Player Age

You can't control this, worry about what you can. My kids entered college at 17 and just turning 18. They'll also be done with their 4 year at 21 and start their careers. Advantages and disadvantages to both situations.

Just to provide a different perspective there are other reasons a kid may be reclassed. It could be developmental delays either academic or social/emotional. A lot of boys do better in school when they have an extra year to mature. I know this occurs for sports reasons too. But you never know there may be a different kind of story...

I know two kids that were held back in 8th grade because they were young for their class - both exceptional ball players. At least that's what the parents said regarding the why, but I suppose it could have been for other reasons as well.

One flamed out in a P5 D1 freshman year (seemed like he struggled being an average freshman), but the other did well in a MM D1 and is currently pitching well In AAA for Detroit (I expect he'll get his MLB debut this year at 28).

Is it fair? I think it is if you're within the legal age for HS. I've got to believe it would be difficult to watch all your friends move on to HS while you hang back for another year. IMO it should be for reasons other than athletics, but that's a the parents call.

There's a fair number of kids who aren't ready mentally, emotionally and in terms of maturity to go away to college at 18.

Eighteen isn't the same now as it was 40 years ago either. Certainly not the same as it was 70 years ago.

I think it really depends on the kid. For sure, for some, getting another year before college might be a benefit in getting more mature, emotionally ready, etc. But, for others, it's probably a good excuse to spend another year goofing around and not growing up. Sometimes it's better to be thrown into the lake and being forced to swim.

As a former teacher, I am only in favor of reclassifying as early as possible, that being elementary school due to developmental issues.

My son was almost 18 when he went off to college, no reclassifying just the way it turned out due to late fall birthday. That meant he was over 21 when drafted his junior year. I think being older worked to his advantage.

Regardless, if reclassifying is what a parent chooses that's their business.

As far as a player being older,  get used to it, due to covid and the transfer portal your son will be in competition with a lot of really talented players.

@TPM posted:

As a former teacher, I am only in favor of reclassifying as early as possible, that being elementary school due to developmental issues.

If I had a kid today with a fall birthday (here in NY the school cutoff date is 12/31) I'd probably have him start school a year later for the reason you mentioned. At the younger ages a few months in age difference can make a huge difference.

It's been part of the "baseball experience" since we started.  Our son has been competing with kids a full year older (and in some cases even more) since he started playing travel and it's the main reason that for many years he was "smaller."  He still always made the top travel team in our area.  Perhaps he would have been more dominant had we held him back, but that would not have been good for him academically. Honestly, I think being the smaller kid for many years made him work harder to improve and develop.

@nycdad posted:

If I had a kid today with a fall birthday (here in NY the school cutoff date is 12/31) I'd probably have him start school a year later for the reason you mentioned. At the younger ages a few months in age difference can make a huge difference.

They changed the cutoff date to Aug 31 if I remember correctly.  So it made both of my kids with fall birthdays older and gave an advantage, for school.

When my son was younger the baseball cutoff was in December made him one of the youngest, but with his size, he still had an advantage.

I was thinking more of the kid who was struggling in pre K or in their earlier years because of speech or developmental delays or is just plain immature. Parent decides at a young age that they would do better with another year of development.

Having an extra year before  going to college isn't bad either not everyone is a great student or has their act together right after hs.

I try not to be too judgemental of this as my son struggled in his earlier years with school but is now an honor roll student.

I probably would not hold back  exclusively for sports but I  look at some of my sons friends at 14 and being a late bloomer can be really tough.

@TPM posted:

They changed the cutoff date to Aug 31 if I remember correctly.  So it made both of my kids with fall birthdays older and gave an advantage, for school.

When my son was younger the baseball cutoff was in December made him one of the youngest, but with his size, he still had an advantage.

Sorry, I was referring to the age to enter school. Here in NY it's 12/31.

Redshirting all boys, i.e. having them start school at age 6, not 5, is becoming more recommended, not for sports but for maturity in general, e.g.:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ma...-redshirting/671238/

(not sure whether that's behind a paywall).  If you google "boys start school 6", you find many studies saying that wealthier families routinely do this, poorer ones less so.

@nycdad posted:

Sorry, I was referring to the age to enter school. Here in NY it's 12/31.

Got it, referring to the state where we are from, Florida.

There is a 2026 freshman in my son's HS school that is already 16. He is committed to play baseball at D1 across the state line.

@2022NYC posted:

There is a 2026 freshman in my son's HS school that is already 16. He is committed to play baseball at D1 across the state line.

I know a "freshman" now at a Juco who is attending college for the first time and is 20 years old. Actually 20 and change at this moment.

Also the age disparity is even greater in the collegiate summer leagues. My oldest kid played on a local team and the conversations in the dugout included planning a batchelor party/wedding and of course hitting local bars. When they asked him for his opinion, he told them he was 17 and only recently got his driver's license so he had no immediate plans for weddings

With covid and everything else, ages are widely varied in college.  Look at Stetson Bennett...older than a lot of NFL QBs.  A guy on my son's team graduated 3 years before him and they are both juniors.  Sadly, it is what it is.

I never figured what someone else did with their kids was my responsibility to judge. In public schools kids can't play if they turn twenty. In privates anything goes.  I was amused freshman year my son was a 5'6" point guard dishing off to 6'4" bigs. Some of them were twenty months older.

Both of my kids were seventeen on graduation day. With my daughter it didn't matter. Girls physically and mentally mature sooner. With my son, since he was asked to play 17u when he was 15u eligible by a couple of weeks there wasn't an issue. He had played 16u the year before. He was a stick when he was a freshman (5'11" 135) and a lot stronger than he looked soph year at 6' 160. He was asked to play 17u after the summer he was 5'11" 135. Even travel ball coaches project. Had my son benefitted physically with recruiting by doing a PG year it would have been considered.

I started school at four. As a preteen I starred age based youth sports. When i got to middle school I was a year to a year and a half younger. I was middle of the pack in sports of those making the teams and socially immature. In 8th grade I started dealing with depression due to the challenges being younger was causing. I was purposely not doing well in school so i wouldn't be the younger, smart nerd anymore.

We moved. My father decided to have me repeat 8th grade to place me my age group. No one would know. My mother was pissed. My father got it. He was a three sport star and played college football and baseball. The change moved me from the middle of the pack size wise and athletically to making varsity in three sports soph year. My mother was happy my grades went back up (until there were other issues).

@Francis7 posted:

I know a "freshman" now at a Juco who is attending college for the first time and is 20 years old. Actually 20 and change at this moment.

Some boys start school a year late because they're emotionally immature. If they get recruited by a private they might be asked to repeat 9th grade. They will turn twenty senior year. A local private typically had a couple of these guys on each sports team.

The way to deal with this is not see age. See an opponent you have to beat.

My son was young for his grade and on the smaller size.  I was very concerned about it when he was in 8th grade.  Fast forward, my son hit a nice growth spurt and is doing well as a Freshman in college at a MM D1. He is the youngest kid on the team.  One player was a freshman in college when my son was in the 6th grade.  Big age gap  but he is holding his own.