Malcolm Gladwell, in his book "Outliers", famously noted that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at a skill.  So why not have those 10,000 hours completed by the time the child is 10?  Research shows that there is not a very strong correlation between a decision to specialize in baseball and achieving elite level athletic status.  However, by specializing early, parents are risking injury to the very athlete they are trying to help.  

In this mini episode, I examine the pros and cons of early baseball specialization from the research perspective, and provide my personal recommendation on whether or not specialization is right for today's youth athlete.