I'll play devil's advocate here for a second and give a contrary opinion on moving the kid up.
Just because he can pitch 40+ mph doesnt mean he can hit against it. And moving him up to play with say 11/12 or 12/13 year olds means he might have to stand in there to 60 mph pitches.
Now generally 8/9 year olds are safe playing against other 8/9 year olds. But throw a 9 year old in there with 11/12/13 year olds and you might not be able to make the same claim.
I'd be a nervous parent of a 9 year old staring down a 12 year old pitcher.
Just a different view.
Just because he can pitch 40+ mph doesnt mean he can hit against it. And moving him up to play with say 11/12 or 12/13 year olds means he might have to stand in there to 60 mph pitches.
Now generally 8/9 year olds are safe playing against other 8/9 year olds. But throw a 9 year old in there with 11/12/13 year olds and you might not be able to make the same claim.
I'd be a nervous parent of a 9 year old staring down a 12 year old pitcher.
Just a different view.
