I'm the OP and I approve this thread. And for reference, from my point of view, the focus is JV baseball.
My son will be 14 in 2 weeks and has had to "drop-back" to a local 14u team while his 15u (and most excellent) team disbands for the Spring to play JV ball (he's in 8th grade). He's, so far, not digging the sharp drop in velocity, curveball consistency/accuracy with the younger pitchers, and has gotten some grief over his insistence on sticking with his BBCOR bat when he could ditch it for a much lighter one. I truly hope his former team will reform come the summer.
As far as his catching skills, for his age he is an excellent blocker, receives very well, calls a good game, and is a very good hitter with some power. As you would expect for a 14 YO, his throws to 2B need work. But I've always stressed his hitting at the plate, not just defense behind the plate.