BHD: The natives are getting restless with our ongoing commentary. As to the location of the horse we have disposed of all parts but his a** and there is no way to get rid of those parts other than on a baseball board.
BHD, you note that, "The secret to success in any endeavor is ealy development and offering the venues to develop." I am in qualified agreement.
The definition of early development varies with the sport. Women's world class gymnastics is very early, like maybe 5 years of age. In this sport the word, "elite" has a specific defined meaaning. It has no meaning in a team sport but is used to hype in the US and in Canada it appears to mean above travel in level of play.
On the other end of the spectrum, cross country skiing has champions often in their 30's.
The question becomes what is early as it relates to baseball. You and I differ here and perhaps our experiences differ because of how the game is played in our own back yard. The better players must take advantage of their opportunities as they present themselves and at the correct time. Overkill as well as missing the boat are risks to be taken into account.
Once again, it appears that you place skill development ahead of innate ability in the order of importance. As you would expect, I reverse their respective roles. It is an opinion based upon experience and our experiences also differ. What else could we expect as a result of that?