What teams in these areas are competetive and gain exposure?

Where do you live? What age group? There are some very competitive teams around the NY NJ area. In NY if you are outside of NYC - AAU is rare. To find some of the best, search tournaments in NY, NJ, PA and CT. Some of the teams have websites.

You can usually find out who is running local leagues and get an idea of who won their championships. If there is a local baseball academy or school, talk to the pros running it. They usually have a good idea of what leagues and teams are around.