Great Thread. Anyone remember reading to their kid “Leo the Late Bloomer” ? I think about that book when I look at my LHP. But here is the thing… its eally hard to know that he is a late bloomer until its all over. Regardless, what I love about him is that he has never quit. Despite riding the pine, being overlooked by coaches along the way, and told he won’t ever accomplish much on the filed, he didn't quit. To me — if nothing else — the process has taught him an incredibly valuable lesson: NEVER, EVER GIVE UP.
Will he bloom at his D3 program or along the way over the next four years as keeps playing in baseball? God knows. I hope so for his sake. But if not, he has seen that his hard work has opened doors that would have been closed otherwise (getting into a good academic school). As a parent — the bigger goal here it to hope your kid adopts values and habits that will serve them well throughout their life.