justbaseball,
I have a lot of respect for you and don't want to nitpick, but....
I can give an example of someone we would all recognize. At age 13 he showed up at an event and it actually turned out to be quite an advantage for him.
By age 15 he was picked up and playing at a very high level (17U). He ended up having access to some of the best coaching in baseball and he continued to keep getting better because of these advantages that many don't have.
He was also picked up to play in the Junior Olympics and from that he made the USA cut. Knowing the situation, I'm fairly certain that most of this had no way of happening without his attendance at that first event.
He is now a starting outfielder in the Major Leagues. Some might think everything would have happened the same no matter what he did as a young player. Maybe so, but that is something we can't possibly know because we only know what he did do and what the results were.
I assure you that his dad will say to this day that it was that event when he was 14 that started everything that happened later on.
I understand that this is far from the ordinary. I'm only referring to the "no reason, none" part of your post. I still agree that there is no real "need" for an 8th grader to attend a showcase. However, there are some who have and things have worked out well.
Remember that kids sign pro contracts from the Dominican at a very young age. There are 14 year olds over there that are very well known already.
I'm not saying these are a good thing by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a 14 year old that we know of that already has an agent/advisor. We know of 15 year old kids who have verballed to top colleges already.
The very best gymnasts, swimmers, even sokker players are recognized at a young age. Insiders even know who the best basketball players are at that age. It doesn't mean they will be the best by the time they are 21 years old. It just means that someone will be following their progress. I simply can't see anything wrong with recognizing extremely talented young players. I wish we knew who the very best 12 year olds were and could track them.
The biggest amateur showcase ever features many 12 year old players every year. Maybe not the very best 12 year olds either. Young kids become celebrities at the Little League World Series. Does that national recognition destroy them? I'm sure it is an experience they will never forget.
Anyway, I agree that 14 is too early to think about showcases for most all players. It's just the "no reason" that I disagree with. For a few there can actually be some very good reasons.
Maybe this would be a bit easier to understand for those who live in areas where quality baseball is less available.