@BB328 posted:I just had to jump in here I am the parent of a 2027. BUT my son is not a D1 prospect or pro prospect. He's not 6' plus or hard throwing. How do you best help your kid then they are basically swimming up stream to be the best player they can be.
I honestly feel intimidated posting regular HS kid run of mill issues. The crowd can be a bit tough here. We are not a super competitive HS. School ball at the JV level is very disappointing. My son is a bubble player in some regards he was a JV starter last year and by outside assessment maybe a local D3 prospect. He's spent some years on the travel B team and more recently some years on a higher level travel team.
I do read quite a bit here and my questions have been answered with respect and honesty.
One of my current issues with my son is trying to figure whether he wants to play in college or not. I think deep down he doubts himself and is trying to figure how passionate he actually is about baseball.
Also how to get him competitive at the bats and lots of exposure to off speed pitching to prepare for a competitive summer schedule while he plays in a very mediocre HS league where the pitching will be 10-15 mph slower.
Lastly how to build arm strength and improve throwing mechanics. What is best at 16 for a catcher? Long toss, weighed balls, jaeger bands, throwing a football, working out at the gym etc.
If there are any other lurkers here with HS kids feel free to share.
One last observation is I think the travel ball culture is so geared towards selling the possiblity of the college baseball experience that it's not about developing the HS player to have a quality HS experience while having fun doing it.
I'd say if your son isn't sure and he's a bubble kid. I'd honestly just recommend he pick a school for school and not necessarily baseball. There's always club and in some areas adult rec leagues. Unless you have the finances I think a good portion of schools have sports programs with large rosters just to bring in tuition revenue. My son is at a juco right now and after that he will transfer to an affordable 4 year school. His plan is to go to a public state school. If baseball permits a more economical option, then he'll continue to play, but otherwise he'll settle with club or a rec league.
For arm strengthening my son did all the above. I'm not sure one is better than the other. My opinion is variety is the way to go to better ensure multiple muscles are being developed. Do read up on studies about weighted ball programs as I believe there was some potential issues with starting too young. I believe Coop DeRenne did some informative studies back in the day, but there's newer studies probably too. Coop's son has been an MLB coach for years.
Also I agree about the travel programs. If you can, try to find a team that prioritizes fun and development. Also one where he's not the best or worst player. There's no need for flashy expensive equipment/uniforms or playing in expensive tournaments for exposure. You can get way more reps practicing than playing in a tournament.