2True posted:Not to get off track here but getting D1 looks before high school may not be quite as rare as you think. There are at least 2 kids on teams my kids HS team plays against that have committed to a high level D1 college team (ACC) at a very young age. One committed while still in middle school and had never played a HS game. May have been 13 at the time or just turned 14. He was about 6' 1" 200 lbs. The other kid was 6' 4" and 194 lbs as a HS fresh. Committed at 15 so guessing he was on the D1 radar at 14. The thing about these kids is they were/are much, much more physically mature than most their age as well as being excellent athletes and extremely serious players. Lots of muscle. Look like big Varsity players in middle school. My late bloomer senior is probably about a year behind where those kids were physically in middle school
For the record, I'm NOT suggesting that people should fork over big bucks for 13u and 14u teams, tournaments and showcases so they can get D1 looks. I'm also NOT suggesting that getting D1 looks before HS is anything but rare. Also not suggesting that kids that are physically mature very early are always going to be good players.
This info is available on Perfect Game.
Yes it happens, but you can't use the .000001% as the example. Think of all the 13 year olds that play baseball, lets say 15 commit before they enter HS. That is the best of the best and less than 1%. If OPs son were that good, he would know by now and would have people coming up to him at games asking who he plays for and to join their teams, his LL would be too easy and he likely would have left years ago.
A local 8th grader committed to the SEC powerhouse, got all the press, the interviews, and the hype for the next four years. Good player, but the first time I saw him play I thought mid major D1 at best. Saw him play again as a senior against a commit from a mid major. Weak, defensive swings.
He got to his powerhouse and was out of there before Halloween. When he didn't get drafted out of HS the family told everybody it was because he wasn't signing for anything less than _____. When he transferred to a Juco he told everybody it was so he could get drafted right away. That Juco appears to be in midseason form and he has 3 ABs.
The point being that sure you can commit to a big time school at 13. But they will also be recruiting other players at 16, 17, 18. How young you are when you commit doesn't matter. A lot of the guys who commit at 13, 14, 15 will end up being studs. But a lot of guys who get recruited at 16,17 will also be studs. I think 10/11 is when you should start getting into travel ball. Better competition, less LL "all-star" talent. Bump it up a notch when you get to HS. When your son is better than the competition and has legitimate tools that make him appealing to colleges that is when you start playing big boy ball and get him with and in front of the right people. You don't need to go to PG at 13 to get exposure. You need exposure when you have something to show. Good baseball player ≠ potential college prospect. When your son is a standout on his HS team, or can hang with the studs that's when it's time.