RJM and Tres Arboles comments are very to the point, and one I hadn't thought of much before. I was glad my son was selected for a very good team, but I hadn't fully considered the effect on his play. Last year my son started in centerfield as a soph, hit at the bottom of the order, and actually had a decent, but not spectacular year at the plate, and an excellent year in the field (which is what they expected from him in the first place). Then he joined his travel team, with many of the best players around the state, and found himself scrambling to stay on the field. Once he managed that, he raised his batting average substantially against pitching that was much better than what he saw in his school league. So, there are multiple benefits to playing with better players around you, whether it's for a travel team or not.