Baseball continues to be the most popular youth sport, with nearly 5 million children participating each year. Smithtown Bulls Travel Baseball (SBTB) is a town-based, not-for-profit 5o1(c)(3) organization under the entity of St. James Athletic Association based out of Smithtown, NY that offers players ages 8 to as old as 20 the opportunity to play travel baseball. SBTB is operated by the St James Smithtown Little League Board of Directors with a Travel Director overseeing day to day operation of the program. Players ages 8-12 must be a registered participant of St James Smithtown Little League (SJSLL) to be eligible to play travel baseball. We rely on volunteer managers and coaches for all of our teams. SBTB is proud to be part of this, providing an opportunity for players in the Town of Smithtown to develop and improve not only their baseball abilities, but also teamwork, sportsmanship, and physical fitness. As a town-based travel baseball organization, SBTB is not designed as a regional or elite travel organization with recruited players and mission to win every game. Instead, our philosophy is grounded on developing our players’ individual and team skills and teaching them the proper way to play America’s favorite pastime.
Player Development
Our primary objective is to develop each player and teach them the proper way to play baseball. Player development is both individual and team focused. Our coaches rely on professional training and resources to instruct the players on proper mechanics and techniques for physical development, as well as the mental aspects to the game of baseball. Players are introduced to many drills, with a focus on quality repetitions. The following sections highlight the objectives for player development at each level.
Teamwork & Sportsmanship
While we all want to see our children be successful, the simple fact is a very small percentage of the nearly 5 million youth baseball players will advance to college-level baseball, and an even smaller percentage will go on to play professionally. But the great thing about baseball, is it teaches children concepts of sportsmanship and teamwork that they will use throughout the rest of their lives. In school, college, and their professional careers, our children will undoubtedly find themselves constantly in a team environment. Thus, SBTB ensures all of our players are grounded in the fundamental aspects of teamwork and sportsmanship. This includes:
- Supporting, encouraging and trusting our teammates and coaches
- Respecting our opponents and umpires
- Winning with class and losing with dignity
- Playing fair and by the rules
We believe that stressing teamwork and sportsmanship in our players helps develop their character and is a key outcome of a successful youth baseball experience.
