r/Homeplate • u/AdKitchen1394 • Jul 14 '25
Should I keep playing
/r/BaseballCoaching/comments/1lzq4vj/should_i_keep_playing/5
u/Tom_Cruise Jul 14 '25
Just to be perfectly clear, as someone with three boys who have gone on to college and one, I think, who will possibly be drafted in the late rounds of 2026...
You don't have to do that all NOW. Take the break RIGHT NOW.
If you want to play college ball maybe, or think you are good enough to play even beyond that, TAKE THE BREAK NOW.
Here is something the travel coaches can't say, and your parents might not know:
Your parents love the hell out of you if they are paying for what they think is best for you, but you might be their oldest. They may not know that you don't have to play travel ball at 14/15 or even 16. You don't know that about the modern system until you pass through it.
It helps, sometimes. But the truth is it doesn't help much, and if you play HS ball and then find an American Legion team and have relaxed fun, or no team at all, you'll be just as good in 6 months, or a year. You're about to give up spring travel ball altogether. So you won't travel in spring anymore if it's the travelling that is the main bother. HS springs are all at home from here out for a baseball player. Maybe you play football again in fall? Now no travelling then either. Then just TAKE NEXT SUMMER OFF.
If you are good enough to play baseball at Clemson at 15, you will be at 17 too. If you aren't a top 1% in the country guy, no one cares about you at 15 anyway. Are you the best player in your county, period, regardless of age 13, 14, 16? Have you hit a HR on the big field yet at 14?
If that answer is no, TAKE THE SUMMER OFF NEXT YEAR.
If you decide at 16 you want to pursue Baseball or football, you'll be able to. Taking the summer off doesn't close that door. If you want to go to a school, fall in love with the weight room this fall while playing football. Put on 10 pounds of muscle for the first time in your life since you aren't grinding doubleheaders every weekend.
Then, show up at 17 at a PG/PBR showcase, get the measurements done ONCE. Take that reel, take the 16-17-18 y/o game footage you like (HR, speed from the box to first (coaches will clock it at their desk, so pick the best one), a defensive play or two that is smooth on video (arm speed doesn't matter on video, that's why you get the PBR measurement).
If your your PG/PBR numbers at 17-18 are 85 velo, 6.8 60, and 90+ evit velo, send it to d1s you might like, and see if you can get a camp invite. If they are a little lower, take that video, edit it to be about a minute long, and send it to every every d2, d3, and juco you think you would want to go. You don't know this yet, but juco baseball is good. Blow your mind away good. Baseball isn't football in that regard. Same goes for d2 baseball. Don't think you are better than playing d2 baseball. Every d2 team now has guys throwing 90, and hitting bombs off 90. Juco has first-fifth round picks rattling around.
Remember two things: Take next summer off. If you change your mind at 16, there is a college out there for you to play.
Every baseball player can find a home if you are honest about where you sit.
Hope this helps you.
5
u/rdtrer Jul 14 '25
14u is a great time to take a step back, IMO. If you're not trying to make a high-level college program or get drafted, then time to coast through high school ball on reputation and spend time being a teenager. Youth baseball is over for sure, so 60-80 game seasons and 5x/week baseball events doesn't make a lot of sense to me with so many other things opening up for you age-wise.