In my opinion, it's overrated. Most of the travel teams are about your money. If a kid has talent and plays ball consistently (doesn't have to be at highest level) they will play school ball just fine...even college. I know kids who play all year and have since they were 8 and never be what everybody expected them to be. They got burnt out, hated the sport and never got any looks. If a kid loves it and begs you to play travel ball, then it may worth it. A kid that plays a healthy amount of ball and works on it in the offseason can go as far as they want. I've seen it with my own eyes.