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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LvilleYankees |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 08:09:35
I have heard this before about the difference between major teams and AAA teams. I have seen plenty of kids at the AAA level who are major players. Also, I have heard parents who only want their kid on a major team and turn the cheek to AAA ball. To me reps at a young age against good talent AAA or major is what is most important.
What do you think the difference is between major and AAA teams? Why is AAA looked down on?
Just like to hear what people think. |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| AllStar |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 15:57:15
quote:
Originally posted by bballman
I don't know if it's different now than 6-8 years ago, but if memory serves, my son's team was classified as a AAA team at 12 & 13 and decided to classify as major at 14. However, I don't remember entering any AAA tournaments. I think all the tournaments we entered were open tournaments. I really don't remember there being many, if any, AAA specific tournaments around. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my recollection. The fact of the matter is, if you have good coaching and you play quality opponents, whether you are AAA or major, it really doesn't matter.
I'm a couple of years removed, but there were occasional tournaments that would limit to Triple A or even Double A because they wanted some of the less strong teams to have a good competitive tournament.
A couple of times we were participating in open tournaments that fell apart when the year younger Astros or another really strong team would enter at the last minute because they didn't have anything else to do that weekend and legitimately AA teams didn't want to get their brains beat in by an elite team so they dropped out. |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 14:55:08
I don't know if it's different now than 6-8 years ago, but if memory serves, my son's team was classified as a AAA team at 12 & 13 and decided to classify as major at 14. However, I don't remember entering any AAA tournaments. I think all the tournaments we entered were open tournaments. I really don't remember there being many, if any, AAA specific tournaments around. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my recollection. The fact of the matter is, if you have good coaching and you play quality opponents, whether you are AAA or major, it really doesn't matter. |
| baldy87 |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 14:28:09
I understand the concept of preventing teams from trophy-hunting or sand-bagging. Just not the case for us - and for other lower-level "Major" teams who have to contend with USSSA's ridiculous policies of getting beat 6 times (and paying over $1000 in the process) before you can move back down where you're supposed to be in the first place. Heck - we don't want to get ranked lower so that we can go play in USSSA's AAA tournaments. We just want to be get ranked lower so we can go play in all of the really good AAA independent tournaments around town that are cheaper, play longer games, actually drag and line the fields between games, AND make an effort to get fields ready on rainy Sundays. Kudos to Creekview and Oregon Park for their awesome tournaments this year. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 13:01:33
quote:
Originally posted by baldy87
...all of the independent tournaments base their eligibility off of what USSSA decides you are...
Mostly we played in Open tournaments, but I think the point of independent tournaments using U-Trip classifications that was usually to prevent trophy hunting Major teams from entering AAA/AA tournaments and just laying waste to everyone else.
But the reality is, at 12U there are about 15-18 legitimate Major teams. The rest could just as easily be categorized as AAA teams. Just my opinion.
Sounds about right. Of course they all say they will be when they are recruiting. 
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| bluecup |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 10:58:04
It is much easier to self-classify/reclassify up (immediate modification), than to classify down (appeals process). The main concern in the classification rules is avoiding sandbagging to win tournaments. Self-classifying as a majors team really has no negative affect on competitiveness if that's what you want to do (you just lose the flexibility to play in AAA tourneys).
http://www.gausssabaseball.com/index.cfm?TPID=137 |
| AllStar |
Posted - 06/27/2014 : 10:41:49
quote:
Originally posted by baldy87
Here's the part that I don't like - you don't really get to decide whether you're a AAA or Major team. After your first year, USSSA tells you what level you are - and then all of the independent tournaments base their eligibility off of what USSSA decides you are. We played at the 12U level, and mostly, everyone knows everybody, and we all know who's a strong Major and who's a weak Major/high AAA team. I think USSSA has some magic number (30) that they want to have in the Major category. But the reality is, at 12U there are about 15-18 legitimate Major teams. The rest could just as easily be categorized as AAA teams. Just my opinion.
