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Over the years my son, who is now a 14 year old 8th grader, has played up at various times.  Last Fall he played in a JV league with mostly freshman & sophomores along with a few juniors.  It was a good experience, he learned a lot and it forced him to work harder in order to keep up.   He ended up hitting .281/.405/.571 which was far below what he hit in his age group in the summer, but certainly not disastrous which told me it was the appropriate age group for him.

He had some really bad at-bats, which he learned from.  After lacing a first pitch fastball for a double, the second time he faced the same pitcher he got pitched backwards and swung and missed badly on nasty curveballs and then had a fastball blown by him for strike three.  2 weeks later he was laying off the curve balls and more consistently staying timed up for fastballs, not letting pitchers slow his bat down.  I'm certain that lessons like that wouldn't have happened in the 8th grade Fall Ball league.

When they get to high school they are all playing up to an extent if they are playing....15 year old played 17u last summer and was really no different from playing HS varsity as a freshman....depends on kid and their mental outlook mostly. I was nervous about the physical difference between 15-17 but really wasn't big deal although there are a lot of different sizes between those ages!lol

For most of my son's travel ball years he played up.  It started with an 11U team when he was 10.  By the time he was 16 it was a 17U team (same team) which was the last year he played travel ball.

He made Varsity as a sophomore and again played up against older juniors and seniors.  In Legion ball he played against much older athletes (some were 1st year college athletes) and more than held his own.

Playing up is only good if you are playing.  There is no need to be on an older team if you are a role player.  You are better off playing on an age appropriate team where you can get ABs or innings on the mound.  If you can play at that older level play at the fastest level you can compete at, that can only help development.

12-16 is such a weird age for boys growth. You can be a 6'3" 13 yo and you can be a 5'0" 16 yo.  Each child's growth curve is individual and you should take that into account and not worry about what you HAVE to do to keep up.  If your kid can play he can play and people will eventually know.

I think this is one of the easiest questions to answer on this web!

Short Answer:  Your kid is going to show you if playing up or not is good.  If he plays up and he is competitive and isn't intimidated your fine.  Size ( to a degree) isn't really an issue.  I know a player that was super fast, grad' HS at 5'7 140 and went on to break records at the JC college he played for.  So don't let size limit them.    Also if playing up gets him access to improved and higher tier coaching, I am all for it.  Just don't make the mistake of thinking he is BETTER than  he is just because he plays up.  Son is playing 14/u (He is a late 14 y/o) travel ball but it is a top notch travel team so the competition is outstanding.  He is also playing HS junior varsity as the starting catcher and the Legion coach approached him about playing for the 16-18 team.  So in one season he is technically playing down, age appropriate and then playing up.  He is already catching pitchers throwing 90.  He is 5'7 130.  While not the biggest, he can compete and not get blown out of the water.  Baseball is a challenge.  The local club for fall tried to put him on a team last fall that was age appropriate but not skill wise and my son was BORED to death.  If someone isnt throwing 70's-80s he wants nothing to do with it.  

ASK your kid what he wants!  He will let you know!

Playing up is good for development of physical tools & talents, but please be aware of the possible negatives.  My son made the AA Legion Team as a Freshman, and our Legion team's could have kids that turned 20 during the summer season.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that your son may be exposed to things you don't want him to be exposed to.  Obviously, every kid will learn what goes on at some point, so it may not really matter, but just be aware that you may need to watch him more closely.  Keep the lines of communication open, and please be aware of the bad influence that some of these older kids may have on your son.

Last edited by rynoattack

Great response by Kevin A!  The only thing I'll add is that any answer that does not contain some version of, "It depends on your kid" is likely to not be good advice.  Some folks think that just because their kid performed well playing up that all kids should therefore play up.  All they really learned is that it worked for their son.  For others, it may not be the right path.  Depends on the kid.  A golden rule might be to put your son in the best position to, 1) Play meaningful innings, 2) At the highest level possible, 3) Where he's able to have success and improve, and 4) Continues to love the game.

