At what age does baseball become serious, and how/can you help your kid?

He's pretty close to the age where it becomes serious, especially if he's playing on travel teams. By travel team, I assume you mean a sort of local all star team that plays teams from other places. The big divide you spoke of is very real. It comes when you go from Little League to Pony, which overlaps w/ high school ball. The field becomes regular size, guys develop physically, and this is the big one: kids start throwing curveballs.

If your son is good in little league, that means he has some good timing and can hit a fastball--essentially a straight pitch thrown hard. You should get him used to seeing curveballs so that he's not ducking out of the way at strikes that curve over the middle of the plate. This is what it looks like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGWdx_rvlLg

Basically the pitch starts as though it's going at your head, then breaks over the middle of the plate (at least from a right handed pitcher to a right handed batter). It takes a lot of practice to recognize, react properly and hit hard. If your son pitches, make him wait until 14 to throw curve balls and have him learn how to throw a change up. Curveballs can be dangerous to a developing young arm, but no one can hit them at first so they get thrown too much and blow out arms.

Best thing you can do is give him an opportunity to practice and learn as much as he wants. If he doesn't make it to six feet tall by the end of high school, his dream of pro ball is probably over. Good luck.

Agree with much of what was mentioned above. There is a breaking point at the jr. high/ high school level. Two things to look for, does your kid stand out with the kids he plays with NOW? If not, baseball may be coming to an end. Some kids have big growth spurts or just get a lot better in high school, but it's ok to play freshman ball, or JV ball too. If he loves the game, he'll play as long as he can. Support him as much as you can, but understand that 99.5% of the kids he playing with won't get drafted. It's just a real stretch. Most kids figure it out in high school.

I too am a "baseball mom". Both my boys have played since they were 6 years old, and that's all they want to do. They are in High School now. Both are still playing baseball and they hope to play in college/ MLB.

To me it seems that the great divide was when they entered high school. Once you get to that age, it is pretty clear which kids will go further. Much of it is up to the kid. Is he willing to put in extra work developing skills and conditioning? Is he coachable? Does he get along well with his teammates and show leadership qualities? The one other thing I can tell you that will be the biggest difference to set your son apart when he enters high school is the ability to play well in any position. When he gets to high school there will be a whole team of short stops! Gotta stand out. That is how my son's both made Varsity their freshman years. Now is the time to make sure he is not stuck playing the same position all the time because it is convenient for the coach. Good Luck!