{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Chasing Baseball Dreams","title":"20: Lou Collier | Reclassing, Playing Up & What Baseball Parents Get Wrong","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3231,"description":"Is your son dominating youth baseball because he’s developing, or because the competition isn’t challenging him anymore? \n\nFormer MLB player Lou Collier joins Bobby Minor on the Chasing Baseball Dreams Podcast to talk about reclassing, playing up and the decisions behind his son Cam Collier’s path to the MLB Draft. \n \nBefore the Cincinnati Reds selected Cam 18th overall, his family made the decision to have him graduate early and play junior college baseball against older competition. Lou explains what he saw in Cam, how he used feedback from experienced baseball people and why the decision involved much more than his son’s ability on the field. We also get into what would’ve told him they’d moved too soon. \n \nThat leads to a conversation about reclassifying in the other direction. Lou shares his concerns about older players dominating younger competition and what happens when the game finally gets tougher. He also makes an important distinction: challenging a player doesn’t mean putting him at a level he isn’t physically ready to handle. \n \nWe talk about the challenge of being both a coach and a baseball dad, including what Lou learned about backing off as Cam matured. Later, he explains why a younger player needing encouragement isn’t the same as an older teenager refusing to put in the work his goals require. \n \nFor parents thinking about baseball training and player development, Lou gets specific about infield fundamentals, learning multiple positions and what working alongside Ron Washington taught him about instruction. He also discusses baseball access for young African American players, his work with MLB Develops and the training behind the Hillboys program. His explanation of practice reps versus game reps gives parents something to consider before filling another weekend with games. \n \nCam’s path gives us a real decision to examine. The question for your family is what your son needs, how you’re evaluating that and whether his baseball environment is...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q3rQG5ngcoyZtBBqydY-LYe-2NzrWpT_DUSzYHdnSkI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84Zjgy/ODMwMjJlOGEzZDUz/M2RjN2UzOGM3OWQy/NWI5Yy5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}