Outfielder needs a stronger arm

As you implied, there is a distinct difference in the requirement depending on the skill. And I agree that for the lower levels, if you can hit you will play. That changes as you go up the ladder though, because as you go up, more balls are hit out there and somebody has to catch 'em!

Its not that hitting will be ignored, but sooner or later, all of the skills are needed, at least to a greater degree. Even then, the requirement will be different depending on the rest of the team. Besides, I'm not so sure that putting a poor fielder out there because he can hit is the correct thing to do anyway! Putting the premium on hitting is most likely a good reason why you don't find many good outfielders until they get much older.

As long as we're being so nice about disagreeing, I want to disagree with something you said. Not with whether or not its true, but with the reasoning behind it. "The pros are looking for the exceptional athlete... not the above average."

I know a player who has innate athletic abilities, size, speed and coordination, are very attractive, I think that puts an artificial filter in the process that leaves out many potentially great players.

Its one thing to cull out the poor "athletes" when they are 17+, but there's just no way to tell who's an "athlete" and who isn't when they're munchkins. And even when they're older, I just ain't buyin' into the theory that only the "best" athletes will make good pro players.

Using that kind of thinking, Pete Rose would have never gotten one ML hit. Ya know what I think? Well I'm gonna tell ya anyway! I think the coaches in the pros are generally a bunch of overrated, lazy bums who can't teach as well as they should be able.

Only taking the "best" athletes presupposes that that they will be the ones who do what we all know is the most important thing in baseball, work! Although I'd guess most people we'd consider athletes have worked and know how to work, that doesn't mean "lesser" athletes couldn't make better ball players.

This "best athlete" stuff has gotten way out of hand in my mind. I want the best ballplayers and couldn't care less if they can walk and chew gum at the same time.