Behind The Diamond

As a coach, I have spent years watching young athletes grow and sometimes stall, not because of a lack of talent, but because of a lack of true commitment. And in many cases, it is not the player who initiates that. It starts with well-meaning parents trying to give their child every opportunity to succeed. You want what is best for your son. You want him to be seen, to get exposure, to play with strong competition. You want him to improve. That is understandable and admirable. But when those good intentions lead to constant team jumping, endless guest play, and chasing games instead of development, we have to stop and ask: Are we actually helping these kids get better? Or are we just keeping them busy? Let me be honest with you. As someone in the trenches of player development, I can tell you this: Games do not make players better. Practice does. Commitment does. Stability does. And no amount of guest appearances, travel weekends, or showcase events will ever replace the deep, focused, daily work that real development requires.

The Team Your Child Is On Deserves His Full Investment

When your son puts on a jersey, any jersey, he is doing more than agreeing to play in some games. He is making a promise to a team. A promise to commit. A promise to show up and be part of something bigger than himself. When players constantly jump to other teams on the weekends, playing here, showing up there, they send a clear message: “I am here for me.”And when the rest of the team sees that? It chips away at culture. It breeds resentment. It disrupts trust and chemistry. And worst of all, it teaches your child that loyalty is optional, that commitment is conditional, and that self-interest comes first. But here is the truth, that attitude does not work at the next level. College coaches do not want short-term players. They want teammates. They want young men who can be counted on to buy in, to work, and to stay the course when things get difficult.

Guest Playing Sounds Great Until It Is Not

Let us talk about the reality of guest playing. You probably think, “It is just a weekend. It is more reps. It is more exposure.” But most of the time, it is none of those things. It is just another game. One your child may not be physically or mentally prepared for. One that does not connect to his current development plan. One where he might only see a few balls and get two at bats. And worse, one where he could get hurt. That is right, guest playing increases the risk of injury. Why? Because he is stepping into a game with a team he has not practiced with. The players do not know how he communicates. The coaches do not know his limits. The warmups, routines, and expectations are different. He is playing on reaction, not preparation. That is not development. That is a roll of the dice. And for what? A stat line that no one will remember next week?

Exposure Without Development Is Just Empty Promotion

We hear the word “exposure” constantly. But here is what parents need to hear: If your son is not ready, exposure does not help him, it hurts him. You cannot showcase what is not developed. There is no magic team, tournament, or scout that changes that. If your son needs more reps, more strength, or more refinement, then that is where the focus needs to be. Not on being seen, but on becoming worth seeing. The path to becoming a real player lives in repetition. In structured practice. In private work. In developing skills and mindset with people who know him and care about his growth. That does not happen in a borrowed jersey on a team full of strangers.

Your Child Does Not Need a Bigger Stage, He Needs a Stronger Foundation

The player your son becomes is shaped less by who he plays against and more by how committed he is to the players beside him. Jumping teams every few weeks does not build that. It does not teach him to fight for a role. It does not teach him to be a good teammate. It teaches him to chase opportunity instead of earn it. It teaches him to escape instead of grow. Real growth happens when he stays. When he competes. When he adapts. When he struggles and learns and supports the guys around him through all of it. That is what matters. That is what the next level demands, not just skill, but strength of character. And character is built through consistency, not constant change.

Practice Is Where Progress Happens

Let me say it again clearly: games are not where your child gets better. Games show you what is there. Practice is where you shape what is possible. In a game, your son might get three swings. Maybe one or two balls hit to him. Maybe no defensive action at all. That is not development. That is a snapshot.

But in practice? That is where he gets twenty ground balls in a row. That is where he builds his swing. That is where he sharpens footwork, communication, and timing. That is where he can fail, adjust, and grow without the pressure of a scoreboard. If he is not maximizing his development in practice, then playing extra games is not the solution. It is a distraction from what really matters.

What College Coaches Actually Want

You may believe that playing for more teams and attending more tournaments makes your son more appealing to scouts. But college coaches see through that.

What they really want to know is:

Is he coachable?

Is he reliable?

Does he show up ready every day?

Does he make the players around him better?

Can we count on him when things get tough?

Those answers do not come from box scores. They come from reputation. They come from habits. They come from being consistent in one place long enough to be shaped and evaluated fully. Guest play does not build that. Loyalty and work ethic do.

Parents Set the Example

Now this part is hard but it is important. Your son takes cues from you. If you treat his current team as temporary, so will he. If you talk about the next opportunity every time there is a setback, he will learn to avoid struggle instead of facing it. If you chase exposure instead of encouraging growth, he will chase praise instead of improvement. You are shaping his mindset more than you realize. So take an honest look and ask yourself

Am I helping him earn roles, or trying to find shortcuts?

Am I backing the coach, or undercutting the program with side conversations?

Am I focused on his growth, or his attention?

Am I valuing team loyalty, or pushing him toward constant change?

The values you show become the ones he lives.

Be Present. Right Where You Are

One of the best things I say to players is simple: Be where your feet are. Parents, that goes for you too. Look down. Where is your son right now? What team is he on? Who are his coaches? Who are his teammates? That is his current environment. That is his opportunity. Support him by helping him dig into it fully. Not by talking about what could be better. Not by pushing him to jump ship. But by encouraging him to lead, to compete, to commit. He does not need to be everywhere. He needs to be all in where he is.

Commitment First, Success Later

The most successful players I have ever coached, the ones who move on to college and beyond, are not the ones who played in the most games or with the most teams. They are the ones who stuck it out. Who did the work. Who practiced with intent. Who led their teammates. Who listened to coaching and built habits over time. They were not in a rush. They were present. Committed. Steady. And their consistency paid off.

So the question is not “How do I get my son more games?”

The real question is: “How do I help him become the kind of player who will succeed when it matters?”

The answer is not more exposure. It is more commitment. Not to the dream but to the process. Not to the future but to today. Help him stay where his feet are. The team he is on deserves his best. And if he gives it, good things will come.