I hadn't written anything about baseball yet and it is something I should touch on at least.
When my oldest son was younger and played little league here locally, I had no idea what was available or what he should be doing. I discovered everything later on and by that time it was almost too late.
There are a lot of baseball teams in the area and many different levels of skill. I am not going to go through all of them here. The key thing for anyone with younger kids trying to get into baseball is not to wait too long if you son has real interest in baseball and wants to play at more advanced levels.
If little league and local teams are fun and what your son wants, then that is great. If he thinks that he wants to aim higher or to help assure that he gets to play baseball in high school or beyond, fortunately or unfortunately you will want to play some travel baseball along with or instead of little league.
It used to be that many kids could make the high school baseball teams without doing any other clubs or extra activities but those days are gone. If you just play local little leagues, your chances of making anything beyond freshman baseball are slim. There are just too many talented kids playing that would be above the little league skill level by a ways. It's just something to be aware of as I saw a number of players my sons age that fell out of it because it was apparent their skill level wasn't high enough.
We played a year of Sluggers, then missed the next year due to miscommunication on tryouts. The next year we tried out for Elite and Diamonds (these are all baseball travel clubs around this area) and didn't make the Elite team but were offered a spot on the Diamonds squad because the coach really needed a backup catcher. Clayton's skills were far behind but they figured he could draw a few walks here and there but he was at the bottom of the order, so to speak.
That year he improved dramatically and ended up hitting leadoff for a while and having a really good year. We have played Diamonds baseball ever since.
I like Bill Peterson, who owns Diamonds, quite a bit. He was gracious enough to work with us as my son's hockey pulls him away from baseball stuff frequently. But my son Clayton plays baseball pretty well and his bat and skills keep him on the teams. I am not sure given the demands of hockey if we will be able to continue after this year, but I think highly of Bill and the Diamonds organization and would recommend it to anyone.
It isn't for everyone and you better show some ability and like the game but it is quite rewarding when you win as much as they do.
Still the very best teams in Michigan come from the Detroit area but the Diamonds A teams give them a good game. I know not everyone will like this comment, but I believe the very best baseball in the Grand Rapids area is played by Diamonds and Elite, and depending on what age group you are talking about, it can flip from one to the other. For Clayton's age group, Diamonds is the dominant team of the two.
Again, if you are wanting to play baseball for Caledonia or a local high school, playing on one of these two teams will help you out greatly as baseball is predominantly a club sport, meaning college recruitment is primarily done from clubs and not from high school. Just like baseball, it's a numbers game and they don't keep 50 kids on a baseball team. To be good enough, you have to be one of the top kids or you will be watching from the stands.
There are more politics in baseball than any other sport I have been around too, so just be aware. I don't love writing it, but I only speak truth here. Your son may get passed up by another kid who is less talented but is more connected. I have seen this kind of thing happen many times already, although nothing has affected my son and his goals. Regardless, if it is something you like, keep working hard at it and by all means enjoy the fun of playing it.
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