I am not even sure where to begin...
how bout here. There are tons of 14's who can hit the ball 350-400. Let's just take the low end of that. 350 feet is 90mph of exit velo. That translates to about low to mid 80's off the tee. Look at showcase results. There are a good number of kids who can do that. And in the states that allow hot bats for 14u there are certainly lots and lots. If we want to talk 15u/freshman I won't say it is commonplace but it certainly isn't rare. And I would guess at least half of anything decent travel team can achieve that.
The greats of all time didn't think about all this... they did it naturally!
developing the kid to be the best he can be is obviously also going to help his team! But I do find it hypocritical how we here so often that development should come before winning... right up til somebody doesn't agree with your development path lol!
There are some absolutes trouble is too many people don't want to accept it! And Ted Williams talked to anyone who would listen about these same things 50+ years ago! And still some want to rip the 'hitting gurus'!
What applies inMLB certainly does apply in younger ages. Well at least we don't hear much anymore the old "don't watch the pros you will pick up bad habits" so I guess that is progress. Fact of the matter is the MLB swing should be copied by anyone who wants to be great - or even really good. There are not different swings for different ages - that is a myth and if you buy into it you will put your kid behind.
And last but not least the old 'most players won't play at the next level' Well that is statistically true I suppose. But first I would guess most here don't feel they are in that category. Truth is there is a place for just about any serious player who wants to play. And even so should we teach them the wrong way to do things simply because we think most will not play at the next level?