I started posting here a few years back as my son had a difficult chose to make play multiple sports or focus on baseball. He chose multiple his freshman year, and subsequently was cut in post-football season late tryouts for baseball in the Fall. He was cut after tryouts again in the Spring. He played 14u ball in the Spring outside of school and stood out making a lot of amazing plays in the OF and hosing about 10 guys for OF assists. He caught the eye of several other coaches who asked where he went to HS.
The next year he decided to quit all other sports and focus on baseball. He made the fall JV team and did well there. He also joined an 18u team outside of school that was very talented and started there as a just turned 15 year old. In the Spring he also did well at school ball and was number 2 in hitting although as the season progressed he was benched only to play about 1 of every 3 or so games. Come playoffs the majority of the JV team was moved up to varsity, while he was not asked. Post season the coach did not give him an indication that he had much future in the program.
Come fall of his junior year he was put on JV which played only on the weekends making travel ball a conflict. He tried out for an made one of the best travel organizations in the country and played in the WWBA world underclass on a team that has several players who will get drafted eventually. Unfortunately that cost him. His HS coach was not willing to let him play varsity (which plays during the week) and in the end he chose travel ball over HS JV ball because the competition was much better and he felt he would improve more. Come spring he had a good tryout for HS, but he was cut.
Pretty hurt and distraught, spent the spring doing intense physical and skills workouts and played in a men's league at age 16 to get some reps. He also started attending showcases on the side and the college interest and even some pro scouts took notice of him for his base-running and OF arm. Summer came and travel ball options became almost complicated. He had four different places to play and all of them good exposure options. In the end he played a mix of those teams and got a lot of experience playing nationwide.
Come fall of his senior year he approached his AD to inform him he had 5 offers to play college ball and he asked for a release signature to allow him to play for another HS. The AD suggested he try out again for the HS team. That fall he tried out and made the team. He played on the "B" varsity team, but did well. As luck would have it a regional scout just happened to be at one of the fall ball games and he had a good game fielding, hitting, and ran some impressive times running HTF. That same scout attended a game 2 games later, and so did the head coach.
In the end he made the Varsity team, although he plays little if any at all. He is used mostly as a pinch runner, and basically is a run threat anytime he is on first base. 1st to home or stealing 2nd, 3rd, home are no stranger to him.
In the end he committed to a D3 school with a the second best medical program in the state where he will hopefully start CF next year and where he received an 80% academic scholarship. I can honestly say it was a tough road to see him go through so much rejection and struggle but the end result was good.
One of the best comments a coach ever gave me about him during the recruiting process was..."One of the things I like about him most is I think his best baseball years are still ahead of him" I also go several comments on his character and what a great kid he is and how fun he was to talk to, which means a lot. This gave him confidence that he still has a lot of room to grow excel going forward, and that there are coaches who really like, and see value in him.
Now for the "I finally get it part"
All these years a parent I never understood the burning desire to play on his High School Varsity. My view was it was a no factor for getting better or getting recruited. I always thought it was about ego, about the ridicule he had gotten for getting cut, etc. I tried to comfort him by telling him we loved him either way and had confidence in his ability, to keep putting in work, etc. But then one day it happened,.. he unknowingly pocket dialed me from the locker room. I could hear the fun he and the guys were having just being high school boys clowning around, joking with each other, being brothers.
He wrote in his senior baseball for the team program that he liked being on the team because it gave him the opportunity to do something important to him with guys that had the same interest (Baseball). He organized team activities like paintball etc. to have fun with the guys outside baseball. He loved teaching his friends who were starters ways to get better on hitting, pitching pick offs, etc. On day he told me he was staying after practice to teach our ace how to pick off "guys like him" (base-stealing guys). This kid is an All-American pitcher. My "nobody" kid is enjoying showing him how to pick off hot-shot base stealers to make him better. I was proud he was willing to give of himself like that despite his role on the team.
Would he like to play every day? Of course! Would he like to be the stud/star? No doubt! Would a D1 school have been cool? Sure! But do all those things really matter as much as I or any other parent seem to think? No...what really mattered is the brotherhood, fraternalism he finally felt like he achieved, and the fact that he could know that he didn't give in to being told no you can't be on the team.
Will he be a stud in college? Who knows...Will he make it to Pro ball, Who knows...Will he always be my son and will I always love him and be proud of him...Absolutely.
I finally get it...
