At least in most communities. The question that most parents have to wrestle with is if and when to move to the more competitive level.

My son was offered a spot as an 11 year old. I left it up to him. He talked to the coach, talked to his friends and chose to turn it down, did the same at 12. He had a great time staying in Pony and just playing ball and was involved in so many other things in his life.

Half way through his 12 YO season he decided the level of competition wasn't enough. At the end of the season he tried out for a travel team and made it. He understood the time commitment and he's been very happy and it only took him about 1/4 of the season to adapt to the different level of competition. I'm very glad he went that route because he didn't burn out and get sick of baseball at a young age.

So don't be afraid to have your kid play rec ball and have fun. Travel teams add and lose players every year and playing travel for 5 years vs 2 is not really going to have an impact on how good they are in HS.