A good organization, with good and experienced coaches, can teach the kids to be baseball players. By that, I mean the mental side of the game. How to conduct themselves, how to strive to get better, how to compete and how to control their emotions and think during a game. They really can teach a love for the game.
Coaches can see it in a kid. Of course, hitting it far, throwing it hard and running real fast are still the top three attributes.
I originally (at 12U) paid the org fee not to get my son on the field, but to get the dad's off the field. It has only gotten better for my son since then.