ABOUT LEASIDE LEAFS REP BASEBALL

Q: What is Rep baseball?

A: Rep baseball is the top level of baseball competition and commitment in Ontario.  Rep baseball is further sub-divided into three tiers, “AAA”, “AA” and “A”, with “AAA” generally representing the highest level of competition in Rep baseball.

Elite baseball is another level of competition above AAA Rep baseball and is reserved for the 15U age group and above.

Q: What is the official season for Rep baseball?

A: The Rep regular season typically starts the first week of May and ends on or before Labour Day Monday.  There are typically 16-22 regular season games (split evenly between home and away) as well as a small handful of exhibition games.  Additionally, Rep teams play between three and six weekend tournaments during the season (including the TBA playoffs in mid-to-late-August and the OBA playoffs on Labour Day weekend).  Additionally, Rep teams practice twice per week.

Rep teams typically play any day of the week.  Leaside’s home games are normally heavily weighted towards Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

About half of all tournaments are travel tournaments, requiring overnight hotel stays for the team players and families.

Q: Where will we play in the summer?

A: The Leaside Leafs try our very best to have home games as close to the community as we can.  However, due to the incredible interest in the Rep and Select programs we are forced to have home fields spread from within Leaside to the Beaches to north of the 401.  We are doing our best consolidate our home field permits closer to Leaside.

Rep teams normally participate in the Toronto Baseball Association (“TBA”) or an interlocked league with the TBA and the York Simcoe Baseball Association (“YSBA”) depending on the age group and level.  In either case, Rep families should be prepared to play away games as far north as Barrie and as far east as Oshawa.

Our practice fields are typically within or closer to Leaside than game fields as they do not require the same standard of upkeep and facilities.  Almost all practice fields are inside Leaside or within a 15 minute drive from Leaside.

Q: What is the commitment required for Rep baseball in the winter?

A: All Rep teams train in the winter.  Depending on the head coach’s discretion, informal training can start in mid-October.  In all cases regular weekly training starts at the beginning of January.

Teams typically train in the winter in local school gyms, as well as turfed sports domes and batting cages around Toronto

Q: My child plays other competitive sports, such as skiing and hockey. Is this a problem?  What is the expectation on commitment to the team?

A: We understand that young athletes are often involved in other sports. In fact, we encourage participation in other sports as it provides cross-training benefits and mitigate mental and physical burn-out.   Through the winter, we ask that players attend as many of the baseball practices as they can. If players have a regular conflict with winter sports they can consider going to another Leaside team’s non-conflicting practice during the winter.

However, starting April 1, we ask that baseball becomes the priority sport. If players are absent from many games or practices they are letting the team down, they are not developing as baseball players and they are filling a spot on the team that could have been given to another player.  So we ask that only players and families that can make the commitment join these teams.

Generally, starting April 1, coaches expect players to attend at least 80% of all games and practices.  Coaches will set their own guidelines for attendance in the winter based on team philosophy and individual player circumstances.

Q: Is there any break from baseball during the summer? What if we want to go on vacation, to the cottage or away to camp?

A: Many teams take a two week break from all games and practices.  This is called the “blackout period” and its dates are determined by the coaching staff.  Speak with the coach to determine if this is a practice that they employ.  Players and families can use this time as they wish.  We do ask that players and families avoid travelling in the two weeks leading up to the major end-of-season’s playoffs (i.e. TBA championships, OBA championships, and the Elimination tournament).

Q: What are team fees?

A: Team fees can vary considerably based on two factors: (1) the frequency and quality of winter training facilities selected by the team and (2) the amount of professional and/or semi-professional coaching and instruction the team elects to use.  In most cases the fee ranges are as follows:

Rep teams: $1,500 to $2,000

These fees do not include the cost of player’s individual equipment (e.g. baseball glove, cleats), player uniforms and cost of travel.

Q: What equipment does a player need?

A: A player requires the following personal equipment: uniform (fitting and ordering coordinated by the team in the winter), cleats, sliding shorts or jock/jill with cup, baseball glove, batting helmet (some teams provide this), baseball bag (some teams has standardized), bat (most teams provide this).

Q: How many players are on a team?

A: Generally rosters range from 12 to 16 players between 7U and 18U.

When a Rep team is short players for a game they may “call-up” a player from Rep team in the age group younger or the Rep or Select tier lower.

Q: I don’t really know what level of play my child can play.  Which tryout should we come to?

A: Our recommendation is that if you are not sure of your child’s level of play that you come to the first Rep AAA tryout.  There will be players of many skill and experience levels at that first tryout.  From there parents, players and coaches can make a determination of their comfort level and assess if they should proceed with the Rep AAA tryout path or skip to the first Rep AA or Select tryout.

It is most common that a player with no prior baseball experience above House League, and no supplemental training (such as baseball camp) is ultimately most appropriate for the Select or Rep AA tryout.  Having said this, there are several examples in the younger age groups of special players jumping straight from House League to Rep AAA.

Q: What if I played for a Rep or Select team in a different association last year?

A: If the last Rep or Select baseball that a player played was outside of the Leaside Baseball Association, they player no longer need to produce a release document from their prior association before participating in Leaside Leafs tryouts.  Having said this, should they be offered a roster spot on a Leaside Leafs team they are required to produce a release from their prior association before joining.

Q: Can girls play on the Leaside Leafs?

A: Absolutely!  Some of the finest baseball players in the Leaside Leafs Rep and Select program are girls.

Q: How will I know if my child made or didn’t make a team?

A: Not all players that try out will make a Leaside Leafs Select team.  Within the week following a team’s final tryout the head coach will send an email to the player’s family indicating that the player has made the team, has not made the team, or has not yet made the team but is still being considered.  Many times notice comes much sooner than that.

If a player finds out that they have not made a Leaside Leafs Select team they are invited to participate in the Leaside House League in the spring as well as tryout for a Leaside Leafs Select team next year.  We also encourage kids with a passion for baseball to consider the summer Leaside Baseball Camp and the fall and winter Leaside Baseball Clinics, which has proven to be a highly effective training environment for Rep and Select players.

Q: What are the 7U and 6U Jr. Development programs?

A: The Toronto Baseball Association does not have dedicated competitive baseball leagues for children turning ages 6 and 7.  As such, the Leaside Baseball Association has developed a unique program for highly engaged and exceptional young players to experience Rep baseball instruction and team comradery.

All 'underage' levels give children the experience of winter training, weekly or twice-weekly practices, tenured instructors and advanced competition.  All three levels use pitching machines set to 30 to 35 mph.

These teams typically graduate into the Toronto Baseball Association AAA and AA 8U Rep leagues once they reach age 8.

Tryouts for these teams occur in September of the prior year, however players may also be selected from the the Leaside Fall and Winter Development Clinics.