agree with at all but I think it’s a healthy conversation to have. To get recruited as a high level guy, it’s rare you need a ton of resources as coaches will follow you. The guys who are fringe D2 & D3 players in a lot of ways need travel baseball to get themselves in front of other recruiters that will not see them. The better the players you play with, the better chances you will give yourself to get in front of coaches. It’s not cut and dry but a higher percentage of success for the guys who aren’t D1 or high level D2 guys. I do agree that not everyone needs to play on teams that are very expensive. Baseball has become an overly expensive sport because of this misnomer of needing to play travel baseball. Keep the content up guys I love the conversations!

[@DSARM]

Much appreciated!! That’s exactly what we’re trying to do - just starting a conversation. Neither of us are married to any takes and we’re just going off our own personal experiences. Soon we’ll have guests on with different experiences & ideas and that’ll be a lot of fun. 💯

[@joshjones7690]

All depends on what level of travel baseball you play. At the elite major level it’s way better than high school. Also at that level you can’t just write a check and be on the team. East Cobb had 2 or 3 first round guys last year and several power 5 commits. Same thing with Canes nationals 5 first rounders and tons of power 5 commits. Travel baseball in the south is different

[@DSARM]

100%

[@jackwilliams7738]

I played for Team Elite…. Everyone on my team ended up playing college baseball. A lot of guys got drafted or went D1.

[@WESTERNBOUNDTV]

so basically unless its the elite travel ball (Prime usa, canes etc) you're better off just investing in training and attending showcases?

[@jackmehoff1832]

I’ll put it simply. Set your Kids mindset early on. It’s not gonna be easy. It’s hard and very rare to become a College Athlete. Create rotuines early on that mirror how Athletes live. Teach your kid to love working out as much or more than doing Baseball Drills. Speaking of Drills do them daily. Watch Baseball. Study the Game, and learn the stories of the guys that made the Bigs. You might be surprised to find out that they didn’t play Tournaments, or even have a formal Coach as a kid. For your Sons 11th Birthday get him Weights and a Bar. Before 11 they should be doing body weight exercises, pushups, situps, body squats, and get them running. What I just listed is the bare minimum. If you’re in the 95th Percentile for Height, and are a hyper responder to lifting weights, Athletic and can Sprint decently…AND you happen to be in the top 5 to 10 Players in your State. If you’re lucky enough to get to 18 relatively healthy you might have a 50% chance at a D1 Offer. Then the real work begins…

[@viewfromthestands4183]

Love the content! I love seeing things through your guys perspective

[@DSARM]

Glad you enjoy it! 👍🏼

[@thatboydre8649]

What dan said about travel ball is right about a lack of brotherhood but some groups are really close if they stay together throughout the years

[@DSARM]

True, there are def some teams that have that chemistry

[@kccronin1369]

I play 13u and travel ball down in florida and I went to cooperstown and all fun stuff with the boys and I’ll never forget those experiences but I haven’t been through high school so I gotta see if ur gassing it up or not

[@WESTERNBOUNDTV]

What do yall think about investing in really good private coaching (Fielding and hitting) and doing showcases and less travel ball with the focus on dominating in 7th grade onward.

[@joshuak8982]

Honestly, the route to the pros is easy, you have to sacrifice everything for your dream, it’s that easy, you have to be willing to put literally everything on the line. Yet it’s one of the hardest tasks to do a human can do, be able to sustain that insane amount of discipline and work in your prime years

[@_carta44]

This is the best thank you for giving your honest opinions

[@DSARM]

Thanks bro!! Much appreciated

[@maxbelford13_71]

I've learned throughout the years do what you can with what you have don't want what others have

[@estebancolina9229]

When you paid for “travel” team you’re paying for a small group to play by free. Travel team don’t care about the whole group, they care about a select group into the organization. If you’re good enough, college will go to see you play.

[@mikefitzpatrick9577]

played post 90 based outta Raymond. love the content dude!

[@isaac_Gill]

I have a different experience playing aau ball because I have been with my team since I was 8-13 and I have made so many friends and get mad when we lose

[@gritbaseballcompany]

Travel baseball is an individual sport, make no mistake about it. High school is a team sport and you represent your school and community. We are lucky to have a high school coach with great contacts and a network with college coaches. Each player's circumstances are different.

