How we select our rosters

Players need game-time experience to improve.  We understand playtime concerns create much anxiety among players and parents.  At FCA, our philosophy is to:

Teach players to play the game correctly.

This includes all aspects of the game – base running fundamentals, fielding mechanics, situational hitting and bunting, defensive strategies, mental toughness, exemplary sportsmanship, etc. Our goal is to prepare our players for high school and college baseball.  We leverage the club’s coaching talents, our alumni and Rijo Athletics.  We help players understand and work on their specific areas which require improvement in order to give them the competitive edge to play at the next level.

Build our teams to maximize playtime.

This starts at the first tryout.  We take careful consideration to fill our rosters with players who have complementary talents.  This means we won’t take on three first basemen or seven middle infielders.

Develop players to have a primary and secondary position.

Though players tend to gravitate toward a specific position as they get older, we stress all players need to have a primary and secondary position.  This helps maximize their playtime, learn the game from different perspectives, and challenges their abilities as they grow and develop.  Even pitcher-only players (which we don’t encourage until 18U) take reps at other positions.

Take on a roster size consistent with the team age (e.g., 13 players at 13U, 14 players at 14U).

This is the rule of thumb the best programs tend to follow and it works.  Younger teams have smaller rosters as player availability is not impacted by the same responsibilities and commitments as older players (e.g., college aptitude testing, finals, graduation, college camps, etc.).  Our goal is to have the right roster size so a team can consistently compete in every game while allowing players to: 1) balance their commitments outside of baseball, 2) allow for rest when players are injured, tired or need days off after pitching (see our FAQs on the AMSI pitch count and rest guidelines), and, 3) provide as much baseball as possible for each player to improve during the season.

 

Be timely in rescheduling rainouts and cancellations and in booking tournaments.

The administrative side of baseball is important and doing it poorly can cost a team several game opportunities in a season.  It is the shared responsibility of the team General Manager and coaching staff to make sure our players are on the field as much as possible.  Our teams typically play 45-65 games per season.

Expect and reward outstanding attitude, effort and sportsmanship.

We expect our players to show the utmost respect for the game, and for coaches, teammates, opposing team, fans, field prep staff and officials.  Additionally, we strive to draft players with an outstanding work ethic and desire to improve.  Players will be held accountable for actions on and off the field because they represent FCA at all times.

Our intention is to bring back players from year to year.

We are excited to have one of the highest player retention rates in our baseball community.  And when we extend an offer to a player/family, it is with the intention to start a relationship that will extend into multiple seasons.  That said, we understand there are reasons why a few players each year head to different teams.  We encourage open and honest conversations between our coaches, players, and families, to avoid disappointment or surprises when this is the case.