We had a kid on my son's HS varsity team, he was not a starter, went to a D3 with a very large team (i.e. didn't cut many). Covid ended his freshman year, but sophomore year I noticed that midway through the season, he was starting. So, he did something to make that happen. Some guys plan to work hard when they get away from home. Maybe they wouldn't have gone to college at all if not for baseball, and their parents are thrilled?
Some guys want an extra-curricular that is something athletic that they like, even if they don't play in games. My oldest son played rec basketball in 6th grade. The team lost all their games, but the coaches and kids were great. He said he loved the practices, but not the games. There's something to be said for regularly doing an activity with a group of people.