Does Baseball Pre-Puberty Matter?

PSA/Rant:

I have been in travel baseball for a long time. I have seen a lot of kids start on Varsity as freshmen and go on to play college ball. The majority of those kids played against the top kids in their state/region at the very least (D1, Major, AAA). There is also a narrative that baseball pre-puberty doesn’t matter. It does matter, and is probably the most important as far as development. 9-12u is where I LEARNED the most about the game and also developed the love of it. These are the formative years, and coaching and development are key, so once they do hit puberty, they can thrive.

Also, keep in mind that while baseball as a pre-pubescent kid is extremely important, it’s also an illusion. Hitting especially. 12-13 year olds hitting 300+ bombs with a drop 5 isn’t real. It’s fun, but not real. Once they get to the big field with a BBCOR, the game humbles them quickly. Some tournaments still offer -5 BBCORs at 14! We HIGHLY recommend starting to transition at 13.

Pitchers getting overused is also real. I saw several talented pitchers at 12-13 get overused (180+ pitches in three days). One such kid had an 84mph with a devastating slider at 13. Where is he now? Not even on the radar. It is the parents’ responsibility to find coaches who don’t treat players like this.

It is a big baseball world, and if your coach is trophy chasing, then kids aren’t developing as they should. If you aren’t losing, you aren’t learning. The goal should eventually be to play against the top teams, challenge them in adverse situations, and let them fail…ALOT. Ignore the people saying baseball doesn’t matter until a certain age, because it does.

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