I guess I don't see sports as always "winning" over academics around here. Sure, athletic achievements are reported and celebrated, but I don't see anyone hiding the kids who qualified for MathCounts Nationals or USAMO. Those achievements are celebrated as well.
While your neighbor's teen might be obsessed with baseball, perhaps it is just a matter of perspective. Just as they give weird looks to your Harry Potter reading little kid, you may think they are wacky for letting their kid play travel ball. (By the way, you need to try out for travel ball teams - there are always cuts - you can't just sign up.) My older two play/played travel softball but they are not obsessed. They play 4 or 5 fall tournaments, then 8-10 tournaments in the spring/summer. Practice twice a week, 1.5-2 hours each, throughout the year. (We are in a cold weather state, so winter practices are indoors.) Add in two 1.5 hour high school "optional" practices during the winter as well. And sometimes speed and agility class. And weekly batting lessons. If this is what you see your neighbor doing, that is not really that much, but to an outsider, it could look obsessive.
Consider that playing ball may help him get into college. I'm not talking athletic scholarships, but a "slot" or a "tip" from a coach at a top academic DIII school. My eldest had interest from coaches at two top LACs, though she ultimately decided to go to a DI school (which doesn't even have softball, except for a club team, which she plays on). Middle kid is going through the recruiting process right now.
Sorry, got a little off track, but didn't want to see sports get trashed. Kids can fit in both academics and sports. Mine aren't motivated to do "extra" academics, but they do read quite a bit. They fit in a rigorous course schedule and their sports, and they just don't feel like doing extra academics. If a kid chooses extra academics, that's fine, and if a kid chooses sports, that's fine too.
Just because it might be interesting, take a look at neighbor kid's travel ball website. Team sites often list GPA and SAT scores (that is if he is playing 16U or 18U). Maybe you'll be surprised - sometimes you don't realize who the smart kids are until you look at those sites.
