All-Stars not team

As 20 year coach, most of which at the H/S level, I find all-star tourneys a bit misguided. I believe there is a big difference between a good tourney team and a team full of all-stars. Because kids and parents get drunk on the home run hitter today, they cannot separate the kid who eats up mediocre pitchers during a regular season for power numbers and the kid who can hit good pitching and has great glove/arm. These are not the same player.

Tourney players should be assessed by how they hit for average against the top 5 pitchers in a league rather than how they hit the second and third men in a league teams pitching rotation. Defense and pitching wins more big games than power hitters. My experience has taught me the line drive hitting second baseman comes up bigger than the heavy kid trying to hide in right field or first base. I get into trouble as a coach because, I would rather put a skinny kid that will dive for baseballs to his right, rather than watch balls get by the big boy who rarely can hit the best pitching.

A tourney team will not see the fifth best pitcher in a league, therefore prepare for it.