06/23/2026
Picking a high school for your ballplayer? The trophy case is lying to you.
Every summer, eighth grade families ask me the same thing. Private or public. The powerhouse two towns over, or the school down the street. Stay, or transfer.
Here is what 35 years in the game taught me. The name on the jersey has never once decided whether a kid can play. Playing time does.
Do the math. A kid in the everyday lineup gets 70 to 90 at bats a varsity season, plus a hundred-plus innings in the field. A kid on the bench at a "better" school gets a fraction of that and falls hundreds of reps behind over a career. Nobody gets recruited sitting down.
So go where your player gets a real education and a real chance to be on the field. If they can play at the highest level and still start, wonderful. If not, every rep on JV beats watching from the varsity bench.
Baseball and softball will put you exactly where you belong. Your only job is to make sure where you belong is on the field.
Full breakdown on the blog: https://www.mygrindapp.com/blog/choosing-high-school-baseball-softball.html
Keep grinding.
Coach