Sometimes that can be accomplished by playing up in age, and sometimes it can be accomplished by playing on-age but for a great coach, or for a team that plays up frequently.  There's no absolute path to take.  Just be honest about what your kid needs and my guess is the right decision will become obvious.

SSBuckeye posted:

Great response by Kevin A!  The only thing I'll add is that any answer that does not contain some version of, "It depends on your kid" is likely to not be good advice.  Some folks think that just because their kid performed well playing up that all kids should therefore play up.  All they really learned is that it worked for their son.  For others, it may not be the right path.  Depends on the kid.  A golden rule might be to put your son in the best position to, 1) Play meaningful innings, 2) At the highest level possible, 3) Where he's able to have success and improve, and 4) Continues to love the game.

Sometimes that can be accomplished by playing up in age, and sometimes it can be accomplished by playing on-age but for a great coach, or for a team that plays up frequently.  There's no absolute path to take.  Just be honest about what your kid needs and my guess is the right decision will become obvious.

SS is spot on....  If you play him up and he may hate it cause he isn't with his friends.  

When we first left EBYA Bulls- A travel team approached him immediately (one of the Bull's main rivals) and asked T to come out and tryout.  He declined.  He had NO friends on  the team and didn't want to play against his friends that were on the bulls (He had some kids on the team he DID want to play against but most were his friends!).  

SS 4 rules are truly important.  I put a ton of pressure on my son when he was with the BULLS cause we faced some daddy ball hurdles.  Tried to force him to be perfect cause we thought that was what was finally going to get the coaches respect.  Finally realized leaving was the best option.  That team went on to the Cal Ripken 12/u world series.  And walking away was the best thing for him.  He doesn't regret it.  He stopped having fun.  He would face the pressure of "Down by one, two outs, man on third and coming to the plate" scenario every day with confidence.  But facing the pressure of being perfect was stupid.

Don't be afraid to walk away from a situation that isn't positive, productive or beneficial for your son!

You son should be playing where he will get the most playing time while being challenged.  If that means playing up then play up.

One thing you may need to consider is the recruiting aspect.  This is assuming he is a kid that will be recruited.  The major recruiting year is the summer before your Junior year of HS.  There is some recruiting that happens prior to that, but for the most part these kids recruited before that are the outliers.  Based on our experiences most of the college guys pretty much ignore any games that are not being played by the HS Jr's.  There maybe some interest in the Sophomore level at some of the recruiting events/tourneys but its fleeting and many wont pay attention unless there is a specific kid they are looking at playing.  

When you get to this point, if your kid is not playing at the proper level, they may miss out on some recruiting opportunities.  If your playing down you are going to miss the recruiting sweet spot.  If your playing up and not one of the best payers at the event your going go get ignored due to your age and playing ability. 

You can always hope to drop down to the correct level teams when you hit the sweet spot between the Sophomore and Jr year, but you will need to find a team to take you and many of the programs that are better at the recruiting game will already be full and may not be taking on any additional players. 

Kevin A posted:

I think this is one of the easiest questions to answer on this web!

Short Answer:  Your kid is going to show you if playing up or not is good.  If he plays up and he is competitive and isn't intimidated your fine.  Size ( to a degree) isn't really an issue.  I know a player that was super fast, grad' HS at 5'7 140 and went on to break records at the JC college he played for.  So don't let size limit them.    Also if playing up gets him access to improved and higher tier coaching, I am all for it.  Just don't make the mistake of thinking he is BETTER than  he is just because he plays up.  Son is playing 14/u (He is a late 14 y/o) travel ball but it is a top notch travel team so the competition is outstanding.  He is also playing HS junior varsity as the starting catcher and the Legion coach approached him about playing for the 16-18 team.  So in one season he is technically playing down, age appropriate and then playing up.  He is already catching pitchers throwing 90.  He is 5'7 130.  While not the biggest, he can compete and not get blown out of the water.  Baseball is a challenge.  The local club for fall tried to put him on a team last fall that was age appropriate but not skill wise and my son was BORED to death.  If someone isnt throwing 70's-80s he wants nothing to do with it.  

