Here is another Thought Experiment. If you were the parent of the following theoretical player, what would you want him to do?
Jason Silver is a high school outfielder from Birmingham, Alabama. He is an outstanding athlete, with scholarship offers in multiple sports from numerous schools...baseball, basketball, track, and football coaches are all wanting to recruit him. A 6-3, 180 pound right-handed hitter and thrower, his best current skill is speed, rated as a minimum 70 on the 20-80 scale with some scouts giving him an 80 on his best days. He is also wiry-strong and physically projectable; he could easily gain another two inches and 30 pounds on his frame. His only weakish tool is a mediocre throwing arm.
He has leadership skills and is a strong point guard in basketball. In football he plays wide receiver. In baseball he spent some time at the middle infield positions as a junior, but moved to center field as a senior and shows gold glove potential as a defender. He is a decent student and has a good reputation for leadership and work ethic. He likes math, and if he goes to college, he wants to major in accounting.
Silver has football scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Florida State. All of those schools will let him play baseball or basketball too if he wants. He has baseball offers from Mississippi, LSU, and Florida; those schools would let him play football and basketball too if he wants. Jason himself is uncommitted; he likes baseball, but he likes the other sports, too. He is considered a pro prospect in the other sports, but most experts regard his baseball potential as the highest professionally.
The main problem as a baseball player: his bat is very raw. He has tons of bat speed and can drive the ball when he gets his pitch, but he has big problems with breaking stuff and changeups. In showcases his tools stand out as terrific, but scouts say he will need work getting his swing under control and learning how to handle something other than fastballs. He understands this weakness and is working to correct it, but results so far are mixed and he needs a lot more experience.
Pro scouts tell you your son's rawness will keep him out of the first and second round, but if signable he could go as high as the third round. It will depend on if he's signable. What do you tell the pro scouts? Do you want Jason in pro ball quickly, or do you want him to go to college, and if so where and in what sports? Jason himself is undecided about his options and will be guided by your advice. The one thing he is adamant on: if he goes to college, he will play at least one other sport besides baseball. Is it better to take the third round money, or is it better to go to college and hope his skills improve enough for him to end up with a higher draft position in three years?
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