A loving dad (who is a non-expert & big cynic) - I have a dilemma as to how to best guide my son..
My son is a (soon to be 17yo) 1B Junior. 6-4" 225lbs, broad shouldered muscular build, still growing, only runs 7.4 60yd but has EV of >105 and workable infield velocity of 85 with great overall defensive skills & baseball IQ.. PG & PBR both have him in top 10 (in STATE) for his position (top 100 in STATE overall) but STILL I have NO idea where he fits in - especially with the fun that's happened over the last year & the resulting recruiting quagmire..
HE really wants to "play D1" which I think is largely an ego thing. To make it worse, all his teammates tell him he's a D1 player ("cynical me" thinks maybe because they too think they are also D1, or, if he's not D1, then what are they?) To boot, his travel coaches (who are all super awesome) tell us & him he's a D1 player too - which again, "cynical me" thinks maybe at least a part of this might be to be able to say their program produces D1 players (whether that means he's in the lineup at said D1 or not) Don't get me wrong, he definitely looks the D1 part. He has been given the gift of a very athletic physique & he does work very hard & definitely can mash.
But still.. he's not fast. I'm telling him he should really consider a ±top-25 D2 & that he would probably more likely to have at least a shot to play from the get-go & still play good baseball & can definitely still keep his dream alive of playing pro ball of some type by getting on a great Summer team..
I don't want to hold him back, or crush his dreams.. And in that he's somewhat of a late bloomer, maybe he has some tiny shot of doing something even bigger.. But - D1's are not exactly beating down his door.. & my gut tells me he's a low-mid D1 or a competitive D2 realistically and that he would have much more fun being a big hitter at the D2 than potential bench-master for at least a year (or more) at a D1..
I guess my biggest question is (besides am I wrong?) is, HOW DO I HELP MY SON SEE THIS? There are some (top-25 D2 team) coaches that have shown strong interest & that he & I are soon visiting with.. Will/can they help him "see the light" and help "sell" him on the virtues of this path ?
Sincere thanks! 😀