Many have said this before me on this site, GO WHERE YOU ARE LOVED.... I'll say it again..... GO WHERE YOU ARE LOVED.... this will give your kid a legit chance to play and develop. I have personally seen kids be offered at big time schools only to have the rug pulled out from beneath them. At the end of the day, getting an actual honest chance to compete is what matters. Don't get caught up in all the eyewash. D1, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, etc... all have a mixture of very talented teams and players.
For those that feel lost, these are 3 simple things that helped my son get to the collegiate level:
1. Slow down and enjoy the process of getting better. Learn how to lose with honor and win with class. Your kid has to develop a love for the game. If your kid ain't playing with joy he ain't going to continue to play. Burn out is REAL and it happens most of the time at a very young age. Nothing a child does in a baseball game from the ages of 8u till 14u matters!!! yes, there will be a couple outliers here and there, but being a true "generational player" is very, very uncommon. 15/16/and mainly 17u is when guys start to separate from pack and colleges take note. If you are a dad or mom that is living through their child STOP it. I can't express to you how much you are hindering your kid. Baseball is a TEAM sport and is a game of FAILURE, and if you struggle with this then I don't know what to tell you. Maybe therapy, or maybe baseball just isn't for you.
2. Everyone has a certain amount of talent, but never underestimate what proper nutrition and weight lifting can do. You will get to a point where you will notice everyone is good. The kids that go on to play the next level are those that run faster, throw harder, and hit further. It really is a funnel. When you take the time to get bigger, stronger, and faster that is when the game slows down. The one thing that I've noticed over the years is the vast majority of kids don't take their nutrition and proper lifting serious enough. Basically most are too skinny or too slow. One of the most powerful things in life is consistency. Develop habits of meal prepping and weight lifting on a schedule, and I promise you that you will see drastic improvements.
3. Find a good baseball program that has a history of placing kids at the next level. Hate it or love it, those connections are invaluable as they can serve as a pipeline for certain programs. For my son it was a combination of his High School and Travel Coach. They both have a reputation for coaching talent. Their word carries weight. By the way, I understand if this hard for you to figure out in your area. It's not always easy, but just asking around is a good start. You'll find out that baseball is a small world.
