which team to play for

Hi. Thanks for writing in. Sorry about your injury.

In my opinion, you are much better off with option #2 if indeed the competition with option #1 is only slightly better and with option #2 you get to stay with your friends, have more fun, not dedicate yourself completely to baseball, give yourself time to heal, and ultimately make a better decision about your future. You also seem more excited about option #2.

There are lots of folks on this site who will tell you that, starting around your age (15/16U) not to expect any team to help you develop. Esp the higher you go, the more coaches are focused on putting together the best team they can, to win the most games they can. Development becomes an individual pursuit, and baseball becomes a business. You are right on the cusp of experiencing this, and it seems it's more attractive to you to stay back and have some fun with your friends for a while more. Your injury has provided you with the opportunity to do this.

First of all, kudos to you for being so self-aware at a young age.

100% agree with SpeedDemon.  My two younger sons did #2 exactly as you describe it.  They liked playing baseball with their friends, and got to play at a pretty good competitive level that made it worthwhile to them.  They weren't passionate about baseball like their older brother, and had no real desire to play past high school.  They had other interests they were passionalte about, and it worked out perfect for them.

Good luck!

I’m for #2. Given your situation stay with where you are a known quantity. When you get healthy it’s very likely you get your position back. In the #1 situation getting healthy only gets you to the starting gate if earning a position. At that point you may have to wait for someone else to fail before you get a shot.

One thing to consider when looking at the less-competitive team. A lot of teams fold at the 15u/16u stage due to kids quitting baseball after not making their HS team, or making it but not getting on the field much. If several of the kids on this team are in that boat, you could be looking for a new team next year.

2026/pitcher or SS:

Are you left handed or right handed hitter? Which wrist did you break? Will you play HS baseball? There is an Option 3. Play on both teams.

Why play SS and Pitch? The arm angle is different when you throw.

Bob

I agree it sounds like you're leaning toward #2, which is fine.

The only question I would have is, what's your status with your high school team?  You imply you will be able to play this spring, you're a sophomore.  Are you at a very competitive high school, or do most people make the team?  How important is high school ball to you?  Does the summer team have any impact on what happens at high school?

@2026P/SS posted:

i am a 2026 player but im a year younger as i just turned 15. i have a big decision to make regarding the future i have in baseball. i joined a new team thats more compettive then my old team but i have broken my wrist and wont even beable to practice with them until the start of the summer season because of the high school season. i dont know if i want to take baseball as serious as i dont want to dedicate my whole life to baseball. i have above avg metrics for my age so wondering how to make the choice.

Option 1: sit out 8 weeks with this team and try to earn pt on this new team im one of the better players but the compettion level of this team is only slightly better

Option 2: go back to my old team and have fun with my friends for one more year and be the star player, but have to develop on my own. Then make a decison based on that next year about what to do with baseball.

Here's a thought. At least try to compose a post. I mean I know I suck at grammar, but damn. At least take the time to correct the mistakes the spellcheck here is highlighting, and the caps. Google will do it for you. Not doing so shows a profound lack of effort. If you are not going to sweat the small stuff, why keep you.

@SomeBaseballDad Seriously? What an utterly obnoxious post. I love good grammar as much as the best of them but if you are trying to encourage someone to grow, send a private message. And, yes, I realize I am not following my own advice but in this case I think it is important for 2026 to know he is welcome here.

The journey should be fun, whatever that means to you - it's your journey.

I would also suggest option 2, because once HS starts you're really only doing summer ball outside of HS. You can pick a summer team each year based on where you're at, and where you plan on going.

Good luck this season, and have fun!

P.S. On the spelling/grammar thing, there's a lesson here too. When dealing with us older curmudgeons, and especially when writing letters of introductions (employers or coaches) sweat the details - because many will judge based on your effort.

@anotherparent posted:

I agree it sounds like you're leaning toward #2, which is fine.

The only question I would have is, what's your status with your high school team?  You imply you will be able to play this spring, you're a sophomore.  Are you at a very competitive high school, or do most people make the team?  How important is high school ball to you?  Does the summer team have any impact on what happens at high school?

i made the team last year and i have developed alot i should beable to make the team. our high school is very compettive though

@SomeBaseballDad posted:

Here's a thought. At least try to compose a post. I mean I know I suck at grammar, but damn. At least take the time to correct the mistakes the spellcheck here is highlighting, and the caps. Google will do it for you. Not doing so shows a profound lack of effort. If you are not going to sweat the small stuff, why keep you.

hard to type with a cast on my dominant hand sorry

Option 2.  If you are still figuring if you want to take baseball seriously, then have fun for now until you figure it out.  Also, even for those who are taking baseball seriously, they eventually get burned out if they are not enjoying the game at least to some degree.  There's an inverse relationship between how serious you are about the game and how much of this seriousness can offset not having as much fun (in other words, the more you are serious about the game, the more you can get by with treating it as work and having only 20% fun as opposed to 80% fun).  But at the end of the day, I don't know of anyone who lasts long in the game if they have 0% fun.

I appreciate you being thoughtful about this and be willing to jump on a public forum.  The grammar police has a point esp as you begin to interact with adults more or start getting into the professional world.  This is all the more true if you get serious about the game and start contacting coaches.  However, part of learning how to communicate is to know when to blast someone publicly vs. in a PM, esp someone who is young, new to the forum, and who has communicated his dilemma with respect and earnestness (yes, albeit with incorrect grammar).  So all of us has something to learn, not just you.