The Pros & Cons of Travel Baseball

Are you considering travel baseball? Here’s a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of travel baseball.

Pros of Travel Baseball

Maximize Potential

Travel baseball provides year-round play, allowing players to improve their skills and compete against talented players. The coaching staffs of travel teams tend to have a larger pool of knowledge to draw from compared to their recreational counterparts.

A higher level of competition will force players to leave their comfort zone, which is an important factor in improving. Winning against high-quality teams can be a thrilling experience that encourages players to keep pushing themselves to be the best.

Family Time

Travel baseball requires a lot of time on the road, which is an opportunity to bond with your fam! You’ll spend hours and hours together in the car, traveling from tournament to tournament. In a today’s world it’s rare to get time alone with your family, travel ball is a great way to spend family time together.

Make Friends

Travel baseball fosters an environment for athletes that breeds friendship. Traveling as a team, winning as a team, losing as a team – travel ballplayers are friends for life. Players will spend plenty of time goofing around in hotel lobbies and wreaking havoc at hotel pools.

This is a big, underrated plus.

Healthy Habits

Travel baseball encourages a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on nutrition and exercise. To compete with the best players, you have to take care of yourself.

Related: Tips for Travel Baseball Tryouts

The Cons of Travel Baseball

High Cost

Travel baseball can be expensive, with team fees, travel expenses, and more. It’s important to consider if the cost is worth it for your family. Team fees might run you a couple of hundred dollars a month but vary from team to team.

Travel expenses might include:

• Team fee
• Gas
• Hotels
• Dining
• Apparel
• New equipment

Depending on how far you have to travel, the miles on your car can quickly add up. Over the course of the baseball season, you’re going to spend thousands of dollars. If your child plays for a highly-sought-after team that regularly plays in tournaments near and far, your expenses could enter the 5-figure range.

Time Consuming

Travel baseball requires a significant time commitment. Athletes who play travel baseball have significantly less free time than kids who aren’t traveling for sports. From a time perspective, it’s important to consider whether or not it’s worth it.

Burnout

The pressure and intensity of travel baseball can lead to burnout and cause kids to lose their love for the game. Playing and thinking baseball all the time can be draining and lead to missed opportunities.

Finding a Team

It can be hard to find the best travel team for you. There are many considerations to think about before jumping onto a travel team roster.

The Bottom Line

Travel baseball is absolutely necessary for young athletes who want to play college baseball. Travel ball provides opportunities to improve your skills, knowledge of the game, and ultimate play more baseball!