Sometimes parents and players don't listen to what "experts" tell them because that "expert " may not know enough about the player to make a valid assessment. When our son was 14, and despite his reputation to that point in time, he was told by a man who would later become his Connie Mack coach, that he wouldn't make it to the next level or beyond because he didn't have "what it took" ... His perception of our son was that AJ didn't have the work ethic that he (that coach and hitting instructor) thought was necessary for AJ to be successful. I think history has spoken for itself and AJ has shown that he did in fact have the work ethic and drive to succeed. He elected to participate with more competitive players who wanted to play more baseball than his local teammates. He stepped out on a limb there as he left the comfort of the local team. And he did pretty well at all levels.
We later came to realize that the coach's perceptions about players varied significantly, depending on whether or not a player was taking instruction FROM HIM at his private baseball school. His opinion of AJ changed after AJ signed on with him. But we also realized, several years and just a few $$ down the road
that AJ wasn't improving his hitting under that instructor and that even tho he was a decent two-way player, his real talent was on the mound and not at the plate (but he can still hit them hard, as he did in minor league BP, taking several to the warning track a few times). So he quite the instruction, still played ball for the coach, and focused on pitching.So, basically what I am trying to say is that even tho there are parents out there who don't seem to listen to the experts, sometimes they and the player know something the "expert" doesn't.
By the way, his former hitting instructor/coach has never once contacted our son to congratulate him on his college success, his draft, or his first season of minor league play. We still see him at various venues in southern Cal, but he has never acknowledged our son's success. But actually, since we didn't utilize his services in trying to find a college for our son, maybe he didn't think AJ would be successful there either ... since he didn't have that "expert's" help.
Just another point of view ...