Play Age or Class???

Without diving into whether or not he has college potential, the answer to me is very clear.  If he has any hope whatsoever of playing in college, he needs to play with his class and not his age, especially at this stage of his development.

Class...that is his peer group

When a kid get's into high school and is playing summer ball for exposure, he needs to play with his grade level (unless playing up).  Especially if he is going into his JR. year. 

 

You aren't clear if your organization has a 16u team or not.  If they don't and there aren't other options, then playing is better than not playing.  If they do have a 16u team and the guy put your kid on the 15u team, then I would seriously question if he has your kid's best interests.  Good luck.       

Those summer birthday really screw with baseball kids!

 

The overwhelming advice I have received regarding my August born player is it's better to play with your grade than your age.  If he plays with his age...sure he might seem like a stud but most coaches won't make the connection that he is in the 2017 class, it will be inferred he is a 2018. Most people on here say 10th grade is time to really start trying to get colleges to look at a player, so I would say you are correct.

 

He is in 10th grade, that puts him at 16u for this summer.  I have zero advice on projectability, but a Lefty with perfect grades should be able to find a home somewhere.

Sorry about that--they do have a 16u team.  But, as a new organization, it came over largely intact from another and they said they have no spots open.

Thanks CaCO3Girl.  Mine's a September birthday and he wouldn't be able to start school when he did under our current rules.  But he was ready academically and socially, so we didn't hold him back.  Now he says he wants to play college ball, so that hill is a little steeper for him to climb because we didn't.

The difference between the number of colleges watching a 15U game....and watching a 16U game is tremendous.....by all means, find a 16U team

99% of the time I would say play your class.  And that may still be good advice.  Problem is your son needs to get mound time.  At 75ish probably not getting a lot of innings on a good 16u team.  Pretty much all those guys are mid 80's and above.  So while you may lose out on some exposure you may gain some much needed reps and experience.  Best advice is regardless of which way you decide to go review what you are doing for strength and fitness and make sure it is good and hit it heavy.  Also make sure you are satisfied with his pitching instruction.  Which team has the better coach?  Right now at 75mph there is not much exposure to be had.  First priority is what is going to make him better?  Get into the low to mid 80's before worrying about college exposure.  Good luck!

I believe once a kid masters the 60/90 field and has the physical size and strength to compete he should play skill equivalent rather than grade or age equivalent. A kid should never play in an age group versus his grade group once he's in middle school.

I would disagree.  I think up until high school, pick the team with the best coaching.  A well coached younger team will be a lot better for the kid than a lousy coached older team.  At least in my area there are so many teams that you really need to focus on the coaching first and foremost.   

This is just opinion like all posts here.  I am on son 5 now and have always had them in grade equivalent once they reach HS. My 2017 is 5'10 140 with a late august birthday, so size and strength wise your son should match up very well at 16U and like your son if 2017 started school today he would be a 2018... He will be playing 16U because it is the most effective way to provide competition that will stretch his mental and physical baseball abilities.  Last year in "age comparable 14U" play he led the team in almost offensive category and my position is if you are the best player on a team you need to find a better team.  This year he will have to fight for playing time and the opportunity to start against older stronger players but it will make him a better ballplayer...again just my experience but I have always found that when young men test themselves against better competition it is us as parents who struggle, not them.  We need to guard our ego and desire to see them as "the best" while they rise to the occasion, work hard to improve and appreciate the opportunity to compete.

Colleges recruit by grad year, not by age. 

Don't want to give advice not knowing enough about the player or situation.

 

If a young player is talented enough and if exposure to college coaches is important, here is what I would suggest.

 

14 and 15 year olds should play up at 16U or 17U if possible.

 

16U should play 16U or 17U

 

17U should play 17U

 

This would allow for more viewing by college recruiters.  If they see a talented young player, they don't forget it.  And they are most likely to see that young player in the 16U and 17U events. No matter what age, the event has to be recognized as one that has lots of talent because that is where the most college coaches and MLB scouts are at.

 

That said, a lot has to do with which events the team participates in. Sometimes 14U and 15U events provide a lot of coverage and information that recruiters follow.  Others, you might as well be playing Rec Ball in China, because no college coach is going to know how you performed.  

I've never understood playing with age and not grade. The ones i've seen and been around, are big fish in small ponds and boy does that change when they get to HS and they're one of many. Sounds like he's got a few things going for him aside from being a smart kid, he's over 6' and a southpaw pitcher. Keep working on strength, velocity and pitches..he should be fine. I've seen plenty of local sub-6 footers go D1 and they were leftys.

Good coaching is a given. I wouldn't consider a poorly coached team under any circumstances.