(TBR Classic) olefty...gotta recruiting question for you

I'll be up there next weekend. I hope you will be too.

 

to Dawgswood

Can you tell us in the same manner as you did position players how a scout looks at pitchers? Thanks! dawgswood

Here is my first complaint towards coaching. First, I believe there are too many recruiting coordinators or coaches out recruiting who were position players in their former lives. The problem that many of you already see is that velocity becomes the one and only judge. Yes, velocity is everyone's number one concern. Here's a great story...

at an impact pitcher showcase in a gym at Elon back in February of 2006 I was in attendance. There were around thirty coaches sitting behind the protective netting. I would say around 50 pitchers threw. This list included many of the top prospects in the State along with several college level prospects.

At about the tenth pitcher I realized I had not watched one pitch. I had sat there and watched the velocity of every pitch. I had judged every pitcher by their velocity and nothing else. You can see my dilemma. So, I put my gun down and actually started watching the pitchers throw. Do you know what I saw? I saw all 30 coaches and about 10 pro scouts doing th exact same thing I was doing. Not one coach or scout was watching the pitchers delivery, his movement, his ability to throw strikes.

Baseballs that bounced 5 feet in front of the plate were impressing coaches because the velo was 87 or whatever their measuring stick is. It was the most eye opening experience of my life. UNfortunately, this is not gonna change.

Ten years ago I was an 82 lefty who got a very good scholarship to an ACC school. I will admit my high school and American legion record was a combined 64-5. but in today's game I would have probably been offered alot of walk on spots at division 1 schools but I seriously doubt anyone would have offered me a scholarship.

Guys, it will not change. You will pitch where your velocity sends you. Every coach in the country hopes that every pitcher will rise above the velocity he started with but it is still the same. You can use Woodard as your example the way people used maddux five years ago. the truth is woodard and maddux could both throw a 91-93 on command. they have mastered the art and are allowed to get away with things others don't.

so now that we have established the fact that you have former third baseman critiquing your son's ability on the mound and his only gauge is a radar gun, I can give you some other things that are looked for. Remember, these are subtle and may not get your son a dollar of scholarship money.

a breaking ball that is hard and not loopy is a good thing. too many HS kids have what we refer to as a "little league" curve ball. A pitcher who actually throws a change up to hitters and not just in warm ups. what I mean is a "workable" changeup. and, movement is a part of a pitch that can make up for velocity. a good 83 fastball with tail and sink is less hittable than an 86 fastball straight and up in the zone.

One last thing I will put in there is I will not recruit a pitcher who has trouble throwing strikes. if you are 81 and can throw strikes I will take you over a pitcher who is 85 all over the place. Maybe I'm a bad coach but I'm not trying to find something that has never been there. I want to enhance what is already there.

 

Great Thread!!

Olefty.....my husband and I have really enjoyed reading your VERY informative posts. We kinda had a feeling that it wasn't all about velocity. We always have been of the philosophy that it's a combo of these three......location, movement and speed change.

There's nothing any better than seeing a really "sick" curve for strike 3 or an inside fastball with movement that the batter can't do ANYTHING with...... except maybe a changeup that "falls off the table."

Thanks so much for your insight. Looking forward to seeing ya' at the ballfield.

Later....RSPM

 

Will be there!!

Yes Braves we will be there!! Me and PRmom and look forward to seeing everyone and some baseball!!! Oh, and some good food to!!! Make sure you order up some good weather!!:bananalam

 

this is a great thread.. one of the best I have ever seen. A great big thank you to all who have contributed to it. It incorprates everything I have heard about the game most importantly being a baseball player with all the skills vs being just a raw athlete. My son is only in the 6th grade and he catches but he is not going to be very fast. His skills are already well ahead of some HS level players... this is from his travel ball coach who also coaches HS. My question is to what extent if any does your the position you play affect the 60 times mentioned... since this is the first cut off. Also and this may not be something people are willing to answer; what colleges have a history of recruiting ballplayers instead of athletes? I had thought that MONEYBALL was changing the idea that you could make a ball player out of a raw athlete. It seems that a lot of coaches are still "buying blue jeans" as Billy Beane would say...

 

Velocity

So what should a player do? Reach back for a couple of fastballs that are hard but may not be on the mark?

 

It depends. If you are at a Pro Style workout...let 'er rip. But if you are in a showcase tournament...pitch, don't throw.

olefty is right..not too many recruiting co-ordinators are former pitchers. They are watching their guns. I sat among some recruiters at one particular tournament. They were salivating over this one pitcher who threw gas. I asked them if they ever seen him in a close game? "Nope...why?" I told them that the kid couldn't handle pressure. He would squeeze the ball and start short arming it. To this day, I don't think they gave it a second thought. The post script to this story is the pitcher signed with a D1 school and hasn't left the bench in 3 years.

 

I'll take care of the weather...you take care of the food

 

Braves

You always take the easy one....

 

I've got connections :bananalam