Dead weight should go, if you don't bring something to the team, you sould not be part of it. With that said "bringing something" can be different in every situation. Maybe thats a bullpen catcher, maybe it's the guy that carries equipment and always says "no problem coach". High School is such a short segment in a persons life, at a very impressionable time. If a kid's givin a progam 3 years of committed sweat, a coach better have a darn good reason to let him go.
High School baseball is not run like select ball. Fron year to year in select ball no position is guaranteed. In HS sports, seasons are short, the players usually know their roles, and for the most part, if all things are equal, the senority rules concept is in place. That is the way it's been for generations, and it won't change.
I've seen those HS kids that made the team, been committed, and know they don't have the tools. But, when those uniforms are put on, those kids show a lot of pride for that school and team, but, even more pride is in the face of mom and dad knowing their son has stuck with something, with a good attitude, and was part of a high school experience he will never forget.
Maybe because we make very few if any cuts in our area I feel this way. The cuts made are for those who do not bring something to the team table.