[baseball1974]

Both play d for Huntington Hounds. I understand your issue with HS team. But simple fact is exposure to scouts and colleges come in the summer in addition to playing the top competition. With the exception of the very top players in the country scouts and college coaches rarely come see HS games and then have usually watched kids play at one of the big summer tournaments.

That's only true if you have a high school coach that doesn't promote his players. If that's the case, then by all means play. However, with technology being what it is, college coaches very rarely travel at all. I know college coaches that have completely cut their recruiting budget and put it in other areas because they can call and have a video sent of any player they want. Maybe what you are saying was true 10-15 years ago and these kids have bought into that idea, but it's not needed. What it is actually doing is putting these young teenagers at risk for early injury. Their physical makeup hasn't stopped developing, and yet they are expected to throw a baseball 10-months out of the year overhand, which is a very unnatural act for the human body especially when you are still growing. They have no business playing more than 6-7 moths out of the year, especially if they are pitching. There is a reason arm surgeries have gone up 700% in the past 15-20 years, and the reason is overuse before you have physically matured. There are ways to counter that and still work on your game during the off season. The key is to not go everyday, and the biggest key is to not throw from an elevated surface during the offseason. Any pitcher will tell you the main things you need to work on can all be done on flat ground.