A vs B

[dadonachair]

In another thread the conversation started to shift so I thought I would start a new thread. What is the differance in an A team and a high level B team?

Like I said before some teams like to stay as a B team to trophy hunt, closer tournyments, more tounyments, the list goes on. Some teams just like to regester as A teams just to say they are A teams and get killed when they play.

My DD plays on a high level B team that can beat a lot of A teams but when they run into a "real" A team they can't beat them. They can "play with them" just not win. They all play the field very well and hit very well. In my opinion my DD's team does not have a real true ace. They have a bunch of better than average pitchers but not that one true shutdown pitcher.

What is the one key thing that keeps a team as a B team?

 

[redhotcoach]

In the midwest....nothing. At the beginning of the year and fall there have been new C teams that have won open tourneys.

The dif for the most part is as you stated...ace pitcher.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

For the mid-south.

An A team must have one "ace" and then a close second for those long weekend tourneys. You really gotta use 2 great pitchers to make it to the money game and you want your "mule" rested to cash the check for the championship.

I'm going to put this as second only because it's a team function oppose to individual like a pitcher, but it's the highest on my list of A class. You gotta gotta gotta be able to smack the ball around. You gotta be able to hit other team's aces. You gotta be able to put pressure on their defense, that's when they make mistakes ( errors ). Runs win games, runs eases pressure on your pitcher, and your defense can mentally relax a tad.

To me, team hitting is a huge separator between A and B class.

 

[Thing1Thing2]

Completely agree with GD!!!

 

[chinamigarden]

Yep depth is the real difference. I remember when my dd played in her first 18u tourney. My initial thought was the stars of the teams weren't much better then the stars on the 14u teams we played against. But from 6-10 the batting order was far, far better.

 

[darken]

What exactly is the difference between a "high level" B team and a "trophy hunting" B team?

 

[EP Dad]

I agree, depth. And, the "A" team usually has these elements.

1. Speed.
2. All the girls can hit up and down the lineup.
3. 2 strong pitchers.
4. No glaring defensive holes.

A "B" team is usually lax in at least one of those areas. They only have one strong pitcher, they're weak in the field in one area, they have one or two girls with speed but that's it, they have some weak hitters, etc.

 

[David Carter]

What exactly is the difference between a "high level" B team and a "trophy hunting" B team?

Imagine there is a local field in the area that host tournaments most weekends it's 30 to 45 mins away. The last two months you have played three tournaments there and won the "B" division twice and finished second once. In two weeks there is tournament there but there is also a tournament 45 mins to an hour away that is "A". What do you do?

Let consider two possibilities:

1) You go to the B tournament and rationalize it by saying that the B tournament is closer and three weeks ago team X beat us and we only finished second so we should really stay at the B level.

2) You go to the A tournament and see what happens if you finish 2-3 be happy for the challenge and maybe try a few more A tournaments the rest of the season but still take B track to nats or whatever your goal tournament is, if you go 0-4 and get crushed every game you can feel confident in just staying at "B" and consider your self a "high level B" team if anybody questions you you can tell them we have tried A and just got crushed we are not ready yet for that level. If you go 5-2 and get knocked out at semis you should probably enter another A tournament and see how it goes again if you keep an even or winning record you are an A team.

btw: a high level B team is that team you keep knocking out in quarters and semi on your way to those first place B trophies.

In the big scheme of things it is usually not black and white but you know it when you see it.

To the OP three big three are:
Really great (not good) pitching with a no kidding #1 ace
Strong defense that makes less mistakes than the teams they play
Hitting past the number 5 batter

 

[Momo'sDad]

There are some good answers here and I'll just echo what's already been said about having more strong pitchers and good bats deeper in the lineup. Defensively, both A & strong B teams will feature solid infield play, but the A teams will typically have better outfielders.

Out here where we are, a strong B team can compete with A teams on Saturdays in 10u and 12u, but won't usually make it past the 1st or 2nd game on Sunday unless there's a silver bracket.

A trophy-hunting B team plays B tourneys exclusively and doesn't even try to compete with the big dogs.

 

[JAD]

The main difference between a "true" A-team and a B-team is pitching and bats. A good A-team will have both.

High-A: Only plays in A-level tournaments or plays up an age group if no good tournaments are available. Should have above a .500 winning percentage against quality competition. Team goal is to qualify for ASA or PGF nationals. Will play in all the ASA qualifiers and will go to the HOF if necessary to try to earn a berth. Coaching philosophy is "play to win".

Low-A: Will play in some A-tournaments and typically has a sub .500 record against quality opponents. Would be a favorite to win any B-level tournaments they play in. A lot of coaches will tout their team as a "A-level" during tryouts, but most quickly realize they are overmatched by the High-A teams. Would love to go to ASA or PGF nationals, but have a "fallback" plan in July of USFA or USSSA.

High-B: Very similar to Low-A, but will play in more B-level tournaments. Would be a favorite to win most B-level tournaments, and can also beat some A-level teams on occasion. May play in a qualifier or two, but they book their reservations for the USFA or USSSA World Series in March.

Low-B: Plays exclusively in B-level tournaments and is content doing so. Probably will not go to any type of World Series or National tournament to end their season.

C: Rec league all star teams and newly formed TB teams with a lot of beginners. Searches for sanctions that specialize in lower level C or "bronze/copper" level tournaments where tournament directors try to prevent "sandbagging" B-teams from playing down and trophy hunting.