Hi. I’m a freshman in HS and I plan on playing baseball in the spring. I know I can handle my school work + a sport but the problem is that I might not be good at all. Can any CCers that have played baseball tell me how to get in shape & the general rules of baseball so I won’t get cut the first day?
My school has conditionings but I don’t think I can make it there because it conflicts with my ECs.
To be frank, if you have no experience with baseball whatsoever, it will be EXTREMELY unlikely for you to make the team. Most of the guys have been playing since they’re 5 and have played travel in the best. The competition is usually cutthroat.
Get a glove and play catch with someone. I never played baseball and decided to play my freshman year (of course I was benched). Throwing & catching a ball are not as easy as they seem.
@-)
Well.
You hit the ball, you catch the ball, you throw the ball. When you reach a base, turn left. :))
To train: run, play catch, and find a batting cage and see if you can hit the little white thing with the big metal thing. If you’ve literally never played baseball before, you are in serious danger of getting hurt when trying to bat (and by “hurt,” I mean “broken eye socket”) if they put you into an actual game, so make sure they have helmets with face protection (either a cage or the kind Jason Heyward wears).
Are you somewhere warm, so you can practice between now and tryouts (knowing that baseball usually has tryouts in February at the latest)?
And will they even let you try out if you miss preseason conditioning? Most schools do, but you might want to check.
Okay, I’ll drop the thing that conflicts with baseball so I can make conditioning. I’ll also try to get equipment and tell my friends to help me bat. @poblob14
@tigerman333 Yeah, I understand that there’s a lot of competition. All I can say is that I’ll try my best to make the team.
@hhjjlala Alright, I’ll work on throwing and catching before the season too.
It is probably unlikely that you would make the team without playing before, but you should definitely give it a shot. How big are you? Are you fast? Are you tall? Which hand would you throw with? These are all questions that would determine where you would most likely play in the field. In the offseason, you should get a glove and throw with someone (maybe your dad or friends). Work on long toss to increase arm strength. Also, work on both infield and outfield footwork. It would be great if someone could give you “short hops”, bouncing the ball just once at your feet, and then you catch it as it bounces up. If you can learn how to bunt consistently, that is another asset you have. When you show up to tryouts, wear baseball pants, an athletic shirt, a cap, and proper footwear (cleats if you’re outside). Also, I don’t know about the helmets with face protection. I don’t think it’s really necessary. I’ve played for ten years, including travel for almost all of that, and I have never seen a baseball player wear a helmet with face protection, and I have never seen anyone hit directly in the face, because when a pitch comes at you, you are supposed to turn and take it in the back, not vulnerable areas like the face or chest, but it’s up to you. Good luck!
unless you are Anthony Davis, good luck man! In my school at least, baseball starts September 1st and ends June 1st (then its offseason training). Baseball is like golf. If you hit enough balls, you’ll get pretty good at it.