[@DSARM]

Exactly 💯

[@ofc1290]

Love puttin on your videos on the background while I’m workin out or getting stuff done👍

[@DSARM]

Much appreciated bro!!!

[@ethanerhard3521]

I can say I do like high school baseball for the atmosphere especially from where I am. The whole community is with you and when in those big games u should be able to feel it for ur team not just you l. Especially as a pitcher when u get that big strike out and coming off the mound is the best feeling. I do gotta say I like travel ball to I play for a local travel team with just people with the surrounding schools mostly tournaments around us and then like 2 out in Ohio and then another in another state but it’s fun to with the kids locally.

[@eburghardt]

Part of travel ball scam is parents don’t ask enuf/the right questions up front It’s all built on marketing and assumptions Brilliant model and buyer beware like anything Good episode fellas

[@DSARM]

Very true. Much appreciated!!

[@bradmaher6119]

The term travel baseball varies greatly. In my area and the surrounding towns the rec town leagues are awful with almost no organization. So people move to travel and by travel we play the same surrounding towns but the teams are more organized because we’re paying. So we don’t really “travel”

[@FctHvn]

Rec is just for fun bro. That’s why it’s so disorganized and you don’t see scouts at those games 😂

[@daylonmonette1847]

I Coached in the Cape under Tom Holliday and played for him OSU. U boys are right every non Powet 5 team can easily steal a game from a top Power 5 team. Happens in Midweeks all the time, especially since it’s a big game for the smaller school so they throw their guy, and we throw our #4,5, or 6. But it can def happen. I saw Jeremy Oena and other studs from Miami area in the Cape BALLIN!! I asked what school Peña went to and his buddy from Univ of Miami said “Maine!”… i couldn’t believe it. He was the best player on the field that had 6-6 future big leaguers, and the kid from Maine was the best. Even crazier that all those baseball schools from Miami up the coast past Clemson, UNC, and more let him get past them and go to U of Maine!! It happens at different t times for different t guys, and great players are literally found everywhere!

[@skibum5634]

Only disagreement is about quality of competition in AAU as a position player. For pitchers it’s different because if you are good at pitching you can pitch against anyone but coaches want to see how hitters perform against good pitches. Playing AAU in the summer you get to face higher quality prospects which can help show that you are truly a college-level hitter.

[@DSARM]

Very true!!

[@simmyg1]

As a guy who is unable to play travel ball, this makes me feel better about myself

[@Todd_Swank]

As a parent, I am of the mindset that travel baseball has its positives and negatives. Travel ball when the kids are 4-7 yo is pointless, let the kids go do other sports and have a fun summer with family. 8-12 yo is fine for the summer as long as youre playing with your local players where the parents just chose to get a team together and do local tournaments. 13-16 yo should be trying to get on better teams so you can challenge yourself, especially with higher velo pitching potentials. I still wouldnt get on a team that travels all over the country but do some tournaments in the states right next to you. 16yo year the parents should be getting some video of your play for a recruiting video. 17 yo should be going to camps, especially multi college camps and the ones who have scrimmages after they get your metrics.

[@user-mp2ks8nt2q]

I played for Canes American we payed lol. All of the regional teams are to make money and have more commit numbers and better stuff for the 2 big teams

[@user-mp2ks8nt2q]

Also the regional teams are extremely ass. There are a few studs on regional teams we had a Clemson commit who was solid play with us from one

[@llhoopinll2321]

Yeah I pay 3k to play travel but the friendships and memories ive made ill never forget

[@DSARM]

Good point 💯💯

[@thelifeofamisfit6380]

first time ever listening to you. Good content keep grinding!

[@DSARM]

Thanks man!! Much appreciated

[@theCranesUS]

One MAJOR difference with D3 is that the scholarships are academic not sports. D3 soccer you get ex pros from foreign countries commonly!!! D3 beating a D1 soccer is incredibly common! I know this not baseball, but it sounds similar to what these guys are saying.

[@panchosoto6402]

Myguy I didn’t know you was from the northeast I’m from Lawrence mass been watching your baseball videos for a while I thought you were from Az lol

[@alexfurlong781]

I love your podcasts.. Keep it up! Do you know the team Georgia Bombers? They're pretty good as well

[@DSARM]

Yes I do!

[@Just1Jon]

Have my 7th grader going to play on a higher level travel team this summer but solely because I like the idea of reps in their round robin weekends and then offering specific training sessions every weekend. He just wants to get better and middle school baseball is kind of a joke.

