@Dadbelly2023 posted:This discussion is very interesting to me. Seems to me that a very small percentage of D1 players will be satisfied and happy with their experience due to unhappiness with playing time, transferring up/down, getting cut after the fall, conflicts with coaches, etc... What do you think? Maybe 10-15% are truly happy?
Having had 2 boys go through travel baseball and college recruiting, I've learned a lot through this board, helpful members, and the years of experience. I still have one more boy to go. Almost unfortunately, he wants to play college baseball like his brothers. I have already decided that he will not go the route of playing high cost travel ball unless he is such a stud that it is free or significantly discounted. The days of paying $7k+/year are over for me. Nor do I want him to be a pitcher. It is nuts for us to accept that 25% or more of high level pitchers will have UCL or shoulder injuries in their careers. Youth and high school baseball is a way to learn life lessons on resiliency, teamwork, working towards goals, staying out of trouble, HAVING FUN. For our family, any college baseball should be to play at the best combination of academics and competition that you can realistically hang. This particular discussion really should hammer that home.
@Dadbelly2023 depending on where you live, American Legion making a modest comeback, I believe PA had 100 new team for the 2024 season. But like everything, there is no clear path.
As for injuries, agree, saw it first hand in Jan 2015, son had SLAP Tear due to bad training at his college. Prior to college, was never injured because he was doing advanced workout at that time with a personal trainer that was baseball specific.