Go back and watch the Joe Rogan podcast with Riley Gains. Pretty compelling and her parents have to be super proud of the way she handles herself. Well spoken and well beyond her years.
I believe all kids should cycle through all sports when they are younger. Soccer, basketball, softball, swimming, dance, gymnastics, etc. Saw lots of good athletic kids that were better, stronger, faster than my DD. Once DD started playing Summer All stars(10u-14U) she started passing those...
IMO, the best rankings that we have access to is US Club Rankings. Points are based on finishes in qualifying tourneys. Is it perfect? No game changer stats or coach submissions.
Out of curiosity I checked out DD's school's baseball stats. 41 on the online roster. I know there are more that practice but don't earn a jersey. I counted 14 positions players with AB's. 13 Pitchers with mound time.
Machine consistently pitches to the same spot. Give me 5 pitches and I will catch up pretty quick. Live pitching is different. The machine is not trying to strike you out. When the girls pitch against the boys, they always throw rise balls out of the zone. Who can lay off a riseball?
This is true. But the pictures that kids are posting aren't just softball related. It's like taking a picture with a fish. You always extend your arms toward the camera to make the fish appear bigger than it is.