[@DSARM]

Totally understand that!!

[@brandonjohnson4079]

I needed this advice 8 years ago. I agree with both your guys' takes on college and travel ball. For one, even playing in Florida I got more offers from one 10 minute showcase video I posted on youtube than any AAU tournament. Another thing I had the "D1 or die" mindset so I denied every Juco, NAIA, and D3 offers that came. All missed opportunities.

[@DSARM]

Thank you for sharing!!

[@badgerdad777]

This podcast is awesome. My two daughters played in a high ranked travel team club. I saw there it wasn't the best players who played or made it on the good teams but who paid the bills for years. The really good D1 girls were confident and kind while the wannabies were bitches. My son was on a travel team for 13u and the last half of the season we were coached by a parent. It was a good experience but he sat out the following year and now this year he's on a really good travel team. The purpose for me for him is to pitch against the best competition. Now my son is at a pretty good high school for baseball but before he was at one that hadn't won a game in years. So yeah, travel teams are out for the money and that money you spend has to have a benefit.

[@nicholaspowell7931]

great job on this video

[@mitchk.1973]

Dope podcast guys

[@MrERH96]

One of my biggest regrets is playing travel baseball. Sounds a little dramatic but the amount of money my parents poured into travel ball and tournaments is sickening. Hindsight is always 20/20 but if the money and time you took to play travel ball was spent on player development literally getting bigger, faster, and stronger over the summer most kids would be in a better spot when they turn 17 or 18 years old to go to the school they want to go to. Like you said it only takes a video on Twitter. Exposure means nothing if you aren’t showcasing any talent.

[@DSARM]

Exactly!! Appreciate the comment brother

[@se9618]

If you're talking about being at the hs level already then sure. But if you're not highschool age then you kinda need it to even get on a good hs team. At least here in socal. Plus, politics.

[@gavinesp1203]

i respectfully disagree. i feel like where your located it may be different. however east coast where i live (nc, georgia, etc.) is super competetive and we care about winning. if i were to go to a practice for my hs team they would all say travel is more fun and more competitive.

[@uhhcoolstory5627]

True

[@DSARM]

That's good to know!

[@brockenboy448]

What about 11u-14u travel ball? I’m on a 13u team rn and I’m so much better than I was before I went into this program.

[@DSARM]

Honestly bro it comes down to this imo: If the program is giving you time and attention to develop you as an athlete, and you feel like it’s worth it, then go for it bro. Travel ball isn’t inherently bad, there just are some programs out there trying to make money and offer nothing of value

[@daylonmonette1847]

Whooooa and the D2 and D1 compare, ur over ur skies on that. There are great D2 and NAIA but they can’t hang depth wise. That’s why 4 seeds can barely ever win a Regional. They can flip the bracket and upset the 1 Seed, but at some point the 2-3 Seed is gonna test the bullpen and there’s the difference. They better hope for a clean sweep Bc they def are t competing if they gotta beat a LSU or Vandy twice at their house

[@aidanpeyton1]

You guys should do a podcast on showcases such as perfect game at pbr. Say if they are worth it or not. Also on recruiting sites such as NCSA.

[@DSARM]

We definitely will!

[@michaeldougherty2984]

whats the song u have in the background of your tik toks?

[@DSARM]

MNDS background instrumental

[@evanmello8207]

Keep doing these!

[@DSARM]

100% will bro!!

[@CharlesFlo305]

Dads, get close to the high school coaches ASAP Expose your child the most you can. Volunteer at the school. Be involved. It goes a long way to have a kid that his dad volunteers. At the end, usually the best players play.

[@baldmamba8274]

I really like these Vids

[@DSARM]

Thanks brotha!!

[@rickroll1982]

I live in Alaska tho so you can’t really get seen unless you travel

[@DSARM]

Haha fair enough

[@roseldeluna1552]

the part about canes national isn't all true some of the kids that play for canes national and American used to play for the "not good" canes teams and besides canes national and American they have tons of other teams that have d1 commits for example canes Florida prime

[@DSARM]

Ahh good to know!

[@rogermoyer6796]

Travel ball is an individual sport, it's just not how the game should be played. Would rather play Legion ball where every game counts

[@SwitchHittingDaily]

thank you

[@kendallevans4079]

This is the problem with YT......Everybody thinks they are SO cute and entertaining......JUST GET TO THE CONTENT!!

