The OP wrote a very good synopsis concerning his son's journey in his journey through youth baseball. He was involved in rec and travel and admonished parents to check out any team ahead of time to have the best chances of a good fit. He credits travel as best preparing his son for his progress up the ladder but concedes that nothing replaces natural ability. Additionally, he comments on the role of tutoring and show cases.
In summary, he shares his personal experiences. His belief that natural abilility coupled with travel ball was the best way to move up the ladder for his son.
His post is worth reading again for anyone facing these issues who has a young son who shows a real interest in the game beyond what the rec experience can offer. While one size does not fit all, it appears that the choices he made for his son were the right ones.
As the string moves along contrasting views as to the value and importance of travel ball emerged and success stories were shared from posters playing rec, travel, and a combination of the two. Geographical and local leadersip are important factors to take into consideration when choosing from the available options.
I comment on this because sometimes the original post gets lost and, in my opinion, it is a very valuable commentary.