ASK your kid what he wants!  He will let you know!

Size will matter (thats what she said) for a 6th grader. On youth teams the smaller kids tend to get less opportunities to play.  if he is playing on an 8th grade team with kids already hitting a big growth spurt he may not be able to get enough field to make it worth while.  It's just one thing the OP will have to consider to find the correct fit for their Son. Having gone through that age a couple times I would find one team where my Son could get playing reps every game and then I would spend any "extra" baseball money on speed and strength development.

For a 5'7" JC player size won't matter. At that point he is getting close to full grown and competing against the same.  Then you need to worry about maxing out your strength and speed vs what the others are able to do. 

We are going to play for the spring and see how it goes. I love the fact that there are no dull moments due to the size and age difference, he has to give max effort at all times. I see all sides of this topic, sometimes playing 12u he faces little league pitching, I would rather him get schooled a bit and learn from it. Mentally he is there, he is very competitive and works very hard. This is a bit of a project and a different route than we took with our older son who played on a top team at 12u and it was very fun, we spent a shit ton of money chasing medals all over the world, but it didn't prepare him for High school, in fact I think it hurt him.

A preteen a kid  should play with his friends in whatever the age range he's in. At thirteen and in 7th grade a kid belongs on a 60/90 field. He has two years to prepare before high school. A 7th grader should not be playing on a LL or 50/70 field. 

For most kids 60/90 at 13u is acclimation to the field size change. At 14u the game speeds up significantly. The following year the kid shoud play talent specific rather than grade specific from that point on.

Playing in age ranges used to be normal. I played LL from 9-12. There wasn't majors and minors. There were five players in three age groups. If a kid was good enough at nine he counted as a ten. Then Babe Ruth ball was the same thing from 13-15. All players were competent. No one was handed a uniform. Everyone had to make it. There were other leagues for the leftovers. Then Legion was the best fifteen 16-18yos regardless of age. 

In this era we weren't stars every year. We had to compete to work our way up the ladder. I was terrified of 12yos when I was nine. At ten I was at least lying to myself convincing myself I could handle it. Being 13yo in Babe Ruth was a challenge too. 

The other thing is pitchers weren't smoking their arms every year. I didn't pitch at all until I was eleven. I didn't pitch at thirteen. I only pitched a little at sixteen. I'm guessing a 13u or 14u pitcher has more mileage on his arm now than I had entering college ball.

Last edited by RJM

True Story

 Mitchell was a super fast kid, okay fielder, okay hitter...but man his speed.  The dad was told he was "wasting his talent" being on the younger team. Dad decided the other coach was right and made the switch.  Mitchell's role on this new team was runner for the catcher/pitcher....that's it.  He got up to bat once in a blue moon when the team was ahead by 10 runs, but for the most part all he did was run. He didn't throw as hard as his teammates, his throws in from the outfield looked very weak compared to the other kids.  He could swing the bat as fast, and if he did make contact it didn't go far. Mitchell went back to playing with his grade the next year and quit the year after that.

The moral of the story is....don't be a Mitchell.  If your kid is the same size as the 8th graders, can throw as hard, can hit what's being thrown, then go for it.  But if the coach is asking you to throw him in the deep end because your kid has a unique skill I would suggest you pass.

Playing up can save you a ton of money.  I laugh at 6th through 8th graders who travel the country in search of competition.  That is more about ego and accolades for Baseball Academies.  It isn't about development.

if you are that good, play up.  Same amount of challenge for a great 14U team playing local 16U and 17U teams than spending thousands of dollars to go play the 14U Banditos or 14U East Cobb Atsros

RJM posted:

A preteen a kid  should play with his friends in whatever the age range he's in. At thirteen and in 7th grade a kid belongs on a 60/90 field. He has two years to prepare before high school. A 7th grader should not be playing on a LL or 50/70 field. 

