Do you want your son to have the skills necessary to compete at the college baseball level when he graduates? Playing high school baseball isn't enough. You have to find an outstanding showcase travel baseball team that has a spot available for your son.
High School Season Is Not Enough
The typical high school season is only 8 weeks long* plus districts playoffs. It is easy to see that a player will not develop the skills necessary by relying only on high school ball.
But, even more importantly, high school teams just don't compete at the level of elite summer baseball programs. And from a recruiting standpoint, college coaches can't come watch high school games because they are in the middle of their own baseball season.
A showcase travel team will instill skills in your player. The additional 30-50 baseball games played during the summer will increase your player's skill set. Your player will probably be facing some of the best pitching he will see over the entire year. But the high cost of showcase travel baseball is draining for any family and unrealistic for most.
The Showcase Team Fee
Research any of the high school showcase travel ball clubs based in Cape, Memphis or St Louis and you will quickly find that the size of your pocketbook determines your son's summer options.
The team fee for these teams ranges between $1,000 and $7,000 per player for the year. In addition to uniforms and team branded equipment and tournament fees, the fee typically includes two to four hours of skills training during the off-season at the team's own facility. (Most teams are based around a practice facility and use a significant portion of the team fees as a way to cover the base staffing and facility costs.)
Travel Costs
Far surpassing the cost of being on the team are the travel costs. Most showcase teams require their player to travel separately with their parent or guardian to the tournament games. Most showcase tournaments require the players to stay in specific hotels at not-very-discounted rates. Add to that the cost of meals, gas and entertainment and a player can easily spend over $1000 per weekend tournament.
One parent recently calculated that a single tournament cost their family over $1850 for just the player and parent, had they invited the entire family the costs would have been over $2500.
Add all the expenses of being on a showcase travel ball team up for the summer and you will tally somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 per year.
Showcase Travel ball is a Rich Man's Sport...Until Now
At Cardinals Legacy Foundation for Baseball, we believe that the best way to field a team of the most talented players from an area is to provide all the services for free. Our number one slogan is:
College Exposure based on Talent not Pocketbook.
Our organization will cover all costs for our players including uniforms, equipment, transportation, meals and lodging. Additionally, we will live-stream all of our games so that parents and fans can enjoy the games without feeling the need to travel with the team.
We hope to field the area's best players regardless of their families financial capability.
Check out our entire web site to learn more about our organization and our efforts. If your player deserves the chance to play at the elite level, please fill out our Player Registration form.
* According to MSHSAA's 2017-18 Handbook, the spring baseball season starts week 37 and goes through week 44 with district playoffs consuming weeks 45-46. The remainder of the state playoffs are held during weeks 47 and 48.
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