[@THEMASTER26]

The good travel/club teams focus on development and also winning games. Players should leave the program better than how they got there 🙏

[@electricalgaming6893]

Bro the D1 D2 D3 is so true like if your D1 to get attention you need to be a complete stud but D2 D3 you get more cuz you get more of a chance so I agree and D1 kids just overhype them self

[@Jferrara_207]

Is Joseph going to lynn university?

[@DSARM]

St. Leo in Tampa

[@Explosion_Plays]

Love the insight. Any chance you can avoid the continual bad language? Would like my son to watch, but tough with the vulgarity. 🙏

[@DSARM]

Ahh we can try!! We try to make it as authentic as possible and just have a convo, but we’ll keep this in mind 100%

[@claytonnachman10]

What are your thoughts about all these kids getting committed at like 14

[@uhhcoolstory5627]

13:10 Facts Especially in Florida. Then you got the rich kids fucking around and robbing ppl for no reason🤣

[@DSARM]

😂

[@stuckinchaselandia6427]

Players enjoy HS ball more. However, travel ball is essential if you want to play kids better then you to push you (unless you are in a very competitive district). Also, players generally have a misconception about travel ball coaches. They want to win. You think they want to suck? How will they survive? Travel ball coaches care. Sure there are guys only for the money, but even those coaches need good teams to sustain their program. So in the end, they all want to win. Travel ball is great for the bubble kids that don't throw 93 or have exit velo of 95. Those marginal kids that can play but don't have the measureables get a chance to be seen. I can go on forever. Great channel.

[@antwonbeverly3rd801]

exact opposite for me

[@ZackGallieshaw4]

anybody else think that dan looks like miguel from cobra kai?

[@DSARM]

yoo lowkey haha

[@kmoneyhall836]

i play on a regional canes team for free

[@DSARM]

You must be a good ball playa

[@stuckinchaselandia6427]

Ok I'm posting while I watch. But Canes are a great program. You guys held them to 2 but they held you to 1. That is something players don't really get. They great programs win regardless of score. I'm in FL and we have FTB, Power Baseball, TBT, Scorpions, Elite Squad, these teams win consistently every year .it's no coincidence.

[@Kj1gibson]

I personally fell for the canes trap

[@millahtime9381]

While I appreciate and respect your opinions and can understand your take on travel ball, I completely disagree. Being on the right travel team and in a good organization that balances recruitment with the desire to win is extremely important to player development. The world of travel baseball and being exposed to the amount of talent within it is what made me realize I wasn’t as good as I thought and contributed to my extreme jumps in velo, pitch utilization and weaponry, and competitiveness. The key is being on a team where you don’t stand out alone as the best player, and earn a spot as a starter, that way you further accelerate your development and recruitment. I showed up to the beginning combine and quickly realized that I could be put back on the pitcher list due to the amount of talent that was there. This summer and fall I definitely wasn’t the guy who threw the hardest, or had the biggest frame, but I competed and earned a starter spot, which in turn helped to keep my mind focused on a competitive mindset, while at the same time my tools were still accelerating and getting college attention. I truly believe that travel ball is key to unlocking a players full potential in these aspects, as well as unlocking a grind mindset.

[@millahtime9381]

But at the same time waiting until you legitimately have tools to showcase yourself and compete at that level is important, so I do believe low level and young age travel ball is a bad investment. instead, investing that tournament money into training can be extremely beneficial and a better investment into your future if you plan to play at the next level.

[@DSARM]

Hit the nail on the head there man, no doubt! This was my experience with travel ball for the most part -- got exposed to kids that were 10x better than me for the first time and realized wow, there are some studs out here. With that said, travel ball has become oversaturated with coaches and organizations strictly trying to profit off of kids and their parents. Many don't offer the skills necessary to actually make their players better. That's why I think (up until a certain point) money spent should be directly impacting a players development. But like you said, that can be done through playing competitive travel ball too, so it's really just about educating parents and players on what they're really getting in to.

[@Aurelisk]

Controversial

[@EanDogonskiskate]

Weird

[@DSARM]

Googoo gaga. 🥺🤢

[@michaelallen1154]

Why are dudes so pressed, bro?

[@aljon5947]

white cap guy is so bitter lol

[@tylerlittle1148]

hate high school ball it's all politics