We sort of self-identified as AAA. USSSA has some guidelines if I remember right, but we didn't play much USSSA after the 11 YO season, for a lot of different reasons. I think a lot had to do with your roster and your record against the various level teams. They purposefully don't let teams self-designate, but I think there is an appeals process if you want to be in a higher or lower classification.
I only used it as a common language so people wouldn't think we thought we were something we weren't and didn't get upset when we didn't go all out to win a world championship. Or when their son didn't get drafted after playing for me at 12U. :D |
| baldy87 |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 18:26:25
Here's the part that I don't like - you don't really get to decide whether you're a AAA or Major team. After your first year, USSSA tells you what level you are - and then all of the independent tournaments base their eligibility off of what USSSA decides you are. We played at the 12U level, and mostly, everyone knows everybody, and we all know who's a strong Major and who's a weak Major/high AAA team. I think USSSA has some magic number (30) that they want to have in the Major category. But the reality is, at 12U there are about 15-18 legitimate Major teams. The rest could just as easily be categorized as AAA teams. Just my opinion. |
| AllStar |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 15:59:40
We were always a solid Triple A team that played a challenging schedule. Every player from my 13 YO team (29-25, 1 tournament win, 1 runner up, two tourney semi-finals)played all 4 years in HS. 3 went on to play at small colleges. The designation doesn't mean anything. One coach called his team a "Major" team every year, especially during tryouts, and they were never very good and, in fact, you never saw them at the big tournaments. |
| SSBuckeye |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 11:27:59
This is an interesting topic that has come up before. Bballman is right that pitching depth is probably the biggest difference. Depth in general is greater as you move up in competition. A good major team probably has 6-8 major caliber players on the team. The talent can sometimes drop off quite dramatically after that. Those teams can beat anyone on any given day but have a hard time closing out against the elite teams as they move deeper in tournaments. The elite teams have all major players, and most of them pitch at an elite level. They are the teams who make it deep on Sunday just about every week. AAA teams will have anywhere from 2-5 major players and are pesky for major teams in pool play and early bracket. Heck, most AA teams have a major player on the team playing with his local park team or buddies.
I've coached both AAA and major level teams, and I can honestly say that coaching the AAA team is more fun, because it's so gratifying when you knock off a better team. Sometimes when you're on that really good major team, you start to expect to win and and fail to enjoy those wins like you do when you're scrapping your way against the better teams. I'm not sure why people look down their noses at AAA teams, because I guarantee you many of those kids will be the best players on their teams by the time they get to HS. If you find a team at the level your son needs to play at and get great coaching, it doesn't matter what level you're tagged with. Just keep playing and loving the game. That's all we need to care about as parents as we navigate our kids through the 9-13u years. |
| baldy87 |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 10:49:04
I have to agree - pitching depth. Most AAA have one kid who can throw a really good fastball. Some have two. Majors have 4 or 5 guys or more who can really throw hard. AAA can throw junk like Majors - can play defense like Majors. There's a difference in hitting depth from Majors to AAA, but it's not as noticeable as the pitching depth. We just finished our 12U season and have bounced back and forth between Majors and AAA for four years. There are plenty of over-grown kids at the AAA level who can really swat it. Very few who can throw as hard as Majors pitchers, though. |
| LvilleYankees |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 10:14:06
Agree :) |
| bluecup |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 09:37:22
Totally agree--there are PLENTY of Major caliber players on AAA teams. AAA teams generally would have less depth in hitting and pitching, but that's not always true. And yes, some of it can be ego.
The only reason why they may be looked down on is that majors means you're committed to playing the best teams day in and day out, and challenging yourself to get better.
AAA who constantly play in majors tournaments and are competitive are not looked down upon. But remember some of it is self-categorization. You can always elect to classify up. If you classify yourself an AAA team, then you're basically saying you don't think you're among the best. In the end, it really doesn't matter as long as your players keep improving and playing the best competition they can reasonably compete against. |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/26/2014 : 09:15:50
quote:
Originally posted by LvilleYankees
What do you think the difference is between major and AAA teams? Why is AAA looked down on?
Difference - pitching depth. Why - Ego. |
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