Coach Steve Rau

As a parent of a little leaguer, we often like to believe that our child is one of the best players on the field. It's only natural to have those thoughts; however, simple logic tells us that not every kid on the team can be the best. So the question arises, "Really, how good is your kid?

Well, here's a simple checklist to see if your 10 to 12 year old or so, is on track to becoming a very good ballplayer, possibly in route to playing high school or college baseball.

• He can throw and catch with ease, rarely dropping the ball or throwing it away while playing catch.
• Hitting live pitching to all fields is not a problem
• He fields ground balls in a smooth manner with soft hands
• Throws from the left side of the infield to first base are starting to level out with maybe a slight arc.
• As a pitcher, he can consciously throw the ball to the glove and not try to just get the ball over the plate.
• He understands the rules of the game and at times shows instincts as a player.

One thing to remember as a parent is that players develop and mature at different ages. Some kids peak at 16 years old, while others don't reach their potential until late in college. Therefore, if your child can perform most of the skills above at an early age, then make sure he doesn't get to high on himself and continues to work hard to improve his skills. Contrarily, if you have a late bloomer, then be patient with him; chances are you'll have an idea what his baseball future will be in the next few years.

Unfortunately, not every kid can play high school baseball and approximately about 10% of high school ballplayers move on to play in college. If you're having hopes of the next multi-million dollar big leaguer being your son; understand that only about 1% of high school players will even sniff the field as a professional.

So please don't place too much pressure on your child by telling everyone he's going to be the next Derek Jeter. Chances are, he's already pressuring himself.