Lest anyone think that ClevelandDad and I are at odds on this, we're absolutely not as it relates to our sons. As he and I have discussed, they approach the game from a very similar place.
Like his and infielddad's sons, mine reveled in the "grind," understood and was prepared to endure the grueling lifestyle after waiting and working so many years to experience it, and he also cared more about each night's outcome more than most (even to the extent that, on one occasion, he slammed a starter back against the clubhouse wall for being so completely and utterly detached from the rest of their team's experience). Until suffering a severe SLAP tear that ultimately ended his career, he could not have been in a better place at that point in his baseball career.
However, our sons also played college baseball. They had the several extra years to work, mature, live away from home, and find out what it's like to compete with one's talented teammates for innings; all in a more cohesive team existence. They also got a whopping head start on the balance of the education that will position them to move more smoothly into the next phase of their careers after their playing days.
Admittedly, my original post is intended to speak plainly and generally about some of the realities of minor league day-to-day existence; and to emphasize the stark difference it represents from what high school players have experienced until the day following the signing of their professional contract. I would contend that for the vast majority, the lifestyles are as different as night and day; different enough that a great deal of consideration needs to be given to the magnitude of the step.
Many thanks to each of you for your kind words. Like you, I'm just trying to give back after taking so much on the front end of this saga.