quote:Originally posted by Redlegs:
NCBall,
What makes you think that SOME 14 year olds dont already work hard, have fun and already play the game with respect? AS a kid born and raised in Florida, you have to do those things to even compete at travel ball level. Sometimes they look for the experience of showcasing their talents for future experiences and dont really care where they RANK as per this showcase or that.
Your reference to "common sense" is pretty far off. As a parent you may want to think about what makes a kid tick rather than what YOU want for the kid. What is the big deal if a kid wants to test his skills? Big Deal.
Would it be a shame for a 14 or 15 year to make monster pop time at a showcase and draw attention? I guess it would be a shame.
Redlegs- Because I know more than you do about this whole process- that's why! I've seen what showcasing too early and getting "early rankings" has done to kids (and parents) and it's not very positive as a rule. In 20 years I've been fortunate to have over 300 players from my program play D1 baseball, 80 pro players, 21 big-leaguers, and 10 first-rounders. Probably coached against another 100 first-rounders and even more big-leaguers. My point of bringer those numbers in to this thread is this- I've seen it all and have a pretty good idea of what works and what hurts. One of my good friends in baseball is without a doubt the top youth baseball coach in the country. We have constant conversations about this very issue and we are exactly on the same page!
You do what you want- you will anyway. People a lot smarter than you on this issue are giving you good advice.