@DanJ posted:If you can afford it, I'd do both - play for the team (or another team) and train on your own. I'm sure it's possible, but I'm not sure I've heard a success story where a kid elected to not play and just trained. Remember baseball's a game. Meant to be played and enjoyed. Remove the fun and joy elements and it'll take a VERY special player to stay motivated all summer enough to actually improve and grow.
Good point by DanJ. But also have to consider the team. If the team itself is poisonous, then those fun/joy elements are not going to be present either. I speak from experience: son was on a summer travel team after freshman year that challenged his love of the game. Luckily, he also played on his HS summer team which was what kept him going and inspired. If your gut is telling you it could be miserable, then I'd trust it.
I don't know what the landscape is like in terms of teams around your area (Iowa?), but I'd look around and try to find something new. Even if teams are full, letting them know that he's available in case of injury is a plus. Putting him on their radar for upcoming seasons is a plus. Even if you think the team is above his current skill level, there's no reason to mark them off the list. Many players are inspired to work harder when they are around better players.
Finally: I don't think that you're necessarily in the wrong forum. Everyone has a starting point, and everyone grows and improves at different rates. The way you describe your son, he sounds like many kids his age who go on to have successful careers in HS and college at multiple levels.