For most kids 60/90 at 13u is acclimation to the field size change. At 14u the game speeds up significantly. The following year the kid shoud play talent specific rather than grade specific from that point on.

Playing in age ranges used to be normal. I played LL from 9-12. There wasn't majors and minors. There were five players in three age groups. If a kid was good enough at nine he counted as a ten. Then Babe Ruth ball was the same thing from 13-15. All players were competent. No one was handed a uniform. Everyone had to make it. There were other leagues for the leftovers. Then Legion was the best fifteen 16-18yos regardless of age. 

In this era we weren't stars every year. We had to compete to work our way up the ladder. I was terrified of 12yos when I was nine. At ten I was at least lying to myself convincing myself I could handle it. Being 13yo in Babe Ruth was a challenge too. 

The other thing is pitchers weren't smoking their arms every year. I didn't pitch at all until I was eleven. I didn't pitch at thirteen. I only pitched a little at sixteen. I'm guessing a 13u or 14u pitcher has more mileage on his arm now than I had entering college ball.

Agreed with most everything, but when we grew up the same pitcher started every game or close to it.  So yes while that wasn't the same kid every year because of the combined age groups.  For the year you were the stud pitcher, saddle up kid you are not leaving the mound until your arm falls off.  Rinse and repeat every two or three years.  

My son was a late April birthday.....plus played up every year...meaning at some points he was playing against kids that were 6 days short of being 2 years older than him.  It never hurt him....he got plenty of playing time and ended up starting at SS and pitcher by his sophomore year in HS.   If your son can get playing time and keep progressing I see no reason why he shouldn't do it.  Heck, my son pitched is now a college sophomore and hasn't turned 20 yet......there are plenty of Seniors (especially RS Seniors) who are 22 or 23 already. 

Last edited by Buckeye 2015
real green posted:
RJM posted:

A preteen a kid  should play with his friends in whatever the age range he's in. At thirteen and in 7th grade a kid belongs on a 60/90 field. He has two years to prepare before high school. A 7th grader should not be playing on a LL or 50/70 field. 

For most kids 60/90 at 13u is acclimation to the field size change. At 14u the game speeds up significantly. The following year the kid shoud play talent specific rather than grade specific from that point on.

Playing in age ranges used to be normal. I played LL from 9-12. There wasn't majors and minors. There were five players in three age groups. If a kid was good enough at nine he counted as a ten. Then Babe Ruth ball was the same thing from 13-15. All players were competent. No one was handed a uniform. Everyone had to make it. There were other leagues for the leftovers. Then Legion was the best fifteen 16-18yos regardless of age. 

In this era we weren't stars every year. We had to compete to work our way up the ladder. I was terrified of 12yos when I was nine. At ten I was at least lying to myself convincing myself I could handle it. Being 13yo in Babe Ruth was a challenge too. 

The other thing is pitchers weren't smoking their arms every year. I didn't pitch at all until I was eleven. I didn't pitch at thirteen. I only pitched a little at sixteen. I'm guessing a 13u or 14u pitcher has more mileage on his arm now than I had entering college ball.

Agreed with most everything, but when we grew up the same pitcher started every game or close to it.  So yes while that wasn't the same kid every year because of the combined age groups.  For the year you were the stud pitcher, saddle up kid you are not leaving the mound until your arm falls off.  Rinse and repeat every two or three years.  

When I was eleven, twelve, fourteen and fifteen I started once per week in summer ball. In junior high I started once per week. In high school I started once per week. In Legion our team was so loaded (six pitchers from junior and senior year roster pitched at the D1 level or minors at nineteen) I pitched less frequently in the summer.

The first time I had any arm issues at all (they were mild) was learning how to get ready quickly as a reliever. I came in firing for a handful of hitters without the kind of warmup I was accustomed as a starter and pacing myself. 

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