He's 12 years old.

I saw this today and, as a lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, I'll admit this one hit a little differently.

It's being reported that the Tigers have reached a pre-agreement with 12-year-old Kevin Sosa for a future $4 million signing bonus.

Twelve.

I have absolutely no idea what Kevin Sosa will become.

Maybe he's extraordinary.

Maybe someday I'll be sitting at Comerica Park cheering for him.

And if this opportunity ultimately changes his family's life, that can be a wonderful thing.

But he's 12.

And I can't get past that.

It's about where we're heading.

Professional sports continue pushing further and further down the development pyramid looking for the next great player.

Colleges recruit younger.
Agents identify younger.
Academies identify younger.
Parents feel pressure younger.

And eventually the message trickles all the way down:

If you aren't identified early, you're already behind.

That's the part that concerns me.

Because for every extraordinary 12-year-old being discussed as a future professional, there are millions of completely ordinary 12-year-olds who simply need somewhere to play.

Some will develop early.
Some will develop late.
Most will never play professionally.

All of them deserve a development system built for them.

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about one phrase:
Just because it's common doesn't mean it's healthy.

And maybe nowhere is that more important than how early we're attempting to predict the futures of children.

I love professional sports.
I love scouting.
I love player development.
But I don't think the answer to better development is continually getting better at identifying children earlier.

I think it's getting better at developing more children longer.

Keep more kids playing.
Make participation affordable.
Develop coaches.
Create multiple pathways.
Stop treating early talent as future certainty.
Give late developers time.

And let kids be kids while they develop.

The goal of a healthy development system shouldn't be to figure out which 12-year-old will become a professional athlete.

It should be to create an environment where we don't have to know yet.