I strongly endorse the independent travel ball team - that is excellent advice.
One thing I haven't seen discussed is hitting -- kids have to learn and practice hitting outside of team practice time, just about guaranteed, if they're going to be effective. Getting a hitting lesson or two can be like golf lessons - a hour or two with a good teacher here and there can make a world of difference. See who the better hitters are and find out what they do. Most likely, they get a lesson or two at an indoor practice facility somewhere.
My son is 17 and has been playing since park and rec tee ball. Currently he's on his high school team, an American Legion team and the July term of high school Cotton States in New Albany. That sounds like a lot more baseball than it is, but it's not much. The HS team has weight room year round, and both the summer Legion and Cotton States seasons are brief. He has a summer job and plenty of free time, which he dedicates to burning up gas and bass fishing. He does each of these very well.
This question has been one of our family's great struggles, but he's heading into his senior year of HS and hasn't burned out from too much or been cut for too little, so I guess we've done OK. I would say go ahead and get his feet wet enough that he'll be in your local baseball circuit/system. An independent team is the way to go, but do your homework on how many tournaments, how much practice, etc.
One thing I haven't seen discussed is hitting -- kids have to learn and practice hitting outside of team practice time, just about guaranteed, if they're going to be effective. Getting a hitting lesson or two can be like golf lessons - a hour or two with a good teacher here and there can make a world of difference. See who the better hitters are and find out what they do. Most likely, they get a lesson or two at an indoor practice facility somewhere.
My son is 17 and has been playing since park and rec tee ball. Currently he's on his high school team, an American Legion team and the July term of high school Cotton States in New Albany. That sounds like a lot more baseball than it is, but it's not much. The HS team has weight room year round, and both the summer Legion and Cotton States seasons are brief. He has a summer job and plenty of free time, which he dedicates to burning up gas and bass fishing. He does each of these very well.
This question has been one of our family's great struggles, but he's heading into his senior year of HS and hasn't burned out from too much or been cut for too little, so I guess we've done OK. I would say go ahead and get his feet wet enough that he'll be in your local baseball circuit/system. An independent team is the way to go, but do your homework on how many tournaments, how much practice, etc.
